Applicants must ensure they meet the minimum work experience requirement for the award that they are applying to before submitting their Chevening application:
Chevening Scholarships – two years’ work experience
Chevening Fellowships – either five or seven years’ work experience depending on the Fellowship programme. Please check your country page for eligibility details relating to the specific Fellowship programme you are applying to.
If you do not already have the required level of work experience, you will be unable to submit your application.
Eligible types of work experience
Applicants must meet the minimum work experience requirement before they submit their application for a Chevening Award. The types of work experience that are eligible for Chevening can include:
Full-time employment
Part-time employment
Voluntary work
Paid or unpaid internships
Work experience can be completed before, during, or after graduating from your undergraduate studies.
If you are in current employment, it is not a requirement of Chevening that you resign from your position. You are advised to discuss your application with your employer and it is your responsibility to ensure that they will release you if you are selected for a Chevening Award. The British Embassy/High Commission or the Chevening Secretariat cannot intervene in this.
How to calculate your work experience
The minimum requirement for work experience is calculated by multiplying the number of hours worked by the average number of weeks worked per year. For Chevening Awards it is assumed that applicants in full-time employment work on average 40 weeks per year and 35 hours per week.
The minimum number of hours an applicant must have before applying does vary depending on the Chevening Award to which you are applying:
Chevening Scholarships - two years’ work experience = 2,800 hours
Chevening Fellowships - five years’ work experience = 7,200 hours
Chevening Fellowships - seven years’ work experience = 9,800 hours
If you have worked part-time, the minimum requirement will have been accumulated over a longer period.
Work experience scenarios
To help you calculate your work experience we have provided below some examples of how to calculate your employment hours.