Exchange_English Language Fellow Program
The objectives of the program are to enhance English teaching capacity overseas in order to provide foreign teachers and students with communication skills they will need to participate in the global economy, to improve their access to diverse perspectives on a broad variety of issues, and to give them information that will better enable them to understand and convey concepts about American values, democratic representative government, free enterprise, and the rule of law.
The Department of State, Bureau of Educational Affairs Exchanges Appropriation funds the program.
Fellows teach English language skills/techniques, American culture, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in fields such as journalism, economics, banking, tourism, business/management, and law, train teachers of English, and develop curriculum.
They arrange and conduct conferences, workshops, and seminars, and work with ministries of education and work in communities assisting the local educational institutions to develop and maintain teaching and learning resource centers.
They also facilitate the establishment of NGO teachers associations and organizations.
The Department of State strives to create a more secure, democratic and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community.
Program Accomplishments
In fiscal year 2005, the English Language Fellow Program awarded 100 individual grants to qualified teachers of TEFL/TESL to teach in 63 countries. In fiscal year 2006, approximately 112 individual grants will be awarded. This program enables grantees, teachers of English as a foreign/second language, to acquire overseas teaching experience while providing the host institutions with professional expertise in current theories and methods of teaching and learning English as a foreign or second language. Fellows have provided specially designed courses for targeted high level groups such as members of parliaments and their staff, judiciary officials, and leading finance and business officials.
Uses and Use Restrictions
Individual grants are awarded at two levels: 1) English Language Fellows are teachers who have received their M.A.
degrees within the last seven years.
They serve as full time teachers of English as a foreign language while gaining international teaching experience.
They may teach up to 20 classroom hours of English per a week and also participate in or organize additional activities such as curriculum and materials development and in-service training workshops and seminars.
2) Senior Fellows are experienced TEFL/TESL professionals, preferably with overseas teaching experience, who engage in teacher training and participate in broad-reaching activities such as designing curricula, organizing and conducting workshops and seminars, conducting program evaluation, needs analysis and teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP).
All applicants for EL Fellow positions have a history of working with international exchanges, strong cross cultural experience and management expertise and are placed in host countries at local ministries of education, universities, teacher training institutions and other ESL educational institutions.
Program agency grants, specifying terms and conditions to meet the program goals are recommended by a grant review panel and approved by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs before award.
Individual Fellow grants, administered by the program grantee organization, include basic stipend, round trip transportation, living allowance, medical insurance, miscellaneous and book allowances.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
Individuals with the following qualifications: (1) United States citizenship.
(2) Senior Fellows much have a Master's degree or higher in TESL/TEFL, Applied Linguistics or a closely related field and have previous overseas teaching experience.
(3) Fellows much have received a Master's degree in TESL/TEFL within the last seven years.
Beneficiary Eligibility
U.S. citizens who are willing to teach for 10 months overseas according to the needs of the overseas host institution as requested by a U.S. embassy.
Credentials/Documentation
Individuals with the following qualifications: (1) U.S. citizenship at the time of application; and (2) M.A. or Ph.D. degree and experience in TESL/TEFL or a closely related field.
Aplication and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
Not applicable.
This program is excluded from coverage under E.O.
12372.
Application Procedures
Persons who meet the eligibility requirements and who wish to receive information and an application form should contact Georgetown University, Center for Intercultural Education and Development, P.O. Box 579400, Washington, DC 20057-9400. Telephone: (202) 687-6339, elf@georgetown.edu.
Award Procedures
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs selects the grantee program agency. Overseas embassies and host institutions make final selections of individuals.
Deadlines
Subject to change, but generally applications are to be submitted by April 15. Deadlines can be waived under very special circumstances such as an inadequate number of qualified candidates for specific awards. After deadlines, applicants should contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to determine the availability of awards.
Authorization
Public Law 87-256, as amended, 22 U.S.C. 2451 et seq.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Applicants are notified promptly if they are ineligible. Final notification of selection for an opening occurs in 3 to 5 months.
Appeals
Not applicable.
Renewals
Extensions are granted for an additional year in the same country. Extensions beyond 2 years must be requested and approved by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
This program has no statutory formula.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Up to 1 academic year.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
Grantee agency provides quarterly statistics and program reports and a final evaluation report by September 30 of the grant year.
Individuals provide mid year and final reports.
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133, (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal Awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for the year, except as noted in OMB Circular No. A-133.
Records
None.
Financial Information
Account Identification
19-0201-0-1-154.
Obigations
FY 07 $6,800,000; FY 08 est not available; FY 09 est not reported.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
$55,000 to $75,000.
Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature
Annual announcements for recruitment of applicants for the English Language Fellow Program are placed at the annual Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Language Convention's employee clearinghouse service on TESL/TEFL websites/listservs, and by direct mailings to TESL/TEFL professional preparation programs.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
None.
Headquarters Office
Georgetown University, Center for Intercultural Education and Development, P.O. Box 579400, Washington, DC 20057-9400. Telephone: (202) 687-6339.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
1) The extent to which the proposal is feasible, practical and cost-effective; and 2) the extent to which the proposal is responsive to ESL/EFL language priorities and objectives.
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