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Residential Advisor

Education

Coordinate activities in resident facilities in secondary school and college dormitories, group homes, or similar establishments. Order supplies and determine need for maintenance, repairs, and furnishings. May maintain household records and assign rooms. May assist residents with problem solving or refer them to counseling resources.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

EducationGeneral

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Communicate with other staff to resolve problems with individual students.
  2. 2Observe students to detect and report unusual behavior.
  3. 3Supervise, train, and evaluate residence hall staff, including resident assistants, participants in work-study programs, and other student workers.
  4. 4Provide emergency first aid and summon medical assistance when necessary.
  5. 5Make regular rounds to ensure that residents and areas are safe and secure.
  6. 6Mediate interpersonal problems between residents.
  7. 7Enforce rules and regulations to ensure the smooth and orderly operation of dormitory programs.
  8. 8Determine the need for facility maintenance and repair, and notify appropriate personnel.
  9. 9Collaborate with counselors to develop counseling programs that address the needs of individual students.
  10. 10Develop and coordinate educational programs for residents.
  11. 11Develop program plans for individuals or assist in plan development.
  12. 12Oversee departmental budget.
  13. 13Provide requested information on students' progress and the development of case plans.
  14. 14Administer, coordinate, or recommend disciplinary and corrective actions.
  15. 15Confer with medical personnel to better understand the backgrounds and needs of individual residents.
  16. 16Answer telephones, and route calls or deliver messages.
  17. 17Counsel students in the handling of issues such as family, financial, and educational problems.
  18. 18Supervise students' housekeeping work to ensure that it is done properly.
  19. 19Process contract cancellations for students who are unable to follow residence hall policies and procedures.
  20. 20Hold regular meetings with each assigned unit.
  21. 21Accompany and supervise students during meals.
  22. 22Compile information such as residents' daily activities and the quantities of supplies used to prepare required reports.
  23. 23Supervise the activities of housekeeping personnel.
  24. 24Assign rooms to students.
  25. 25Provide transportation or escort for expeditions, such as shopping trips or visits to doctors or dentists.
  26. 26Direct and participate in on- and off-campus recreational activities for residents of institutions, boarding schools, fraternities or sororities, children's homes, or similar establishments.
  27. 27Chaperone group-sponsored trips and social functions.
  28. 28Order supplies for facilities.
  29. 29Sort and distribute mail.
  30. 30Inventory, pack, and remove items left behind by former residents.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Housefellow
  • House Father
  • House Mother
  • House Parent
  • Hall Director
  • Resident Aide
  • Cottage Parent
  • Sorority Mother
  • Hall Coordinator
  • Housing Director

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. Typical entry

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationSome college

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BusinessDraws directly on Administration and Management — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EconomicsDraws directly on Administration and Management — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BiologyDraws directly on Therapy and Counseling — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Sports ScienceDraws directly on Therapy and Counseling — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Customer and Personal Service89%
  • Administration and Management84%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Public Safety and Security81%
  • Education and Training80%
  • English Language78%

    English

  • Sociology and Anthropology75%

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsOften
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherRarely
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never
  • Hands-on work with tools or objectsAlmost none

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Advise student organizations.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

18%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

0.12%

Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work

Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job — and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

IPG (Teacher Training)

Become a school teacher: fully funded, with an allowance and a guaranteed posting. Apply separately through KPM after SPM.

~5 years

International Pre-U

A-Levels, AUSMAT, IB and more. The flexible premium route, local or overseas.

1–2 years

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Residential Advisors

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org