Die Bedeutung von Auslandsaufenthalten auf dem Weg zur Professur – Drei Karrieresysteme im Vergleich

In the context of the internationalisation of science and the increasing relevance of rankings, reforms of European academic systems are orienting towards the US model in particular. As a result, in the pursuance of a successful career in academia, increasing numbers of young European scholars are taking a visiting position at a foreign university – preferably at an elite university in the English speaking world. The relevance of study-related stays abroad depends on the national academic system as well as on the traditions within a given discipline. In this article the authors analyse visiting appointments of sociologists in Germany, France and the United States of America. The results make it clear that the relevance of stays abroad differs widely. Using network analysis the authors illustrate that stays abroad (in the career stage between gaining a PhD and the first tenured professorship) are of crucial importance in Germany whereas they do not play a significant role in France. US sociologists usually take a visiting position abroad after having achieved tenure.