Lecturer in Double Bass music

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

A lecturer in double bass music

for an employment position that is valid until further notice and starting on 1 August 2026. The position will be full-time or part-time (70–100%) depending on the need for double bass teaching and the candidate’s situation. The workload percentage will be determined with the selected person when the terms of the employment are agreed.

Working environment

You will work in the Department of Strings and Chamber Music. The department staff consists of internationally active artistic and pedagogic professionals. Approximately 150 students are majoring in strings and chamber music. In addition, there are 30 Junior Academy students in the department.

You can find more information about the department 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   

Your main task is teaching double bass music. The aim of the teaching is to develop the students’ musical and technical skills on a comprehensive level and to support their professional and artistic growth. You will participate in planning, organising, evaluating and developing double bass instruction. As the principal teacher of double bass, you will have a coordinative role in this work. You will also coordinate group teaching activities for double bass students, such as prima vista workshops, shared class sessions, audition simulations, and ensemble work. Depending on your strengths, your tasks may also be related to other teaching subjects such as pedagogy, orchestral playing, chamber music or improvisation. You will also support students in navigating career paths and postgraduate study options within the music industry.

The main focus of your teaching is on bachelor's and master's level education, but you will also teach students of the Junior Academy. In addition to students majoring in double bass, you will also teach double bass students from other departments as necessary.

In addition, you will actively participate in planning and organising and developing the artistic activities within the department. Actively following your own field, the department's working groups and projects, the assessment of study attainments, participation in student recruitment and student admissions, duties related to curriculum planning, and cooperation with other departments, degree programmes as well as with external partners in the field are part of your job description. You will also participate in other development and quality work as well as in the work of Uniarts Helsinki's administrative bodies as necessary.

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

To be selected for the position of Lecturer at Uniarts Helsinki, the applicant is required to have a master's degree or equivalent artistic merits, versatile teaching skills, experience in the utilisation of artistic activities and/or research in teaching, as well as pedagogical studies or pedagogical experience demonstrated in some other way. In addition, strong merits of activities in the field of art and/or research, experience in domestic or international cooperation, and societal influence are required. 

In addition to the above, the specific key selection criteria for this Lecturer position are:

• a master's degree in music or equivalent applicable master’s degree; Extensive practical experience and artistic merits can, however, compensate for the lack of a formal degree
• in-depth artistic expertise as a double bass player with exceptional technical and musical skills
• strong artistic merits demonstrated through professional experience as a double bass artist (soloist, chamber musician/orchestral player)
• teaching experience in a higher education institution
• excellent pedagogical skills
• a track record of planning, organising, implementing and developing education and artistic activities
• an interest in developing activities together with other teachers and students 
• an ability to think innovatively about the development of double bass curriculums and the wider education field
• an ability to guide and support a diverse community of students in their studies and in their transition to working life
• excellent cooperation and interpersonal skills and an ability to create a positive atmosphere in teaching and teamwork situations

In addition, we consider the following to be an advantage:

• pedagogical studies
• a suitable doctoral degree
• international activities and cooperation
• track record of expert tasks and positions of trust in the professional field requiring collaboration and organisational skills

 Language skills

The languages of instruction at Uniarts Helsinki are Finnish, Swedish and English. Double bass music is mainly taught in Finnish and English. 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

In full-time Lecturer positions, the total annual working hours are 1,612, which includes 452 hours of contact teaching. The salary for the position is determined in accordance with the salary system of Finnish universities. The task-specific salary component is on levels 5–6. In addition, a salary component based on personal performance is paid. At the beginning of the employment relationship, the monthly gross salary in a full-time position is approximately € 3,600–€ 4,400, depending on the person’s experience and skills.

Applying

Please submit your application no later than 9 December 2025 at 23:59 (UTC +2) via Uniarts Helsinki’s electronic recruitment system. The following attachments must be attached to the application in English in PDF form:

1. A letter of motivation (max. two A4 pages)
2. A resumé/curriculum vitae
3. A teaching portfolio (general tips for compiling a teaching portfolio can be found by following this link)
4. A document with accessible links to two artistic performances (only YouTube or Vimeo links will be accepted. Links should be ‘unlisted’ or ‘public’, and the date of performance should be clearly indicated).

Based on the applications, we will call the strongest applicants for the evaluation event (including short artistic performances, teaching demonstrations, and interviews) which will be held on 12 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-January 2026.

The position may include teaching underage Junior Academy students. A criminal record extract must be presented to Uniarts before a contract of employment can be signed for the job in question. The Act on Checking the Criminal Background of Persons Working with Children (504/2002) obliges Uniarts to ask persons working with students under 18 years of age to present an extract from their criminal record (when the employment lasts longer than three months).

Enquiries

• Regarding the content of the position: the Head of Department Erkki Lahesmaa, +358 50 304 6001
• Regarding the application process and system: HR/Anne Kilpeläinen, tel. +358 50 348 4539
• Our email addresses are in the form: surname@uniarts.fi