Fellowship FAQ

The Teach For Malaysia Fellowship is a full-time, fully-paid, two-year leadership development programme in which Fellows improve classroom outcomes in a high-need school. Fellows make a difference for the students and communities while identifying how they can be part of the solution to education inequity. Throughout the 2 years, our Fellows receive training and mentoring to develop themselves as a leader.

Fellows collaborate with existing teachers in high-need schools to enhance the classroom environment. During the two-year duration, Fellows gain first-hand experience towards understanding education inequity while working alongside the school and the community. After the Fellowship, many of our Fellows continue to champion transformation of the education system as an Alumni.

As a Fellow, you step into a leadership role from day one. Collaborating closely with your Host Teacher, you’ll craft engaging learning experiences, spearhead impactful education initiatives, and lead community projects. It’s a transformative journey where you become not just a teacher, but a leader shaping the future of education.

Leadership skills are highly transferable in nature and highly sought out by employers. Some of the key leadership skills you’ll obtain from the Fellowship include effective communication, problem-solving, conflict management, adaptability and cultural awareness and empathy.

Candidates applying to the Fellowship must be prepared to commit two full years for the Fellowship. The 2-year commitment is essential for one’s leadership development journey, and developing a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by students in their schools and communities. Full commitment is crucial in order to develop the conviction and insight necessary to become lifelong leaders in the pursuit of educational opportunity for all.

Yes, our Fellows receive a competitive remuneration equivalent to a graduate teacher’s salary in the public school.

Our Fellows teach in public schools across Malaysia. High need schools are schools that are facing academic challenges and/or are located in a community facing socio-economic challenges.

Previously, Fellows have been placed in Johor, Kedah, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Penang, Perak, Sabah, Sarawak and Selangor.

Teach For Malaysia strongly believes that excellent teachers possess the same skills as excellent leaders in any field. Spending two years in the classroom will help Fellows develop leadership skills such as organization, communication, problem-solving in an unstructured environment, people management and resourcefulness that are valuable in any sector. Teach For Malaysia supports Fellows throughout this leadership development journey through training, workshops, and on-the-job coaching.

No. Since Fellows will be paid a monthly salary, Fellows are expected to arrange their own accomodation and sustain their daily expenses. However, our team will be readily available to help smoothen transition and facilitate housing search.

Yes. TFM will provide an allowance of ~ RM1000/month during the Pre-Service Programme.

Click on the “Apply Fellowship” button at the top right on our website to register your interest for the Fellowship. After completing the interest form, you will receive an email containing a unique link to your application form.

No, please complete your application in English as it is the official language we use internally within Teach For Malaysia. Your proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia will be assessed at a later stage in the selection process.

We will request for your references after the successful completion of your application and phone interview, before the Assessment Centre Stage.

You will be notified of the outcome of your application via email within two (2) working weeks.

Please drop us an email at recruitment@teachformalaysia.org with a screenshot of the problem. Our team will be in contact with you to support you!

Kindly check your spam inbox for an email with your unique link to the form. If the issue remains unresolved, please drop us an email at recruitment@teachformalaysia.org with your full name and email address used to register.

We understand that our applicants come from diverse educational backgrounds and school systems. Please select whichever measure of academic achievement is most relevant to your institution (GPA, Class of Degree, Cumulative Average, Other), and fill in the result obtained. For example, if your institution uses “Cumulative Average” as its measure of academic achievement and your cumulative average is 78/100, please select “Cumulative Average”, and then fill in “7.8/10.0” as the result. If none of the options apply to you, please select “Other” and indicate the system that your institution uses in the space provided. Please note that if you are invited to attend an Assessment Centre, we will ask for copies of your academic transcripts to confirm the score you have indicated.

You may search for your accreditation document at http://www2.mqa.gov.my/mqr/. In the event that you are unable to find it through Malaysian Qualifications Register (MQR), you may enquire about the document from your university.

No, please stay with us! We provide funds to assist with travel costs induced by our application process, for candidates who come from a financially challenging background. It should also be noted that virtual AC is also an option if you cannot attend the AC in person. Please reach out to your recruiter or our team at admissions@teachformalaysia.org if you would like to apply for this fund.

Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications we receive annually, our team will only be able to give feedback to applicants who reach the Assessment Centre stage.

It is not possible to apply more than once within 12 months, unless our selection team specifically invites you to try again later. However, all applicants are encouraged to apply again for the next Cohort! Follow our social media to be notified when next season’s recruitment season kicks off.

The Assessment Centre is conducted in hybrid mode, which means that there will be physical sessions held either at the Teach For Malaysia office or the different states according to the number of candidates. For candidates who have challenges with travelling or are currently not in Malaysia, they can attend the Assessment Centre virtually.

Yes, JPA scholars may serve their bond through the Scholarship, Talent, Attraction & Retention (STAR) programme. Yayasan UEM scholars may choose to do a bond transfer and serve your bond through the Teach For Malaysia Fellowship. In past cohorts, we have also had graduates from various other scholarship providers. Applicants with other scholarships or employment bonds are encouraged to contact us at recruitment@teachformalaysia.org to explore further.

Yes, you can still apply! In the Teaching Partner pathway, we welcome applications from candidates with other equivalent secondary school qualifications.

Yes, you can join the Fellowship!

If you are already a full-time Malaysian government school teacher, you are not eligible to apply for the Fellowship. This is because the Fellowship is aimed at attracting talent from different backgrounds to work alongside existing teachers in school to co-create solutions in the pursuit of educational opportunity for all. Existing teachers can be part of the movement by collaborating with Teach For Malaysia on projects, or be part of our ‘Program Duta Guru’.

Yes, as long as you meet all of the other eligibility criteria listed.

Yes, as long as you are certain you will get your degree certificate and your official final transcript by the document submission deadline.

If you have a Bachelor and Postgraduate degree, you can merge your results into 1 pdf file to upload during application.

No, not at all! All our Fellows come from diverse backgrounds, and most of them have had no prior teaching experience. During our training workshops, we empower you with the necessary knowledge and skills to do well in the classroom.

We recruit people with strong leadership potential to ensure that we maximise our Fellows’ impact in the classroom. However, you can exercise leadership potential without having been the leader of a group per se. Have a look at Who We Look For to understand more.

No, you don’t need to be in Malaysia to start your application. All stages up until the Assessment Centre can be conducted online. However, you need to return to Malaysia for subsequent stages including the Pre-Service Programme. Contact recruitment@teachformalaysia.org if you would like us to advise you.

Even though there are no official restrictions, we highly discourage doing your Masters during the Fellowship. The Fellowship will be demanding and will require high commitment. Fellows will have to balance between a daily teaching role and additional workshops/coaching sessions/events by Teach For Malaysia.

No, unfortunately not. Fellow’s placement location under the Teaching Partner pathway is limited to high need areas determined by the Ministry of Education and as recommended by Teach For Malaysia.
Upon accepting your offer, we ask for you to be ready for placement anywhere in Malaysia.

Placement location will be confirmed during or upon successful completion of the Pre-Service Programme.

No, unfortunately not. Each Fellow’s teaching subject is determined by the needs in the school that a Fellow serves. Typically, your secondary school & undergraduate education qualification will influence the subject(s) assigned to you in school.

The safety of our Fellows is an important priority within Teach For Malaysia. Our teams will help to smoothen the transition into the region at the start of the Fellowship by facilitating housing search and organising meetings with important stakeholders in the region. We do our best to make you feel safe and at home at soon as possible!

Unfortunately, we ask that candidates be flexible in relocating as placement can be anywhere. However, our recruiters are always open to thought-partner with you before or after starting your application.

After completion of the Fellowship, you will become part of the Teach For All Alumni Network. There are many options open to you as an alumni, including but not limited to:

• Driving innovation and 3rd sector work via TFM, social innovations or NGOs working on issues in education or inequity.
• Contributing to the field of education as an advocate or academic in policy and research work, in or related to education.
• Joining private organisations and foundations whose core business is not education in order to provide resources like money, skills, and influence in order to further TFM’s vision and mission.

Yes – in your second year of the Fellowship, TFM provides support by connecting you to different partners and supporters who are always keen to hire TFM Alumni. You can also reach out to TFM and the Alumni community at any point after the Fellowship for career support and advice.

Under the Teaching Partner Pathway which lasts for 2 years, Fellows will not continue teaching in the school of their placement location at the end of their Fellowship Programme.