Your teaching placement takes place in Sabah on the Malaysian island of Borneo. You'll teach in a  rural primary or secondary schools, located in a rural village environment 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, 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

►SUMMARY FACTFILE
Start Dates	All year round - you choose your start and finish dates!
Duration	From 4 weeks and up to 1 year, subject to visa requirements
Requirements	No qualifications needed, just lots of enthusiasm!
Price	From £1,295 for 4 weeks, ranging to £2,295 for 12 weeks. Full Price List and other Currencies
What's included	►Accommodation ►Food ►Meeting you at the Airport ►Transfer to your accommodation ►Full pre-departure support ►Local in-country team support and backup ►24-hr emergency support.
What's not included	Flights, Insurance, Cost of Visas (if a visa is required, but we'll provide necessary documents and assistance).
Who can do this Project?	All our projects are open to all nationalities. Unless otherwise stated, you need to be aged between 17 and 70+

Also on this page:

• About your accommodation

• Induction

• Travel Info

PROJECT OVERVIEW
This teaching placement is based in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. You will teach in a rural primary and secondary school, located in a village environment near Kota Murudu in the northern part of the state.

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%.

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:

• An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure into South East Asia and the fascinating Malaysian culture.

• The enormous satisfaction of helping disadvantaged children and knowing that you made a difference to them.

• New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding of a different culture, invaluable personal and professional development.

• An entry on your CV or résumé that will put you head and shoulders above most others in the job market

• And best of all ... an unforgettable experience!

WORK CONTENT:
The school that Travellers volunteers attend is from the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Christian group, and holds around 350 pupils. It comprises a Kindergarten, Primary and Secondary Schools and teaching can be arranged within any one of these areas. You will usually work about 10 – 15 lessons per week, and you'll be in demand wherever you go! The children at this school 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.

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 a school in Sabah  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 term dates in 2013 are as follows;

Term 1: 2 January to 22 March
Term 2: 1 April to 24 May 
Term 3: 10 June to 6 August
Term 4: 19 September to 15 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.

 
Got any questions? Please email us:
info@travellersworldwide.com

Enhance your Programme with some exciting activities:

Alice with her students
Click for MAP

Travellers' Malaysia Manager Albert and friends!

Accommodation will be with a local host family and you’ll be expected to participate in their way of life. 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 bedroom or be required to share with another Travellers volunteer. You will have shared living accommodation and bathroom facilities.

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:
To read about Travel arrangements and what happens when you arrive in your new country, please click here.

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.

Support & Backup: To read about the excellent Support & Backup we provide before you leave and during your programme, please click here.
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