kimbo259

Hi all,

I am new here but need some advice!
My husband and I are thinking about moving to Penang. He is originally from Penang and has family there which we can stay with until we find our own place. Our only problem is that we are unsure whether the move will be a good idea!

If we move from the UK to Penang my husband will be working with his family in the printing business and I will want to work in an international school/as an English teacher.

What are the chances of me getting a job that pays a fairly decent wage? (3000RM per month+) I am currently an NQT (primary school), have a PGCE and have a CertTESOL and a BSc.

What are the safest areas to live in for an expat? Are there areas which we should avoid (for safety/expensive accommodation- we might even buy a flat)

On average how much is it to live per month? (average expenses?)

We are still debating whether life in the UK will be better than in Penang and it's such a tricky decision!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks
Kim

ex reg

There'll be plenty of posters to answer your queries.

But I'm intrigued as to why you can't get all the answers you need from your husband and his family.

kimbo259

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately my husband hasn't been back to Penang for a few years so we are a bit out of the loop! Teaching wise, none of his family know expats and know much about teaching over there. Money wise, I was just curious to see if overall there was an average for monthly expenses. Similarly with the places to live- I just wondered whether there were any specific places most expats like to live in!

Bluenose1

First off it will very much depend on what visa you come in on. For the Long Term Stay Visit Pass (effectively the spouse visa now)

a) that will depend on where you were married - if it was in Malaysia, that will be easier; if it was (for instance) the U.K. then I believe you will have to register the marriage at the Malaysian High Commission in London (if you haven't already done so).
b) The Long Term Stay Visit Pass prohibits you from any form of employment, although there is a way around this, but I think you must have an offer of employment first, then you can have a stamp put in your visa allowing you to work.

To come into Malaysia on a work permit, you would need to have an offer of employment and your employer should make all the arrangements for your work permit.

If you meet all the requirements (particularly in terms of the fixed deposit) you may be able to apply for MM2H, but I'm not sure if that allows you to work more than a set number of hours (this may have changed, so someone with more knowledge about the MM2H visa may like to reply).

I am not sure if you would qualify for any other type of visa that would allow you to work. Again, others who are wiser may have better and perhaps more up-to-date answers for you. Good luck with it all!

misse1

Hi Kimbo,

The general rule of thumb for international schools employing expat staff is that they require you to have a relevant degree (check), a PGCE (check), and a minimum of 3 years classroom teaching experience....so, as an NQT, this may be your stumbling block, but not all international schools may stick hard and fast to this requirement.

As for salary, though, you will definitely be earning more than RM3,000, especially if your employment contract is for an expat as opposed to a local because of the 'expat benefits package' offered by all reputable international schools: most expats get an 'expat allowance' on top of their salary AND a housing allowance AND private medical insurance AND the cost of flights back to base country at the end of every contract. Thus, you will definitely earn more if you secure a post as an expat as opposed to as a local... the down side would be your contract will only be short-term (eg. 2yrs) as opposed to a permanent one - which could be a huge problem if you and your husband want to try and secure a mortgage to buy a house.

Good luck with your plans.

kimbo259

Thank you so much for all your replies! I will definitely be applying for a spouse visa and as we were married in Malaysia it will be easier I hope to apply for one. Does anyone know how long it takes to process the application??


I think being an NQT will be a bit harder but I'm sure I will eventually get a job of some kind! I just hope it goes smoothly.

Thanks again for letting me know about job opportunities! I did wonder whether an allowance would be included etc. As for the housing situation, I think we will just have to rent for now and then consider what to do later on.

But overall I think we have decided to move over and live there. It's such an exciting country and something totally different to our lives now!

Bluenose1

AS far as I know the spouse visa has been replaced by the Long Term Stay Visit Pass - there is a 'sticky' at the top of the page which has been added to a number of times. It would seem that different applications take different lengths of time and the validation period also seems to differ. The LTSVP will specifically not allow you to work. After you receive your visa, I believe you can apply to have it overstamped giving you the right to work but as far as I understand you have to have an actual offer of employment. However, things seem to change rather regularly in Malays and things might be different from when I got my first LTSVP last year. It will probably be worth your while asking at the Immigration office when you apply for your visa.

For your application I suggest you have a look in the 'sticky', if you haven't already done so, for the documentation (and timescales) you will need.

kimbo259

Thank you so much for your advice! I've done a bit more research and you're right the spouse visa has been replaced by the LTSVP. What I will do is go to the immigration office once I'm in Penang and ask them about the process of getting a stamp to say I can work there. I'll have a look at the sticky you suggested and see what docs I need too. Thanks again!