Employment conditions

There are several employment categories for early-career researchers after completing their doctorate, each with distinct profiles and responsibilities. A detailed overview can be found on the dedicated website and in the brochure "Scientific Functions at ETH Zurich".

 For simplicity, we use the term postdocs throughout this webpage.

According to the Ordinance Governing Scientific Employees of the ETH Zurich, a postdoctoral position is intended to support academic career development and professional growth. Postdocs conduct independent research, contribute to research projects, and perform teaching, research and service tasks within their supervisor’s area of responsibility.

ETH Zurich hosts a large and dynamic community of temporary scientific staff, including approximately 1,200 postdocs and 700 established researchers and research associates. The postdoc phase is typically a period of agility and mobility, resulting in a relatively short average retention period of 2.8 years.

Postdocs usually have fixed-term contracts for one year. Of course, contracts can also be longer.

Full time employment is standard (unless requested otherwise by the postdoc).

A postdoctoral or established researcher contract can only be extended for a maximum of six years. However, it is important to note that the years spent as a doctoral student at ETH count towards the six-year limit for postdoc employment. This means the total maximum duration of employment is:

• six years combined for doctoral students and postdocs
• an additional six years for established researchers.

Further details on employment conditions can be found on the employment website.  

• Maternity Leave: Female employees are entitled to four months of paid maternity leave after the birth of their child, regardless of the length of their employment at ETH. More information can be found on the maternity page.
• Paternity leave: Male employees are entitled to 20 days of paid paternity leave following the birth of their child.

After returning from maternity or paternity leave, the contract is extended by at least the duration of the leave taken. This means that the employment contract is extended according to the number of weeks or months of leave, unless a contract with a longer term has already been issued.

Employees are urged to discuss parental leave arrangements early and proactively with their supervisor. Similarly, supervisors should discuss the employee’s return and contract duration before the start of the maternity or paternity leave.

You can find more about this on the "Information Sheet Parenthood".  

Postdocs receive a fixed-rate salary:

• In their first year, they receive a fixed starting salary.
• In the second and third years, the salary increases in predefined stages.
• Salary rates can be found on the dedicated website.

Established researchers (Oberassistent:innen) are assigned to a functional level. Their salary falls within the corresponding performance band.

Family allowance: ETH Zurich employees who care for minor children or children in education receive a family allowance, in accordance with basic legal regulations.

For an estimate of your monthly salary and an overview of the cost of living in Zurich, you can use this salary calculator,

The standard full-time working week at ETH Zurich is 41 hours.  

All ETH Zurich employees are entitled to at least five weeks of annual vacation. Two consecutive weeks of vacation must be taken at least once per year. Public holidays are in addition to vacation days and do not count toward annual leave.

In the event of illness or accident, employees shall inform their supervisors immediately and regularly thereafter. A doctor's certificate or accident certificate is required from the fourth day of absence at the latest. More information, also on longer absences due to illness or accident, can be found on this information sheet.

ETH values diversity and fosters an inclusive culture and is committed to equal opportunities in its recruitment process.

ETH Zurich has signed both the external page DORA and external page CoARA agreements, ensuring that academic and professional achievements are assessed on a qualitative rather than quantitative basis. Evaluations consider a broad range of contributions, including publications but also produced and/or published data sets, registered software codes, conference presentations, accomplished field campaigns and experiments, outreach activities, and similar achievements.