 In 1954, Burgess joined the British Colonial Service as a teacher and education officer in Malaya, initially stationed at Kuala Kangsar in Perak.Here he taught at the "Malay College" (now Malay College Kuala Kangsar – MCKK), modeled on English public school lines.In addition to his teaching duties, he was a housemaster in charge of students of the preparatory school, who were housed at a Victorian mansion known as "King's Pavilion".