Paid activities and tutoring

PhD studies are full time commitments.

This page provides information on the authorization procedures for paid activities and for tutoring activities of PhD students. The rulings are with reference to the regulation of the PhD programs at the University of Pisa (art. 14).

These rules hold for both PhD students with scholarship and for PhD students without a scholarship (supernumerary).

Paid activities

Before starting any paid activity, a formal authorization by the PhD Board must be obtained. The PhD Board shall evaluate the compatibility of such an activity with the profitable performance of doctoral studies.

Procedure for authorization:

  1. The PhD student agrees with her/his supervisors on the paid activity
  2. The PhD student sends an email to secretariat-ai-society@phd-ai.it;coordinator-ai-society@phd-ai.it cc-ing the supervisors, with the following information:
    • a draft of the contract where the following is clearly specified
      • type of contract
      • contracting institution/company
      • period of the activity: from date to date
      • work description or deliverables
      • commitment in terms of working hours
      • amount of the contract
    • a motivating request describing the benefits of the activity for doctoral research
    • the positive opinion of the supervisors
  3. The coordinator/PhD Board will evaluate the request and either
    • ask for more details
    • or, provide the formal authorization letter
      • in such a case, the PhD student can start the paid activity
    • or, provide the formal refusal letter
      • in such a case, the PhD student within 7 days has to communicate whether she/he will withdraw from starting the activity or withdraw from the PhD studies. In case of no communication, the PhD student is automatically withdrawn from the PhD studies.

Tutoring activities

PhD students can (and are solicited by the PhD Board to) perform tutoring, integrative teaching and/or subsidiary teaching, including preparatory and remedial teaching activities at University level for a maximum of 40 teaching hours per year. Before signing the contract for the these activities, a formal authorization by the PhD Board must be obtained. Such an authorization letter (“nulla osta”) is explicitly required by the University assigning those activities before signing the contract.

Procedure for authorization:

  1. The PhD student agrees with her/his supervisors on the tutoring and similar activities
  2. The PhD student applies to the call for tutoring and similar activities (these activities are tipically assigned based on a selective procedure)
  3. If the PhD student is selected, the PhD student sends an email to secretariat-ai-society@phd-ai.it;coordinator-ai-society@phd-ai.it cc-ing the supervisors, with the following information:
    • a draft of the contract where the following is clearly specified
      • type of contract
      • contracting institution/company
      • period of the activity: from date to date
      • number of tutoring hours
      • amount of the contract
    • the positive opinion of the supervisors
  4. The coordinator/PhD Board will evaluate the requests and either
    • ask for more details
    • or, provide the formal authorization letter
      • in such a case, the PhD student can start the activity
    • or, provide the formal refusal letter
      • in such a case, the PhD student cannot sign the contract.