Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

I am married and with children who are under age of five, will there be some special arrangements for this?

Under the ADS program, dependents of awardees are not supported. Their well being and all costs while in Australia is the responsibility of the awardee. Therefore the decision concerning family, especially children is always a difficult one. Before you submit your application, you are advised to discuss your intention of applying with your spouse.

Will there be holidays for us to come home and visit our family and go back?

There is a “Reunion Airfare” entitlement for students who decide to leave their family. Students can use this money to return home to visit their family during holidays. The Reunion Airfare also only applies to students whose course duration is 2 years and more. Course duration of less than 2 years does not apply.

I was short-listed last year but was not successful. How can I improve my application this time?

Many applicants have been successful second time around. It depends on the reason your application was unsuccessful. This reason you were not selected would have been included in the letter sent to you so it is hard to advise you specifically. There are various ways of improving your chances. These include

• Upgrade your qualifications through other ways. It may help you succeed but if not you will have moved forward and taken charge of your career. A Scholarship award is not the only option for you. The ratio of applications to awardees is about 20:1 so being unsuccessful is not the end of the world!  There are 19 unsuccessful applicants for every 1 successful awardee. So be realistic about your chances
• Discuss your application with your employer to make sure your application is aligned to the organisation’s priorities
• Gain more work experience in your chosen field
• Increase your English language skills
• Make sure your application is compliant in every respect

What allowances are there when on the scholarship?

This varies for Public and Open awardees. All awardees revive the allowances listed under the section on STIPEND & ALLOWANCES on this website. Public category awardees continue to receive their salary while they are on award and are also eligible for other Public Service allowances such as clothing allowance etc as per General Orders Section 5.

I am a public servant. Are my chances of getting a scholarship better if I apply in the Open category?

Public Servants are restricted from applying through the Open Category. If you wanted to apply through the Open category you would need to resign your public service position. This could be a very big career decision so you need to think carefully before taking such a step.

I am in my final year Bachelor in Management, is it advisable to attempt ADS now or wait till after graduation?

For awards commencing in 2011 you will have to meet the work experience criteria. Or awards commencing in 2012 the eligibility requirements will change to some extent regarding work experience and outstanding applicants with high academic merit will be able to apply direct for an ADS award

How do I choose the place of study?    Will it be arranged by PATTAF or do we have a choice of any university?

The choice of University is yours. Currently placement is coordinated between the PATTAF and the Universities based on the preferences expressed in your Application. There are a number of factors governing the choice of University. What Universities best support the type of degree and study options that interests you and your organization? Would you prefer and urban or regional University? If you are an accompanied awardee would your family be better off living in a regional location? Do you have extra financial resources to support an urban lifestyle where rents and the cost of living are higher? What Universities have other members of your organization attended? What can you find out from them or others. The main thing is to do your research - check the University websites (see internet addresses on this website). Start a dialogue with them and ask questions about what they offer. Ultimately it depends on what best suits your needs, what interests you and what is your passion?

I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree and then worked with one company for two years then another for three years. Now I am in my second year with my third employer.
I read in the application that you have to be employed for three years or more with your employer or same industry so I am enquiring if I am eligible to apply to do my Masters.

Yes definitely apply. A detailed assessment of an application is necessary to determine whether Job mobility is positive or negative factor for an applicant.

I am currently employed by an International Education Agency (IEA) member school. If I wish to apply will I be completing the EOI –Expression of Interest form?

You are employed in the private sector. That means that you should complete an EOI form for an Open Category award.

If I wish to apply for two aid donors,i.e. ADS and NZAID  will I be required to fill in separate forms? If so will I be using the same EOI form to apply for ADS and NZAID respectively?

This year you will need to complete two separate forms.  You submit the ADS form to the NTC.  To submit the NZAID application, follow the instructions on the NZAID.

I am a person with a limp, can I apply for a scholarship?

Yes, most definitely. People with disability are encouraged to apply.

Do we need to contact universities directly for the course I wish to apply for?

This depends on which scholarship you wish to apply for. There are two different scholarships with different application processes, the Australian Development Scholarship (ADS) and the Australian Leadership Award (ALAS).

1. To apply for an ADS, it is not necessary for you to contact the university directly for the Australian Development Scholarship.  Preparation of your supporting documents (certified copies of tertiary qualifications, CV, birth certificate, references etc) must be done correctly to submit with your application. For round 1 of the selection process, this is very important. PATTAF contacts the University of your choice after round 1 of selection.

To apply for an ALAS, you are required to:

1. contact the University directly to secure an unconditional offer
2. Submit results of the IELTS test with your application
3. Submit application via an electronic application process. The following link will take you to the website for more information about the ALAS award: http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/ala.cfm
4. ALAS round for 2011 will open in March.

Once applications open, you can also obtain a hard copy application form from PATTAF, but we prefer that you complete the electronic form.  ALAS awards are judged on applicants Academic Record, their demonstrable Leadership potential and the Development Impact/effectiveness of the proposed study/research program. 

I would like to confirm whether the course I am interested in is offered in PNG?

If you have outstanding results in previous studies you can apply for courses that are available in PNG for the 2011 ADS scholarship.

With our certificates, do we only include the current and or the highest tertiary qualification?

Include all qualifications that will support your application.

I read with great interest on an email I received from my sister concerning the ADS scholarship and wish to enquire on number of things:

1. I am currently employed by Korobosea International School – an International Education Agency (IEA) member school as a senior teacher and if I wish to apply will I be completing the EOI –Expression of Interest form?

You are employed in the private sector. That means that you should complete an EOI form for an Open Category award.

In the private sector formal –Part 1: 1.6- it says that the candidate shall apply for courses that are not available in country ..is this applicable in this application?  I have heard from colleagues that this requirement is no longer in existence in recent or current applications and would like this to be clarified.

This has now been changed for Australian Development Scholarships.  This year applicants with outstanding academic record may apply for overseas courses where similar courses are currently offered in PNG!

Can I enter my data electronically, print and submit?  I have entered details electronically and wondered if you only require forms to be completed by hand prints.

You will need to print your EOI Form and submit it to the NTC this year.  You cannot do it electronically.

In section B – a particular section on employer type asks if my employer is:
Company             NGO                       Church          Self-employed     or     Statutory
I am more inclined to think it is a company but not sure??

Yes, you are correct.  In your case you are employed by a Company.

When I am done with my application form and all required documents I will submit my expression of interest form to the NTC through the: Scholarships Liaison Officer, National Training Council, P.O. Box 1170. BOROKO. NCD.  Is this correct?

The correct address is:

Scholarships Liaison Officer,
National Training Council,
P.O. Box 1170,
BOROKO, NCD.

When DPM submits all government agencies bid/application forms, how many copies do you receive for one applicant. I know that when submitting to DPM, the application forms with other documents must be in three copies.

You are required to send three Bids (one original plus 2 copies with supporting documents) to DPM. DPM then forwards the original Bid to PATTAF for selection.

The other thing is that do the officers need to originally certify all three sets of copies?

That is correct, you need to originally certify all three sets of documents before submitting to DPM.

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