Commonwealth Professional Fellowships

Commonwealth Professional Fellowships are for mid-career professionals from low- and middle-income countries to spend a period of time at a UK Host organisation working in their sector for a programme of professional development.

Purpose: To provide professionals with the opportunity to enhance knowledge and skills in their given sector, and to have catalytic effects on their workplaces.

Intended beneficiaries: Mid-career professionals (with five years’ relevant work experience) working in development-related organisations in low and middle- income Commonwealth countries.

Professional Fellowships in 2022: Girls’ Education

In 2021/22, the CSC will be running a special Professional Fellowship programme promoting Girls’ Education as part of the UK government’s ambitious initiatives to get 40 million more girls in primary and secondary school in developing countries by 2025 and improve learning levels, so girls can achieve their full potential.

The programme will fund up to 25 fellows (in total), in up to five different host organisations, all of whom will be chosen through a competitive selection process. In celebration of this one-year programme additional funding will be provided to each host to hold an event for all the fellows taking part in the scheme.

The Girls’ Education Fellowships are designed to:

• Begin on 17th January 2022

• Run for three months

• Promote collaboration across host organisations with each host holding an engagement event for the full cohort of Fellows

We welcome enquiries for organisations working in Girls’ Education that are interested in becoming Fellowship Hosts. More information and details of how to contact us about this programme are available through the links below.

Fellow eligibility

To be eligible for these fellowships, prospective Fellows must:

• Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country, or be a British Protected
• 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 programme, 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
• Provide at least two references, one of which must be from their current employer. Any applications for which references are not received by the reference closing date will be considered ineligible.
• Not have undertaken a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship within the last five years (at the time of taking up the award)
• Not be seeking to undertake an academic programme of research or study in the 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 start their fellowship within prescribed dates

The CSC aims to identify talented individuals who have the potential to make change. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and non-discrimination and encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates. For further information on the support available to fellows with a disability, see the CSC disability support statement.

Value

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 £1,704 per month, or £2,115 per month for those at organisations in the London metropolitan area (at 2020/21 rate)
• If a Fellow declares a disability, a full assessment of needs and eligibility for additional financial support will be offered by the CSC. See the CSC disability support statement for more information
• Arrival allowance of up to £22 (at 2020/21 rate), including an element for warm clothing
• For the Girls’ Education programme a £1,000 travel allowance to facilitate attendance at events
• Reimbursement of the standard visa application fee
• Flat rate contribution of £800 to the costs of the Host organisation 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 (to be paid to the Host organisation on receipt of an invoice).
• Fees can be agreed for costs associated with Fellows attending short courses/conferences as well as travel to visit other UK organisations where this forms an integral part of the Up to a maximum of £3,000 can be agreed for awards of three months (to be paid to the Host organisation on receipt of an invoice)

Full justification must be given for the amount being claimed.

Host organisations should bear in mind the restrictions set out in our guidance on claimable costs.