Temporary Teaching and Research Assistants (ATERs)
Temporary Teaching and Research Assistant (ATER) contracts are intended for PhD students, PhDs and foreign lecturers and researchers who wish to take competitive recruitment exams in higher education in France. ATERs teach and carry on research for a year as contract staff.
ATERs are governed by the amended Decree no. 88-654 of 7 May 1988, for the recruitment of temporary teaching and research assistants in public higher education institutions.
Eligibility
You are eligible for ATER positions if you are:
- A category A civil servant or probationer preparing a PhD or an Accreditation to Direct Research (Habilitation à diriger des recherches, HDR), or if you already hold one of these diplomas, and you wish to undertake a competitive examination for higher education.
- A PhD student, or even a doctoral student on a fixed-term contract, about to complete your PhD. You must provide us with a written statement from your PhD supervisor indicating that you should be able to defend your thesis within one year.
- A PhD or HDR holder and you commit to taking a competitive examination for higher education by the end of your contract.
- A foreign lecturer or researcher with at least a PhD or equivalent, who has worked in a higher education or research institution out of France for minimum two years. You can be exempted from holding a PhD if your diploma is deemed equivalent to a French PhD by UGA's Academic Council. Please note that PhD exemptions are granted only for the year and recruitment campaign for which the application is submitted.
- A category A civil servant or probationer preparing a PhD or an Accreditation to Direct Research (Habilitation à diriger des recherches, HDR), or if you already hold one of these diplomas, and you wish to undertake a competitive examination for higher education.
- A PhD student, or even a doctoral student on a fixed-term contract, about to complete your PhD. You must provide us with a written statement from your PhD supervisor indicating that you should be able to defend your thesis within one year.
- A PhD or HDR holder and you commit to taking a competitive examination for higher education by the end of your contract.
- A foreign lecturer or researcher with at least a PhD or equivalent, who has worked in a higher education or research institution out of France for minimum two years. You can be exempted from holding a PhD if your diploma is deemed equivalent to a French PhD by UGA's Academic Council. Please note that PhD exemptions are granted only for the year and recruitment campaign for which the application is submitted.
2026 Recruitment Campaign Timeline
19 March 2026: Applications open
20 April 2026 4:00pm: Application deadline
27 April - 26 May: Recruitment committees' meetings
Starting 15 June: Results
20 April 2026 4:00pm: Application deadline
27 April - 26 May: Recruitment committees' meetings
Starting 15 June: Results
Current Vacancies
2026 Recruitment Campaign Results
Download list of ranked candidates per position (in French)
How to Apply?
Applying to ATER positions involves several stages.
Step 1: Register on the Altaïr platform via the Galaxie portal, and apply to one or several positions.
Sign in to Altair
You'll be redirected to a French website.
Step 2: Submit your application via OGRATER
Within 48 hours after registering on Altaïr and applying to one or several positions, you will receive your log in details for OGRATER (UGA's platform for ATER recruitment campaigns).
Submit your application file(s) to OGRATER before the campaign ends.
Please note that incomplete application files will be declared inadmissible.
Sign in to Ograter
You'll be redirected to a French website.
Step 1: Register on the Altaïr platform via the Galaxie portal, and apply to one or several positions.
Sign in to Altair
You'll be redirected to a French website.
Step 2: Submit your application via OGRATER
Within 48 hours after registering on Altaïr and applying to one or several positions, you will receive your log in details for OGRATER (UGA's platform for ATER recruitment campaigns).
Submit your application file(s) to OGRATER before the campaign ends.
Please note that incomplete application files will be declared inadmissible.
Sign in to Ograter
You'll be redirected to a French website.
Which Documents Do I Need to Provide?
For all documents: if they have not been written in French, please provide us with a translation and a signed statement indicating that the translation is true to the content of the original document.
All application files must include the following documents:
- Dated and signed Altaïr application form (not the récépissé),
- CV and research project (for your ATER year at UGA),
- Copy of valid ID (passport or front and back of ID card for EU nationals),
- A sworn statement indicating whether you have ever worked as an ATER before (this document is written in French).
The above mentioned documents must be uploaded with additional documents depending on your situation:
If you are a category A civil servant or probationer (Art. 2.1) please attach:
- A copy of your certificate of appointment or promotion (arrêté de nomination or de promotion), specifying your grade,
- For tenured staff, a secondment request (download the standard form in French), and for probationers, a leave without pay request (download the standard form in French),
- If you hold a PhD or an Accreditation to Direct Research (HDR):
>A copy of the PhD or HDR diploma. Please note that if your diploma was not issued by a French University and you do not have an ENIC-NARIC certificate of comparability (attestation de comparabilité), its comparability to same-level French diplomas will need to be assessed by UGA.
>A document stating that you commit to taking part in a competitive exam in higher education by the end of your contract (dowload template in French here).
- If you do not hold a PhD:
>A proof of enrolment on a PhD or HDR course for the ongoing academic year (e.g. PhD enrolment certificate).
If you are a foreign lecturer or researcher (Art. 2.3) please attach:
- A copy of your PhD diploma (if it was not issued by a French university, we'll need to assess its comparability to a French PhD),
- Any official document certifying that, by 1st September 2026, you will have held a teaching or research position in a foreign higher education or research institution for at least 2 years.
If you are a PhD student (Art 2.5), please attach:
- A proof of enrolment on a PhD program for the ongoing academic year (e.g. PhD registration certificate/certificat de scolarité, student ID...).
- A written statement signed by your thesis supervisor indicating that your PhD thesis can be defended before 31st August 2027 (download standard form in French here)
If you hold a PhD or an Accreditation to Direct Research (HDR) (Art 2.6), please attach:
- A copy of your PhD/HDR diploma (if it was not issued by a French university, we'll need to assess its comparability to French diplomas).
- A written statement indicating that you commit to taking part in a competitive exam in higher education for the year to come (download standard form in French here).
All application files must include the following documents:
- Dated and signed Altaïr application form (not the récépissé),
- CV and research project (for your ATER year at UGA),
- Copy of valid ID (passport or front and back of ID card for EU nationals),
- A sworn statement indicating whether you have ever worked as an ATER before (this document is written in French).
The above mentioned documents must be uploaded with additional documents depending on your situation:
If you are a category A civil servant or probationer (Art. 2.1) please attach:
- A copy of your certificate of appointment or promotion (arrêté de nomination or de promotion), specifying your grade,
- For tenured staff, a secondment request (download the standard form in French), and for probationers, a leave without pay request (download the standard form in French),
- If you hold a PhD or an Accreditation to Direct Research (HDR):
>A copy of the PhD or HDR diploma. Please note that if your diploma was not issued by a French University and you do not have an ENIC-NARIC certificate of comparability (attestation de comparabilité), its comparability to same-level French diplomas will need to be assessed by UGA.
>A document stating that you commit to taking part in a competitive exam in higher education by the end of your contract (dowload template in French here).
- If you do not hold a PhD:
>A proof of enrolment on a PhD or HDR course for the ongoing academic year (e.g. PhD enrolment certificate).
If you are a foreign lecturer or researcher (Art. 2.3) please attach:
- A copy of your PhD diploma (if it was not issued by a French university, we'll need to assess its comparability to a French PhD),
- Any official document certifying that, by 1st September 2026, you will have held a teaching or research position in a foreign higher education or research institution for at least 2 years.
If you are a PhD student (Art 2.5), please attach:
- A proof of enrolment on a PhD program for the ongoing academic year (e.g. PhD registration certificate/certificat de scolarité, student ID...).
- A written statement signed by your thesis supervisor indicating that your PhD thesis can be defended before 31st August 2027 (download standard form in French here)
If you hold a PhD or an Accreditation to Direct Research (HDR) (Art 2.6), please attach:
- A copy of your PhD/HDR diploma (if it was not issued by a French university, we'll need to assess its comparability to French diplomas).
- A written statement indicating that you commit to taking part in a competitive exam in higher education for the year to come (download standard form in French here).