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Testimonials about the CBS Department of Economics

from international assistant professors hired in 2009

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If you are interested in applying for an open position at ECON, have a look at the statements below to find out what the international assistant professors hired in 2009 think about working at ECON and living in Denmark:

The department, environment, research, teaching:

  • “The Economics department at CBS provides young assistant professors ample research funding to travel around the world, to present their scholarship...the relatively light teaching load also enables young researchers to have more time devoted to research, building up "capital" in their early career”.
  • “Unlike the U.S. where the teaching responsibility is a certain number of courses, the teaching responsibility here is a certain number of hours. For assistant professors, this amounts to roughly 1 course per term. Not only is the teaching load low, there is also a lot of flexibility regarding when you need to fulfill the obligation. I did very little teaching my first term so I could get my thesis chapters ready for publication and start new projects. This has let me get a really good start on my research agenda, including finding new co-authors”.
  • “One of the main reasons why I wanted to come to CBS is that there is almost nothing that cannot be done. Any idea is encouraged and appreciated and all my research ideas have been supported professionally as well as financially, if I needed data or travelling abroad to see co-authors or attend conferences”.
  • “The Economics department at Copenhagen Business School provides a unique combination of international atmosphere and lively academic environment. CBS offers extremely competitive facilities for carrying out research, such as the tight network of faculty members, the possibility to use the worldwide connections with universities and the high quality of Danish data”.
  • “The bureaucratic procedures at CBS tend to be very low and the administrative staff puts a lot of dedicated effort into helping the employees and providing pieces of information related not only to the workplace but also to housing and life in Denmark. I am always sure (and feel safe) that the administrative staff can solve my problems in an efficient and quick way and, last but not least, with a smile”.
  • “For those used to the North American perspective on teaching at the university level, the mix here will be surprisingly supportive: the department will help you ‘learn’ to teach and does not treat teaching as an ancillary aspect of academia. That is to say, you are not ‘hung out to dry’ with respect to your teaching obligations”.
  • “Given the attention to teaching, one may expect teaching duties to be burdensome. That is NOT the case. Research is prioritized, conference attendance is encouraged (and readily funded), weekly workshops keep colleagues in touch, and daily lunches together foster the natural exchange of ideas”.
  • “The environment here is very much like that of the rigorous Economics department from which I came”.
  • “At ECON you will find many young & talented faculty who are going through the same process as you are!”
  • “The atmosphere in the department is friendly and collegial. It is particularly good to be a part of a large cohort of new assistant professors. There is a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Everybody is well trained and I am learning from my new colleagues already”.
  • “Denmark has a small but active research community. As a result, I have found it pretty easy to get to know other economists in the University of Copenhagen and Aarhus. I also think the fact that Denmark has amazing data and good economics departments attracts quite a few ‘big names’ to visit. As a result the seminars, at CBS can be excellent”.

Ease into Denmark, family support:

  • “The department has tried very much to smooth the process of working in Denmark for newcomers. During this process, the flexibility and understanding of the department administration has been remarkable”.
  • “I have experienced a minimal culture shock: Many aspects of living in Denmark are quite familiar for those coming from North America (daily life, the unbelievable prevalence and quality of spoken English) such that ‘transition costs’ are much smaller than what one might expect”.
  • "Copenhagen is a beautiful city and it was very easy to get settled and organized once I arrived here. Everybody speaks English perfectly so getting by without Danish is not a problem. It's true that some things are quite expensive but I wouldn't say they are any more expensive than any other capital city in Europe or big U.S. cities.
  • “The economics department put forth a tremendous effort to help make my family’s move to Denmark as smooth as possible. The department arranged professional spousal support for my wife to help get our children settled into the Danish school and healthcare system”.
  • “My wife and I have been extremely happy with the support international families have in Denmark. My wife and two kids were quickly invited to different playgroups with other Danish kids from our neighbourhood. The playgroups make sponsored trips to various destinations in and around Copenhagen. They regularly go to the zoo, various parks and museums as well as take part in sporting activities such as swimming. Copenhagen has proven to be a great place to bring my family.”
  • “The International Club at CBS offers interesting events and opportunities which are very useful not only for being more integrated with colleagues but also for understanding Danish life better”.

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Sidst opdateret af HR Services 20.11.2009