Planning Policy

The personnel structure, organisation of workplaces and employment policy are within the scope of higher education institutions.

Entry to the Profession

According to the Act on Scientific Activity and Higher Education (OG 199/22), persons from the ranks of especially successful students are selected for assistant and senior assistant positions. Associates at the university are elected in accordance with the general acts of the university, i.e. constituent under the conditions stipulated by the Act on Scientific Activity and Higher Education.

Professional Status

Academic staff at higher education institutions are public servants and their employment is regulated by legislation on public services, in particular the Act on Salaries in Public Services (OG 155/23) and the Basic Collective Agreement for Civil Servants and Employees in Public Services (OG 56/22) and the Act on Scientific Activity and Higher Education (OG 119/22).

Salaries

Salaries of academic staff are financed from the state budget or the income of the institution itself. The salary of academic staff is regulated by the legislation on public services: the Act on Salaries in Public Services (OG 155/23 ) and the Basic Collective Agreement for Civil Servants and Employees in Public Services (OG 56/22) and the Act on Scientific Activity and Higher Education (OG 119/22).

The basic salary of the academic staff is a multiplication of the job complexity coefficient of the position to which the servant and employee is assigned and the basis for calculating the salary, increased by 0.5% for each completed year of service. 

The basic salary of an employee with the associate position of assistant will be increased by 15% for the acquired academic degree of Doctor of Science. 

If the institution generates its own income through the performance of its activities, the employees who directly or indirectly participated in the realisation of the income through their work have the right to a corresponding salary increase.

The employee is paid an allowance for separation, if due to his/her place of permanent employment, other than his family's place of residence, he/she lives separately from his family.

During the exercise of the right to a sabbatical, the employee has the right to compensation in the amount of the average salary paid to the employee in the previous three months.

Working Time and Holidays

In accordance with the Labour Act (OG 93/14, 127/17, 98/19, 151/22 and 64/23), the obligations of full-time employees in institutions are determined within the framework of a 40-hour work week (full-time).

As a rule, every employee works 1800 effective working hours per year after the annual leave and public holidays are deducted from the total annual paid working hours fund.

The fulfilment of the obligations of full-time teachers and associates at higher education institutions consists of:

• teaching obligation 

• obligation of scientific research or artistic work based on

• institutional contribution and administrative affairs.

Members of the works council, i.e. trade union representatives who have taken on the rights and obligations of the works council, have the right to reduce the scope and content of their work duties to the equivalent of 270 hours per year.

Annual leave is also regulated by the Collective Agreement and the Labour Act. For each calendar year, an employee shall be entitled to a paid annual leave for the shortest duration stipulated by the general Labour Act, i.e. at least 4 weeks.

In accordance with the Act on Scientific Activity and Higher Education (OG 119/22), each academic year begins on October 1 and ends on September 30 of the following year. However, the structure of the academic year is determined by the higher education institutions per semester and quarter. The most common structure is the division into two semesters so that the winter semester ends and the summer semester begins at the beginning of February. 

Promotion, Advancement

The categories of academic staff are defined by the Act on Scientific Activity and Higher Education (OG 119/22). There are different selection criteria for different parts of the higher education system.

Scientific-teaching and artistic-teaching positions are assistant professor (Asst. Prof. PhD./D.A.), associate professor (Assoc. Prof. PhD./D.A.), full professor and full professor with tenure (Prof. PhD./D.A.). 

Teaching titles are lecturer (Lec.), senior lecturer (Sen. Lec.), professor of professional studies and professor of professional studies with tenure (Prof.)

The teaching positions for language teaching at university studies are lecturer, senior lecturer and lecturer adviser, and the teaching positions for foreign language teaching are lecturer, senior lecturer and lecturer adviser. 

The teaching positions in the art field are accompanist, senior accompanist and accompanist adviser, as well as artistic associate, senior artistic associate and artistic adviser.

Associate positions are assistant and senior assistant. Professional positions are professional associate, senior professional associate and professional adviser.

At the polytechnic, teachers are selected for teaching positions. Exceptionally, teachers are selected for teaching positions at the university as well.

Persons elected for the scientific-teaching, artistic-teaching, teaching and professional positions shall be contracted for an indefinite period of time, with the obligation to conduct re-election or election for the senior post.

A person who has an appropriate level of education in a scientific or artistic field, who meets the National criteria for selection to a scientific-teaching, artistic-teaching and teaching position at university and additional criteria determined by the general act of the higher education institution and scientific institute can be elected for a scientific-teaching, artistic-teaching and teaching position at the university.

A person who has an appropriate level of education in a scientific or artistic field, who meets the National criteria for selection to a teaching position at the polytechnic and additional criteria determined by the general act of the polytechnic, can be elected for a teaching position at the polytechnic.

The National Council adopts the national criteria for selection to a scientific-teaching, artistic-teaching and teaching position at the university, as well as national university, scientific and artistic criteria for individual scientific and artistic areas or fields on the proposal of the Rectors' Conference and the competent parent committee. National criteria for selection to a teaching position at a polytechnic are adopted by the Croatian Conference of Universities of Applied Sciences.

The selection process for scientific-teaching, artistic-teaching, teaching, associate and professional positions is carried out by the higher education institution in accordance with the Act on Scientific Activity and Higher Education, the statute, and on the basis of a public call. 

Retirement and Pension

For an employee with the scientific-teaching, artistic-teaching, teaching and professional position at a higher education institution at the end of the academic year in which they turned 65 years of age the employment contract ceases due to retirement.

The conditions for retirement and pensions of academic staff in public institutions of higher education are also stipulated by the Labour Act (OG 93/14, 127/17, 98/19, 151/22, 64/23) and Collective Agreement for Science and Higher Education (OG 9/19, 9/19, 122/19, 52/20).