Information for Adjunct Instructors

Welcome to Hochschule Geisenheim University

The following pages provide important information and contact details for adjunct instructors teaching at Hochschule Geisenheim University, such as required documents for the employment process and information on invoicing. The section "Teaching at Hochschule Geisenheim University" includes an overview of university IT systems and some useful information on the didactic and technical approaches to teaching at Hochschule Geisenheim University.

Still have questions?

Read our information sheet for adjunct instructors which provides useful tips for teaching at Hochschule Geisenheim University.

 

Employment Process

Which documents are required?

The Vice-President of Academic and Student Affairs assigns the teaching contract on behalf of the University President and is responsible for the proper handling thereof. Invoices incl. time sheets listing all single teaching units and cost centers are checked by the Study Organization & Examinations Office (StoP).

The following documents are required for employment:

  • Personnel Form
  • Personnel Form - Supplementary Details For Higher-Level Civil Servants
  • Form "Issue of a teaching contract"
  • Proof of university degree (copy)

Please complete and sign the forms and send them as a scanned copy to the head of your degree program (see "Who to contact about my employment?").

The heads of the degree programs in the Study Organization & Examinations Office (StoP) are happy to assist if you have any questions about your emplyment process. In addition, please feel free to ask if you need advice on:

  • exams
  • exam dates and registration periods
  • grades

The colleagues also provide support and advice on questions regarding the content of modules and courses as defined by the curricula and assessment regulations (semester hours, ECTS, assessments).

Who to contact about my employment?

Gartenbau & Getränketechnologie

Anna Bakalo
Anna Bakalo
Building 5905
Room 00.01
Phone +49 6722 502 713
Anna.Bakalo(at)hs-gm.de Details

Internationale Weinwirtschaft

Ute Michler
Ute Michler
Building 5905
Room 00.03
Phone +49 6722 502 716
Ute.Michler(at)hs-gm.de Details

Lebensmittellogistik und - management & Lebensmittelsicherheit

Elke Wittemann
Elke Wittemann
Building 5905
Room 00.01
Phone +49 6722 502 707
Elke.Wittemann(at)hs-gm.de Details

International Wine Business

Jutta Brandscheid
Jutta Brandscheid
Building 5905
Room 00.02
Phone +49 6722 502 79719
Jutta.Brandscheid(at)hs-gm.de Details

Landschaftsarchitektur, Weinbau Oenologie & Weinwirtschaft

Martina Diefenbach
Martina Diefenbach
Building 5905
Room 00.03
Phone +49 6722 502 88771
Martina.Diefenbach(at)hs-gm.de Details

Weinbau Oenologie

Caroline Wieburg
Dipl.-Betriebsw. (BA) Caroline Wieburg
Other useful information

In this section we have put together additional information for teaching at HGU.

 

Legal provisions

Hochschule Geisenheim University issues teaching contracts to complement the range of courses offered. A teaching contract constitutes a special form of employment under public law. Adjunct instructors are not directly employed by the university, but perform their tasks and duties independently on a self-employed basis. {Decree of the Hessian Ministry of the Interior, June 16, 2003, Official Gazette p. 2562).

Civil servants who perform the teaching job as a secondary activity (Nebentätigkeit) must have it approved by the respective authority pursuant to  § 73 Para. 1 No. 2 Hessian Civil Service Act (HBG). Pursuant to § 3 Para. 4 in conjunction with § 40 No. 2 TV-H, employees must notify their employer in writing in good time of any secondary activity as an instructor.

Qualifications / requirements for working as an adjunct instructor

According to the amendment of the Hessian Higher Education Act in 2021, adjunct instructors are required to hold a university degree or, if required by the subject area, prove outstanding achievements in the relevant field and pedagogical aptitute. It is widely agreed that the adjunct instructor's level of education should match the course level, i.e. instructors teaching a master's course should hold at least a master's degree. 

 

Can I withdraw from my teaching contract?

A teaching contract is usually issued for one semester. It can be revoked for good cause at any time.

 

Am I subject to social security contributions?

Adjunct instructors at universities are not considered as employees subject to the German social security system, i.e. they do not have to make contributions to statutory health, long-term care and pension insurance. 

 

Do I have to register with the local tax authority?

Remuneration for teaching contracts is paid without tax deduction. Adjunct instructors are therefore obliged to declare the remuneration received in their tax return. As requested by the directive on the notification to tax authorities by other authorities (Directive on Notification Requirements, December 23, 2003, BGBI. 1 p. 2848), Hochschule Geisenheim University is obliged to provide a tracer note to the competent tax authority regarding all payments made for teaching contracts that will amount to or exceed 1,500.00 € in the respective calendar year.

 

Accident insurance for adjunct instructors

Adjunct instructors are not covered by statutory occupational accident insurance. You may, however, take out voluntary accident insurance, e.g. with the insurance agency Verwaltungs- Berufsgenossenschaft based in Hamburg.

 

Teaching at Hochschule Geisenheim University

Who to contact regarding design, scope and general conditions of my course?

For questions regarding the content, structure and scope of your course, please contact your module coordinator or the head of your degree program.

A lot of information is available on the website of the Study Organization & Examinations Office (StoP)such as module handbooks and curricula as well as legal requirements for exams etc.

If this is your first teaching job or if your are wondering how to include digital tools in your classes, go to the section "How to plan and organize my courses?"

Why do I need an HS-GM account and how can I activate it?

You need your HS-GM account to use university systems such as Stud.IP,BigBlueButton (BBB) or ILIAS, but also if you want to access your emails or the VPN server.

Upon receipt of your employment documents, the head of your degree program asks the IT department to set up an account for you. A few days later, you will receive a letter with your access details.

With your HS-GM account you can use the following IT services:

Stud.IP

Stud.IP is the university’s campus management system where all courses are listed. Teaching staff can upload teaching material, such as scripts, presentations and work sheets for their students. It also serves as a communication platform and provides the possibility to evaluate courses. Online lectures can be organized with the integrated tool BigBlueButton (BBB). 

Before you activate Stud.IP, please read the information sheet carefully which you have received in your welcome email.

For further questions, please contact the Stud.IP administrator Martin Bahmann.

Stud.IP Administration

Martin Bahmann
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Martin Bahmann
Building 1000
Room 216
Phone +49 6722 502 762
Martin.Bahmann(at)hs-gm.de Details
Exchange server/ email account

You can access your emails via the exchange server.

Please register at exchange.hs-gm.deto receive emails from students and colleagues. Please also make sure to check your emails regularly or to forward them to another account so that you won't miss any important messages because both your colleagues and students will use your university email address to contact you.

In addition, the exchange server provides a shared calender function and a university-wide address book.

 

Video conferencing systems

BigBlueButton (short: BBB) and its platforms Greenlight 1 and 2 are web conferencing systems used for online lectures and meetings. BBB can be used within Stud.IP. If you want to register to Greenlight 1 or 2, you need your HS-GM account. 

Click on the following links to access the systems and to receive further information.

 

HS-GM WLAN

With your HS-GM account, you can log in to both the university WLAN (HS-GM-WLAN) and the eduroam WLAN, which provide internet access throughout the entire campus. To set up the campus WLAN, please use your HS-GM account. For more details, please click on the link to go to the IT-service page.

 

VPN

The HSGM VPN conncection is available to all members of our university. You need VPN to use online services for literature search from off-campus locations. The library is responsible for the content management.

Our IT service center has put together all information required to set up the VPN connection. Please click on the link

ILIAS

ILIAS is HGU's digital learning space designed for interactive teaching and learning. It provides the following functions:

  • Creating and managing online content
  • Online courses with learning modules, electronic exams, self-tests, electronic portfolios and excercises.
  • Collaborative work and communication with students

Link to ILIAS

ILIAS
Werner Karl
Werner Karl
Building 9002
Room 4
Phone +49 6722 502 483
Werner.Karl(at)hs-gm.de Details
André Beem
André Beem, M.A.
Building 9002
Room 4
Phone +49 6722 502 485
Andre.Beem(at)hs-gm.de Details
HIS/ QIS

The University Information System HIS - QIS/LSF provides many useful functions for teaching staff and students. Teachers can manage their courses (course overview, registration lists, etc.) and enter grades, and students can register for courses and exams or look up their exam results.

If you have any questions, please contact the head of your degree program.

Link to QIS

QIS
Timetable

As soon as we have scheduled all courses and assigned the lecture halls/seminar rooms, you will receive an individual timetable with the lecture times and the respective lecture room.


Simply log in with your HS-GM account and go to: "Personal timetables for teaching staff".

Please refer to the campus map for the location of the respective lecture hall.

 

Contact the timetable team
Annette Faber
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Annette Faber, M.A.
Building 5903
Room 04
Phone +49 6722 502 738
Annette.Faber(at)hs-gm.de Details
Thomas Franßen
Thomas Franßen, M.Sc.
Building 5903
Room 04
Phone +49 6722 502 702
Thomas.Franssen(at)hs-gm.de Details
Christina Fries
Christina Fries
Building 6701
Room 15
Phone +49 6722 502 89771
Christina.Fries(at)hs-gm.de Details
How to plan and organize my courses?

If this is your first teaching job and you are wondering how to include digital elements in your didactic concept, HGU's eLearning team is happy to support you.

The team provides advice and support on all matters related to design, creation and implementation of digital teaching and learning formats and didactic concepts for your lectures. If you want to use our support service, please contact eLearning(at)hs-gm.de or join our digital eLearning service hour - fridays from 10 bis 11 am or by appointment.

In your welcome email you have received a link to a Stud.IP event which provides useful information on teaching at Hochschule Geisenheim University as well as links to trainings, tutorials, etc. You'll also have the chance to exchange ideas and experience with other lecturers.

HGU's eLearning team also offers trainings which focus on didactic aspects and the technical know-how required to create successful eLearning formats.

On the right-hand side, we have put together useful links to the eLearning web page and our e-tools.

Who to contact for didactic questions?
Carolin Richardt
Carolin Richardt, M.A.
Building 9002
Room 3
Phone +49 6722 502 785
Carolin.Richardt(at)hs-gm.de Details
André Beem
André Beem, M.A.
Building 9002
Room 4
Phone +49 6722 502 485
Andre.Beem(at)hs-gm.de Details
Yasmin Peters
Yasmin Peters, M.Sc.
Building 9002
Room 5
Phone +49 6722 502 484
Yasmin.Peters(at)hs-gm.de Details

Invoicing your teaching contract

How to invoice a teaching contract?

Invoices for teaching contracts have to be submitted by the end of the semester.

Please complete and sign the "Teaching Invoice" and the "List of Teaching Hours" and send them via email to Ulrike Schneider.

 

How to invoice teaching contracts assigned for excursions?

Teaching contracts that are assigned for excursions will be paid as follows:

Travel expenses: All travel expenses incurred can be invoiced via the "form for invoicing a teaching contract"

Payment: If the excursion is considered as a paid teaching contract, the Study Organization & Examinations Office (StoP) authorizes the payment.

Reimbursement of travel expenses

When a teaching contract is assigned, both parties should clarify in advance if expenses are reimbursed, and include the information in the teaching contract.

Reimbursement of expenses is based on the following criteria:

Public Transport

For public transport, 2nd class tickets will be paid. If the instructor is holder of a Bahncard, it has to be used to buy tickets at discount rates. Please note that expenses will only be reimbursed on presentation of the original receipts/tickets (no copies).

Private Car

If adjunct instructors use their own car for commuting between place of residence and workplace, an allowance of 0.21 € per km will be paid in general. For very strong reasons only, an allowance of 0.35 € per km will be paid.

According to the Law on Travel Expenses of the State of Hesse strong reasons include:

  • the workplace cannot be reached by public transport.
  • a considerable amount of time (i.e. more than 1 hour per day) can be saved when using a private car.
  • instructors have to start their trip immediately for urgent reasons or due to imminent danger.
  • other people traveling on business who are eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses can be given a lift. 
  • comprehensive documents or heavy items have to be carried along
  • important personal reasons (e.g. physical disability) require the use of a private car.

Taxi

A taxi can only be ordered for strong reasons if the use of public transport is not possible.
Example: A large number of documents and heavy items have to be transported; physical condition does not allow to use other means of transport.
The reasons have to be stated in the form.

Accomodation Expenses

Accommodation expenses are reimbursed only for actual overnight stays. Any expenses exceeding the amount of 80.00 € gross (meals not included) have to be reasoned in the travel expenses claim form. Costs for breakfast will be subtracted from the hotel costs and are not reimbursed.
Adjunct instructors are not eligible for payment of daily allowances.

Reimbursement of travel expenses has to be claimed within the six-month limitation period. In this context, the day of each lecture given within the scope of the teaching contract is to be considered as the beginning of the limitation period. If the final day of this period is a Saturday, a Sunday or a public holiday, the period will be extended until the following workday (§31 Para. 3 Sentence 1 of the German Administrative Procedure Act (VwVerfG).