PhD contracts: CJC?s analysis

Laurent Cousin

The Young Researchers Confederation (CJC) views PhD contracts as “progress” but would like clarification on the points of dismissal, trial period and involvement of doctoral students in their annual service activity.

The Young Researchers Confederation (CJC) in France has posted a comparative analysis of PhD contracts to the prior situation on its website. The contract institutes a legal framework enabling public institutions of higher education and/or research to recruits PhD candidates on a contractual basis.

The CJC views this new type of contract as representing “considerable progress with respect to the current situation,” since it offers a “common legal framework” for PhDs students employed by public institutions of higher education and/or research.

Three points remain “problematic,” according to this organization:

- the dismissal procedure is not sufficiently explicit for the CJC, which wants to avoid any “ambiguity in its interpretation."

- Same goes for the trial period which is deemed “too long.” The CJC urges the ministry to clarify the fact that three months is the maximum duration.

- The Confederation also would like to see PhD researcher-students more involved in defining their annual service activity, an element not mentioned in the legislation.