FAQ for new PhD students

Salary
First things first: Salaries.

Our salary follows a progress-based model called Doktorandstegen . Following negotiations between KTH and the labour unions, this model is re-evaluated and updated annually in the autumn.

The evaluation of your progress can appear unclear. In some departments, time-based evaluation has become standard whereas in other departments it often depends on seminars you give or on your supervisor.

Working hours
As PhD students we are expected to work 1,700 to 1,756 hours per year which amounts to 40 hours per week (this should be stated in your employment contract).

Our daily working hours are unrestricted or unregulated. See here  for more information.

- Can my supervisor require me to work 60 hours per week?
On average, you should work 40 hours per week and your supervisor cannot ask you to work more than that for extended periods of time.

Under certain circumstances, you may be required to work more than 40 hours per week, e.g. when performing field tests. This, however, should be an exception and not the rule!

Vacation
The number of vacation days depends on your age. Here  you can find more information.

All public (national) holidays are non-working days.

Sick leave
In case you are sick, it is most common to simply inform your supervisor and rest until you have recovered - no need to officially register sick leave. Only in cases of extended sick leave, you really should officially register as sick and document it in your eISP (for extending your employment).

Secondary employment/sideline activities (bisyssla)
Secondary employments and sideline activities are to be reported annually. Typically, reminders are sent out via e-mail.

Side activities should not affect your work at KTH. Please make sure to check and comply with relevant official regulations. If you are in doubt, please contact hr@sci.kth.se .

Departmental duties & teaching

What are departmental duties?
Beyond your research, you will sometimes also teach classes, hold seminars, supervise thesis students, represent KTH at career fairs, perform lab work or other duties. All these tasks are considered departmental duties.

How many departmental duties do I need to do?
The exact percentage is stated in your your employment contract. Departmental duties are limited to 20%.

Am I allowed to have more than 20% departmental duties?
No, by law you are not allowed to.

Am I being compensated for departmental duties?
Yes, your employment contract is extended by the amount of departmental duties you have. Example: Most PhD students have 20% departmental duties. A PhD position normally is funded for 4 years. With 20% departmental duties this results in a 5-year employment.

Do I need to keep track of my departmental duties?
Yes, of course! Departmental duties have to be documented in your eISP. Besides that, it is advisable that you keep track of your working hours for personal records as well.

Where do I get department duties from?
This differs between the departments. Some departments have educational responsible who assigns department duties to doctoral students, in other departments it is the supervisor who does so.

In any case, your supervisor should have more information for you.

Is it possible to study Swedish through the university?
Yes. It is possible to take Swedish for employees classes paid for by your department. A list of the course offerings is available on the Department of Learning in Engineering Sciences’ language and communication webpages  and questions regarding this matter should be directed to swedishforemployees@kth.se  . You should discuss this with your supervisor!

Are there resources to practice Swedish in more informal settings?
There are multiple resources to practice Swedish in more informal settings both within KTH and outside:

• Language Cafés catering to different levels of proficiency in Swedish are held at the KTH Library, some are open to all students while others are dedicated to employees (including PhD students); more information about the former can be found here , while information about the latter can be found here .
• Students and employees can find a language partner through the KTH Tandem Language Partner Program .
• Keep in mind that a number of KTH-independent Language Cafés are organised all over Stockholm by local libraries and associations. They can be found advertised in websites such as Meetup .

Swedish for Immigrants (SFI)
If you have a personnummer and have lived in Sweden for less than 3 years, you are likely allowed to register for the Swedish for Immigrants (SFI)  course. In case you live in municipalities other than Stockholm, search the internet for information about SFI in your area.

Note: The course is free of charge!

Occupational health care concerns issues (of both psychological and physical nature) related to your work.

More information can be found on the intranet .

I want to talk to someone without my boss knowing. What do I do?
You can get assistance from occupational health care  and if needed, they will refer you further.

Each year, you can visit the occupational health care up to 3 times without your boss or anyone else at KTH being notified. If your situation requires you to take a sick leave from work you will need a (medical) doctor’s certificate.

In other cases, if you don't feel ready to talk to your supervisor or unit head, you can always reach out to the PhD council! 

Emergency Cases
Information about emergency cases can be found on the intranet .

KTH also offers first-aid/CPR courses on an irregular basis. Make sure to check your emails!

KTH is responsible for providing you with office spaces and ensuring that your working space (arbetsplats) is ergonomic. For more information on this matter please click here .

Who can I ask about my office, desk, chair, computer, monitor and similar things?
In the following order, first turn to your supervisor, then to the head of your research unit. The department administration could potentially help as well if neither above can assist.

Also: even your eISP should contain information about the office spaces provided by your department.

Who should I ask if I need help regarding email accounts, software licenses, or other IT problems?
For IT related inquires, contact the KTH IT-support. You can send them an email describing your issue/request and they will make sure to help you. For some software, licenses are available for all KTH employees (including PhD students). These can be found here .

Ergonomics & Working from home
Particularly during the Covid19 pandemic, mental health and ergonomics in your home setting are important. Here  you can find practical information and even a link to a webinar (available until 4 June 2021).

Quiet room (vilrum)
When you feel unwell at work and feel like you need to rest, you can seek one of our quiet rooms (vilrum). A list of the SCI quiet rooms can be found here .

Am I entitled to student benefits?
Yes! In general, (full time) students are entitled to student benefits, this also includes doctoral students. In most cases you are required to prove your student status by showing your  card (student card).

The Mecenat card also shows with which transportation companies you can use student tickets (bottom right). This is most important when you are riding on Stockholm public transportation (SL) with student tickets!

If you are member of the student union at KTH (THS) , your Mecenat card may look something like this (for reference):

Where can I get student benefits/discounts?
In fact, you can receive discounts at many different places - far too many to name them here.

Mecenat  lists many (online) shops on their homepage. 

In some shops, these discounts are not advertised publicly (e.g. Max Hamburgers or Addnature). Therefore it is always worth asking personnel or customer service about possible student discounts.

Student Housing
One of the most important student benefits is the right to stay in student housing. As a member of the student union (THS), you can queue for housing at Stockholms Studentbostäder (SSSB) . More information on the THS homepage .

You can also check with KTH Relocation . They assist new employees with anything regarding relocating to Stockholm, including mediating accommodation.

The city of Stockholm also has a similar housing queue for (non-student/student) apartments, see Bostadsförmedlingen . Also other private housing companies (e.g. ByggVesta ) may offer student housing.

If you opt for private housing, you can always check out the second hand market on Blocket .

Employee benefits
Similarly to student benefits, you also have certain employee benefits  as a KTH employee.

How is KTH organized?
KTH is divided into 5 schools . Administratively, each school is further divided into (1) departments, (2) divisions and (3) units.

We are part of the School of Engineering Sciences (SCI).

- Who are important people at the school I should know?
A complete list of the management at the SCI school level can be found here .

Responsible for doctoral education at SCI are the Director of Third Cycle Education (FA) and the Program Directors (PAs) of each doctoral programme. You can find them here .

How does PhD student representation work at KTH?
The KTH student union (THS) has a chapter for PhD students. You can find out more on the chapter's homepage .

Who is my closest point of contact?
In each doctoral program, PhD student representatives (programansvarig doktorander, PAD) represent the student body. You can find more information here  and on the SCI PhD Student Council's website .

What is the SCI PhD Student Council?
The SCI PhD Student Council consists of the elected PADs at SCI and other members. The council coordinates work and manages communication between the student union (THS) and the PADs at program level.

How can I become a PAD/join the council?
The SCI PhD Student Council organizes annual elections to give everyone the opportunity to join. You can find information on past and upcoming elections here . We will also inform all students via email prior to the elections. You can also reach out to the council chair at sci-chair@dr.kth.se .

How can I get involved at central level (KTH/THS)?
If you want to become involved in PhD student representation on a central KTH level, you can find more information on the website of the central PhD chapter .

Is the work as student representative time-compensated?
Yes and no.

For local representation in the SCI PhD Student Council (as PADs), there is no official regulation for time-compensation. This is currently being negotiated between THS and KTH. In special cases, it may also be possible to act as PAD as part of your departmental duties - but this has to be agreed on with your supervisor/department.

If you hold an official position at THS, your work will be time-compensated.

As a PhD student at KTH you have the right to have at least two supervisors - one of them being your main supervisor. Your supervisor is responsible for ensuring that your work progresses according to plan. This plan should be documented in your eISP (see tab "Courses, credits and study plan" on this page). More information can be found here .

In terms of supervision, what can I as a PhD student expect?
Your eISP should contain more detailed information about your supervisors and how supervision is performed.

The form of supervision varies greatly between different supervisors and can range from irregular meetings (guidance) to close collaboration. It is always good to talk to your supervisor if you the need for a different form of supervision. Your supervisor will also be able to explain their role to you and what you can expect from them!

I never meet with my supervisor/I don’t get along well with my supervisor/I don’t get the support I need from my supervisor. I have talked to them, but it has not changed. What do I do?
If you feel stuck in your communication with your supervisor(s), the doctoral program director (PA)  can be a good person to reach out to. Any issues or questions can also be brought up with the PhD Candidate Advisor (Doktorandombudsman) , who is employed by the student union (THS) and available for all PhD students at KTH.

Is it possible to change supervisors?
Yes. In order to change supervisor or second supervisor, you, the  PA  and the involved persons need to fill in the form Byte av handledare/Change of supervisor .

KTH is in the process of updating its travel booking and reimbursement system. There are temporary changes, for more information click .

You can access the travel portal here: Travels & expenses (KTH-Res) .

Make sure to add this service to your user interface  on the KTH homepage.

How do I make reservations for a work trip?
In KTH-Res you can create and edit both travel requests and expense reports.

You can find more detailed guides and information in KTH-Res. It might be tricky in the beginning, so don’t be afraid to ask your department administrator for a walk-through, or ask a colleague!

How can I book tickets and hotels?
When creating a travel request in KTH-Res, you get the possibility to access KTH's booking portal through the external travel agency Egencia. This allows you to book trains, flights, hotels, and rental cars.

Do I need to cover expenses myself (EuroCard)?
You will have to cover some expenses yourself while travelling. In order to reduce the need for advance payments, every employee at KTH can apply for a company credit card with personal liability. (företagsupphandlat privatkort, FUP) which you can also use privately. You can apply for this card here: KTH Eurocard

The card provider will send you monthly invoices for your expenses. These invoices have to be paid by the card holder. More information about the FUP card can be found here .

Expenses that you paid with your FUP card are listed in KTH-Res for easier handling of expense reports.

How do I get reimbursements for expenses I paid?
You can create and submit and expense reports in KTH-Res. Also non-travel related expenses can be reimbursed this way.

Do I have travel insurance?
Yes, on business travels related to your work at KTH you have business travel insurance . You are supposed to receive the insurane card when you start your position at KTH. Don't forget to get a new insurance card annually, it expires!