Fixed Term Contracts

What is a Fixed Term Contract?

You will be offered a fixed term contract where there is a finite requirement and/or funding for the post or where there is another business reason for the fixed term basis.  Fixed term contracts can be offered on a full time, part time, guaranteed hours, annualised or fractional basis.

 examples of fixed term contracts include, but are not limited to the following:

• A short-term appointment to cover staff absences, such as sickness absence and maternity leave.
• Fluctuating demand for certain activities, e.g. work which reduces or stops during vacation periods
• Completion of a defined project which is unlikely to be extended
• Posts that are funded by external organisations for a specific activity.

Your contract of employment will outline your contractual working arrangements and will note your start and projected end date and the reason for your fixed term contract. 

You have the same conditions of service as comparable employees on open-ended contracts. Your  Conditions of Service are based on your grade rather than contract type. 

 Please refer to the Guidance on Contract Types for further information on contracts offered at the University.

During Your Fixed Term Contract

• Annual Leave - Your annual leave entitlement is calculated based on the projected end date of your contract.  You can use the Annual Leave calculator to calculate your annual leave entitlement. Annual leave is booked by you using People and Money. Your leave entitlement is automatically updated if your contract is extended or hours change. Please see the Guide to Annual Leave for further details. 

Note: Christmas public holidays and closure dates are deducted from your annual leave balance from the beginning of the year (January) and need to be added if you join part way through a year.

• Probation - The length of your probation period will be stated in your conditions of service, it will be: 6 months if you are within Grades 1 – 5 and 12 months if you are within Grades 6 – 10.  

Academic Promotion – If you are in an academic post you are eligible to apply for Academic Promotion as detailed in the Academic Promotion Policy. 

• Regrading - If you are in a professional services post and the requirements of your job change as a result of changing business needs your post may be considered for regrading. Please refer to the Regrading Policy for more information. 

Contribution Reward – the contribution reward policy applies to all employees on Grades UE02 to UE09 and all other non-professorial grades for consideration for the award of a lump sum reward. Staff on UE02 to UE09, MC, XM, RCB and ECA grades are eligible for consideration for the award of additional increments. Separate but similar procedures and guidance are available for employees at Grade UE10 and other professorial grades. 

• Occupational Sick Leave and Pay- Your entitlement to occupational sick pay (OSP) is based on the amount of service you have attained on the first day of absence.  Detail is stated in the conditions of service relevant to your grade
• Annual Review - You will have an Annual Review with your line manager or a nominated alternative.  Your annual review meeting offers an ideal opportunity to discuss your current performance and development needs as well as aspirations beyond your current fixed term post and for your manager’s advice on how you can meet your career goals.  You don’t need to wait for your annual review to seek this advice and can arrange to meet with your line manager at any time.
• Other Leave - You may be entitled to other paid or unpaid leave depending on your circumstances, these include maternity leave, time off to care for a dependent in an emergency, compassionate and bereavement leave.  Further detail on the types of leave and whether these are normally paid or unpaid can be found at Leave, Absence, Attendance, Returning Parents | Human Resources

Notice Periods – notice periods given by the University and by you as the employee are stated in the conditions of service relevant to your grade.

 If you have reached four years continuous service and have had one or more contract extension, consideration will be given to making your contract open ended or open ended with a contract review date. 

For any contract extension or move to open ended contract/open ended contract with review date you will receive written confirmation of your change in contract from HR.

End of Your Fixed Term Contract

The Policy on Ending of Fixed Term Contracts and Restricted Funding Contracts can be found on the A to Z of HR Policies.  The policy explains how we will support you when your contract is due for review because it is fixed-term in nature.

Five months before your projected end date HR will contact your line manager/school/department administrator to ask whether your contract is due to be extended or will end on the projected end date. The action taken by your manager may be to extend your contract or proceed to end your contract on your projected end date. 

The reason for your contract, duration and overall length of continuous service with the University will determine what happens when your contract is about to end. Please familiarise yourself with the Policy on Ending Fixed Term Contracts and Restricted Funding Contracts.

Useful Links 

Conditions of Service and other Policies | Human Resources

A to Z of HR Policies | Human Resources

Useful Contacts

HR Helpline – HRHelpline@ed.ac.uk