Alliance Fellowship

BACKGROUND

The Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia is a leading voice for the advancement of girls’ education. We advocate for and support the distinctive work of girls’ schools in their provision of unparalleled opportunities for girls. We contribute to the development and promotion of education in Australasia and the empowerment of young women to reach their potential and become influential contributors to our complex and changing world.

FELLOWSHIP AWARD

The Alliance offers an annual Fellowship of AUD10,000 to support outstanding educators from member schools to investigate and/or implement original, creative and inspiring practices to benefit the education of girls and support the strategic priorities of the Alliance.

The Fellowship aims to:

• support ground-breaking initiatives,
• inspire innovative pedagogy,
• explore disciplines and experiences outside of schools, and
• forge strong links among educators, Alliance schools and/or community, business and educational institutions.

The subject of proposed projects is limitless but must intend to investigate an issue of current or future importance and/or provide a measurable benefit to girls’ schools and/or girls’ education that is evident beyond the applicant’s own school community. Successful Fellows should be willing to share the knowledge gained through their project with Alliance members via various means including, but not limited to, writing a an academic paper, and presenting the project’s findings at an Alliance conference and/or online webinar.

A range of different activities can be included over the Fellowship period. Some examples are:

• implementation of an innovation in curriculum, pedagogy or extra-curricular activities
• creation of a new and contemporary program or activity for students or staff
• an action or applied research project
• regional, national or international collaborations
• joint programs with community, business or educational institutions
• experiential-based professional learning
• residencies, conferences or relevant courses.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Criteria used by the Alliance Board and its selection committee when selecting the successful Fellow will include, but not be limited to:

• originality and innovation, such as using ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking to address an existing issue or adapting programs from outside of the education sector for a new purpose
• currency and applicability, to ensure that the selected project is relevant, timely and/or forward-thinking
• the potential benefit to girls’ schools and/or girls’ education of the Fellow’s proposed professional learning or collaborations beyond the Fellow’s own school community
• the applicant’s length of service, relevant experience, and ability to deliver on the stated project aims.
• the overall creativity and excellence of the proposed project, and its alignment with the Alliance’s aim to support the distinctive work of girls’ schools in their provision of unparalleled opportunities for girls.

OUTCOMES

The intended outcomes of the Fellowship are:

• an expanded knowledge base related to the education of girls, and
• teaching and/or learning benefits for girls’ schools.

Ineligible activities include those that:

• do not involve or benefit girls’ education or girls’ schools
• do not have a clearly defined education component
• have already taken place
• would only benefit the Fellow’s own school
• provide an ongoing financial benefit to a commercial partner
• comprise part of a Diploma, Masters, PhD or other degree or qualification.

The Alliance reserves the right not to award the Fellowship should none of the applicants meet the applications guidelines and clearly demonstrate the originality, timeliness, importance and excellence required of the successful project.

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

1.GENERAL

1.1 Membership: Fellowships are offered to staff of Alliance member schools who have a minimum 5 years’ teaching experience in girls’ schools.

1.2 Tertiary qualifications: Fellowships will not be awarded to enable the applicant to obtain/complete tertiary qualifications e.g. a Diploma, Masters or PhD degree.

1.3 Nature of project:  Fellowships will be awarded for the purpose of pursuing activities related to girls’ education that will benefit all Alliance members.

1.4 Interviews: Short-listed applicants may be required to attend an interview.

1.5 Joint and multiple applications: Fellowships are awarded to individual applicants only and for individual projects only.

1.6 Amount of award: The value of the Fellowship is AUD10,000.

1.7 Support from other sources: The Fellowship may be held concurrently with another award for the same project.

1.8 Duration of Fellowship: The duration of an Alliance Fellowship is likely to be a minimum of 12 months; however, it is acknowledged that the duration is determined by the project aim and timeframe needed to achieve this aim.

2. CONDITIONS OF AWARD 

The award of an Alliance Fellowship is subject to the Fellow agreeing to be bound by the conditions laid down in an agreement between the Alliance and the Fellow.

3. PROJECT FUNDING

The Fellowship can be used for:

• Travel and travel-related expense including living expenses
• Personnel costs including assistant, technical or specialist services or teaching relief
• Research costs including conducting workshops or focus groups.

4. PAYMENT

Payments are calculated and paid on the following basis:

• Amounts granted for one purpose are not transferable to another purpose.
• Payments will be made after approval of the final program or project
• Expenses will be paid up to the total amount granted upon presentation to the Alliance of appropriate receipts, or the account will be paid directly by the Alliance, on presentation of a formal invoice.

5. TAX IMPLICATIONS

The liability of a Fellow for income tax is a matter for decision by the relevant authorities and the Alliance has no responsibility or authority in the matter. Any allowances paid to Fellows are likely to be treated as assessable income. The Alliance recommends that Fellows keep receipts for all expenditure during their Fellowship and seek independent advice with respect to their eligibility for claiming tax deductions.

6. ONLINE APPLICATION FORM

The purpose of the application form is to enable the Alliance to assess the applicant and the outline of the proposed project in order to draw up short-lists for interview. All applications must be made using the online application form.

7. REFEREE REPORTS

The applicant is required to obtain a Project Reference and a Personal Reference as part of the application process. If the applicant is not the school’s principal then one referee must be your principal.

8. TIMELINE

9. ASSESSMENT PROCESS

Applications open 1 October and close 31 March the following year. After applications have closed all applicants are sent an acknowledgment. Every application is initially assessed by the selection committee. Committee members are free to make any inquiries and consult with whoever they consider necessary in making their assessments.

Every application for an Alliance Fellowship will be assessed on the merit of the proposed project. In this assessment the Alliance considers that there are two distinct components of equal value:

1. Project – which may include matters such as the following:
   1. Relevance and timeliness of this project
   2. The benefits of the project for girls’ schools and girls’ education
   3. The viability of the project, evidence of realistic and achievable planning, and resource use.
2. Applicant – which may include matters such as the following:
   1. Depth of experience and professional achievement
   2. Peer recognition
   3. Delivery and quality of previous projects
   4. National and international collaborations
   5. Demonstrated competencies
   6. Ability and commitment to widely disseminate findings.

9.1 Shortlisting Process

Based on the initial assessment, applicants are shortlisted for interview by a committee appointed by the Alliance Board.

The Alliance will contact those applicants shortlisted for an interview to arrange suitable interview times.

It is essential that the applicant is contactable and details provided on the Application Form are current.

Applicants who have not been selected for an interview will be notified as soon as possible.

9.2 Interviews

Interviews will be scheduled as early as possible and may be conducted anytime in May, including weekends, either in person or via videoconferencing facility.

9.3 Selection of Fellow

The selection of a Fellow and the procedures undertaken are at the absolute discretion of the Board.

9.4 Unsuccessful Applicants

Applicants may be advised as unsuccessful at any stage of the selection process. Unsuccessful applicants may re-apply in a future year.

10. COMMITMENT

Fellows will be required to provide a detailed budget for their project and meet the report requirements of the Fellowship, including interim reporting and a final report as agreed with the Board.

Download a copy of the Fellowship Guidelines 2023

ONLINE APPLICATION FORM