Share your culture and teach in a Kindergarten in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Details

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  Description

  Hello! We are Tarla and Cy, from Malaysia and New Zealand.
  Together, we run a kindergarten in the vibrant city of Johor Bahru, Malaysia—a centre lovingly founded by Cy’s mother 35 years ago, and one that continues to grow with heart, purpose, and belief in childhood wonder.
  We are a truly multilingual kindergarten, where children are gently immersed in a rich linguistic tapestry. Our daily life flows naturally between English, Mandarin Chinese, and Bahasa Melayu, allowing children to grow not only in language, but in openness, confidence, and a deep sense of meaning in how they connect with the world.
  This year, we are excited to launch our “Cultures of the World” project. Through this initiative, we warmly invite kind, passionate individuals from around the globe to spend time with our children—sharing your country, culture, festivals, language, stories, and even simple greetings. Guests may stay for under three days, or for a longer period if you are able to teach English.
  At present, our centre has seven locally paid teachers and one cook, excluding the two of us. With an enrolment of 24 kindergarten children, we are technically overstaffed. However, as we are not a profit-driven organisation, numbers have never defined our decisions—children always do.
  As a volunteer, you will add colour to little souls.
  You may not notice it immediately, but one day you will realise—you have left a quiet, meaningful mark on their hearts.
  For many of our children, you may be the first person they meet from your country, and perhaps the closest they will come to it for now. Through your presence, their world gently expands. They begin to understand that the world is vast, beautiful, and filled with people who are different, yet deeply kind.
  You help broaden their view, opening small windows to distant places, unfamiliar faces, and new possibilities. In doing so, you plant seeds of curiosity, empathy, and respect—small but profoundly meaningful seeds that may grow for a lifetime.
  And in return, you will find something just as precious:
  the pure laughter, unfiltered smiles, and effortless joy of children.
  To be immersed in their world, even briefly, is a quietly powerful and deeply meaningful experience—one that stays with you long after you leave.
  It is, quite simply, a meeting of hearts across cultures.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Teaching

  Babysitting and creative play
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  Interests

  

  Culture

  

  Performing arts

  

  Music

  

  Gardening

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Carpentry

  

  Fitness

  

  Camping

  

  Beach
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  As part of the cultural exchange, you will share your culture, festivals, language, arts, and crafts with our kindergarten students during the morning session from 8:00 a.m. to 1p.m.
  After lunch at our centre with the teachers, you may choose to remain at the centre and use our Wi-Fi for personal matters, or explore nearby local shops and malls, all within walking distance.
  While there are not many major tourist attractions in the area, there is an abundance of authentic local experiences to enjoy. These include visiting morning and night markets, as well as experiencing local cuisine from Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultures.
  We also often invite our guests to join us when we travel, giving them the opportunity to experience local daily life. Depending on the length of stay, some guests are even able to pick up basic language skills and learn about local customs.
  This cultural exchange project provides meaningful insights into local daily life for our guests, while allowing us and our students to learn about different cultures through communication and shared experiences.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  We would like to invite you to teach basic English & share your culture with our little learners. Inspire kids with your stories, traditions, songs and perspective.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Chinese (Mandarin): Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  We host guests in our private residence and love sharing authentic and local experiences. You will have a comfortable accommodation with your own ensuite. The room comes with a double bed, own washroom, a fan and an airconditioning unit.
  
  We usually enjoy a simple and comfortable breakfast of bread, oats, cereal, eggs, butter, and jam in the morning on working days before heading from our residence to the kindergarten.
  Lunch is lovingly prepared by our in-house cook at the centre. In the evenings, dinner is usually served at home after work, and on occasions when a home-cooked meal is not possible, we will dine out together.

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  What else ...

  After teaching hours, the day is completely yours! Most guests simply spend the morning interacting with the children, and then enjoy their free personal time after lunch. Whether working on a thesis, writing a blog, planning travels, or relaxing over coffee.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

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  My animals / pets

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