The International Schools Review Forum

Can anyone offer any info on ISKL in Malaysia? Particularly looking for pros, cons, salary, training info. Thanks.

It's a primo school. Darn good package, great admin. The tax situation in the first year gets a little complex, but other than that, it's probably one of the few places where accepting the offer of a job would be a total no-brainer. Got lots of mates there and they love it.
Having worked in 5 international schools, I will add a caveat that like anywhere, you need to consider your "fit." Ask to talk to teachers there who correspond to the job you have been offered/ or hope to be offered and ask the questions that are close to your heart.
Malaysia is pretty cool. Don't forget it is a muslim country, although this is not as obvious upon first perusal, so you must respect that. Prices are going up, particularly for housing. However it's a fabulous jumping off spot for travel.
Good luck!
Cheery

If you are planning a peaceful retirement, working at schools like ISKL (or any top tier school in and around that region) is the way to go.
You can have a lot of fun in Europe, but the real money and savings is in places like s.e.asia.

I would love to work at ISKL! I have only heard good things about that school. I have heard that Malaysia is also a wonderful place to retire if you thinking of someplace to settle down.

Would love to work at ISKL a few years down the line. I've heard nothing but good things. Great package, great savings. Awesome place to live as long as you enjoy tropical weather. KL is one of the world's best hubs for travel within Asia and beyond. I've had a chance to make many visits, and Malaysia on the whole is a fascinating country. I would imagine it's really hard to get into ISKL though.

The school is great from what I've heard from friends.

Living in KL seems to work really well for some and not so well for others. It sounds like you need a car or to take taxis to get around. It's not a walking friendly city like some other Asian cities. Traffic is tough and you spent a lot of time getting places.

Thanks for the replies. I know KL well so the insights to the school are most valuable. Much appreciated.

I used to work there and overall, an okay school. There were some good things about the school but some things I really didn't like about it. There are some good people there and great for families (especially for HS kids). Package was good but money isn't everything. My friends who are still there complain that they keep piling on layers of work without ever taking anything off.

Malaysia was a bit challenging to live in (very conservative muslim laws). You defintely need a car to get by there so the inital setup is quite costly.

Thanks xtralight. Any expansion on what you didn't like? Please PM if that makes you feel more comfortable but I'd really like a 360 view. How long ago were you there and how long did you stay? Could staffing have changed to mitigate these problems since you left?

Your advice and insight much appreciated.

For me, it was difficult to put my finger on. I suppose it was the culture/climate of the school and their way of doing things. Everything seemed to be about 10 years behind in best practice and teaching methodology (like suddenly Smartboards were new and differentiation had just been discovered). I think it had to do with the fact that many teachers never left there so it became a rather stagnant place (not a high turnover) and complaceny in the way of doing things. Then, when a lot of new teachers came in, it suddenly went into high gear to try and catch up. It became very frantic. Anyway, that's just my two cents.

That's very interesting and I can see why that stagnation might occur. How long ago was this?

3 years ago

Interesting. So, it seems that more than one international school in Malaysia has teachers that are past it and maintaining the status quo. I guess that's what happens in a country known for it's retirement communities. Malaysia My Second Home anyone? There are pensioners on the beach and in the classrooms.