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 of relevant work experience) working in development-related organisations in low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries.
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 Person
- Be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country
- Have at least five years of full-time, or equivalent part-time, relevant work experience, in a profession related to the subject of the Fellowship 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 at an organisation that they will return to upon completion of the Fellowship
- If nominated for a Professional Fellowship, prospective Fellows will be required to provide at least two references, (one of which must be from their current employer). Prospective Fellows will be contacted directly by the CSC if required to submit references. The Host organisation Fellows are applying to might also contact them to request a reference when considering their application
- 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. 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 and complete their fellowship within prescribed dates
In addition to the above, prospective fellows must ensure they meet any eligibility criteria set out by each individual host organisation.
Benefits
Each Fellowship provides:
- Approved return airfare from the fellow’s home country to the UK
- Reimbursement of the standard visa application fee
- Stipend (living allowance) payable monthly (or pro rata) for the duration of the award at the rate of £1,782 per month, or £2,197 per month for those at organisations in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at 2021/22 levels)
- 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 £972.59 (rates quoted at 2021/22 levels), including an element for warm clothing
- For the Clean Energy, Air and Oceans programme a £1,000 travel allowance per fellow to facilitate attendance at events (administered by host organisations)
- A maximum of £3,000 per fellow can be agreed by host organisations for short courses/conferences as well as travel to visit other UK organisations where this forms an integral part of the programme. Host organisations should bear in mind the restrictions set out in our guidance on claimable costs.
How to Apply
All Commonwealth Professional Fellowships in the 2022/23 round are in the thematic area of Clean Energy, Air and Oceans. All applicants must be professionals working on related issues.
Applications for prospective Fellows are now open. Please click here to visit our online application system and submit your application.
All fellowships in this round will be tenable for three months from 22nd February 2023
Click here to visit the full website for more information.