Commonwealth Professional Fellowships

Published by sanja

Deadline: 20 September 2019
Open to: mid-career professionals (with five years’ relevant work experience) working in development-related organizations in low and middle-income Commonwealth countries
Benefits: fully funded

Description

Commonwealth Professional Fellowships are for mid-career professionals from low and middle-income Commonwealth countries to spend between six weeks and three months at a UK Host organization working in their sector on a program of professional development.

Funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Commonwealth Professional Fellowships provide talented and motivated professionals with the opportunity to enhance knowledge and skills in their given sector.

Eligibility

To be eligible for these fellowships, you must:

  • Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country, or be a British Protected Person;
  • Be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country;
  • Have at least five years’ full-time, or equivalent part-time, relevant work experience, in a profession related to the subject of the Fellowships program, by the proposed start of the fellowship – voluntary work experience will not be counted towards this minimum;
  • Be in employment at the time of application that they will return to upon completion of the fellowship;
  • Not have undertaken a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship within the last five years (at the time of application);
  • Not be seeking to undertake an academic programme of research or study in the UK. Academics are eligible to apply for the scheme, but only to undertake programmes of academic management, not research or courses relevant to their research subject;
  • Be available to undertake the Fellowship between 10 February 2020 and 16 March 2020. You should check exact dates with the prospective Host.

Benefits

Each fellowship provides:

  • Approved return airfare from the Fellow’s home country to the UK;
  • Stipend (living allowance) payable monthly (or pro-rata) for the duration of the award at the rate of GBP 1,696 per month, or GBP 2,104 per month for those at organizations in the London metropolitan area;
  • Arrival allowance of up to GBP 953.45 at current rates, including an element for warm clothing and reimbursement of the standard visa application fee;
  • Flat rate contribution of GBP 800 to the costs of the host organization relating to the administration and support of the Fellow, setting up of appropriate meetings, any materials required, and incidental travel for the Fellow during the award;
  • Fees of up to a maximum of GBP 2,000 will be agreed for awards under two months and up to a maximum of GBP 3000 for awards of three months.

How to apply?  

For more information, and how to apply, please visit the official web page.