Applications open for PhD positions 2023, Competitive salary/scholarships, University of Leuven, Brussels, Belgium

Applying for a PhD position

• You can only apply online: PhD positions. If you are applying for the first time at KU Leuven, you must first register. You will then receive an email with your user-id and password. With your user-id and password, you can later manage your job application file, apply for another position or complete your file once you have been offered a position.
• In the online application tool you must upload a motivation letter and cv in pdf. We advise you to have the files on hand to easily complete your application. In the motivation letter you should specifically indicate why you are the right person for the vacant position. You can also upload a publication list, photo and/or other attachments.
• You can apply until the date specified in the vacancy announcement.
• If you are experiencing problems with the online application system, you may find an answer on the frequently asked questions about applying online webpage. If your question is not listed, contact us by sending an email to apply@kuleuven.be.

Selection procedure

• The head of unit or supervisor makes the preselection based on your cv and motivation letter and conducts the interviews. If you are eligible for the job, you will be invited for an interview.
• If you are chosen for the job after completing the selection procedure, the department you have applied to will send you an email with a request to complete your job application file with the necessary details to create your staff file.
• Once you have completed the data, the HR Department will take care of the processing and approval of your file. This can take two to three weeks (between the second half of August and the end of October, many contracts need to be processed so the procedure can take slightly longer during this period).
• The HR Department will then send you an email with an invitation to sign your contract and to attend a welcome session.
• If your profile is not eligible for the position, you will be notified by email. This email will be sent at the end of the selection procedure.
• If you have any further questions regarding the selection procedure or its results, you can always contact the contact person mentioned in the vacancy notice.
• Candidates with an impairment can contact the HR Department to adapt the application procedure to their specific needs.

You’ve been hired. Now what?

• Did it become clear during the selection procedure that your expectations of the position match what we can offer you? And that you have the motivation, drive and skills that we are looking for? In that case, your future head of unit or supervisor will pass your file on to the HR Department for further processing and drawing up your employment contract or scholarship agreement.
• The HR adviser, who will be your first point of contact within the HR Department, will provide you with a lot of useful information by email and will send your employment contract or scholarship agreement to your home address in Belgium. If you do not have an address in Belgium, the agreement will be delivered to your KU Leuven working address. This may take several weeks. Still haven’t received an email? Check that our email has not been redirected to your spam folder and otherwise contact the HR Department.
• You will also receive a second email with a link to activate your staff account. This account gives you access to the HR Department intranet, where  you can find more information about the HR support that you can rely on while working at KU Leuven.
• We advise you to contact your head of unit or supervisor to make arrangements for your first day at work, a few days before you start working at KU Leuven.
• If you are joining us from abroad and not yet familiar with living and working in Belgium and in Leuven, we have collected a lot of practical information and tips on the Incoming Mobility of International Staff web page.

Working conditions

Salary or scholarship amount

• Your salary scale is bound to your staff category. You can be paid as a research associate or as an assistant. The salary scale of research associate (salary scale assistant 43) can be found in the overview of salary scales.
  • Overview of the salary scales and the corresponding gross wage
• As doctoral scholarship holder you get the same net wage as an assistant, but your salary is not subject to income tax deductions. That’s the reason why there are no salary scales and gross wages available. The scholarship amount is calculated at the start of your employment agreement.
• As an EEA or non-EEA doctoral scholarship holder subject to full social security contributions (RSZ) you will be paid the same net salary as an assistant with the same qualifications, age and family situation.
• As a non-EEA doctoral scholarship holder subject to partial social security contributions, you will be paid 75%, 90%, 95% or 100% of the net salary of an assistant.
  • Information on the status of EEA and non-EEA PhD scholars

End-of-year bonus

• The end-of-year bonus is a percentage of your gross monthly salary or scholarship amount in November. The reference period on which the end-of-year bonus is calculated, is the employment in the period January – September of that calendar year.
• For research associates the end-of-year bonus is 67% of their gross monthly pay in November. This bonus is subject to social security deductions and payroll tax.
• For PhD scholarship holders subject to full social security contributions the end-of-year bonus is 45% of their gross scholarship amount in November, as their bonus is only subject to social security deductions.
• Please note that doctoral scholarship holders subject to partial social security contributions are not entitled to an end-of-year bonus.

Holiday bonus

• For research associates the holiday bonus amounts to 92% of the gross monthly income.
• If you are a doctoral scholarship holder, then your holiday bonus amounts to 72% of 92% of the gross monthly scholarship sum. Your holiday bonus is not subject to income tax deductions.
• The reference period on which the holiday bonus is calculated is the employment during the previous calendar year.
• Please note that doctoral scholarship holders subject to partial social security contributions are not entitled to a holiday bonus.

Ecocheques

As a staff member, you are entitled to ecocheques, a benefit on which you are not taxed and do not pay social security contributions. You will receive an ecocheque of €20 per full-time month during the reference period based on the academic year (October previous year to September of the year concerned). A full-time staff member is thus entitled to ecocheques for an amount of €240 on an annual basis.

Holidays

• You can enjoy an exceptional holiday arrangement on top of the statutory holiday entitlement:
  • 4 weeks of statutory leave (based on your employment during the past calendar year);
  • 5 extra holidays on top of the 10 public holidays;
  • 5 days of additional leave (pro rato your employment percentage and the duration of your contract in the current calendar year); for each five years of uninterrupted service, you get 1 extra day with a maximum total of 10 days of additional leave.
  • general closure between Christmas and New Year;
  • an arrangement for short-term absence and social leave that is broader than the legal provisions.

• If you do not work full-time, your leave entitlement will be calculated pro rata (based on your employment).
• Doctoral scholarship holders subject to full social security contributions are also entitled to statutory and additional leave based on their employment during the previous year.
• Doctoral scholarship holders subject to partial social security contributions are only entitled to statutory leave based on their employment during the current year.

Illness

• You will receive a free hospital insurance and your family members can join for free as well. The only condition is that you have a contract for at least 20% for at least three months
• Additionally, we provide a guaranteed taxable salary. In case of illness, you receive an allowance from KU Leuven on top of the allowance from your health insurance fund to guarantee your normal taxable salary (social security). Per year of employment you accrue 21 additional work days of social security. At the start of your employment, you automatically receive 63 work days as a starting balance.
• Non-EEA PhD scholarship holders (subject to full or partial social security contributions) are not entitled to a guaranteed salary in case of illness.
• You and your family members are entitled to a special rate at the Leuven University Hospitals: reimbursement of medical expenses not covered by public health insurance (copayments) for most outpatient consultations.

Work and private life

• KU Leuven has several day nurseries for children from 0 to 2.5 years.
• Day care is organized during the school holidays.
• For sudden illness of your child, you can call on the University Day Care Centres.
• KU Leuven also pays attention to the approach of other life domains. With the Life@Work initiatives, KU Leuven wants to support its employees in finding and maintaining a good balance between work and private life.

Mobility

• You receive full reimbursement of all public transport commuting costs.
• You can receive a bicycle allowance if you commute partially or entirely by bicycle.
• KU Leuven provides (electric) bicycles to commute.

International School of Leuven (ISL)

ISL offers pre-primary and primary education for children between the age of 2,5 en 11 years old. All international KU Leuven staff receive a 10% reduction on the annual tuition fee. For more information about entry fees, you can consult the website www.isleuven.org.

Other benefits

• Discounts in several businesses in- and outside Leuven.
• Possibility to eat at reduced student prices in our Alma university restaurants.
• Access to our sports and cultural facilities at special rates.
• …

Career opportunities

Besides the classic career of research associate or doctoral candidate via a postdoc to teaching and research assignments as a member of the senior academic staff, we have developed an alternative career path as a research expert or research manager within the research management structure, with a long-term perspective, own financial and managerial responsibilities and development opportunities.

A switch to a position as a professional, expert or manager in administration, ICT, HR, engineering, finance, etc. is also possible for research associates and assistants. Several colleagues have gone before you and have put their research experience into action, for example in a position within the Research Coordination Office, in a faculty as a staff member research, education, …

We believe it is very important that you get the chance to develop yourself with a view to an academic or a non-academic career, within or outside KU Leuven. Therefore we offer our employees individual or collective career advice at the KU Leuven Career Center. The YouReCa Career Center explicitly focuses on the needs and wants of young researchers. We also offer you a range of training opportunities. Not only general training courses (computer, language courses and courses in personal, interactive and managerial skills, …) but also a range of training courses specifically aimed at young researchers (PhD students, postdocs, assistant professors).

Source / More information: Official Website HERE.