RIBA Walter Parker Bursaries Guidance Notes for Applicants 2012/13

These Guidance Notes contain the following sections. Please ensure you consider all the information carefully before completing your application. Background and aims p1 Who is eligible? pp1-2 What are the assessment criteria? pp2 How are the funds allocated p3 How do I apply? p3 Application process p3-4 General Terms and Conditions p4 Frequently Asked Questions p5

Background and aims

These bursaries are funded by the bequest of Walter J Parker, who left a legacy to support the apprenticeship and professional training of architects experiencing financial hardship, and are known as the RIBA Walter Parker Bursaries. The current emphasis of the RIBA Walter Parker Bursary scheme is to support students and graduates of Architecture undertaking practical experience who are limited by financial constraints.

Who is eligible?

Applicants must: have completed, or are undertaking, an RIBA-validated Part 1 or Part 2 course in the UK; and have been resident full-time in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of their first course in architecture; and demonstrate that they are limited by financial constraints. Eligible applicants will fall into one of three categories: 1. Part 1 and Part 2 graduates undertaking Stage 1 or Stage 2 practical experience who require additional financial support. 1.1. Applicants to the bursary who will be undertaking a period of practical experience in a public or private company are expected to be paid by their employers; any funding allocated by a Walter Parker Bursary is not to be used to compensate for a low or non-existent salary but towards relocation and travel costs or exceptional living costs against demonstrable financial hardship. 1.2. Applicants to the bursary who will be undertaking a period of practical experience in a not-for-profit organization may use the funding provided by a Walter Parker Bursary towards living costs and expenses for the duration of the project against demonstrable financial hardship. The organisation is expected to provide anticipated expenditure, time scales and deliverables for the project, as well as information on how the applicant is expected to be involved). 2. Students undertaking their Part 1 or Part 2 studies who are seeking professional developmental opportunities outside of term time (such as during the summer holidays) who require additional financial support. The student must demonstrate that the experience contributes to the

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professional competencies architects are required to demonstrate as part of the RIBA criteria for qualification, and must submit a letter of recommendation from their university tutor. 3. Part 1 and Part 2 graduates currently seeking Stage 1 or Stage 2 practical experience may apply to the bursary to support further professional development opportunities that they cannot otherwise afford to fund. The graduate needs to make the case that the experience will contribute to the professional competencies architects are required to demonstrate as part of the RIBA criteria for qualification.

What are the assessment criteria?

Financial hardship The primary purpose of this bursary scheme is to support architecture graduates and students working towards qualification as an architect in the UK, who are experiencing financial hardship. The assessors acknowledge that there are many circumstances where students can incur financial hardship, and these may include having limited family support; living independently from their parents, or having to relocate to find employment. However, in all cases, applicants are expected to have applied for all other eligible funding opportunities before applying to the Bursary. For Part 1 graduates at a university where the year out is designated as part of the course, they are expected to have applied for a student loan. The assessors will consider individual circumstances, and will check whether there is a shortfall between your income and your outgoings. The following groups are priorities for support: Those who are thinking of giving up or not accepting a placement because of financial restrictions. Those who have experienced exceptional personal difficulties throughout the course of their studies that have impacted on their financial situation. Those who are required to relocate, live away from home or incur increased travel costs for the duration of their placement (this includes international travel and petrol costs for applicants working in areas not well connected with public transport). Students from low income households where their parents are unable to provide any necessary financial assistance during their period of practical experience. In all cases applicants should demonstrate that the practical experience opportunity would benefit their career. Student debt The assessors acknowledge that most students will graduate with a student loan, and may have accrued other debts including overdrafts and credit cards debts. However, the assessment for the bursary is made on a basis of the income and expenditure projections for the period of the practical experience, so existing debts are not normally considered. Exceptions are where the interest payments on an applicants debt are contributing to their financial hardship, or where they have been required to enter into a formal arrangement with a lender to pay off the debt.

How are the funds allocated?

The level of grant varies depending on the individual circumstances and amount of funding available. The maximum amount of a grant is 2000, but most bursaries are in the range of 500 - 1000.

How do I apply?

Applicants should complete the application form and submit it, along with the relevant supporting documentation to the RIBA Education Department. The application form is divided into five sections which address your personal financial situation as well as the nature of your practical experience. Section 1: Personal details Section 2. Eligibility to the scheme. Please refer to eligibility criteria detailed above for the categories of experience applicants fall into. Section 3. Academic and employment history Section 4. Circumstances for your application. This should relate to the eligibility category you fall into. Section 5. Your financial resources, and if you are under the age of 25, the income of your parents. They will be required to sign this section of the form, or send it in separately to the RIBA. You are also required to provide a reference from your academic tutor or your Professional Studies Advisor, and evidence of your financial resources including a bank statement, tenancy agreement and employment contract.

Application process

We aim to send all applicants an acknowledgement of their application within two working days, but if you have not received this within this one week of submitting your application, you should contact the RIBA Education Department. Applications are assessed by a panel from the RIBAs Education Trust Funds Committee. We aim to process all applications within four weeks, and will keep applicants updated on the progress of their application. It may take longer if we need to contact you to resolve errors or omissions Submitting your application The application form template is in Word format, and it should be typed onto the template. It should then be printed out and signed by your parents/partner and tutor in the relevant places. Applicants can then scan their application and supporting information and submit it electronically to education.temp@riba.org with the additional information requested, or can send it by post. If applications are sent via email, please ensure the file does not exceed 3 MB. For larger files please use www.wetransfer.com to submit the forms. Please ensure you keep a copy of your application and contact the RIBA if you have not received email confirmation of receipt within one week. The RIBA cannot accept responsibility for applications lost in the post or by email.

Please note that, from time to time, the RIBA may contact tutors or parents to check the authenticity of the information provided.
How are payments made? All grant payments are made in one transaction by BACs transfer. Duration Applications run to an academic year calendar, from 1 September to 31 August. All applicants (successful and unsuccessful) are able to reapply for funding from the RIBA in future academic years if they are eligible and if their circumstances require it. Deadline Applications are accepted throughout the course of the year. Applicants are advised to apply early, as funds are limited.

General terms and conditions

Applicants can only apply once during the academic year. All applications are treated in confidence.

The RIBA may contact successful applicants for fundraising and publicity purposes, but we will not pass your details on to a third party

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

I am a Part 1 or Part 2 graduate undertaking practical experience but I am not registered with a University or with a PEDR Monitoring Service so I dont have a professional studies advisor. Does that mean I cant apply for the bursary?

We normally require all applicants undertaking Stage 1 or Stage 2 practical experience to be registered at a School of Architecture or a PEDR Monitoring Service (such as the RIBA North West), and have their practical experience approved by their PSA. This is to ensure the experience you undertake complies with the practical experience eligibility criteria, and the bursary is therefore supporting those students to gain the relevant experience required to complete their architectural education.

What counts as a practical experience placement that is compliant with the Professional Education and Development Record (PEDR)?

Please refer to the PEDR website www.pedr.co.uk The PEDR provides an electronic record for students to log their practical experience, development and competency in the practice of architecture. The purpose of the PEDR is to ensure that students passing Part 3 have gained the required practical experience in appropriate locations and of sufficient complexity to demonstrate they have the competency to discharge the duties and responsibilities of a chartered architect. It is also a tool for students to reflect on what they have learnt during their practical experience.

I cannot afford fees for the year out or Part 3 course, to get a PSA and to register for a PEDR. Can I apply for a bursary to contribute to these costs?

The assessors can consider an application of this kind, but you will need to be able to demonstrate financial hardship in the normal way. In this situation your application should be accompanied by a letter from your employment mentor detailing how your experience matches the PEDR criteria.

On the checklist of the application form, it requests that, where you receive a loan for your year out, you submit a letter from the student loans company confirming details of my loan I did not know I could apply for a loan. If you are a Part 1 graduate undertaking Stage 1 practical experience, you should check with your University if the course you are on makes you eligible for a student loan. This loan could support your costs for the year out fees and maintenance. Im not being paid can the bursary support me? The RIBA believes that all architecture students undertaking placements that comply with the practical experience criteria should be paid at least the national minimum wage. As such, the RIBA Walter Parker Bursary does not replace a salary and applicants are expected to negotiate appropriate payment and working conditions directly with their employers. Funding provided by a Walter Parker Bursary is expected to be used towards travel and relocation costs, or exceptional living costs, against demonstrable financial hardship and not to compensate for a low or inexistent salary. If you are working in an unpaid position at an RIBA Chartered Practice, and you wish to address this situation, you should raise this with your employer or your University. If the practice is still not meeting with this requirement, you should then contact membership.services@riba.org. The Professional Education and Development website (www.pedr.co.uk) offers useful guidance to students and employers about the responsibilities and expectations of graduate employment. My parents have a high combined income, but I have to be financially independent for my placement. Will their income affected the assessment of the case for financial hardship? The Bursary scheme is designed to support students and graduates when no other funding option is available to them. If your family income is high, you will need to make it clear in your application why they cannot afford to support you.