Commonwealth Professional Fellowships

Applications are currently being accepted for the Commonwealth Professional Fellowships. This fellowship support mid- career professionals from developing Commonwealth countries to spend a period of time with a UK host organisation working in their field for a programme of professional development.

• Be Commonwealth citizens, refugees or British protected persons
•  Be permanently resident in a developing Commonwealth country (See list).
•  Normally have at least five years’ relevant work experience in a profession related to the subject of the application, by the proposed start of the Fellowship.
• Be available to start their Fellowship within prescribed dates as stated on the CSC website
• Not have undertaken a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship in the last five years
•  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

• A return economy airfare from the Fellow’s home country to the UK
• A monthly (or pro rata) living allowance for the duration of the Fellowship at the rate of £1,563 per month (£1,938 per month for those based in the London Metropolitan area) – rates quoted at 2014-2015 levels. Exceptionally, depending on the programme arranged, a peripatetic living allowance may be payable. Further details if applicable will be given at the time of offer
•  An arrival allowance of up to £878.17 at current rates, including an element for warm clothing and reimbursement of the visa application fee
•  A fixed amount for excess baggage for return travel only, dependent on the airport destination. The Fellow will be advised of the amount close to the date of departure
•  A flat rate contribution of £800 to the costs of the host/ nominating organisation, in respect of the administration and support of the Fellow, setting up of appropriate meetings, and any materials required, as well as costs of incidental travel for the Fellow during the award
• Fees for any conferences or short courses attended during the period of the Fellowship, providing that these are approved as part of the original application. Reasonable fees up to a maximum of £3,000 will be agreed in the context of the length of the programme, but full justification should be given for the amount being claimed. The cost of travel for visits to other organisations in the UK, where these form an integral part of the programme, should also be included in the application
•  Other fees, for which the CSC will consider requests on a case-by-case basis. When planning an application, host/nominating organisations should bear in mind the following restrictions:(1) Induction/evaluation programmes must be in scale with the programme.
  (2) Modest fees including catering, room hire, and facilitator hire for such programmes may be agreed; however, fees for facilitators for evaluation programmes will not be approved.
  (3) Additional accommodation costs may be recovered from the Fellow’s stipend.
  (4) Requests for funds for cultural events, mobile phones, laptop computer hire, professional association memberships, costs associated with visits outside the UK, and contingencies will not be approved.

Selection Criteria

• Applications must be submitted using the CSC’s Electronic Application System (EAS). The first section of the form should be completed by a representative of the host/nominating organisation; the second section of the form should then be completed by the prospective Fellow(s).
• If an organisation is nominating Fellows for another organisation to host, the nominating organisation (making the application) is responsible for securing a signed statement from the host organisation, indicating its agreement to the arrangements proposed and the formation of a detailed programme of activities from the outset, to include with the application.
• Two references must be submitted for each Fellow; the selection committee will not consider applications without references.