Tips or Getting A Job Teaching English In Malaysia:

Malaysia is spread across from the Malay Peninsula to the legendary Borneo islands and spans the South China Sea and is a reflection of the many facets of South-east Asia. A stroll through the old streets of Malacca, Penang, or Kuala Lumpur gives a first-hand observation of how many centuries of trading among the Dutch, Chinese, Arabian, Malay, and Indian seafarers have in a way shaped the multi-faceted Malaysia that is seen today. The country is home to an enticing blend of cuisines, religions, and cultures. Several of the city blocks have mosques, churches, pagodas, and temples alongside a variety of restaurants serving world-class Malaysian, Indian, or Chinese dishes.

A fast-developing economy and large population, however, do not quite translate to a large job market for first-time foreign English teachers unlike Thailand, Vietnam, and some of the other Southeast Asian countries. Opportunities, nevertheless, exist especially for the ones possessing a BA degree and higher, some prior teaching experience, and a TEFL certification.

The education sector in Malaysia is divided into preschool, primary education, secondary education, post-secondary education and tertiary education, which is further divided into national and private education.The Malaysian government teaching sector is always brimming with opportunities for educators in mainly two projects – ESOL Improvement in Public Schools and Teacher Training Institutes and the Trust Schools Initiatives. With the former project, there are three main types of teaching positions available – English Language Professionals, Project Managers working with local teachers and Training Fellows who work with teacher training institutes located in the country. Foreign trained educators can work with up to 75 Malaysian teachers as English Language Professionals (ELPs) to help the local teachers improve their English proficiency. Similarly, trained and well-experienced educators are hired as English Language Project Managers who will oversee the overall operations and functioning of the ELPs for developing the proficiency in the Malaysian schools. On the other hand, to bag a job in Training Fellow positions in Malaysia, you need to be an English Language Teaching (ELT) specialist, preferably with a doctoral degree with overseas training experience.

Apart from the above opportunities, there are plenty of private schools and language centres that provide openings for trained foreign candidates. If you are keen on applying for any of the above positions, then applying beforehand is advisable. Advance interview is the norm for most of the job interviews, being conducted through Skype or over the phone. Housing expenses and airfares usually have to be borne by the teachers themselves, most of who usually shift into apartments previously rented by their counterparts or choose to share accommodation with their co-workers.

Typical work weeks comprise 20 to 25 hours of work that leaves plenty of time for exploring the country. A bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement for teaching in the country though having a master’s degree will act advantageous. TEFL certification is also mandated with work visa permits being provided in some case only on helping with the process is getting the same. Major cities such as Kuala Lumpur usually have a concentration of the teaching jobs.

Moreover, the booming teaching sector in Malaysia calls for trained and skilled teaching professionals and offers various roles in educational institutes. Be it SEN, EDM, Online Teaching, TEFL, ITD, Counselling etc., Malaysia offers teaching positions in major cities which are seeing a serious decline of teachers.

There is also a notable shortage of professionals in school management positions. A recent article stated that the education ministry was especially lacking in teachers for Physical Education, Design and Technology, Visual Arts, Special Needs, Science, English, Music, and Counselling subjects across institutes in Malaysia.