Senior Teaching Position at the Department of Communication Science

Are you passionate about training the next generation of communication professionals?

Do you want to learn how to become a better teacher while being embedded in a

dynamic and enthusiastic department? Please apply at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Location: AMSTERDAM
FTE: 0.8 - 1

We are looking for a senior teacher, preferably with a PhD and with good Dutch language skills, starting (preferably) already February 1, 2022. 

The position will consist of 70% teaching (see below), 25% teaching-related research or innovation activities, and 5% admin (e.g., attending the department meetings). 

As a senior-teacher you will be involved in teaching in our bachelor and master
programme Communication Science. The bachelor program has both an English and a
Dutch specialization. The master programme offers three tracks (Media Psychology,
Marketing and Corporate Communication and Political Communication, Digital News
and Public Opinion). Project-based learning and active teaching methods are key in
our programme. Contact between lecturers and students is important to us.

Your duties

• act as a tutor for bachelor students, prepare and supervise seminars and tutorials in several courses within our programmes and supervise bachelor theses
• act as a tutor for master students, prepare and supervise seminars and tutorials in several courses within our programmes and supervise master theses grade papers and prepare exams, carry out coordination and administrative tasks for the benefit of education within our programmes
• participate in development and innovation teams and projects on educational innovation

• master’s degree in communication science or related field
• affinity with teaching and interest in innovating and improving academic education
• a PhD in Communication Science or a related discipline (preferred)
• didactic qualities as proven by a Basis Kwalificatie Onderwijs (BKO, University Teaching Qualification at Dutch Universities) or experience with various teaching methods/skills, positive teaching evaluations combined with the willingness to acquire a BKO
• good research skills, as evidenced for example by a PhD thesis
• being able to work well together within a team of teachers
• good oral and written skills in both Dutch and English

A challenging position in a societal engaged organization. On full-time basis the

remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of € 2846 (scale 10) and a

maximum € 5230 (scale 11), depending on your educational level and experience. The

job profile is based on the university job ranking system (UFO) Docent 3 or 4 and is

vacant for 0.8FTE - 1.0 FTE.

The appointment will be for 1 year. We are interested in extending the contract, if our strategic plans and budget allows, and if the evaluation of the initial appointment was satisfactory (max total contract length is 36 months).

Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• child daycare facilities available on campus
• contribution to commuting expenses

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 26,000 students. We employ over 4,600 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

Faculty of Social Sciences
The Faculty of Social Sciences examines the major social problems of our time from multiple perspectives. From bullying at school to dealing with transnational immigration, from the rise of populist politicians to creating a self-reliant society. Only at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam you will find all the academic disciplines needed to understand these 'wicked problems': alongside the traditional disciplines such as sociology, anthropology and politics, we also research and teach the new social sciences such as communication science and management & organization science. We do not settle for easy answers in our teaching and research. Our researchers and students are critical thinkers and doers who work together to devise surprising solutions to the problems of today.

Working at the Faculty of Social Sciences means working with colleagues from a range of academic disciplines in an inspiring and personal work and study environment with excellent research facilities. We employ more than 500 staff members, and we are home to around 2,500 students.

About the department of Communication Science
Over the past decade, the scientific field of Communication Science has changed
profoundly due to the continuous emergence of new media technologies and the rise of
a media-saturated digital society, new empirical research methods, and new dynamic
communication routes. The department of Communication Science at the VU
Amsterdam (see our staff here) responds to these major trends with an educational
program (BA/MA) that teaches Communication Science within a “digital society”
framework, and that trains related skills (e.g., on data and computational methods) and
knowledge (e.g., on digital marketing) using timely and innovative teaching methods.
The department also responds to these major trends by maintaining a pointed and
forward-looking research program that is strategically focusing on an examination of
Communication Choices, Content and Consequences (CCCC). The department is in a
strong position in the field because it has clearly focused on newly emerging
communication technologies and solid empirical methods ever since its start in 2003.
The department maintains particular expertise in adapting psychology and computer
sciences to the study of media. Researchers within the CCCC program are currently
organized into three evolving research areas crucial to the discipline of Communication
Science: Media Monitoring (focusing on computational methods, mostly in a political
communication domain), Media Psychology (including work on experience and effects
of Social Robotics and Virtual Reality), and Social Media (focusing on social media,
mostly in a marketing, PR, and organizational communication context). The department
has been ranked at a strong #10 of all departments/universities worldwide in the
prestigious 2020 Shanghai ranking, the CCCC research program received very strong
review scores in the last assessment, and the teaching program was positively
evaluated and accredited in the last assessment (2018/2019).

Are you interested in this position? Please apply via the application button and upload your curriculum vitae and a short (max. 1 page) cover letter until

. You will be informed if you will be selected for a job interview via ZOOM. These will take place in the week 17-21 January, when possible please take them into account when applying for the position. We strive to start the position already February 1 2022, if possible. 

Applications received by e-mail will not be processed.

Vacancy questions
If you have any questions regarding this vacancy, you may contact:

Name: Sylvia Gielink/Margriet Schager
Position: Secretary
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: +31 20 598 7101 / +31 20 598 7601

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