Dual Career Service supports families of researchers
Heidelberg University and other research institutions have set up a comprehensive programme of services to help scientists who are transferring to Heidelberg with their families settle into their new life. One important part of this programme is the Dual Career Service, which is designed to help the partners of university scientists continue their own professional career in the Rhine-Neckar region. Additional services like childcare arrangements and support in finding accommodation help scientists balance the move to Heidelberg with the needs of their family. As an integral part of Heidelberg University’s family-friendly personnel policy, these services are also open to visiting scientists.
At the suggestion of Heidelberg University, a number of scientific institutions in Heidelberg founded the Dual Career work group (www.familie-heidelberg.de/bffh/dual_career) within the Heidelberg Alliance for Families. With this work group, the participating institutions want to create a framework for the advancement of dual careers, an important aspect of Heidelberg University’s Institutional Strategy for the German Excellence Initiative. This is based on the fact that in the academic world in particular, both partners frequently have their own career. The institutions of the work group use their contacts and networks in science and industry to help the partners of their new employees find jobs. A common job board (http://www.familie-heidelberg.de/bffh/index-a-515.html) and the career centre of Heidelberg University (http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/stellenmarkt/) list suitable positions. The staff of the university’s Dual Career Service (http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/universitaet/beschaeftigte/karriere/dualcareer/index.html) also offers advice and support in preparing job applications.
The Dual Career Service and the university’s Service for Families (http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/einrichtungen/servicefuerfamilien/index.html) can also help new employees by arranging for childcare and providing information on accommodation and living in the Rhine-Neckar region. Heidelberg University maintains a number of childcare facilities for children from two months to six years of age. A backup service helps parents find babysitters in urgent and unforeseen cases, and the university offers special childcare services for attendees of conferences who are accompanied by their children. The childcare services of the university are supplemented by childcare programmes during school holidays and the KidsClub for children of scientists living in the university’s guesthouse. Heidelberg University offers new employees temporary accommodation in a guesthouse and support in finding a house or apartment.
In addition to the university and Heidelberg University Hospital, the “Dual Career” work group includes the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), the Max Planck Institutes in Heidelberg, the Heidelberg University of Education, the SRH Holding and the city of Heidelberg.
