A Warm Welcome

There are so many emotions attached to relocating to a new country and workplace.  The mix of adventurous excitement and confidence from past experiences mixes with trepidation from all the unknowns that lie ahead to produce a roiling stew pot of feelings.  Our arrival in Malaysia has been no exception, but it has quickly become apparent that our placement in Jerantut has set us up for success.


Melissa and I have been working as English teachers, trainers, and mentors abroad for the last 5 years.  Our teaching experiences have been in both rural and urban locations around S. Korea which is where we met. We were married in August 2014, and we wanted to begin this new chapter of our lives in a new place... a truly fresh start!

Although we were happy and successful in our jobs in Korea, we felt there was room to do more
when it comes to really raising the English skills of young students.  Putting a native English teacher in a classroom with young learners does provide a great boost to their abilities, but those results are limited by the amount of time we can spend with them.  It was often the case that we would see any particular classroom of students only once a week and for only about 40 minutes per class.   We simply felt that there had to be a better way to utilize our experience and expertise for a greater impact on English education.  In our current roles as TELL mentors we have already seen that in working together with the teachers our energies are focused towards those who really have the most time with and understanding of the individual students, and therefore, makes a much greater impact on the results.  Furthermore, that impact is not limited to how long we stay in Malaysia or to one class of students, but carries on with each Malaysian English teacher long after we are gone.


On top of our belief in the work, we have been so warmly received by all the people we have met here in Jerantut.  Thank you to everyone from the GBs, to the teachers and staff, and especially to Jinks for all of your help and kindness while we have gotten settled.  Thank you for all of the biscuits and cups of coffee/tea in the canteens.  Thank you for all the advice on where and how to find housing, set up utilities, and find random things like our favorite brand of cereal or wifi.  All of you have really made us feel at home here in Jerantut, and as this school year comes to a close we couldn't be more happy with our new town and look forward to working together with all of you in 2015!

Josh Simon (ELP Jerantut)