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Preschool Teacher

Education

Instruct preschool-aged students, following curricula or lesson plans, in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth.

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

Education

What you'd do all day

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

  1. 1Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
  2. 2Provide a variety of materials and resources for children to explore, manipulate, and use, both in learning activities and in imaginative play.
  3. 3Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order.
  4. 4Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
  5. 5Serve meals and snacks in accordance with nutritional guidelines.
  6. 6Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, and changing their diapers.
  7. 7Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and needs, determine their priorities for their children, and suggest ways that they can promote learning and development.
  8. 8Organize and lead activities designed to promote physical, mental, and social development, such as games, arts and crafts, music, storytelling, and field trips.
  9. 9Observe and evaluate children's performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
  10. 10Identify children showing signs of emotional, developmental, or health-related problems and discuss them with supervisors, parents or guardians, and child development specialists.
  11. 11Assimilate arriving children to the school environment by greeting them, helping them remove outerwear, and selecting activities of interest to them.
  12. 12Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
  13. 13Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
  14. 14Read books to entire classes or to small groups.
  15. 15Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to children.
  16. 16Arrange indoor and outdoor space to facilitate creative play, motor-skill activities, and safety.
  17. 17Teach proper eating habits and personal hygiene.
  18. 18Demonstrate activities to children.
  19. 19Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
  20. 20Enforce all administration policies and rules governing students.
  21. 21Prepare and implement remedial programs for students requiring extra help.
  22. 22Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.
  23. 23Provide students with disabilities with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.
  24. 24Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.
  25. 25Organize and label materials and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their ages and perceptual skills.
  26. 26Prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration.
  27. 27Collaborate with other teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of preschool programs.
  28. 28Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guests, or other experiential activities and guide students in learning from those activities.
  29. 29Perform administrative duties, such as hall and cafeteria monitoring and bus loading and unloading.
  30. 30Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.
  31. 31Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.
  32. 32Supervise, evaluate, and plan assignments for teacher assistants and volunteers.
  33. 33Administer tests to help determine children's developmental levels, needs, and potential.
  34. 34Attend staff meetings and serve on committees as required.

Also known as

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

  • Teacher
  • Group Teacher
  • Pre-K Teacher
  • Start Teacher
  • Infant Teacher
  • Daycare Teacher
  • Nursery Teacher
  • Toddler Teacher
  • Day Care Teacher
  • Childcare Teacher

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 educationHigh school diploma

Subjects that matter here

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

EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
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).
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.

  • Education and Training80%
  • English Language76%

    English

  • Public Safety and Security66%
  • Customer and Personal Service64%
  • Psychology62%
  • Administration and Management53%

    BusinessEconomics

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
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsEvery day
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentEvery day

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.

15%

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.

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
See pay for a related career: Teacher (DG9)

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.

IPG (Teacher Training)

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

~5 years

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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: Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

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

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue