The Regulation is established on the basis of subsection 39 (7) of the Universities Act.
§ 1. General provisions
(1) This Procedure applies to the terms and conditions for applying for and using a sabbatical semester prescribed to members of the ordinary teaching staff by the Universities Act. For the purposes of this Procedure, “semester” means a spring or autumn semester laid down in the academic calendar of Tallinn University of Technology.
(2) A member of the ordinary teaching staff is entitled to take one semester leave (hereinafter referred to as “sabbatical semester”) from work with pay once every five years in order to supplement their professional skills or for other creative activity. For the purposes of this Procedure, “pay” means the basic salary agreed upon with the employee in the employment contract.
(3) The procedure for funding a sabbatical semester shall be approved by the Rector.
§ 2. Applying for a sabbatical semester
(1) A sabbatical semester can be applied by a member of the university’s ordinary teaching staff (hereinafter referred to as “member of the teaching staff”) whose length of employment as member of the university’s ordinary teaching staff, including the current term, is at least five years.
(2) A member of the teaching staff must use a sabbatical semester in one part. If the work of a member of the teaching staff can be reorganised by quarters, he/she may apply for a sabbatical leave in two parts, by the quarters laid down in the academic calendar.
(3) As a rule, a member of the teaching staff can use a sabbatical semester in order to supplement his/her professional skills at a university, educational or research institution abroad or for other creative activity.
(4) In order to use a sabbatical semester, the member of the teaching staff shall submit an application and a sabbatical semester plan to the chair of the council of the department/centre/institution (hereinafter referred to as “structural unit”) in the semester preceding the sabbatical leave no later than two months before the end of the semester.
(5) The use of a sabbatical semester shall be approved by the council of the structural unit, who takes into account the opinion of the chair of the council regarding reorganisation of work, the possibilities to substitute the member of the teaching staff and the purpose of the use of the sabbatical semester specified in the sabbatical semester plan.
(6) The council of a structural unit may make a proposal to postpone the use of a sabbatical semester for up to two semesters not more than once. The chair of the council of the structural unit shall notify the member of the teaching staff of the council’s opinion within one month from the submission of the application.
(7) The chair of the council of the structural unit shall submit the application of the member of the teaching staff together with the sabbatical semester plan and the opinion of the council of the structural unit on allowing the member of the teaching staff to take the sabbatical leave to the Personnel Office for preparation of a draft directive. The Rector shall decide whether to allow a member of the teaching staff to take a sabbatical leave.
§ 3. Reporting
(1) The member of the teaching staff shall submit a report on the use of the sabbatical semester to the chair of the council of the structural unit no later than within one month after the end of the sabbatical semester.
(2) The report shall be assessed by the council of the structural unit. The assessment shall be taken into account upon application for a sabbatical semester in the next period.
(3) The chair of the council of the structural unit shall submit the report of the member of the teaching staff and the assessment of the council to the Personnel Office.
§ 4. Implementing provisions
(1) The Procedure for Applying for a Sabbatical Semester approved by the decision No 11/2 of 8 October 1996 of the Management Board of Tallinn University of Technology is repealed.
(2) This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 January 2014.