New arrivals

What needs to done before coming to Germany? (Visa and residence permit, Health insurance, Accommodation.) What needs to be done upon arrival? (Authorities, Banking, Apartment search.) Plus lots of additional info on Living and working in Germany, and in Göttingen specifically! more

There is an onboarding process that your supervisor or their secretary will run you through. In the process, you will be in touch with various HR and IT staff and will receive all necessary information, paperwork, access tokens and login credentials. more

MAX is your entry point to the Society’s and Institute’s intranet, respectively, each with a wealth of additional information (IT FAQ: email, VPN, printers, ...!), as well as to various subsystems, e.g. SAP (pay slips, filing for vacation days, and more), OHB (repository of all documents governing the Max Planck Society), ORBS (business travel booking) and more. Take some time to look around! Make sure you know what to do when you need to take sick leave, when asking for permission to take vacation, or when you need to go on business travel. Ask you supervisor for details when any of these comes up for the first time. more

The About pages give you a first impression about the institute‘s organisation and some of its bodies.

MAX (see above) provides a much more comprehensive list of contacts with functions such as Occupational safety, Apprentice/PhD/Postdoc representation, Job & Family,  Procurement / Purchasing, Works Council, Data Protection Officer, First aider, Gender Equality Officers, IT Support, Local Ombudsperson, Sustainability Officer, Representation of Individuals with Severe Disabilities, Mediation. more

The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) is committed to producing outstanding scientific research and fostering scientific talent. The institute regards gender equality and creating equal opportunities as indispensable for facilitating this top level research and attracting highly qualified scientists. Moreover, an open and discrimination-free environment is key to enabling successful collaboration between colleagues at the institute. more

PDF: Policy against sexualized Discrimination, Harassment and Violence

Besides the Code of Conduct document linked here, MAX (see above) provides a list of points of contact in case of conflict at MPS, as well as information about EMAP (Employee and Manager Assistance Program), a free immediate counselling service for employees and scholarship holders of the Max Planck Society. more

The works council (German: Betriebsrat (BR)) is the elected representation of the employees at MPS.  The BR is a very German affair based on a federal law, but that does not mean that it is for German speakers or permanent employees only.  We are involved in all matters dealing with the employee – employer relationship like contracts, working hours, pay-grade, mobile work, social aspects, etc.
The main page of the BR is available in the intranet:
https://max.mpg.de/sites/mps/gremien/betriebsrat/Pages/works-council.aspx
Please do not hesitate to approach any of the members or send a mail.
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The postdoc representatives are working towards a smooth and trouble-free work environment for all postdocs. If you have any issues,  criticism, or suggestions to improve your work environment, please let them know. They have compiled additional useful information for new arrivals on these pages. more

In addition to the onboarding with their hosting research group at MPS, PhD candidates also need to get started with everything related to the PhD program they are entering. PhD candidates should see the IMPRS coordinator for a first appointment during their first week. Each PhD candidate also has a student buddy who accompagnies them through their first week at MPS. PhD candidates will find relevant onboarding checklists in the Stud.IP wiki pages (ask your buddy!). more

The diverse target groups at MPS have access to a variety of qualification courses. The “Planck Academy” bundles the offers of the Max Planck Society in the Learning Management System LMS, which you can access through MAX. The “GWDG Academy” also offers a broad range of courses. PhD candidates, postdocs and academic teachers will find dedicated training courses and networking structures across Göttingen Campus - go check them out, there is a lot to discover!
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The library not only gives access to scientific books and articles, it also stores resources on occupational safety, fire protection and mental health. The library also helps track the scientific publications coming out of the institute - please inquire what you need to do when you publish in order to get your or your group’s contributions into the MPG.PuRe system! more

The GWDG is the computing and IT competence centre for the Max Planck Society, and provides a multitude of services used by departments at the institute. The computer center at the MPS runs the institute’s IT infrastructure in the context of the GWDG infrastructure.

The services of the Max Planck Digital Library are also indispensible, and a search for the key words MPG City Service will lead you to a nice online entry point to those. more

Are you leaving? Your group secretary will walk you through the checkout list at the institute. 

For things to take care of outside the institute when leaving Germany, “Settle in Berlin” maintains this neat resource that you can consult. more