DanSolihull

I've been in Australia for nearly 2 years now on a 457 (currently living in Melbourne but lived in Perth before that). I have just got offered a job in Penang, Malaysia and I am seriously considering moving.

I'm a single guy and the job is for a promotion and a really good package on offer. Does anyone have experience of both cities and would I be making a big mistake? I love Melbourne but the opportunity seems like a good one and a chance to live in another different country.

YvetteCamille

Hi Dan,

I have never been to Penang specifically however I have travelled around thailand and that part of the world is stunningly beautiful with a chilled way of life. I dont know if youve been to Asia but Id go there in a heartbeat if there was work for me! Youre in a pretty good situation and what a nice problem to have
Could you go back to Oz if Penang didnt work out? If so id say go for it, you only live obce so cram in as many adventures as possible! Sorry I cant actually be of any use!

aussietobe

Penang and Melbourne are completely different so not sure how you could compare easily. If you are foot loose and fancy free and easily adaptable and are happy to leave Australia without citizenship then it soudns like an adventure. However from what I have heard living in Asia is not all beers and skittles. There is political unrest, corruption and you can never be a citizen of Malaysia. You will be living in a third world nation and if you get married and have children then there are ramifications with regards to that.

spouse of scouse

I've visited Penang a few times, staying with my Malaysian friend in her mother's home (which is also a temple!) Because I wasn't an 'ordinary' tourist, I saw places and met people that I probably wouldn't have if I'd visited on my own.

Whether you enjoy living there or not will depend very much on you. I found the touristy parts, such as Batu Ferringhi, to be a clone of many tourist strips in Asia. There are a few residential areas with mainly expats, if you like that sort of thing. Violent crime and robbery is relatively low, police corruption seems to be the norm. Example, my friend's brother got pulled over for speeding and was given the option of a ticket and formal fine, or pay the policeman a smaller amount of money directly. He took the latter option, and told me that most people do that.

Eating in local restaurants seems safe enough, I certainly didn't suffer any ill-effects, although I did see several large rats scurrying around on the roads outside. You'll find that there are two prices in shops, the ticketed one for the foreigners, and the negotiable one for the locals. I'd pick out what I wanted while my friend stayed outside, then she'd go in and bargain - huge difference (although I did ask her not to bargain too hard, everyone has to make a living!).

If you're going to stay for any length of time, I'd strongly suggest learning the Malay language. It will not only make your day to day life easier, it'll enable you to make friends with the locals more easily. I find Malay people to be very warm and generous, and if you're a friend of one of a family, you automatically become friends with the entire extended family.

Good luck with whatever you decide