Job Discussion Forums

[bradshaw]

Hello,

Has anyone worked as an English Teacher Trainer for the Malaysian Ministry of Education since the program started in January? They're advertising positions again and I'm curious to hear any positive or negative feedback. I have tried searching here on Dave's, as well as on the internet, and have come acorss zip! I'm considering accepting a position with the MOE, but would love to hear about some of your experiences first. Is the program well-run? Is there support offered to the trainers throughout the year? Are you happy where you've been placed? Etc. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Cheers in advance.

[Nemodot]

Hi a friend of mine who has worked in many countries has been working in the moe program in Malaysia for a while and is loving it. Proper pay and wp as well. It sounds lime a great program and I would do it myself based on what I was told

[bradshaw]

nemodot - Thank you very much for your reply. Hoping to find more out there like yours. Anyone?

[Skyblue2]

There are a couple other threads about the program, mostly with more negative views, but that is often the bias of people who write about their experience. Check the relevant sections.

[bradshaw]

Thanks Skyblue2. I had browsed through this forum's threads in the past, as well as 10 minutes ago and didn't come across much in regard to actual teacher reviews of their jobs. All I could find was info on their contracts, starting up in Malaysia and documents the MOE requested. Should I be checking a different section to find what I'm looking for?

[cderekbower]

Although this doesn't answer your specific question, what follows is perhaps more detailed information about the situation than what I have seen elsewhere in this forum re. the Teacher Mentor job in Borneo.
From the Borneo Post article,
�Teachers� woes in rural Sarawak�
Posted on January 3, 2010, Sunday
Once again, the beginning of another school year will showcase the stark reality of the great disparity between urban and rural schools, in terms of school buildings and other physical amenities, the strength and quality of the teaching staff, and teaching aids like computers and lab equipment.
Generally, most teachers � especially women � prefer to teach in urban schools, so they can have a normal life with their families. Rural postings are therefore left to single teachers.
Teaching and living in an isolated rural Sarawak school for single new teachers � especially for those who come from other states � must be a supremely challenging task. There would also be the initial culture shock to contend with.
While the natural beauty of rural Sarawak is breathtaking, these lonely teachers will have to cope with the daily problem of missing the creature comforts that urban teachers can take for granted. When they have to struggle with the simple task of transportation and communication with the outside world, it is hard for them to stay focused on teaching and remain motivated for long periods of time.
The work is made harder for these teachers because their rural students may not have the same parental encouragement and guidance as their urban counterparts.
A rural posting is indeed the severest test of the dedication and sense of commitment for any teacher in Sarawak. We can only speculate how many teachers have just abandoned their post and fled midway through a school year. The Education Ministry should really go out of its way to look after the welfare of these teachers and pay them special hardship and transfer allowances if necessary.
The beginning of a new school year also sees the dire shortage of teachers serving in Sarawak.
State Education Department director Datuk Dr Julaihi Bujang recently said that 1,347 and 840 teachers will be needed in our secondary and primary schools respectively when the new school year commences.
Apparently, the notorious hardship of teaching in rural Sarawak has something to do with this shortage of teachers to fill in teaching vacancies in our schools. This is a perennial educational problem in the Land of the Hornbills, and the victims will be our rural children in Sarawak.
A 2009 study showed that only 9% of Malaysia�s primary school teachers had enough competency in English to teach it. Here are some words from a teacher in that 9%.
The briefing and the posting
the moment of truth :>>>> posting

On the first day, we stay at the hotel. That night we will be told our appointed school
and most of us afraid of the news because most of us do not want to be put in a very rural area of Sarawak.

Then the moment of truth arrived. I got my news. I've been posted to a district call Baram. Before this I never heard of a place call Baram and then from discussions with other teacher, it turn out that Baram is a very far end district of Sarawak. It a very less developed district. This facts scared me and I cried.

I even searched about the school that I've been appointed to. I found out that there is no pipe water, no electricity and no phone line. Ohhh, how am I going to survived at that place?

After being briefing about salary and our responsibility, then the moment that I've been waiting for. That is the journey to my school. From Miri, I heading to a place call Marudi, as that where is the District Education Office is for my school. The officers there will be responsible for our safety and salary. And from Marudi, I will be heading to my school. The first facts about my school, only by using four wheel car that we can arrived. Normal car will be too risky to use. I cannot describe how the journey is like, only through picture can explain the condition of the road. My friend told me that even though we are in the car, it seem like we are riding a horse, keep bumping. It not a very pleasurable journey.

[Nemodot]

One persons hell is another's heaven.

A job in the outback sounds good! Often what you find is newbies to asia or being out of the west first time don't understand the facts of life

1. It ain't called the third world for nought! Oh come on! You expect wifi in the jungle?

2. In Asia you sign a contract, throw it in the bin and start negotiating for real. That's how big contracts and little are done!

3. If you want to live in a version of London in another country, then live in London. Enjoy the experience, learn something and stop whinging! The youth of today are spoilt whining brats!


That's my advice for anyone under 30.

As for Malaysia the Brighton education was one of the companies. Can't remember the other. My friend is an old hand at tefl and has a lovely condo, car and generous salary. That's because he asked for it! Lol

[the lowlander]

The topic in hand here is officially known as the TELL Project. I am currently employed as one of the trainers, or "mentors" that have been referred to.

This project is one to be avoided for most people. There are many ongoing problems at all levels (management is a shambles) and a constant stream of runners.

One of the major difficulties is the unpopularity of the project with many of the Malaysian teachers who have all been forced to participate, that, and the fact that mentors are individually responsible for creating most, if not all, of the material they are required to input into the teaching side of the project.

There is also a huge amount of admin involved, and uploading this to the company database is a tortuously slow process. It's a job that will definitely keep you hard at it until the small hours of the morning on a regular basis.

In addition, the advertised salary and benefits all seem rather decent, until you take into account the 26% income tax that you will be paying on them for at least the first six months and probably longer. And don't let anyone tell you that Malaysia is a cheap country, because it's not. Trust me, your money will go nowhere near as far as you think it will, unless you want to live in very basic accommodation and eat noodles every day.

I could go on, but I will leave it there, apart from saying that the "smart money" doesn't think that is one that will run and run.

[prock67]

I also work for the TELL Project and have had exactly the opposite experience as the poster above. The teachers I work with are all interested in what we have to say, try to implement our suggestions in their classrooms, and are an absolute joy to work with. The paperwork takes me about 20 minutes a day--the upload speed depends largely on where you are posted. It's true that people keep leaving the program, and I honestly can't understand why. This is the best job I've had in a long while.

The company isn't the most organized, that part is also true across the board. But for me it's not more than a small frustration in an otherwise incredibly rewarding week.

[the lowlander]

Hi Prock,

I'm glad that you're having a rewarding time on the TELL Project.

I note that you agree with me when I say that people keep leaving this new project in a steady stream.

Could I suggest to you that this is because many mentor's experiences are more akin to mine than yours?

This is definitely not the best job I have ever had. Management are disorganized and uncommunicative. We have not been provided with relevant teaching materials, and no-one informed me before I got here that I would be paying 26% income tax on the advertised salary and expenses.

Adequate, affordable housing is another issue, as is the cost of living on an already depleted salary.

You appear to have been lucky with your teachers, but many have not. Attendance at the training sessions is running at 40% or less in many, many places, and lots of teachers use any excuse they can to escape the mentor's school visits.

This project has now started to cause the Malaysian government some concern, and I would not be too keen to gamble any large sums of money on its survival.

Anyway, good luck to you, but I also intend to vote with my feet and leave at the next opportunity.

[yha]

I've also made enquiries about this job but now having second thoughts. i've had some personal feedback that many people have left and many are thinking of leaving. i also heard there is a real problem with crime over there. arent there a number of companies running similar programs? maybe it depends which program you are on. my feedback involved trainers in some northern states. there must be a reason for such a high attrition rate so soon into this program. yes i heard similar feedback to lowlander; management disorganized, not upfront with money, housing allowance inadequate and locals not keen to attend training. i guess this would make it difficult. iheard there might be openings with ministry in Thailand.

[the lowlander]

YHA,


You are correct on all counts, and I am speaking from experience. The programme is only 6 months into a projected 3 years. Thus the high turnover so early on and the absolute guarantee that more and more will continue to leave, so soon into their lengthy contracts, should tell anyone all they need to know about the situation on the ground here.


As you say, there are 3 contractors involved, but all of them are experiencing staff retention problems, and the problematic issues are similar across each of the companies working here.


To tell the truth, the idea behind the project itself is a sound one, but it has been executed in such a haphazard, and slapdash manner that the wheels fell off almost immediately.


1. Mentors have been provided with no relevant teaching materials. Yes folks, it's make it up as you go along time. Now, this might be an adequate strategy for teaching 3 year olds in a Korean kindergarten, but it doesn't quite do the trick in a Teacher Professional Development Programme.


2. The Malaysian teachers involved were forced into the project regardless of their age, training, experience, or desire, and must attend training sessions in what was formerly their free time. This means that on a regular basis you can find a 28 year old Anglo with two or three years of EFL experience spouting off about stuff they found on the Internet to a 54 year old Malaysian professional with thirty years of relevant classroom experience. I don't think it takes much imagination to understand why this situation is not well recieved in certain quarters and Malaysian teacher attendance at the training sessions is so low.


3. The management are truly awful and utterly inept. One of their biggest failings is that they allowed this project to go ahead without a proper training framework for the mentors to follow, and without providing the mentors with any meaningful training regarding their roles. The mentors were pretty much dropped in the jungle and left to get on with it. As you can imagine, this had a serious effect on morale, as mentors had no real idea what it was they were supposed to do, but knew that whatever it was, they would be sacked for not doing it.


4. Salaries and tax are another major issue. The allowances are a joke, and taxed to boot. Make no mistake, Malaysia is not a cheap country compared to others in south east Asia, and once you've paid your tax, your apartment, your utilities, your food, your petrol, and your entertainment costs, you will be lucky to have much, if anything left.


5. Finding suitable accommodation is another major problem. In all honesty, one of the properties I was shown was a wooden shack.


6. And yes, crime has also reared its ugly head, with several incidents that I know off where mentors became victims. Do you know the phrase, "to run amok" originates in Malaysia? Malaysia is a high crime country, and a quick look at the local papers will tell you all you need to know on that front.


7. Last, but not least, this project is already under review by the Malaysian government and it will come as no surprise to anyone in the know if the plug is suddenly pulled.


In the final analysis, it's up to the individual whether they choose to take a job here or not. However, in the simple spirit of relating my own experiences to potential new recruits, I would offer a strong word of caution and suggest you look elsewhere.

[yha]

thanks for your honesty lowlander. not sure what to do now. i have a friend who's also interested. which of the providers do you think will close? maybe it's best to go with the provider who might be longer term. i wouldnt want togo there and then the plug is pulled. the malay gov wouldn't close ALL these providers would they?
from what i read i thought the idea was to get experienced qualified primary teachers to train the locals. how can rookies take this on? arent the locals qualified primary teachers?
are some of the postings literally in the jungle? would the housing be cheaper in remote places? Taiwan is looking more promising or even back to Korea.

[the lowlander]

Hi YHA,

In answer to some of your points:

1. Which of the providers will close?


All three providers are in the same boat and hemorrhaging mentors and admin staff. I see that SMR are desperately scrabbling about for staff at the moment as they have multiple vacancies in each of the states they are responsible for. As they say themselves, this is due to staff turnover, although they don't take on board any of the blame for that. They are so desperate that they even want to create a reserve bank of mentors to fill the posts they inevitably know will become vacant. It's a revolving door.



The British Council are having huge problems out in Borneo, and last I heard they had up to 75% of their posts vacant due to the issues I have stated previously. That and the fact that many of the mentors are living in genuinely harsh remote locations.



Brighton/Nord Anglia are the other group, and they too have lost a number of staff, including some key management and admin figures who saw the writing on the wall early on.



All three of the above have adopted the same flawed approach, they collaborate with each other at the higher management level, and all three will be flushed at the same time if the Ministry decides to call a halt.



2. If you look at SMR's job advert today you will see that rookies are exactly who they are employing. Minimum qualifications needed BA + TEFL Cert + three years of experience. If you look at the British Council's advert from the other day, you will see they are looking for the same qualifications and only two years of experience! Brighton/Nord Anglia require the same. How they expect such inexperienced youngsters to "mentor" fully qualified and fully trained Malaysian veterans with thirty years plus classroom experience is beyond me. In actual fact, it's beyond a joke, and a real insult to many of the Malaysian teachers forced to take part.



3. As I said before, some of these postings are in really harsh remote locations. Being in the jungle doesn't really make the accommodation cheaper, as there is a dearth of accommodation to rent, thus the laws of supply and demand come into play and the price goes up. The foreign factor also comes into play, with prices being inflated once again.



4. I also note that none of the companies are mentioning the fact that all of the salaries and allowances are subject to 26% tax. This is very naughty of them, and I certainly didn't find out about this until I arrived and it was too late to leave.


5. Please don't get me wrong, some people tell me they are having a very nice time, but the continued walk-outs on a significant scale across all three companies, and the fact that they are being forced to advertise for staff over and over again (remember, it's not as if the business is expanding) should tell you that many who came here think this is a fundamentally flawed project and have thus bailed out.

[KayuJati]