We are pleased to enlighten you with the latest news and various educational articles via Borneo eZone (enews), Newsflash (press release) and articles published on newspapers.
Borneo Eco Tours (BET) has a wide range of job opportunities available from time to time. Anyone with a deep passion for ecotourism, tourism or the environment will find many interesting opportunities at BET.
Since 1995, numerous international internship students joined Borneo Eco Tours to experience themselves our very own system of running a world-class tourism company in the heart of Borneo Island. "Why Borneo ? and Why Borneo Eco Tours?" - these are the questions repeatedly asked by our colleagues in response to the increasing number of international students who travelled thousands of miles from home to this little known part of the world.
Read what some of our former trainees and volunteers had to say:
Annemarie Morak, The Netherlands
Volunteered from June-August 2011
I'm on my way back to civilization after finishing my volunteering program in the jungle of Sabah. (Sukau Rainforest Lodge)
What an experience. I went in without knowing where I would end up or what my program would exactly entail. I saw it as an adventure. And I can say that if they would ask me again now, I would definitely do it again!
The reason I came in is that I believe deeply in vocational training. I think that through this you can give people a future. You can teach skills they can use to generate an income, or as Ghandi said it: "Give a man a fish, you'll feed him for a day, you teach him how to fish and you'll feed him for a lifetime!"
My job was training the staff in Hospitality and teaching English. And with this my main goal to empower the girls; make them believe in themselves and believe in a future. The last part I expected to be very hard, but by being an example of where Education, dreams and hard work can bring you, I saw the girls changing. Supporting them, motivating them and training them did the work. I've seen the girls change from shy and quiet to enthusiastic, talkative and even pursuing their dreams. This is the biggest 'wage' that they could've given me.
Besides my work I've spend a lot of time in the jungle. And of course I've learned a lot about the culture of Malaysia and more specific the Uran sungai (river people).
I would definitely recommend volunteering at Sukau Rainforest Lodge. Living in the jungle of Borneo, sharing your room with your colleagues and going on trecks and cruises will give you an experience of a lifetime!
Mounia Gharsalli NHTV Breda,
The Netherlands
Internship Completed: March 2011
Kepada Kewan-Kewan,
After doing my internship in this beloved company, I am sure that I will be feeling very 'homesick' as soon as I am returning back home. I would like to thank everyone in Borneo Eco Tours who helped me out during my internship. You are all very lovely and everyone has been very nice to me. I am sure of missing you all. It was not my first time to be far away from home, my stay in Canada for a half a year was an amazing experience, which I will never forget. Sabah has been a totally new experience to me which I will keep for my future life journey abundantly.
During this internship, I have gained some new acknowledgment. Therefore, this was only achievable with the help of Ms Susi, who has been always very patient with me and always prepared to take time to explain me how things work. Not to forget about Hailin & Roland. In times of sorrow I could always have a chat with Agnes. She is a great person and I will never forget her kindness. Susan, always managed to understand me in any kind of situation, I am sure she will have lots of nice years to come! Furthermore, Melissa and Daybi became very important to me during my internship and I can tell that I am going to miss them a lot because they always stood by me and made me feel very home in Sabah.
They are really my friends and I even consider them as my sisters. But we will definitely keep in touch and I hope there will be one day soon, to return to Sabah. Finally, I would like to say that everyone is very special and I admire your team work and spirit in it.
Many thanks to you all for letting me be a part of the family. Warm regards & love, Mounia
Eik Hua
UCSI Sarawak
Internship Completed: December 2010
Dear BET Staff,
First of all, I would like to thank my parents for supporting me until the end because in the beginning they disagreed that I’m going to have my 2 months internship in Sabah. Secondly, I would like to thank BET for giving me this opportunity to do my internship in Sales Department of Borneo Eco Tours. BET has given me a lot of experience, knowledge and motivation. The staff are all very helpful and friendly and that made me feel welcome and some of the staff treat me as their friend. I will appreciate you all and keep in touch.
It was the first time I work in an office environment and I do not have any skills and experience at all. Nevertheless, I have tried hard to learn. We all learned from mistakes and never give up easily. Day by day it was getting better. I feel good that BET encourages staff to read book and do book summary in order to increase their motivation, self improvement and build up their leadership skills.... Read more
Brinna Bong,
UCSI Sarawak
Internship Completed: December 2010
First of all, I want to thank my superior, Ms. Susi, my department manager Ms. Agnes, my best colleagues Hailin, Roland, Vic, Kelvin, Joe, Leslie, Rex and all the staff at Borneo Eco Tours. My internship at Borneo Eco Tours was a great opportunity for me. The experience I have got is huge and useful. After this job I know what I need to expect in the future career in hospitality industry. The skills that I learned will give me the chance for future personal and professional growth. Once again, thank you all for your kindly help, patience and friendship during these two months. You are a special group of people and I will definitely miss you all.
Abram Francis Le Cerf,
Southern Cross University, Australia
Internship Completed: January 2009
Dear wonderful friends,
As I prepare to leave your magnificent country I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for giving me such an unforgettable experience here in Sabah . You have all made me feel so welcome and have treated me with great kindness. I have learned so much here in your country not only about BET and its operations, but more importantly about the amazing environment and the very special people of Sabah . At the bottom of this email are my email addresses (I use the hotmail one most of the time and for Facebook).
Finally, if any of you ever come to Australia please email me and I will come and meet you if you are in my area, I would be most honoured ;) Once again 'Terima kasih'. I bid you all the fondest farewell (for now) and I promise you that my time here with you all in this wonderful place will remain in my heart until the end of my days. I look forward to seeing you when I return!
With love, strength, happiness and deep respect, Abram.
Anouar Lyamine,
University of Le Havre, France
Internship Completed: August 2008
'Sudah Balik'!!!
My four months-internship programme in Borneo Eco Tours was an experience that will stay with me for all my life. After having spent four months in Sabah I know a great deal more about ecotourism and I have learned an amazing amount about Sabah and Borneo.
I would recommend this experience to anyone; moreover life in Sabah is very amazing!!
I have had the privilege of working with amazing highly skilled colleague that are available to help you anytime. Everyone at Borne Eco Tours are friends as much co-workers... Read more
Meltina Masanti,
Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
Internship Completed: July 2008
When I first step in Borneo Eco Tours office, I was so amaze with the number of recognition this company received national and international level. Being able to part of the company even for short period of two months brings much joyful and promising experience for me to keep for my future life journey abundantly. After my application approved by Borneo Eco Tours, my journey as practical student begin.
As for now, after my day of internship goes by, I learnt to treasure every moment I've in Borneo Eco Tours. On my first week in Borneo Eco Tours I struggle so much to fit in the environment and not to regret my decision to do my internship in Borneo Eco Tours. I don't know how to describe my first two weeks in Borneo Eco Tours, there was the time I'm thinking of switching place but I confront with my heart and try to make it till the end. Because I always adore and amaze with Borneo Eco Tours, I try so hard to put aside every negative feelings that kept interfering with my desire to know more about this company... Read more
Denise Lim, Taylors College,
Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Internship completed: June 2008
Borneo Eco Tours is a great place to be in!
Spending 3 months in Borneo Eco Tours was really an eye-opening journey. I have learnt and gained a lot of experince during this training. All that i had learnt is very precious.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Borneo Eco Tours for giving me an opportunity to be able to be a part of this "family". I also want to thank the Sales and Reservation Department staff for making my time there meaningful. They taught me a lot and I really appreciate it.
The friendship that was built will always remain too!
Thank you everyone for your guidance!
God Bless! =)
Bart Schillings, NHTV Breda,
The Netherlands
Internship completed: June 2008
Goedendag - Good day (in Dutch)
Malaysian Borneo has been my home for the last 7 months. When I decided to go to Sabah , I actually didn't have a clue what to expect. In November 2007, after a long journey, I arrived at Kota Kinabalu airport and here I was in the land below the wind. Richard was waiting for me and from that first moment when we met, I already got the feeling that I made the right decision to come here. The day after I arrived, I went to the office and the first thing I remember is that everyone thought I was very tall and especially they thought that I was older than I actually am. Since that moment, the ice was broken and I already felt comfortable. During the first weeks, I got to know everyone which was definitely fun... Read more
Michelle Noronha,
Edith Cowan University (ECU), Western Australia Internship completed: April 2008
Hidden Paradise in Sabah
During September 2006, I visited Sabah as part of a university field trip with a group of students and my lecturer Ross Dowling. Sabah is one of Malaysia 's 13 states which lies on the island of Borneo , the world's third largest island. There are 3 countries on the island of Borneo - 2 of Malaysia 's states (Sabah and Sarawak), Brunei and the Indonesian state Kalimantan . The field trip was conducted as part of a supervised research unit at Edith Cowan University . We started our 10 day trip from Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, where we could see Mount Kinabalu or 'Gunung Kinabalu' as the locals call it. We were also given the opportunity to visit a number of remote Rungus... Read more
Tanja Meiniche Tobiasen, The Danish Business Academy,
Minerva, Denmark.
Internship completed: October 2007
Tomorrow I'll leave this wonderful place and all the great people who I'm going to miss very much.
I have only been here for three months, but it feels like several years because of all the new experiences and things I have learned. This includes both working within the travel industry and the opportunities to visit some of the beautiful places in Sabah.
So thank you very much Borneo Eco Tours for making my life so much richer! =)
And I'll see you all soon...
Eaffy Felxna Memin, Mara University of Technology,
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
Internship completed: October 2007
I had a very difficult period when applying for a practical place in Borneo Eco Tours. Unknowing of the exact date of the new semester makes my application stuck in the middle of nowhere!
Finally my application is accepted and my new world with Borneo Eco Tours is begun. With zero basic on tourism industry, it is a tough beginning for me as I have to learn lots of new things everyday even on my last day... Read more
Annelien Schoormans, NHTV Breda,
The Netherlands
Internship completed: August 2007
My time in Borneo Eco Tours was very special. I started my practical in Brunei but after 5 weeks I transfer to Kota Kinabalu to start all over again. After my 5 months I am happy Susan made the decision to accept me in the company.
For myself it has been a blessing to transfer to Borneo Eco Tours. You get the chance to learn everything within the company and the travel industry in Sabah works. Besides that they give you the chance to explore everything yourself. During my time here I've seen a lot of Sabah but also I travel overseas... Read more
Amir Ali Abadi, NHTV Breda,
The Netherlands
Internship completed: June 2007
Dear All,
There are some things I want to share after my 5 months internship in Borneo Eco Tours and about my stay in Sabah . I will leave Sabah with very mixed feelings! I have made a lot of friends in just a very short time. I haven't had any second that I felt alone, as there were always people who wanted to join for dinner or for a drink. I'm very thankful for that to all of you!... Read more
Aira Soikkeli, Diploma of Tourism,
Helsinki Business College, Finland
Internship completed: May 2007
My BAGUS practical training in Borneo Eco Tours
Just returned to Finland after spending four months in Sabah as a trainee. I had a great time doing office work, airport transfers, meeting guests, teaching English, working a month at Sukau rainforest lodge.. It was bagus! Learnt a lot on tourism and saw many parts of beautiful Sabah... Read more
Justine Nagorski,
Edith Cowan University (ECU), Western Australia Internship completed: February 2007
In 2006, 26 students from Edith Cowan University, of which I was a part, were given the opportunity to take part in a field trip as part of final year studies. We spent ten exhilarating days in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo; the people were friendly, the wildlife plentiful and the scenery magnificent. The trip was a unique and life altering experience that could not be learnt in a lecture theatre. Upon return to Perth I was so impressed by Sabah, not only as a world class Naturebased tourism destination but also because of the strong culture and friendly host community. I wanted to investigate destination Sabah further and contribute in some way. Professor Ross Dowling (Foundation Professor and Head of Tourism, ECU) and Mr Albert Teo (owner of Borneo Eco Tours) gave me the opportunity to relate my current knowledge and experience of tourism to contemporary practice in industry... Read more
