University Arts Teacher in Opera Coaching and Collaborative Piano

The Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki (Uniarts Helsinki) is hiring   

University Arts Teacher in Opera Coaching and Collaborative Piano 

for a part-time employment position, valid until further notice, starting on 1 August 2026. The position of a University Arts Teacher at Uniarts Helsinki is a teaching-focused position, and the percentage of working hours may vary annually based on the tuition needs (from 30% to 70% of a full-time position). 

Working environment 

You will work in the Department of Vocal Music in Helsinki. The staff structure of our department is currently 2 professors, 11 lecturers, 3 university arts teachers as well as numerous part-time teachers and visitors. The department has three study programmes: Vocal Arts, Opera, and Opera Coaching and Collaborative Piano, and there are currently c. 50 majoring Vocal Arts or Opera students and 1-2 Opera and Collaborative Piano students. 

You can find more information about the department and the Opera study programme on the Uniarts Helsinki website. On our website you can also familiarize yourself with the following: 

• Uniarts Helsinki’s vision, mission and values 
• Uniarts Helsinki’s Code of conduct 
• Uniarts Helsinki as a responsible employer     

Job description     

As a university arts teacher, your main tasks will be teaching and coaching (correpetition) of opera students, the musical practice and ensemble practice of opera productions, and working as a pianist in stage rehearsals. You will also work with other students studying classical vocal music. In addition, you supervise master students studying in the training programme of opera coaching and collaborative piano and work as a pianist with singers at events and concerts organized by the department. 

Active monitoring of your own field, participation in working groups and projects of the department, assessing study attainments and participating in student admissions are part of the job description. You will participate with your colleagues in planning and implementing education and related courses and productions as necessary. The position may also include other tasks that are agreed upon together. 

Carrying out the assigned tasks will require, in general, working weekly with students during the semesters. The position requires you to work in Helsinki for the duration of the employment relationship, and the post-holder is therefore required to live in or relocate to Finland. 

Competence requirements and selection criteria 

What we expect from you  

• a master's degree in music or equivalent applicable master’s degree or equivalent artistic merits 
• coaching and teaching experience 
• good teaching skills  
• strong pianistic and musical skills  
• artistic merits as a pianist and collaborative pianist 
• demonstrations of activity in the opera industry  
• strong and versatile knowledge of the opera repertoire  
• experience as a collaborative pianist in opera houses, opera associations, festivals, etc.  
• phonetic knowledge and skills of the main opera languages  
• basic skills in conducting music  

The ability to guide and support different students and learners in their studies, learning and transition to working life, good cooperation and interaction skills, and the ability to create a positive atmosphere in teaching and teamwork situations are also important.   

Opera experience, for example as a singer, producer or conductor, university-level teaching experience, pedagogical studies, a doctoral degree and experience in organizing, planning and development and expert tasks in the field are considered an advantage. 

Instruction language skills  

The languages of instruction at Uniarts Helsinki are Finnish, Swedish and English. The language of the degree program of opera is English. Teaching of opera and collaborative piano and musical practice of opera productions takes place mainly in English or Finnish. Applicants must have a good command of the languages of instruction. International applicants are only required to be proficient in English. Language skills are assessed in relation to the work tasks. Domestic applicants are also required to have at least satisfactory knowledge of the second national language. Uniarts Helsinki staff are committed to the university's language policy, which emphasizes multilingualism.  

Working hours and salary  

The position of a University Arts Teacher at Uniarts Helsinki is teaching-focused position, and the percentage of working hours may vary from 30% to 70% (total working hours 484–1 128 hours, as a full-time teaching and research position includes 1,612 hours) depending on the need for teaching each academic year. A maximum of 40% of the working hours may be teaching, and at least one hour is reserved for preparatory work for one teaching hour, depending on the type of teaching work in question. The teaching of an art teacher is related to artistic activities and does not require the preparation of teaching material for a single teaching event to a significant extent.  

A significant difference to the position of other teaching and research staff of the Uniarts Helsinki is that the tasks of a university arts teacher do not basically include research, own independent artistic activity, general planning of education, nor without a separate agreement, university community tasks that exceed the unit level. 

The salary for the position is based on levels 4–5 of the universities' salary system for teaching and research staff. In addition, a salary component based on personal performance is paid. At the beginning of the employment relationship, the monthly gross salary is approximately € 1,000–€ 2,700, depending on the working time percentage (30–70%) and the person's experience and skills. 

Applying 

Please submit your application no later than 27 November 2025 at 23:59 p.m. (UTC +2) via Uniarts Helsinki’s electronic recruitment system. The following attachments must be attached to the application in English in PDF form: 

• A motivation letter (cover letter, max. two A4 pages)  
• A curriculum vitae / A resumé    
• A teaching portfolio (you will find general tips for compiling a teaching portfolio by following this link)
• A document with a link to a video recording / links to video recordings (you play 1-2 pieces of opera music, either alone on the piano or/and together with a singer, only YouTube or Vimeo video links are accepted, links should be "unlisted" or "public," and the date of presentation should be clearly indicated, duration e.g. 10 minutes). 

Based on the applications, we will call the strongest applicants for interviews and teaching demonstrations, which will be held on 2 February 2026 in Helsinki, at the Töölö campus of Uniarts Helsinki. All applicants will be notified of their admission to the next round in Mid-December 2025. 

Enquiries  

• Regarding the content of the position: the Head of Department Tero Valtonen, tel. +358 50 336 4919 
• Regarding the application process and system: HR/Anne Kilpeläinen, tel. +358 50 348 4539 
• Our email addresses are in the form: firstname.surname@uniarts.fi