The commitment from all parties (governments, Fellows and OPF) is for two years (24-months). However, each posting is reviewed by all parties after a Fellow has been in post for 12-months. Candidates should only apply if they are prepared to spend the two full years in the post; it is very disruptive to the programme and our relationships with Government Partners if Fellows leave for non-critical reasons mid-posting. Fellows may continue working with the government beyond two years and this relationship will be agreed upon by the Fellow and the government. OPF can only offer a Fellow a Fellowship for a maximum of two years (24-months).

We aim to provide a valuable service to a wide variety of under-served ministries in participating host countries. To date, OPF has partnered with ministries of finance, trade, agriculture, planning, environment, energy, health and education in 11 countries.

At this time, we are not sharing which countries are involved in the next phase. This is in part because these countries may change and/or expand. Further, we want to prevent any sort of preferential treatment of postings by applicants. You can see our partner countries under ‘Where we work’ section of the website. Successful applicants will be offered a posting in a specific country. Applicants to OPF should be open-minded about taking up a posting in any country. We ask candidates to think carefully about living in a foreign country for two years before applying to the programme, and before taking part in a panel interview if invited. It is disruptive to our relationships with our Government Partners and the running of the programme, if candidates drop out of the process once we have shared their CVs with the government or after they have been deployed.

No. OPF is specifically aimed at placing legal professionals in low- and middle-income country governments to work as civil servants

Yes. While postings are for two years, we recruit on an annual basis. Applications open in early December. We will update the website regularly in the run-up to the call for applications and on OPM’s social media channels (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn). Unfortunately, due to the ongoing pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic, OPF is unable to undertake recruitment for the 2021-2023 cohort of Fellows at this point in time. As a result, there may be some changes to our annual recruitment dates, so please keep checking our website for further notifications.

OPF programme staff will have met with each line manager and been in contact with them regularly through the design of the terms of reference for each placement. Government line managers have the final say on Fellow selection. Fellows can be assured that they are going to be managed by someone who values their skills and experience. The Oxford Policy Fellowship Annual Meeting in September provides an opportunity for the Fellow to meet the manager ahead of the posting, although we cannot guarantee that all managers will attend this meeting.

Yes. We hold an intensive Orientation Training course prior to each Fellow’s departure to their posting. This gives new Fellows the opportunity to meet with current Fellows. Orientation covers topics such as:

• Acclimatisation and tips on adapting to a new culture
• Thinking and working politically on commercial law and justice in government
• Capacity development
• Information on what Fellows can expect from the Programme (in terms of technical backstopping, health and safety, finances and pastoral care)
• Security training.

Fellows work directly for their ministries and will be provided with the same resources available to local civil servants. The OPF staff provide some support to Fellows when they are in-country. This includes pastoral care, a supportive community of practice network, and legal technical backstopping support in situations where all other resources have been exhausted. A computer might be made available by the ministry, however, OPF strongly advises Fellows to bring their own laptops.

Your partner or family are very welcome to join you when you take up your OPF posting. However, OPF is unable to provide your partner and family members with a duty of care, insurance, further allowances or financial resources to cover this agreement. Each Fellow normally receives a top-up to their government salary to a maximum of £26,000 per annum. Their host ministry may help secure visas as well as providing advice on accommodation.