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What
will the Programme consist of? The
Programme will be tailor-made and will incorporate two 2-week
residential leadership courses, a 3 month period of research, a 3 to
4 month secondment (totally different from your own experience to
date), and attachment to a variety of different educational
opportunities depending on your requirements. The content will be
very practically based and orientated, without too much theory; the
trainers will be people who have actually been through it. You will
have a mentor and a rich mixture of different experiences. The
Director and Deputy Director will consult with you to decide on the
best possible series of opportunities for your Programme. More
detail can be found on the Content page in
the Programme section of the website.
If I want to
remain in employment, how much time will I need to take away from
work?
Most Fellows
will probably want to complete their Programme within a one-year
period beginning in September. If you wish to remain in employment,
you will need to be released from your work for periods of time
totalling approximately 8 to 9 months. This will include a 3 to 4 month secondment to another
organisation, 3 month period of research, two 2-week residential
leadership courses and other tuition opportunities. A
Fellowship cannot be combined with continuous full-time employment.
However, the
Programme is tailored to meet individual needs, aspirations and
circumstances, and we will try to be flexible if you would prefer to
complete the Programme over a longer period than a year.
My
organisation is relatively small, and losing me for such a long
period of time would be very difficult for them. Can you help?
We are very conscious
of the difficulty that may face Fellows on our Programme whose
disappearance from a relatively small cultural or heritage
organisation might cause serious problems for the organisation. We
will want to do everything we can to assist in such circumstances,
to enable good people to come forward.
One option might
be for you to spread your Fellowship over two years rather than one,
enabling you to devote more time to your existing post whilst you do
the Programme. The residential courses (a fortnight each) and the
period of secondment (a minimum of 3 months) would still have to be
done as blocks, but they could be spaced over the 24 month
period.
Another option
might be for you to do the Fellowship over one year, but with some
compensation available from our Programme to your employing
organisation. We would be able to offer a maximum of £20,000
compensation to the organisation for losing you for a substantial
part of the year, in order to help to provide some cover. Another
option - perhaps in addition to this - would be for us to place one
of our other Fellows with the organisation in question during their
secondment period, effectively 'swapping' the staff members.
We are keenly
aware of the difficulties that will face some some cultural
organisations, but we will try to be as flexible as possible in
moulding the Fellowship Programme to their particular needs.
Can I
combine the Programme with part-time employment or education?
Whilst it's
not impossible for you to continue with some other commitments, you
should bear in mind that the Programme is very intensive and you
will need to be as flexible as possible to gain the most from the
Fellowship.
How much
time will I need to spend away from home?
The Programme is
planned to suit you. The
choice of location for secondments, research and tuition will depend
on what's best for you, and may - if that is your choice -
involve being based at home.
The two 2-week
residential courses will be held at Bore Place, near Sevenoaks in Kent. Please
discuss with us any concerns you may have about the arrangements for
these, and we will work with you to find the best possible solution.
Can I do
the Programme if I have caring responsibilities?
Yes, in most
cases. We will try to be flexible in planning the Programme with
you. You will meet with the
Director or Deputy Director of the Programme before it starts, when
we will discuss the content of the programme and all the practical
arrangements, and after that there will be regular opportunities for
you to meet with us and to discuss your circumstances.
I
have young children and I may have difficulty attending two
fortnight-long residential courses.
Does this preclude me from having a Fellowship?
No.
We understand the difficulty that Fellows with young children
may have in taking part in our Programme, and we will want to do
everything we can to enable them to do so.
Most of the year's Programme can be done from home,
including the tuition, research and secondment opportunities, if the
Fellow wishes. The major
problem does lie with the residential courses, but we will try to
make arrangements that will help, and
from the moment you are selected as a Fellow we will discuss in
detail with you how best this can be done.
It will be possible, for example, to house you in more
appropriate accommodation near to Bore Place, rather than on site,
whilst the course is under way, and nursery or childcare provision
can be arranged as well, during that period, if you have
pre-school-age children. If
you have children who are attending school, we would try to make the
timing of your attendance at the course reasonably flexible, so that
a combination of friends, partner or relatives helping at home and
your own ability to return home from time
to time during the fortnight could make it possible to participate.
Can I apply for more
than one specialist Fellowship?
Yes, provided
you complete the relevant section of the application form for each
specialist Fellowship. Applying
for one or more specialist Fellowship(s) will not affect your
chances of being considered for one of the general 'non-specific' Fellowships.
Am I eligible to
apply for the DCMS Fellowship?
The DCMS
Fellowship is for someone who is a government employee. It is not, for
example, for local authority officers or people working for NDPB's
(eg. the Arts Council).
Will it be
possible for more than one employee from a single organisation to be
chosen as a Fellow?
Yes.
Am
I eligible to apply?
We will be
looking for exceptional individuals with a total of at least 5
years' paid work experience. You
must be able to demonstrate most or all of the leadership attributes
we have identified (described in the Introduction section of the
brochure and the Introduction page in the Apply section of the website) and give us an indication
that you will be able to initiate and innovate, to energise and
inspire, as well as deliver.
We welcome
applications from all parts of the community and there is no upper
age limit.
What sort
of people have been awarded Fellowships in previous years?
You can
read brief biographical details of the 2004/5 Fellows,
the 2005/6 Fellows and the 2006/7
Fellows in our press
section.
Why can't
I access the online application form?
If
you are having trouble accessing the online application form from
the How to apply page of the website, it may be because you have
disabled Javascript in your browser or you are using a non-standard
browser. We suggest that you try Internet Explorer or Mozilla with
Javascript enabled.
If
that fails, please get in touch to ask for documents on paper to be
sent by post.
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