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Registering as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow

What Should Happen Before You Arrive

Formal Letter of Invitation

You will receive a formal letter of invitation (also called a letter of award) from the University Research Office to take up a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Wits. It will normally be emailed to you. It contains an offer of appointment and plenty of vital information. Please review this letter and all its attachments carefully prior to formally accepting the offer. The letter will provide you with the following information:

  • Name of your Host;
  • School/Department/Institute to which you will be affiliated;
  • Normal duration of the Fellowship
  • Value of the stipend and source(s) of funding;
  • Where appropriate, information about the process to apply for a visitor’s visa;
  • A description of a process to recover some of your travel costs;
  • Any other additional information that is relevant to the appointment.

The Director will have signed the letter: Research Development or his recognised representative.

IMPORTANT: Please insist that the Director sends this letter to you: Research Development or his recognised representative in the University Research Office only. The University may not honour letters of offer sent by other people.

Acceptance of your Fellowship

The formal letter of invitation will have a reply slip attached to it. Please use this reply slip to formerly accept the offer by emailing a scanned copy that you have signed to the email address indicated on the slip. You are normally given a month in which to accept the offer, failing which the offer will be withdrawn.

Accommodation

As the duration of a Postdoctoral Fellowship is normally at least two years, suitable and comfortable accommodation is vital for your productivity. The responsibility for arranging this accommodation is yours. This task should be tackled soon after you accept the formal invitation to take up a Fellowship.

IMPORTANT: It is vital that you complete the arrangements for your accommodation before you arrive in Johannesburg.

There are a number of University residences, one of which is particularly appropriate for Postdoctoral Fellows: It is called the Wits Junction. This residence offers self-catering accommodation in studio units. Meals can be arranged through the University residence system. For more details visit the website:  or contact Central Accommodation Office at Tel.: +27 (0)11 717 9173/4, email: accommodation@wits.ac.za

IMPORTANT: It is recommended that you begin your stay at Wits in a University residence. This will allow you a suitable orientation period. Later you may choose to move to private rented accommodation. As always, though, your Host will guide you through this process and should be regarded as the first port of call.

Travel arrangements from OR Tambo International Airport

It is your responsibility to arrange a suitable transfer from your arrival point to your temporary (or permanent) accommodation and then onto Wits.

If you arrive by aeroplane, two e-hailing services that can be used are Bolt and Uber, both respective applications can be downloaded for both IOS and Android devices. Alternatively, you can take the Gautrain from the airport. For the Parktown campuses exit the train at the Rosebank Station and for the Braamfontein campuses exit the train at the end of line, called Park Station. Thereafter take the appropriate Gautrain bus. For Gautrain routes and price plan visit the website: www.gautrain.co.za.

If you arrive by road, use the M1 motor way to approach the University. Take the Smit Street/Wits exit (exit 12) for the Braamfontein campuses or the Jan Smuts Avenue (exit 13) for the Parktown campuses. See map for more details. The speed limited on the M1 motorway ranges between 80 km/h and 100 km/h. Cameras regularly enforce these limits.

Foreign exchange is available at OR Tambo International Airport

What Should Happen After You Arrive

After arriving in Johannesburg, you will need to begin the registration process. This need not happen on the day of arrival but within a few days. It is often possible to complete this process in one day if you have all your necessary documentation and if all the key people are available.

The Registration Process

The registration process begins at the University Research Office. This office is located on the Braamfontein East campus, in a building called Solomon Mahlangu House (see map) at office 10 022 on the 10th floor.

Understanding your contract
  • Ensure your role is well defined so you know what is expected of you
  • Make sure you understand the duration of your contract and that your host can fulfil this duration
  • Ensure that your funding source is for the same duration as your contract
  • If you are unsure of anything, ask before you sign.

The process is described in the following flow diagram.

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