THE A.S. HORNBY EDUCATIONAL TRUST SCHOLARSHIPS

ARE YOU THE NEXT HORNBY SCHOLAR?

If you are an experienced English language teacher or a TESL/TESOL/TEFL practitioner looking for a postgraduate scholarship opportunity in the UK, you could be! 

 

The A.S. Hornby Educational Trust logo
[Source: British Council Bangladesh]

The A.S. Hornby Educational Trust Scholarship is a highly esteemed international scholarship for ELT (English Language Teaching). The Trust was established by A.S. Hornby, a well-known ELT specialist who produced the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, published by the Oxford University Press (OUP). The scholarship was initiated in 1961 and is dedicated to the teaching, and to all teachers, of the English language.

 

If you’re planning to do your Masters in ELT or TESOL in the UK, chances are you’ve already heard of the Hornby scholarship. The award scheme is highly prestigious due to its competitive selection process and the small number of recipients for the award every year (there were only 8 Hornby scholars in my cohort!)

The 2019/2020 Hornby Scholars on their first day of uni.

 

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

 

The scholarships are awarded to English language teachers from countries outside of the UK with a minimum of 5 years of teaching experience. However, it is important to note that the Trust will only accept applications from countries listed on the DAC list. For the latest and more specific eligibility criteria, please visit the Trust official website.

 

A screenshot taken from the official Hornby Trust webpage.

APPLICATION PROCESS

 

The Hornby scholarship application involves a four-stage selection process as following: 

 

STAGE 1: ONLINE APPLICATION FORM

 

The first stage of the application involves the potential candidates to submit an online application form for an initial assessment. It is noteworthy that at this stage, the candidates must have two referees to support their scholarship application. 

 

STAGE 2: INTERVIEW

 

Applicants who were successful in stage 1 will be long-listed and called for an interview. The interview may be conducted at the British Council in their country of origin. Alternatively, it may also be carried out online via video-conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Skype. Candidates who were successful in the interview will be shortlisted. The decision for the final selection will be made by a panel of Hornby Trust trustees and British Council staff.

 

STAGE 3: UNIVERSITY APPLICATION

 

If the applicants were successfully selected in the stage 2 interview, they will be invited to apply for a place on the MA TESOL course to the university for further consideration. Additionally, they must also demonstrate that they possess the level of language proficiency required by the university (IELTS overall score of 6.5 - with 6.5 in writing).

A screenshot of the Warwick University MA TESOL application webpage.

 

STAGE 4: UNIVERSITY ACCEPTANCE AND FINAL AWARD LETTER

 

The scholarship will only be confirmed after the candidate has received an unconditional offer from the university. Once the scholarship award has been confirmed for the candidate, the Trust through the assistance of the local British Council in the candidate country of origin will proceed to make the necessary arrangements for him or her to arrive in the United Kingdom to start their academic journey as a Hornby scholar!

 

A photo of me after receiving my Final Award Letter for the prestigious
Hornby scholarship at the British Council Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A FULL-RIDE SCHOLARSHIP

 

The Hornby scholarship award will cover:

 

i) Your approved 1-year master’s degree tuition fee for the MA TESOL course at the University of Warwick, UK.

 

ii) Visa application fees

 

iii) Return air tickets

 

iv) IELTS examination fee (one time)

 

v) Stipend and other allowances shown below:

1. Monthly stipends

2. Arrival allowance (one time)

3. Thesis allowance (one time)

4. Departure allowance (one time)

5. Railcard or Coach card

6. IATEFL Conference (including cost of travel and accommodation)

7. Police registration fee

8. Insurance for contents

 

SCHOLAR FOR A YEAR, HORNBY FOR LIFE

 

I felt very honoured and humbled to be selected as a Hornby scholar for the 2019/2020 cohort and be part of its illustrious alumni network. As a Hornby scholar, I had an eventful one year pursuing my MA at Warwick. A special thanks goes to my MA classmates, especially my Hornby colleagues - Swapna, Diana, Larysa, James, Sadaf, Dulmin, Lucy and Mabel for sharing your interesting stories and for making my MA journey a memorable one. I feel very lucky to have worked with all of you. On top of that, I would like to thank all my professors at Warwick especially to my dearest supervisor Dr Steve Mann. I truly am thankful for the unwavering support, guidance, and patience that you have given me throughout my time as a postgraduate researcher at Warwick. Last but not least, I would like to express my highest gratitude to the A.S. Hornby Educational Trust, the British Council, and the Malaysian Ministry of Education for fulfilling my dream and making this amazing life-changing experience possible.

The Hornby Trustees with the Hornby Scholars from the 2019/2020 cohort
[Source: The Hornby Trust official website]

 

EDITOR’S NOTE:

 

The information available in this blog was written based on my own personal experience as a Hornby scholar for the 2019/2020 academic year. For more enquiries on the latest information about the prestigious A.S. Hornby Educational Trust scholarships, current readers are advised to please visit the Trust official website at https://www.hornby-trust.org.uk or submit your questions to enquiries@hornby-trust.org.uk