Moving to Malaysia

by Emile Dodds

Many people want to settle in Malaysia, and why not? Malaysia is a tropical paradise with the laid-back atmosphere of a developing country combined with the modern infrastructure of a developed nation.

Jobs

As Malaysia is a fast-developing country, there is a lot of work for engineers, IT specialists, and architects. As with many other countries, English teachers are always needed. Teachers of other subjects can find jobs in the various international schools in the main cities.

Some expatriates manage to set up a thriving restaurant, pub, or café. If you are thinking of trying your hand at this, it would be a good idea to get some experience working in a local hotel first to get an idea of the fickle local tastes.

Visas

As in many other countries, the general rule is that foreigners may be hired to do work that locals are not able to do or fill positions for which there is a shortage of local staff.

Ideally, you would arrange employment with a company from home, and they would arrange for your work permit to be issued before bringing you over. Most foreigners, however, come to Malaysia and then start their job search. This means that when you start work, you are likely to be illegal for some time while the paperwork for your work permit is being sorted out. During this time you will be on a tourist visa, which lasts for one to three months. You may have to exit the country, to Singapore or Thailand, and reenter to renew your tourist visa during this time.

alloexpat.com

This website serves the expatriate community in Malaysia. Many of the issues raised here are discussed at length on the website’s forums.

Emile Alexander Dodds has been involved in English language education in Malaysia for eight years and is the author of the book, From Manglish to English . Emile runs a website for teachers and students called The Road to Grammar (www.roadtogrammar.com). Emile has also lived and worked in Britain, Romania, Turkey, and Singapore.