Abstract: The subject of the study is the legal regulation of qualification requirements for the teaching staff of higher educational institutions in the Russian Federation. The authors discuss the main qualification requirements that apply to the positions of assistant, teacher, senior lecturer, associate professor, professor. Universities may introduce additional requirements when announcing a competition for positions, in most cases they are reduced to the applicant's compliance with a certain level of publication activity. The legal regulation of the requirements for the teaching staff of higher educational institutions is carried out in accordance with the norms of the Labor Code, the Law "On Education in the Russian Federation", the corresponding Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation. The activity of the teaching staff is connected with the implementation of federal state educational programs, which also prescribe the requirements for personnel. As a result of the study, the specifics of the qualification requirements for scientific and pedagogical workers were revealed. The complexity of the professional functions performed by the teaching staff largely determines the existence of a fairly extensive legal framework regulating social and labor relations between an employee and an employer. The analysis of this legal framework indicates not only its multi-step nature and complexity, but also a certain instability. A number of qualification requirements have recently undergone significant changes. A certain obstacle to starting a teaching profession is the qualification requirements for the position of an assistant. The requirements for the teaching staff vary not only from position to position, but also vary depending on the institution of higher education.