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| 19.421 EXCHANGE_ENGLISH LANGUAGE FELLOW PROGRAM |
| (English Language Programs) |
| FEDERAL AGENCY |
| BUREAU OF EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF STATE |
| AUTHORIZATION |
| Public Law 87-256, as amended, 22 U.S.C. 2451 et seq. |
| OBJECTIVES |
| The English Language Fellow Program places American citizens holding advanced degrees in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) or Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) or Applied Linguistics who have teacher training and/or materials development experience and also places graduates with recent TEFL/TESL Master's degrees in all regions of the world at universities, teacher-training institutions, ministries of education, bi-national centers and other related language education institutions for ten-month assignments. 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. |
| TYPES OF ASSISTANCE |
| Project Grants. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Preapplication Coordination |
| Not applicable. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372. |
| Application Procedure |
| 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 Procedure |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Formula and Matching Requirements |
| This program has no statutory formula. |
| Length and Time Phasing of Assistance |
| Up to 1 academic year. |
| 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. |
| Account Identification |
| 19-0201-0-1-154. |
| Obligations |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Web Site Address |
| http://exchanges.state.gov/education/engteaching/fellows.htm |
| RELATED PROGRAMS |
| None. |
| EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS |
| 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. |
| 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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General Services Administration Office of Chief Acquisition Officer Regulatory and Federal Assistance Division (VIR) |
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