After purchasing the video, you can use it for 90 days. We recommend a fast and stable internet connection to enable you to watch the video without any problems. 

Recommendation Target Group

The video is aimed at doctoral candidates in the advanced phase (R1) and postdocs in the early phase (approx. 1st-4th postdoc year, R2) and is geared towards researchers who are interested in an academic career in Germany and would like to find out more about the opportunities and requirements. Of course, more experienced researchers are also welcome to watch the video.

Objectives & Content

The aim of the video is to provide you with knowledge, background and orientation for planning and developing the next steps towards a long-term academic career in Germany. The video first discusses questions such as: What long-term career options does the »Job Market Academia« offer for researchers and what are the actual chances here? What requirements and criteria should be met for this career path? When are which tasks particularly important? What has the highest priority? How important is the habilitation? What time frame is appropriate? The video informs you about the central requirements (also beyond publications and funding) and milestones for an academic career. It also provides specific tips and advice on how to prioritize these requirements and on strategic considerations during the postdoc phase on the path to a professorship. Building on this, the video and the accompanying workbook offer you the opportunity to take stock and reflect on your own academic profile and ideally derive the next important steps from this.

Length & Topic Overview

The video has a total length of 3 hours. The speed of the video can be adjusted upwards in the video settings. The video covers the following topics:

0. Welcome & Program / approx. 6 min

1. Market and opportunities / approx. 38 min

2. Path(s) to professorship / approx. 14 min

3. Requirements I: General & Network / approx. 9 min

4. Requirements II: Publications, third-party funding, habilitation / approx. 29 min

5. Requirements III: Scientific communication, mobility, profile / approx. 16 min

6. Requirements IV: Teaching, management, committees, services / approx. 20 min

7. Requirements V: Summary / approx. 9 min

8. Profile presentation: CV / approx. 26 min

9. WissZeitVG & Compatibility / approx. 20 min

Accompanying materials

- Handout

- Workbook with

• Reflection on own networking behavior 
• Analysis of your own academic profile 
• Reflection on the compatibility of family and academic career 
• Two sample CVs for professorship applications 

Additional information

Please note: The video focuses in particular on the German academic system.