possible move to KL
 

Hi all
new on this forum.
Im a brit whos spent the last three years working in a university in upstate NY. Cant take any more snow and we've decided to move on before the arteries clog up further from the three burgers a day lifestyle.

Ive been offered a 2 year Professorship post in the University of Malaya and as i would be coming over with my wife and two kids, neither of which will hit school age for a couple of years, it seems like a good opportunity.

Ive travelled a fair bit in Asia but its ten years since i was last in KL so i am looking for advice from those in the know before i decide whether to sign the contract.....

Views on the cost of living in KL on the forum seem to vary massively....i would be coming over on what seems to be a very good local salary (RM 10,500 per month taxable plus RM7000 per month non taxable allowances), but its a big drop from a US salary and nothing compared to some of the expat 'hardship' deals that still go on...so the question is can we live a decent life on that salary for a couple of years?....we would be looking to rent a 2 or 3-bed condo somewhere near the university, sending the kids part-time to a local nursery and having enough cash to eat out (local restaurants) and a few drinks during the week and an Air Asia trip away every couple of months.

Where would be a good area to live?...ideally i would like to walk or use public transport to get to work. The University is in '50603' if that means anything.

Nursery costs. I hear that the Discovery House centres are good, can anyone comment on them and related costs.

Healthcare. Im negotiating with the University for Healthcare coverage for the family, but perhaps someone could let me know healthcare quality and costs if this falls through. Im reluctant to bring two kids (3 and a half and one year old at start of contract, august) to Asia if good healthcare coverage isnt available.

Does anyone have any idea of working life in a KL university? Ive spent the last three years in a US University where there is a ridiculous work ethic and the previous ten years in a Uni in the republic of ireland where its a lot more laid back (which i much preferred)

Any help anyone could offer would be great

Re: possible move to KL
 

Hello

Just touching on a few of your points: trying looking at condo's around Section 17 or 16 in PJ, there are buses that run around there and also a train (depending on where you live). My son went to Childrens Discovery House up until last August. You have to pay for the full five day programme regrdless of how much many days they actually attend. Our basic fee's were 3600 a term (three terms a year). This is for 9am till 12pm.

Cheers

Re: possible move to KL
 

Thanks AJW...Discovery house seems reasonable
so one other question.....do you really need a car in KL if you can commute from section 16 or 17 or PJ? I guess the University is walking distance from 16/17 and a straight commute from PJ. If i dont need a car for work does it make sense to be car free and rent one when we really need to?
if anyone has any suggestions about how far quoted salary will go i would appreciate it...thats my big concern
thanks

Re: possible move to KL
 

Hello

I think it depends too on how your partner would feel about not having a car and depending on taxis. Your closest Childrens House nursery would be in Bangsar which is 15 mins (on a good day) from PJ. As a 'trailing spouse' without a car I would feel isolated and frustrated and it would certainly make life more difficult especially since you have children to ferry around too (aside from the safety issues of there being not child restraints in taxis and sometimes no rear seatbelts!). Its a personal choice. I understand that cars are expensive here but I think its also a quality of life question.

Maybe I'm just high maintenance ;)

Good luck

Re: possible move to KL
 

You should push for healthcare. They will probably give you a local policy which may not cover outpatient appointments but will cover any hospitalisation which would be your largest expense. To see a paediatrician here in Bangsar, I pay 80rm for a consult plus medicines (which are dispensed directly by the dr - handy!). For our own GP, he charges a ridiculous 40rm for a consultation. If you go to a Dr whose clinic is part of a hospital (many specialist clinics are) you will pay more.

Re: possible move to KL
 

thanks again...its not so much the cost of a car, more whether there's any need for one if i walk to work and we can get into the fun parts of the city at weekends by public transport...see the problem about getting to and from nursery though. I take it you can drive on a european or US licence or swap for an equivalent Malay licence without having to take a test? One last question..how long does an employment pass take to process? are we talking a few weeks or six months?
cheers

Re: possible move to KL
 

Having a car is a personal choice.
I'm sure if was part of the job package you'd be very happy to have it and use it.
If it's not part of the package then it does require some thought and maybe a few months living in KL without one will decide for you one way or the other.

At our age it always surprises us that parents use a car for the school run as much as anything else, but as everyone seems to do it it must be the easiest way. Many schools provide bus transport with pick up and drop offs at designated condos. Not sure if that's the situation for pre schoolers.

Although public transport and taxis are great it does sometimes get on our nerves especially on school holidays.

You also have to take into account traffic jams and parking problems.

We've lived in the region for a long long time and usually had cars provided. When I retired we tried it without a car for a year or two cars being exceptionally expensive here in Singapore, but in the end we gave in and bought a car.
When I worked in Malaysia you could drive forever on a UK license, not sure about that now. In Singapore you are allowed 6 months on a UK license then have to pass a written test to get a local license.

Re: possible move to KL
 

As a parent I would be far more surprised at people, with kids, who didnt have a car. There are no buses for pre-schoolers and I doubt many parents with kids of that age would want them travelling on a bus without parental supervision anyway? Even the international schools recommend against kids under year one age riding the school bus (although some still do) and the supervision on some of these buses leaves a lot to be desired.

Its definitely a personal choice but if you're the one left at home all day with the kids and no independent means of transport then it can be a fairly depressing experience.

Re: possible move to KL
 

thanks guys. my plan would have been to drop the kids off at nursery myself on the way into work but if that doesnt work with the house and uni location i guess we get a car.

Re: possible move to KL
 

I think you can live very comfortably so long as you're renting and dont have a foreign mortgage or big credit card debts. As you'll be a lecturer in university malaya you'll be very respected by all malays in comparison to if you were teaching at a foreign or private institution as university malaya just has that aura. The obvious place to rent would be Bangsar or Damansara utama. I think Damansara utama is the best value for money but Bandar Utama is another one. however if it was me getting the job. i wouldnt rule out Sungai Buloh as there are some upscale developments which can match those innercity neighbourhoods with security. but you're unlikely to find Caucasians in Sungai Buloh it is a strictly Malay township. Of course there is no rule to say that it has to be like that just that it is slightly in the Kampong(countryside) compared to rest of Klang valley which runs west to east and south to north. My advice go for Damanansara Utama or Bandar Utama but you may feel Damansara Utama is a bit safer and has more of a modern metropolitan, cosmopolitan expatriate feel.

Re: possible move to KL
 

Dolapreneur
thanks very much for the advice. Signed the contract yesterday. Considerable drop from US salary (at least i think it is; hard to work it out accurately with all the allowances etc) but from what i can see in real terms it should give us a similar quality of life....kids are too young for school for a coupleof years anyway, so no fees to concern ourselves with....with the added advantages of a new environment and no snow (goodbye NY snow country)
One of the attractions is that the post is in UM....they are the only malay uni in the top 200 worldwide and they are on an upward trajectory from what i can see so it could be fun to play a role in that.
in terms of a condo, my wife will not be working and we could do with being somewhere relatively near a nursery and it would be good if she had some firendly faces, local or expat, to meet up with. Ideally, maybe playgroups for the kids?
we move over to KL starting on August 1st and we are very excited about the opportunity.

Re: possible move to KL
 

hey congrats on the contract. new adventure uh?

Just to add re car/walking, when 35 degrees and high humidity might not want too long a walk. and when it rains it really rains...not for walking

Re: possible move to KL
 

Congrats on the contract and welcome to KL.

I've got a place for rent in Bangsar at Sri Penaga which is mainly an expat area. It's 5-10 min taxi to Universiti Malaya (I'm not an agent btw, I'm currently renting the place).

Its just across the road from Bangsar Shopping Center which has great bars, cafes, shop and a supermarket. And its easy to find a taxi there.

send me a mail to [email protected]

I just want to reiterate I'm not an agent, I'm currently renting this place but I'm moving back to Oz for my work and I told the agent I'd help them find a new tenant because they've been nice to me.

Re: possible move to KL
 

Thanks Micksolo
I think its a little bit early for us to organise housing as we dont arrive in KL until August and we will be put up in University housing for the first month or so, but thanks for the suggestion.

Can anyone suggest a good shipping company to move household effects from the US to KL?