Can anyone add anything about the process of getting hired in Germany?
-You send your application (little bit different style and somewhat more lengthy than a US app, I think you have found that information already.) No references or LOR needed.
- The SC selects usually 6 to 8 people they want to invite to campus. (A typical timeframe is invitations being sent about a month after the application deadline, in certain cases it may be up to 3 months, but rarely)
- At the campus visit, at any German university: you give a research talk with discussion afterwards (usual style, open to university) and you have a meeting with the SC (type of questions very similar to US).
- Sometimes there is an additional teaching demo, meeting with students or meeting with faculty member one on one, lunch or dinner. This varies.
- The SC then decides for few preferred candidates. Most usually 3, but can be 1-4. They then contact outside reviewers who are experts in the field the position is announced for and ask them for letters (or reviews) on these people's accomplishments. These are NOT your references, never your advisors and usually not people you have published together with in the last few years. (The idea is to get independent views that point out positives and negatives, not letters that are glamorous anyhow...). Usually, at least part of these LOR writers have to write about all of the 3 candidates in comparison.
Letter writers are supposed to be given some time to study publications etc. in case they don't know them and thus usually get about 3 months. Recently, few universities started to ask for much faster letters. However, if one or more are late, usually the SC will wait for responses anyhow.
- Then the SC meets again, discusses letters and so on and makes a list ("die Liste"), usually with three people appointed priorities 1.,2.,3,. (It can also be only 1 or two people on the list.)
- Then there is a procedure to approve the SC list through faculty meeting, president of the university and depending on state, but still in most of Germany to the ministry of science of this state. In this process, the order may still be changed, possibly with back and forth to the faculty. (In most cases it stays the SC list though).
- The the number one on the list is offered the job. Can be anything, a typical range is 6 months after campus visit.
- If you get the offer ("Ruf") you can then negotiate (or be happy and have a drink first!)
....ok, already quite long and one could say more. Hope this helps. Please ask again if you have questions. FWIW, I have seen it from both sides more than once.
Anything about Tübingen in particular?
Tuebingen and Konstanz both are very good universities. After that, be aware that University ranking is less an issue in Germany and you may want to find out about your specific field. Likewise with the "excellence", this is not for the university as such but for a certain interdisciplinary program. So it plays a role if you are at least in some perspective in that area.
Good luck!
