+44 01903 502595
Email Us
Get a brochure

I teach in the primary school so there is not very much planning or organising around lessons but it has made me more self controlled, you have to think about everything you say or do before you say it, so as not to offend anyone or make them uncomfortable. The afternoon lessons require planning and organising because they are for secondary students. You have to create the syllabus, but it’s not so hard.

Would you recommend this placement to anyone else? Yes, everyone who loves kids!

What type of person do you think this placement would suit? I would recommend this placement to anyone who has the patience to communicate with all types of children.

Can you describe a typical day? I usually wake up between 6:30 and 7:00am. I have a wash outside from a big water tank then go over to the volunteer accommodation for breakfast (which is cooked by the principal’s wife, Rosaline, who is lovely). Lessons start at 7:20am, but depending on your time table you may not have to be in school until later. If you are in school at 7:20 you usually sing a few songs with the teachers in the staff room (I just listen because my voice would cause some serious damage to the structure of the school) then it’s off to my first lesson! I teach all my lessons independently. Most of my lessons are math’s and science (which is good really because I'm not too good at English myself!) break is at 9:50 till 10:20 then there are more lessons until 12:50pm. I usually teach between 2 -3 hrs a day. I have lunch at around 1:30pm and then have the rest of the day free. Although you can organise things - I teach the dorm students on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and do a private lesson for some Chinese kids from up the road. It’s easy to get a mini bus into Kota Marudu at any time where you can go on the internet, shop etc.....

Some evenings the teachers play badminton and I usually go along (they are all very good, I recommend that you bring your own racket if you have one) there is also usually football going on all the time as well! (I tried to wean them on to rugby but it didn’t work). I usually go to bed between 9pm and 11pm.

Jack Snell

Some of the School children from Tamparuli

The school seems nice and the accommodation is cool too. I haven't started teaching yet but I will do tomorrow. Felling a bit nervous especially as I have to teach maths...not my best subject! I'll give it a go and hopefully the kids will understand me!

At the end of her placement: What do you feel you gained on your placement? I feel the placement has prepared me for university life. I have gained confidence and the ability to address a large group. My teaching experience will help me further my own education and the teaching methods I learnt are likely to help me in whichever career I choose in the future.

What was the best thing about your placement? There was so much I enjoyed about my placement it’s hard to pinpoint the best! Teaching was great as the children were so sweet and genuinely seemed enthusiastic to learn, even if they seem like they haven’t taken much in, you being there helps. On the last day my class told me how much my teaching helped (some were crying which was very flattering). All the activities I’ve done. Staying in a long house with a local tribe, visiting and trekking in the jungle, white water rafting, has all been such a great experience and the people I met were all so friendly!

I would definitely recommend this placement to other people who wanted to experience a different culture. The people make everything so easy with their open, friendly outlook you feel really welcome. This placement would also be useful to aspiring teachers making yourself understood so the kids enjoy and take in what you’re saying can be difficult!

I think this placement would suit anyone who is adaptable and up for a bit of a challenge. The abilities vary in each class and some children hardly speak a word of English. This can sometimes make lessons difficult so being confident and creative is important. Often there would be changes to class times etc and we wouldn’t be told and so being adaptable is important.

A typical day… We got up at about 6am in the morning in time for breakfast at the canteen. The food is generally really good though sometimes they tried to give us western food which was slightly odd (chips for breakfast!) Lessons are in the morning. I had four lessons a week, the Friday one being a double. Usually we all went back for a nap before class! Classes are generally between 7:30am and 12:30am. I teach form one (year 7) maths. About one we have lunch ad then in the afternoon I’d chat to students or go back to the house and watch TV. Dinner was at 6pm but sometimes we’d go to Andrew’s families for ‘Happy Hour’ where everyone gets together and brings food to eat together. Occasionally there are events in the evenings like 60’s evening. We usually went to bed around 10-11pm.

It was sad to leave I wish I had more time to spend there. It was a great experience and everyone was so friendly and welcoming. I really enjoyed the time with the kids and I think they enjoyed my lessons too (a couple cried on my last day which was a bit of a surprise but very sweet!)

Thanks for everything! I had a great time! Best Wishes, Abi

I am having a great time here in Sabah. The placement is great and I am looking forward to exploring the rest of the surrounding area in the holiday coming up. So far I feel that I have experienced not only a balanced interaction with Children and Teachers but also a clear insight into the local culture and the hospitable character that surrounds the school. I have also experienced the everyday life of a world that was completely alien to me before. The diversity between the Western lifestyle and the Eastern has opened my eyes to travelling more often and has given me a real thirst to come back.

As a teaching placement, the best part is seeing how the pupils develop their understanding of English due to your influence. The noticeable difference in their pronunciation and basic understanding of the language is very fulfilling. However, once you find yourself outside of the classroom many opportunities arise to discover Sabah and what it has to offer. Among many of the highlights, staying on Mamutik (one of the islands off Kota Kinabalu) has to have been the best part of my placement outside of the classroom. The coral beds and the vast variety of fish accompanied by the perfect sand make the island truly unique. 

I would strongly recommend this placement to anybody else as it gives a perfect combination of teaching and free time, allowing you to discover Sabah but at the same time feel fulfilled, as you have added to the children’s education. Everybody I have met in Malaysia is very friendly and always willing to help with any problems that you may face. The local cuisine is very tasty as well and I feel it would suite everybody’s needs.  

I think this placement would suit somebody that is not afraid to try new things. If you are easily moved by different cultures and cannot adapt very easily then I feel this placement shouldn’t be on the top of your list. The lifestyle is far more relaxed and therefore this placement would suit someone who can find things to do in their spare time but also be willing to involve themselves with school after classes. It may seem quite daunting teaching children that have a basic knowledge of English, but if you are confident and innovative then this placement would be very suited to you.

All the best, Mark

I love being in Borneo. It is an amazing place, with such friendly people
and beautiful surroundings. I have already been to the school and all the
teachers are so kind and welcoming. The children are also very friendly and say hello to all of the volunteers whenever we walk past them. I am really looking forward to starting teaching tomorrow. I'm sure it will be a
challenge as I am teaching the primary school children but I hope I will be able to make some difference.

At the end of her placement:

The people over there were all so friendly and welcoming and the children were a lot of fun to teach. Although it was quite difficult teaching the younger children at times because they did not understand very much English, their smiling faces made the lessons a joy!

All the teachers were so helpful, and it was great to chat to them in the staff room at break times. Lucy and I also taught some of the teachers in the afternoon which was always a lot of fun too. They were very eager to learn English and we always had a few laughs in our lessons. At the end of our time there, Lucy and I were asked to judge the English contest which was very enjoyable to watch.

Overall, I would like to say thank you for everything you have done to help make this trip a success. I had the most amazing time out in Sabah and I was so sad to leave. I made some great friends, both with the staff and students, as well as with the other volunteers who hopefully I will keep in touch with for a very long time. If I ever want to do another volunteering placement, I know where to come! Thank you again!!

Would you recommend this placement to anyone else? Yes definitely.

What type of person do you think this placement would suit? They would have to be confident, out going and not afraid to get involved because they like making you stand on stage and dance in front of the whole school, or play football in front of the whole school - which was interesting to say the least - all the students found it very amusing.

Please use this space to note down your any general comments on your placement. I just want to say that I had the time of my life in Malaysia. The time at school was fantastic and was such an experience and the time out of school was so much fun. Lucy's Backpackers where we stayed every weekend - she looked after us all as if she was our mum, Shenanigans where we partied the Friday and Saturday nights away, all our friends in the band there, Uncle Tans Wildlife Camp and all the guys who worked there - believe me if you go to Malaysia go there - seeing elephants, orang-utans and spiders as big as your hand in a zoo is nothing compared to being about a metre away from one in the wild, the rice wine and so many other fantastic experiences and the girls I lived with made everything so much more enjoyable. I would advise anyone and everyone to go to Borneo Malaysia!

Laura Threapleton on her teaching placement at Goshen School

Hi Travellers!

I'm so sorry I have not emailed sooner.  It is definitely a case of no news is good news though. I am having a fantastic time, I can't believe I only have a month left!

My Lessons are from 7.20 to 1.00 pm but I usually have about 3 or 4 lessons a day. During this time I will mark books or plan lessons. I teach Science and English literature, Grammar and Conversation. I have a lot of freedom in what I choose to teach, which I appreciate. After school I usually tutor the teachers or pupils. Lily and I have set up a drama club and we are helping to direct a play so that takes quite a bit of time. Sometimes our house keeper, Monica takes us shopping. In the evenings we play badminton, or have rehearsals or tutoring again.

At the moment we are trying to run every night to train for Mt. Kinabalu which we are climbing next week, we think we may have left it a bit late! So no time to be bored really.

 The people are great, really friendly and helpful. The pupils are generally really grateful to us for teaching them and living on campus makes life a lot easier and means we can lie in more in the morning. The fact that there are a lot of other Travellers volunteers in the areas means we can all go travelling together at weekends or go to Kota Kinabalu. From living and working here you get a true insight into their culture, you can see how it works and not form a tourists perspective. I have been able to make good friends with local people. I have been able to find the good side in having only cold showers! Albert (Travellers Manager) is always helpful and checking we are ok and our house is great.

The teaching would suit a person who is patient and persistent. At first it is very difficult but then it becomes very rewarding and enjoyable. I think it is something most people can adapt to. The person absolutely has to be open minded, otherwise they wont get as much out of it and may resent it. 

Next week we are visiting the Orang-Utans and climbing the mountain so wish us luck!!

Kind regards, Shareen

What type of person do you think this placement would suit? People who want to experience something totally different from their life back home. People who want to experience a completely different culture and country and who want to be made feel welcome in a different country. Also people thinking about teaching in the future.
Can you describe a typical day? (e.g Start time, morning duties, lunch hours, afternoon duties, any other duties.... )
Started school at 7.20 then school finished at about 1,unless you worked in the kindergarten and then it was about 11.30. After school finished we then had the afternoon to ourselves where we attempted to sunbathe but just got too sweaty after about 30 mins so usually gave up! Lunch was provided by our cook/mother-Monica who was lovely but cooked too many chicken nuggets. Sometimes we would go to the nearest town and buy cool, refreshing drinks called Sagus...which were lovely. Or we would go to the river and swim in it...the afternoons were generally quite unexciting because most Malays sleep in the afternoon because it is so hot and the fact that they have to get up for 7!
In the evening we would usually have lots of visitors, usually the dorm boys and the teachers so we would go and play badminton with them...or just spend time talking to them which was nice. We would also do any marking if we had any to do! 

The family I am staying with are absolutely fantastic and full of character. They have been so kind to me, very friendly and funny. They treated me like their own and made everything easy for me. I really enjoyed their presence.

Since I have been here I have gained much more patience with everything and everyone. I have also gained communication skills with non-speaking English people, which is difficult at first but then you find a way of communicating with them. I have definitely gained experience of being with children, teaching them, playing with them and learning from them. Teaching is an art and you must try and be as creative as possible when teaching so the children enjoy learning.

I've done so many activities out here, climbing the highest mountain in south east Asia, Mount Kinabalu, climbing the hill outside Tamparuli village with my local friends, going to the hot springs with the family and the tip of Borneo, going traveling in my week off to KL, the Perenthian Islands and jungle trekking in Taman Negara (National park). I have met some incredible people on the way!

A TYPICAL DAY TEACHING: I wake up in the week at 6.50, have my shower and eat my breakfast. Breakfast is always prepared by my foster family who wake up earlier and who are almost always gone to work by the time I am up! I walk to school at 7.20, which is a 30 second walk from the house, and start lessons at 7.50. One period is half an hour but all the lessons are doubles so I teach one hour each class. I teach almost every period up till 12.20, lunch time. I have lunch at home, prepared by the nanny and then I have a nap between 1 and 2 pm because teaching really is tiring! At 2pm I have my drama class in the youth hall and so I am on campus untill 4. I teach the younger children between 2pm and 3pm (they are preparing a play called snow white) and the older children between 3pm and 4pm who are practicing Cinderella. The play will be held on Thursday 30th September for all parents and children. At 4pm I come back home and read my book or watch TV till 6pm when the foster parents come home and then we either eat dinner at home or we have "Happy hour" which is when all the friends get together at someone’s house and bring food and we all eat together, or sometimes we go out to eat. I usually go to bed quite early, between 9.30-10.30pm.

Faye Bennett on her Teaching placement at Goshen Adventist School

Faye with some of her students at Goshen

Thank you so much for all your help before and during my placement. I had a unforgettable experience and enjoyed teaching at Goshen so much that I found it very hard to leave. Although I was the teacher, I learnt a great deal too. I am already missing everyone at Goshen but thankfully I have some wonderful photos that I can look at and reminisce.

The placement was even better than I had expected.  I remember that I took several books with me, because I expected that there would be very little to do in the evenings and that I would get bored very easily. This was not the case at all, many of the books remained unread, because if there wasn’t marking to do, or lesson plans, or generally just chatting with my fellow volunteers; there was always some sort of activity on the school grounds to get involved in. Sometimes I would go out for a run with a Kindergarten Teacher, or play badminton, sing songs with the dormitory girls, play with the children or even attempt karaoke at the teachers’ houses.

The advice I would you give to someone who hasn’t done anything like this before is to be very open and understanding of the Malays and their religions and cultures, try not to do anything to offend them, but if you do, they may not tell you directly since they dislike confrontation, so you need to talk to them to convince them of your friendship and trustworthiness. When someone is being indirect with you, it is very easy to treat them in the same way, avoid this and be as open and direct as you possibly can without being rude.

Don’t be afraid of joining in with strange customs, or attempting to speak their language, they may laugh – actually they definitely will laugh – but that is because they tend to laugh at most things, nonetheless, be confident and it will build respect and understanding.

Thanks again for all your hard work, it was very much appreciated.
Kind regards, Faye

I invested in a bat and tennis ball, and we use chairs as posts. I've also found a 12yr old girl who's amazing at footie; I want to kidnap her and get her into Arsenal Academy...or maybe even Frontiers if she's good enough! I've also taken to training with the 6th form/teachers volleyball team . Yesterday I played in a footie match against another village- really scary! My team was young and fit, but the opposition were mainly fat hairy old men with only about 3 full sets of teeth between them!

Despite the lack of resources, the kids are mainly eager to learn, and we're treated as demi-Gods, almost revered! Everyone wants to talk to us and see our photos, and in kindergarten we get mobbed! It's also funny in town; people stand and stare. Last week, I turned round to find an ancient old lady staring right into my face. It turns out I was the first white person she'd ever seen!
Love Becky :) 

Hi!  Sorry it’s been a while.  Well I've had the best time of my life out there, just wish I could have stayed longer! 

Louise

So tomorrow I’m off to uncle tans again and then to Semporna for a spot of diving. Speak soon, Teacher Rhian xxxxxx

I'm in Semporna now, done all my diving which has been incredible. We saw so many turtles and sharks. Some turtles were over a metre and a half big. And the sharks are just so cool. My buoyancy is definitely getting better, instructor said it was perfect but I didn’t really believe him. I was meant to be staying here until the end of the week but money is quite tight so I’m heading back to KK tomorrow. Met some wicked people though, went out with them last night and again tonight, think we're heading to a karaoke bar! Wahooh! Feeling quite sad about leaving this country though, I’ve definitely fallen in love with it. That’s it for now, see you soon. Rhiannon

What experience do you feel you have gained? I feel I have gained in confidence in that I am more assertive and am more willing to trust myself to do new things. I have learnt what it is like to live the warmness of the Malaysian culture while still being (and feeling at times) very different in my appearance! I have increased my knowledge of the English language and felt both the rewards and frustrations of teaching both young children and adults.

What was the best thing about your placement? I think this has to be the integration you experience into a small and friendly community, that is both the school and the church. Your own views are respected but singing hymns at 6pm every evening with the dormitory girls is so fun that it is not to be missed! Also the satisfaction I felt when I could see an improvement in the English (both written and spoken) of a few of the teachers due to concepts I had taught.

Would you recommend it? Yes of course! There is much scope in who and what you teach and the school buildings and grounds are beautiful - you won't forget it.

What type of person do you think this placement would suit? Anyone up for a challenge who loves children (not necessity!) wants to meet new and different people and if you want a tan (it is possible at the weekends). It is especially good for someone interested in teaching as a career - gives you the extra edge and confidence from an amazing experience.

Can you describe a typical day? I started at 7.20am but was usually there about 10 minutes before for singing hymns with the teachers. I had 2 or 3 lessons in the mornings all an hour each. 7.20-8.20 was year 5 Parrot (a less able class) on a Monday, then a half hour break in which I did marking. 8.50-9.50 year 3 cheetah English reading and then half an hour marking in staff room during break (eating banana and curry puffs). 10.20-11.20 year 6 grammar and comprehension (best class). At 11.20 I went back to the house and chatted to Monica and helped her cook lunch and rested until 1pm when everyone was back and we ate. 2-3pm I planned my teacher's grammar and reading/writing lesson. I taught the primary school teachers from 3-4.30pm everyday - about 3-6 turned up - really enjoyed these lessons, much interaction and laughed a lot. 5-5.20 pm - ran around the school field with the football team to train for the mountain. Sung hymns at 6pm with the 6th term boarders. Played volleyball or basketball or watched TV until 7pm when we cooked dinner. After dinner I wrote my diary and planned the lessons for the next day and went to bed about 10.30-11pm exhausted.