Appointment procedure

In Germany professors are not hired, they are appointed. Each appointment is usually preceded by a multi-stage procedure, during which an appointment committee determines several suitable candidates. After an examination of the procedure by the Senate Chancellery – Higher Education and Research, the person placed first will be appointed. If he or she does not accept the call, a new call is made to the second-placed person, etc. Starting with the announcement, the majority of appointment procedures take at least 12 months, usually even longer. If no suitable person applies or there are so few applications that a qualified procedure is not possible, the position will be advertised again. 

The appointment procedure