Professor employment at ETH
While ETH's HR department attends to personnel matters for most employees, when it comes to personnel matters of professors themselves (obtaining copies of contracts, applying for leave), it is the Office for Faculty Affairs that supports professors.
Professors are welcome to contact the faculty affairs team if they need assistance with their own employment status at ETH.
Please refer to our website for "getting started" for faculty-specific onboarding support and procedures.
The Consulting for Professors Unit will assist and advise professors on matters related to
- visas
- work permits
- residence permits
- residence registration
After being appointed, each new faculty member is contacted by Faculty Affairs in order to address the specific situation and needs of each professor and their family. While the process for beginning employment in Zurich is similar for all employees, and very well described on the ETH Welcome Centre page, there are some differences for professors. For instance, by Swiss law, all professors in Switzerland who require a residence permit may receive a C, and not a B permit.
The Onboarding Team in the Consulting for Professors Unit is the main contact for all matters related to employment documents and so forth and will assist all professors throughout their career at ETH.
The Consulting for Professors Unit will arrange to have an ETH network account and email account created a few days following a new professor's appointment. Professors are encouraged to use the new email account for official correspondence. The username/password also enables professors to access ETH websites, documents and servers that are password-protected.
Refer to our website for "getting started" for more information.
Refer to our website for "getting started" for more information on obtaining your ETH ID.
Refer to our website for "getting started" for more information on insurances (e.g. AHV).
There are a number of insurance plans that employeess in Switzereland and/or at ETH pay into. Faculty Affairs works with HR and assists in registering new professors for programs such as AHV, once personal infomation (e.g. passport copies) has been submitted.
A description of the various obligatory/voluntary insurance programmes can be found on ETH's general employment website.
- AHV* - Federal retirement and survivors’ insurance
- PUBLICA - ETH's company for retirement savings (the Swiss Federal Pension Fund)
- SUVA - ETH's company for accident insurance
- Health insurance is mandatory in Switzerland. Employees are free to choose from a range of health insurance companies. Unlike some countries where health insurance is deducted from ones salary, or where the institution/university pays for parts of an insurance plan, in Switzerland, the employee is responsible for using their earnings and for making monthly payments on their own.
*Please note that the abbreviations for companies/institutions may differ according to the main language used in a particular region of Switzerland.
The information on this page is meant for information purposes only. No responsibility is taken for the correctness of this information. The rules and regulations may have changed in the meantime. For legally binding information please contact the responsible authority.
Professors can change their personal details (e.g. address changes, name change) directly in the ETH's Information System (ETHIS).
Detailed information on leaves of absence may be found in the Directives Concerning Sabbaticals of ETH Zurich Professors of 12 October 2009.
Policies concerning Sabbaticals for Professors of ETH Zurich (PDF, 51 KB)
Sabbaticals
Professors are entitled to one half-year, fully paid, and one one-year, partially paid, sabbatical in seven years of office. For detailed information, please refer to Art. 1.7 in the Directives Concerning Sabbaticals for Professors of ETH Zurich.
Unpaid leave
The President can grant ETH professors unpaid leaves of absence, provided that this is not contrary to the interests of ETH Zurich. For detailed information, please refer to the Directives Concerning Sabbaticals for Professors of ETH Zurich.
Additional information can be found in the "active phase" website for professors.
Temporary disability due to an illness or an accident
Absences during the semester because of an illness or an accident, which last longer than one week, have to be reported to the head of the teaching and research unit concerned. If the absence lasts longer than one week for other reasons, it requires the approval of the head of the teaching and research unit concerned.
Detailed information on «accidents» as well as the online form for accidents may be found at:
Safety, Security, Health and Environment department – Accidents
Prolonged disability due to an illness or an accident
Prolonged absences due to an illness or an accident are taken seriously. In case of an accident or an illness of a professor, the Office for Faculty Affairs must be informed by means of all original medical certificates (please refer to the address indicated in the contact field).
Within the scope of a professional case management, the Office for Faculty Affairs and Human Resources support and accompany the professor. In the sense of an early detection, the person responsible will speak to the professor and establish the necessary contacts with the corresponding social security institution.
Maternity/Paternity leave
Further information on maternity/paternity leave
Additional information can be found in the "active phase" website for professors.
You will find detailed information on outside activities in the Guidelines Concerning Outside Activities of ETH Zurich Professors, dated 12 October 2008.
- Guidelines Concerning Outside Activities of ETH Zurich Professors (PDF, 64 KB)
- Download Application Form for Approval to Exercise an Outside Activity (PDF, 485 KB)
- Download Declaration of impartiality (PDF, 473 KB)
Outside activities require an advance approval by the ETH Executive Board. You will find the relevant information in the guidelines mentioned. We ask you to address an application letter to the President, together with the completed and signed Application Form for Approval to Exercise an Outside Activity and a signed declaration of impartiality.
Additional information can be found in the "active phase" website for professors.
Your retirement phase
The preparation for a professor’s retirement is given the utmost attention at ETH Zurich. The three years before the actual retirement are used to create the prerequisites necessary for a controlled retirement in the best interest of the corresponding department and its members of staff.
For infomation about this process, refer to our "retirement phase" website.
To learn more about the benefits and responsibilities for professors with an emeritus status, please consult the Guidelines of the President Regarding the Emeritus Status of ETH Zurich Professors (German version only)