New + Returning Lecturer Guide

After you complete your new hire paperwork, you will receive an email with your Employee ID number (EID) and activation instructions. You must have your EID to complete any of the actions below, including setting up your email and getting your ID card. Please note that your EID will not be active until your first day of employment. 

Once you receive your EID, the next steps are to set up your CalNet ID and passphrase and get your Cal1 Card.

You should create your CalNet ID as soon as you have your Employee ID (EID). Your CalNet ID and passphrase play a vital role in your online identity; you will use them regularly to access most university systems, including email.

For more information or for assistance, contact CalNet Support or the 2-Step Help Desk.

The Cal 1 Card is the official campus ID and is required for all faculty. Your Cal1 Card allows access to campus services and benefits and should always be carried while on campus. You will need your Cal1 card to access Bauer Wurster Hall on evenings and weekends and to access studio floors, computer labs, and other spaces at all times. (See below for building access after you receive your Cal1 Card.)

Visit the Get a Cal 1 Card website for full details on how to get your new card. There are two possible ways to receive services at the Cal 1 Card Office; by joining the Virtual Kiosk line or via a scheduled appointment. When visiting the Cal 1 Office to obtain a new card, you must bring a government-issued photo ID (e.g., Drivers License or Passport).

For more information, contact the Cal 1 Card office:
212 Sproul Hall
cal1card@berkeley.edu
510.643.6839

If you wish to update your Federal and State withholdings (default is 0), you can use the online portal, UCPath. Please log in to UCPath and follow the instructions for updating your Federal withholding and State withholding.

You can split your direct deposit between three accounts or just one. The amount must total 100%.  You can enroll in direct deposit by logging into UCPath and reviewing the instructions for enrolling.

If you do not have direct deposit, you will receive your check by mail.  Please expect a one- to two-week delay in receiving it.

You can review your earnings statements each month by logging into UCPath and following these instructions for reviewing your earnings statements. 

Part-time, seasonal, temporary employees, and non-exempt student employees participate in the Defined Contribution Plan (the “DC Plan”) as Safe Harbor participants. You are automatically enrolled in the DC Plan as long as you are employed by the University of California in an eligible appointment. Safe Harbor participants contribute 7.5% of their wages, on a pretax basis, in lieu of contributing to Social Security. Your contributions begin on the first dayof the eligible appointment.

UC offers comprehensive retirement benefits to help you build a financially secure future. You must have a qualifying appointment to enroll.

Learn more about Safe Harbor.

Action is required to enroll into your retirement plan of choice.  If you take no action within 90 days of your start date and you are eligible, you will be automatically enrolled in the UCRP Pension plan.

Learn more about your retirement choices.

If you are not eligible for UC-provided retirement, you have the option to set up voluntary savings plans (403b, 457b) through Fidelity Investments.

Learn more about the the difference between a 403b and a 457b savings plan.

Academic personnel appointed for the first time at UC Berkeley in a Unit 18 title must attend a mandatory new employee orientation during their first academic term. 

Email the University Council-AFT for the date of upcoming sessions.

You are expected to arrive on time for your classes. If you are consistently late, you will be counseled by the department chair and a memo will be placed in your personnel file.

It is expected that all instruction will be offered in person unless the course has previously been approved for remote or hybrid instruction by the Committee on Courses of Instruction.

If you need to be absent from a scheduled class for illness or any other unavoidable reason, please make arrangements for a substitute instructor and notify the department as soon as possible. It is not recommended to hold a make-up class during hours where students may be in other classes.

If you intend to be absent from your scheduled class for any reason other than illness or an emergency, please discuss with the chair whether this absence can be accommodated as per the Faculty Code of Conduct and any associated contracts.

If you need to request a leave of absence for any reason, please give as much advance notice as possible to your chair and copy your scheduler and the CED personnel office. If you are currently in a multiyear teaching assignment and you are not available (for a non-medical reason) to teach one of the semesters you have been assigned (and you did not decline the assignment when you received your reappointment letter), we need your request a minimum of three months in advance of your requested leave. Include the dates of your proposed leave, the reason for your leave, and send your request via email to your chair and copy the departmental scheduler and the CED personnel office. The department has the discretion to approve or not approve the leave (unless required by applicable law).

Please review the faculty handbook for more information, including how to connect to Berkeley systems, parking and transportation, and required trainings.

Review the teaching resources page for essential information about teaching at Berkeley.