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TEACHING PROJECTS

TEACH ENGLISH ON THE COLOURFUL AND EXOTIC ISLAND OF BORNEO IN MALAYSIA

Teaching placements take place in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. You'll teach in rural primary or secondary schools, located in rural village environments in the northern part of the state. This is an excellent project where you get to be immersed in the local way of life and at the same time gain some very valuable experience:

"I really had the best time out there, think I achieved all the things I wanted to, and feel a better person because of it. I would definitely do it again, despite the fact I got bitten on my legs more than any volunteer on record!  So tell them to bring a mossie net if they ever want to be able to wear a skirt in public again! Thanks for all your help, I had the best time ever! Paula Cullen

You'll be given a timetable of lessons and will have the freedom to plan and take your own classes (with assistance, if required). Your main focus is on assisting with conversational English but you may also be asked to help within other areas, such as sport, drama and music, if you have an interest in these.

No qualifications are required to do this teaching project.

On this page:

      .

About Malaysia, Borneo and the voluntary projects you can do there with Orang-Utans, children and work experience
Teach children in Malaysia on the island of Borneo

Return to the Malaysia Home Page and
the list of all our projects in Malaysia

SPECIALS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Volunteer Feedback
Facts on Malaysian Food
My Orang Utan Experience

ABOUT YOUR WORK
Teaching placements are available in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. You will teach in rural primary or secondary schools, located in rural village environments in the northern part of the state. Travellers work with two schools in particular, one located close to the capital city, Kota Kinabalu, and one which is further north, towards Kota Marudu. Download and print additional information on this project
 
in .pdf format
 in Word format
English is taught in all schools, but in rural areas the children have no need or opportunity to speak the language outside the classroom, so they get very little practice in pronunciation and speech. Thus having exposure to you as a native English speaker is very beneficial to them and helps them raise their grades, which is a big plus given that in the rural areas, the passing rate of English is only 60%.

The two main schools that Travellers volunteers attend are from the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Christian group, and each school holds around 350 pupils. They comprise Kindergarten, Primary and Secondary Schools and teaching can be arranged within any one of these areas. You will usually be expected to work about 10 – 15 lessons per week, and you will soon find that you are in demand wherever you go! The children at these schools are not used to seeing westerners and so you may find that people stare at you at first, but they will welcome you into their school and you will soon find that Malaysia feels like a second home.

You'll be given a timetable of lessons and will have the freedom to plan and take your own classes (with assistance, if required). Your main focus is on assisting with conversational English but you may also be asked to help within other areas, such as sport, drama and music, if you have an interest in these. Both Science and Maths are taught in English, and as such assistance with these subjects at basic level is really appreciated. Some of the classes will be conversation based and some tuition based to groups or individuals formally and informally outside the classrooms. You will be given plenty of assistance from the principal and teachers until such time as you have gained confidence in your own abilities. 

Outside the classroom you can assist the pupils in language group work, debating, public and choral-speaking, pronunciation practice, reading aloud, discussions, games – e.g. board games for language practice, broadcasts on the school radio, drama productions and presentations, and quizzes and general knowledge competitions. You may also help with English ‘camps’, supervising study periods, assisting in the library and helping during tests and examinations. Paula Cullen on her placement in Malaysia: "I really had the best time out there, think I achieved all the things I wanted to, and feel a better person because of it. I would definitely do it again, despite the fact I got bitten on my legs more than any volunteer on record!  So tell them to bring a mossie net if they ever want to be able to wear a skirt in public again! Thanks for all your help, I had the best time ever!"

If you have additional skills, such as Football and Music (or in any other subjects), these would be very much appreciated and the children would love some additional after school coaching. Tim Reese volunteered at Sabah Adventist Secondary School (SASS) and said of his placement "Borneo is fantastic, if not a little hot! We started teaching yesterday and are involved in the house football competition, but we are all in different houses so as you can imagine there's a bit of competitive tension in the air!"  

The academic year runs from January through to November. The dates in 2008 are as follows;

Term 1: 3rd January to 7th March
Term 2: 17th March to 23rd May
Term 3: 9th June to 15th August
Term 4: 25th August to 14th November

Please compare the above dates to your teaching placement as teaching is not available during School Holidays. If you do not want to teach in a conventional school we also have some placements in other centres and institutions. For example, we could arrange for you to work with children who have mental disabilities such as down syndrome, or if you have practical skills you could teach vocational subjects such as woodwork to young male adults who have not successfully completed conventional schooling, or who have severely underachieved. Please speak to us for more information if you would be interested in either of these options.

Read some of our volunteers' reports on their teaching placements

Click for MAP

Before you go - you can enroll in a 1-day intensive open teacher training day (optional) to help you teach if you have no previous experience

Read up on Malaysian Food




Alice with her students



Shareen and Alice (2 ex-volunteers) outside one of the school classrooms,
ABOUT YOUR ACCOMMODATION

Shareen in the volunteer house

Accommodation will either be on site in school accommodation or you will live with a local family - it depends which school you're placed in.  If you have a preference for one or the other we can ensure this is arranged for you.

If you live in school accommodation, you will usually be with other volunteers and will also socialise with the teachers in the evening - you won't be left on your own! Because English is taught in all schools, all the teachers have good spoken English and so communication won't be a problem.  If you're living with a family, you'll participate in their way of life. In both these types of accommodation, because you'll be in a rural village environment, you'll become involved in the local life. Very often this is one of the most attractive aspects of our placements in different cultures because you get to experience the country in a way that you would never be able to do as a tourist.

You may have your own room or you may share a room with one or two others. If you live with a family, you'll probably share a room with another Travellers volunteer.

There is a surprising amount of action in the evenings in Malaysian villages, including coffee shops, karaoke bars, and bustling open-air markets that are fascinating!

ARRIVAL: YOUR INTRODUCTION TO THE COUNTRY

When you arrive you will be welcomed at the airport by Albert, our Malaysia Manager. He will take you to your accommodation in Kota Kinabalu where you will spend the first few days of your trip. Albert will give you an induction during this time, so that you can learn about the country and its culture, as well as useful information like how to use the phones, transport system etc.

You will then be taken to your school and accommodation and introduced to everyone concerned. You will be made to feel very welcome by all! 

Our projects in Malaysia are very popular and you are sure to have a wonderful time during your stay in Sabah.

TRAVEL AND SUPPORT & BACKUP: 

You have the option to arrange your own flights or we can assist you with your flight arrangements. If you would like us to do this for you, we will liaise with you regarding available flights and dates to suit you. All arrangements for your flight bookings/payments will be fulfilled by Murray Rogers Travel Ltd., ATOL No. 6856. (Read more about Murray Rogers Travel Ltd.) Where possible, we arrange for two or more people to travel on the same flight and we will let you have the names and telephone numbers of other volunteers on your flight, so that you can chat to each other or even meet up before leaving for your placement.

We can also arrange your flight dates to give you additional time at the end of your project for travelling around and sightseeing - this is a fascinating and wondrous country!

You will fly into Kota Kinabalu International Airport where you will be welcomed by Albert, our Travellers Organiser and Malaysia Manager. Albert will settle you into your accommodation in KK for the first few nights of your stay.

As there is so much to do in Sabah and the surrounding region, we recommend that you do some travelling around the country once your placement has finished. If this is the case, we can arrange your flights accordingly.

Travellers' Malaysia Manager Albert and friends!
Travellers' Malaysia Manager Albert and friends!

Where possible, all flights we arrange for you have changeable return tickets because many of our volunteers choose to extend their stay once they are in their destination country. Changeable return tickets enable you to do so, within the limits of your visa and the level of your air ticket, of course. If you choose to book your own flights, you should endeavour to get a changeable ticket. We meet you at the airport regardless of whether you make your own travel arrangements or not.

VISAS:Visas are not required for stay of up to 90 days if you are a British Passport Holder. If you want to stay longer in Malaysia, or if you are not a British Passport Holder, please speak to us about specific visa requirements, if any. We will make the Visa process very easy for you!  

To read about the extensive Support & Backup we provide in our countries, please click here.

PRICES: One of the gorgeous beaches on the island of Borneo

To see the Prices of this project and all our other projects in Malaysia, please click here

Prices include
  • Food & accommodation while on your project,
  • 2 T-shirts, if required for your project
  • All support and backup during your programme
  • Meeting you at the nearest airport, where appropriate, but exclude international travel.

Return to the Malaysia Home Page and
the list of all our projects in Malaysia

TO APPLY FOR THIS PROJECT, PLEASE CLICK HERE

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Last modified: April 24, 2008