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WAB Faculty & Staff

Professional Growth at WAB: Funding

Effective Professional Learning has a positive impact on our students, our school and ourselves. 

Opportunities at WAB range from WAB Labs, WAB Reads and professional consultants to teacher-directed professional development and further study. Alongside the strategic professional development brought in to the school, WAB Faculty and Teaching Staff/TA's have access to personal and discretionary PD funding to help shape our own professional growth. If you need clarification contact your coordinator or line manager. 

Important Notes 2023-24

  • Approval must be granted before any spending. This is essential for accounting purposes.  

  • Due to coverage limitations, we cannot guarantee PD days for attendance in online events or workshops. For your case, if needed, please discuss with your Principal, before submitting the application. 

  • Faculty are responsible for making their own arrangements for PD. If you need help in registering or paying for an event, please see your coordinator. 

Balancing Needs, Impact & Equity

WAB is committed to supporting high-quality professional learning for all Staff. Requests beyond Personal PD allowances are drawn from a school-wide shared budget. Please talk to your programme coordinator or line manager about your PD goals and needs. 

Travel for Professional Development

As Covid-19 restrictions have eased, and travel options are becoming more accessible, we predict more requests for travel-related PD. 

Priorities for approval will be given to Faculty & Staff who need to travel for the following reasons:

  • Urgent professional development or training needs.
  • School representation (such as presenting WAB's work at professional conferences)
  • Accreditation/evaluation visits (these are typically funded by the agency, not WAB)

Anyone wishing to travel for PD should first discuss their application with their coordinator or line manager. As a reminder, guidance on professional growth at WAB can be found here, with PD funding details here. We will continue to share and support excellent remote and in-house PD opportunities.

Essential Professional Development

If you are required to attend PD or training for safety or compliance purposes, your coordinator will discuss with you. If the training is available online or locally, it will not require the use of personal PD funds. If the only option available requires travel, it will be covered by WAB. If there is a choice between online/local provision and travel, the travel option will require the use of a PD application and discretionary PD funding. 

Personal PD Funding

All Faculty & Staff have access to a Personal PD allowance of ¥2,500 per year. 

Process: 

  1. Complete the first page of the WAB PD Funding Request. 
  2. Receive a written approval by email or Teams. 
  3. Register for PD and keep receipts. 
  4. Complete the PD. 
  5. Submit receipts, attached to approval email, to Sarah Luo in the Finance office, using a reimbursement claim form (Finance). You can claim back up to the approved total.

With this process, the timeline for approval of low-cost PD can be quicker, without the need to wait for (or use the time of) sectional PD committees. 

 

 

Personal PD Funding could be used for: 

  • Online courses, seminars, webinars, conferences or workshops. 
  • Reading materials or professional subscriptions
  • Connecting with consultants or external experts
  • Other uses

Make sure to check with your curriculum coordinator before spending. Our well-resourced libraries can also support your professional learning. 

If you submit an application and don't hear back within 1-2 weeks, please check with your programme coordinator directly. 

Discretionary PD Funding

Faculty & Staff can apply for funding beyond the Personal PD Allowance (inclusive), up to maximum of ¥12,000 per application. 

  • As this is drawn from shared funds, it needs to be justified and checked before approval. 
  • Personal PD funds will be used before drawing from shared funds. 
  • ¥12,000 is the maximum application & approval amount. Your PD might not need the full amount - please be as accurate as possible in your application. 

Process: 

  1.  Complete the full two-page WAB PD Funding Request Form.  
    • As you complete the form, it is a good idea to check with your coordinator or learning leader.
    • A summary of questions on the form is below. 
  2. Wait for the PD committee to meet before spending. 
  3. Receive a written approval by email, from the PD committee, if approved.
    • If not approved, the reply will indicate reason(s).  
  4. Register for PD, pay and keep receipts. 
  5. Complete the PD. 
  6. Submit receipts, attached to approval email, to Sarah Luo in the Finance office, using a reimbursement claim form (Finance). You can claim back up to the approved total.

If you submit an application and don't hear back within 1-2 weeks, please check with your programme coordinator directly. 

Note for Departing Faculty & Staff

Departing Faculty & Staff have access to the RMB¥2,500 personal PD allowance throughout the year. They will not be approved for discretionary PD funding in the second semester of their final year.