Employment contracts for hourly paid employees and assignment agreements

These must have an hourly wage contract

• Hourly paid teacher
• Student assistant
• Scientific assistant on hourly contract (not monthly paid vit.ass)
• Employees on retirement terms
• Others with short, repeated tasks
• Internal censorship, correction, guidance (see note below)

These must have an assignment contract

• External censorship, correction, guidance (see note below). 
• Assessment of doctoral degree, dissertation and disputation
• Assessment of competence promotion
• Assessment of applicants for scientific positions
• Members of boards, councils and committees
• Payment for meeting attendance
• Guest lecturer
• Seminar assignments

NB: Some assignments can be both an hourly wage contract and an assignment contract, depending on whether it is an employment relationship or an assignment relationship. The payroll department assesses which form of affiliation and which type of contract is used in such cases. The criteria for assessments can be found here (PDF, in Norwegian). 

External examiners / sensors of exam answers are handled by the study departments and are not be handled with TOA in the SAP portal.

An agreement as an hourly paid teacher must be established when the assignment is lectures that are a necessary for the students to take the exam. An hourly paid teacher is an employee who is paid ordinary wages, is entitled to holiday pay, sick pay and a pension report.

An hourly paid employee can be hired for up to 15 hours per week / in a 37.5 percent position. This is calculated on average throughout the employment period, but not more than one year when hiring a teacher. If you need an employee in a position larger than 37.5 percent, you cannot create such an agreement. Contact HR at your faculty/unit for assistance with employment.

A guest lecturer is individual lectures or shorter lecture series that are not essential for students to take the exam. The guest lecturer is a contractor who receives the remuneration as a fee (salary or industry). It is important that the assessment of the type of assignment in question is made before the teacher / guest lecturer is contacted.

You can order a contract with DFØ self-service or by using the DFØ app.

1. Book well in advance

• A contract must be created before the employment/assignment starts.
• Hourly paid employees must send timesheets within the contract period

2. Fill in the required details

• Work tasks: Describe the work tasks to be done. Important when it comes to contract type – Assignment agreement or hourly contract (employee) Payroll section can change the contract type if it is incorrect in relation to work tasks.
• Comment field: Agreed assignment, delivery and salary terms/fees.
• Payment for meeting participation: State the meeting date (s) and calculation (hours × rate). The chair of the committee has different hourly rates for participation in the meeting and for preparation.
• Do not change the organizational unit – The payroll Section changes this

3. Set the timer and factor

• State the number of hours (limits for the contract).
• An hourly paid employee can be employed in up to a 37.5 percent position, which corresponds to 15 hours per week / 60 hours per month
• For persons employed on retirement terms. See separate rules on SPK.no (Spk.no)
• If factor is used: write total hours incl. factor (e.g. 150 h × factor 2 = 300 h). One factor per agreement.

4. Cost allocation

• Cost centre («Budsjettenhet»)
• K-element 4 («Arbeidsordre» / Project number)

5. Determination of hourly wage/fee amount

• Enter the rate or total amount in the order.
• Hourly rate is calculated as follows:
  (Gross annual salary – NOK 400 (Mandatory OU fund)) ÷ 1950 hours. It is important that hours are not calculated based on the work schedule for research and teaching positions. A full-time equivalent is 1950 hours in terms of remuneration.
• If the rate is missing, previously registered salary is used.

6. Approval and signing

• The payroll section processes the contract.
• The manager with budgetary authority (BDM) approves.
• The contract is sent to the hourly employee/contractor for signing.
• Contracts cannot be ordred by the person covered by the contract. The impartiality provisions do not allow you to process your own employment/agreement.

7. Hourly wage supplement (Saturday/Sunday supplement, morning/evening supplement, and nighttime compensation)

• Supplement needs to specified and agreed upon when ordering the contract.
• Supplements (weekend, evening, night) are registered by the hourly paid employee under “Remunerations” in the DFØ app/ Self-service
• Not to be counted as working hours towards the total scope of the contract(s)
• State the agreed supplement in the comment field and inform your budget manager

8.Status

• Draft: Temporarily stored. The contract has not been forwarded for processing.
• Sent to caseworker: To be processed by the Payroll Section.
• For signature: Approved by Budget manager, sent to recipient for signing.
• Deleted: The agreement has been replaced or declined.
• Completed: Registred in the payroll system.

Relevant links:

• Order a contract in the DFØ app (dfo.no)
• Order a contract in DFØ self-service (dfo.no)
• Installing the DFØ APP (dfo.no)
• Information about DFØ self-service (dfo.no)
• Guidelines for impartiality in employment (ansatt.oslomet.no)

When contracts for hourly paid employees and contractors have been processed, signed by the recipient and registered in the payroll system, their user account is created. 

The user will receive an email with a link to tilgang.sikt.no, asking them to activate their user account. The account can be activated the day before the start date in SAP, if the contract has been processed and signed by this date.  

If you got your OsloMet user account, you can pick up your access card at the Card Center at Pilestredet 46, or at Kjeller.

There is no longer a need to order access to IT systems, special rooms, etc. in the contract orders. 

NB! Access is terminated when the work/contract expires. Access cannot be extended without an extended work/assignment agreement.

We try to process all orders and questions within 10 working days. During periods of high demand, the processing time will be a bit longer. We recommend that you place your order well in advance of the employment / contractual relationship.

The following deadlines apply to contracts for the start of the semester

Autumn semester

Hourly wage and assignment agreements starting with the autumn semester must be ordered in the SAP portal by 20th June.

Spring semester

Hourly wage and assignment agreements starting with the spring semester must be ordered in the SAP portal by 20th November.

Student assistant

Student assistants can be hired temporarily with a working time of 15 hours per week (60 hours per month = 37.5 per cent position) A student assistant cannot be hired for more than six months without a public announcement. The student assistant employed must be an active student at OsloMet.

Salary conditions

The following rates shall apply to agreements made after July 1st 2025:

1. Standard rate is salary is 225,- per hour.
2. Students with a bachelors degree: 245,- per hour.
3. Students on a two-year master's degree/or on the last two years of a five-year master's degree: 245,- per hour. NB: You need to specify this in the comments field when you order the contract. 
4. Students with a completed master's degree: 290,- per hour.

Students with completed higher academic education - meaning completed master's degree - are to be paid 290,- per hour according to the main tariff agreements: LO-YS-Uni § 5 b 1 and Academics § 3, 2nd paragraph.

NOTE: The SAP portal asks for "Education level or prior learning". It involves a completed degree. 

• For students at the bachelor's level, choose "<3 years of higher education"
• For students at a Master's programme, choose "Bachelor's education"
• For students with a completed master's degree, choose Master's education.

NB: Annual salary is hourly rate *1950 (hours per year) + 400 in OU funds. Salary is stated in NOK in the employment contracts.

Position code

Student assistants are employed in position code “1069 Førstefullmektig”.

Research assistants

• The terms and conditions of employment for research assistants are laid down in forskrift om ansettelsesvilkår for stillinger som postdoktor, stipendiat, vitenskapelig assistent og spesialistkandidat §§ 1-1 og 1-4 (in Norwegian, lovdata.no). 

• The tasks must be at an academic level and must consist of scientific or artistic assistance. Teaching, laboratory work and similar tasks may be imposed.

• Research tasks can`t be assigned to research assistants, and research training can`t be a requirement the position as research assistant

• Research fellows and completed PhD candidates cannot work as a research assistant.

• The work must qualify for employment as a research fellow and a further academic career. Administrative tasks should therefore not be assigned to the position.

• Research assistants have the same labour rights as other employees at OsloMet.

• Research assistants are hired on fixed-term contracts

• Employment in the position of research assistant takes place for up to two years. The total period of employment may not exceed two years. No one may be employed for more than one fixed-term period in the same position category at the same institution; Section 2-1 (in Norwegian, lovdata.no)

Work tasks for research assistant

• Project work

• Interview

• Seminar/teaching in groups

• Research assistance

• Artistic assistance

• Other

The list is not exhaustive.

Research assistant job codes

• SKO 1018 can be used for students without a bachelor's degree

• SKO 1019 presupposes completion of bachelor's degree

• SKO 1020 presupposes master's degree

Research assistants vs. student assistants

A research assistant is a fixed-term position and should be employed on monthly salary with announcement, but may also be employed on part-time and hourly wages (up to 37,5 % position or maximum 6 months without a public announcement.)

At OsloMet, student assistants must be appointed in position code “1069 “førstefullmektig”. Student assistants cannot be hired with position code 1018 - 1020 “vitenskapelig assistant”. It is essential to keep these types of positions separate from each other.

In the absence of a separate position code in the state Main Tariff Agreement for student assistants, these have often been paid in job codes for research assistants. This is not correct and has unfortunate consequences for employers and employees. The reporting statistic in DBH is not correct, and student assistants who are paid in the job code for research assistants may lose the opportunity to later take such assignments, as a result of the limitation of 2 years of employment as a research assistant.

Student assistants with administrative tasks must be paid in accordance with the general job codes in the collective agreement. This will lead to more correct reporting of educational positions (auxiliary positions) in DBH, reporting more correctly on the use of temporary and fixed-term positions, and avoiding the problem of maximum 2 years of employment.

Approval of the contracts is carried out by the approving manager/person with budget allocation authority for the budget unit and work order registered on the employment contract. It is recalled here of the provisions of the Public Administration Act on impartiality, see section 6 of the Public Administration Act and OsloMet's procedures for impartiality in connection with appointments.

You will find contract proposals in the DFØ APP and in DFØ self-service portal The contracts will be in the inbox (“Innkurv”)

See the guidelines from DFØ on how to approve contracts:

• Guidelines - DFØ APP (dfo.no)
• Guidelines - Self-service portal (dfo.no)

Not all assignments to OsloMet can be paid to a personal enterprise. 

The remuneration cannot be paid through the teacher's personal enterprise, if the assignment is a necessary part of the teaching for our students.

OsloMet may be checked afterwards if we have assessed the assignment correctly.  If we receive a book audit and an incorrect assessment is discovered, we must calculate and collect contributions from employer's national insurance contributions and taxes for the person concerned.  This is in addition to the fact that we have paid a much higher hourly rate as business income. As an employer, OsloMet is obliged to report this correctly.

If the payment is to be made as a business income/ invoice , an agreement with the following template must be created:

• Individual teaching assignments in Norwegian (word)
• Individual teaching assignments in English (word)

You also need to attach a completed version of this form: Assessment form - salary or business income? (in Norwegian)

These templates are only to be used when payment is to be made as business income. The invoice must be sent afterwards to OsloMet's electronic invoice address (EHF invoice) 997058925.

Practical information - for you the hourly wage employee or contractor

If you have questions about specific contracts, please contact variabellonn@oslomet.no