6 Excellent Gap Year Programmes For The Go-Getter Malaysian Student
Why not do something you're going to remember for the rest of your life before settling down?
By Darian Goh — 24 Mar 2015, 06:15 PM
1. Build houses with Habitat For Humanity. Habitat For Humanity is a NGO that aims to eliminate inadequate housing. Volunteers help build homes in communities in Malaysia. Even Wong Fu Productions did it!
What it is: A NGO which strives to eliminate inadequate housing by building safe, decent homes in partner communities throughout Malaysia.
Requirements: Anyone who can hold a hammer or a bucket or a paint brush is welcome. Build teams hail from business corporations, churches, schools and colleges, civic groups and other organisations.
Duration: Project to project basis.
Who to contact: Habitat For Humanity's website.
2. Help improve water supply for communities together with Raleigh International. Volunteers spend between 5 to 10 weeks living in remote areas in places like Sabah, Tanzania, India or Costa Rica to improve access to safe water and other projects.
What it is: Raleigh International runs meaningful sustainability projects which are designed to create a positive impact in the communities and areas in which they take place, and also increase the leadership, teamwork and employability skills of their volunteers. They work in remote, rural areas to improve access to safe water and sanitation, build community resilience, to sustainably manage natural resources and to protect vulnerable environments.
Requirements: Volunteers must be at least 17 years old. For more information, check out their intakes here
Duration: Between 5 to 10 weeks.
Who to contact: More information at Raleigh International's website.
3. Go on a work and travel programme to the United States. Participants embark on a summer programme by working in places such as theme parks, restaurants, nature parks and they get to travel around after their working period is completed.
What it is: Work and Travel USA is an official US State Department programme that allows students in tertiary education from around the world to visit the USA during their term break to experience life in the US through working and traveling there.
Requirements:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be a current full time student in a state-recognised institution of tertiary education
- Be able to function in an English speaking working environment
- Have a pre-arranged job and a minimum of US$800 available to support yourself upon arrival in the USA.
Duration: Every year, there are two periods during which Work & Travel USA operates:
- Winter (15 Nov - 15 Mar)
- Summer (15 May - 15 Sep)
The minimum employment period is two and a half months, and the maximum is four months. In addition to the working period, students are allowed to remain in the USA for an additional 25 days to travel. You are not allowed to work during this period.
Who to contact: Out Of The Box (OOTB) or Speedwing.
4. Give back to Malaysian schools together with Teach For Malaysia. Teach For Malaysia looks out for various Malaysians to help improve and a child's education.
What it is: Teach For Malaysia believes that education inequity can be solved if Malaysia’s best and brightest immerse themselves in the realities and complexities of the issue, working together in schools and beyond to give every child the opportunity for an excellent education.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s Degree completion of studies and course before August 1st (all disciplines, with the exception of Bachelor of Education are encouraged to apply)
- Malaysian Citizenship
- Proficiency in Bahasa Melayu and English (Certification of SPM Bahasa Melayu with a minimum of a Credit grade)
- A minimum of 3.00/4.00 CGPA for Bachelor’s Degree
- 35 years or below before the Employment Start Date (i.e. January 2016 for the 2016 Cohort)
- Have not applied and did not receive any offers to teach in government schools prior to this
Duration: Depending on intake
Who to contact: Teach For Malaysia's website.
5. Go on a working holiday in New Zealand. Each year, the New Zealand government gives 1,150 passes for Malaysians to experience work-life in NZ. Work can range from farm work to tourism jobs before you embark on your travels.
What it is: A working holiday programme where Malaysians can experience the culture and what it is like living in New Zealand for a period of time.
Requirements:
- Be a citizen of Malaysia and have a passport from Malaysia that is valid for at least three months after your planned departure from New Zealand
- Be at least 18 and not more than 30 years old
- Not bring children with you
- Hold a return ticket or sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket
- Have a minimum of NZ$2,250 available funds to meet your living costs while you are here
- Meet our health and character requirements be coming to New Zealand to holiday, with work or study being secondary intentions for your visit, and not have been approved a visa under a working holiday scheme before.
Who to contact: You have to apply for a limited number of places for this working holiday scheme. You can get more information from their website here.
6. Learn how to dive and be part of a turtle conservation project in Perhentian. Be part of a Marine conservation project, learn to dive, conserve corals by day, and help sea turtles at night in the Perhentian Islands.
What it is: This project is focused on collecting coral reef data from 4 snorkel sites and various artificial reefs around the islands. The project is led by two PhD candidates one from Plymouth University, UK who is studying the impacts of snorkellers on coral reefs and how to most efficiently change their behaviour. The other is studying with University Malaysia Terengganu and looking into the human impacts on sea turtles around the islands and will ultimately produce a masterplan for sea turtle conservation involving the local community in the islands.
Requirements: Minimum 4 week stay for research to be conducted, and methods and research plans to be provided prior to arriving on the island.
Duration: 1 March to 15 October 2015.
Who to contact: Ecoteer.
