Life in Malaysia

[abarisme]

Hi guys-

What neighborhoods are good, fun, easy to walk anywhere stepping outside your door in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia?

How much do you need to get a nice 2 bedroom/ 1 bath apartment/condo?

[Mathman]

Doesn't matter where you live, you will need a car even if you live by the trains. Public transport here is rubbish and Taxis will rip you off. Either buy a car or find a partner with one. Most locals have a car or motorcycle.

I recommend living walking distance to the school first until you figure out what you like in KL. My recommendation will depend on which school you are going to.

[ChoirGuy]

Hi Mathman,

are you in KL now? I'm HOPING that Alice Smith will be advertising soon (mid-Feb, they say); is Alice Smith way out of town? AND, the campuses are 20 km apart? For a family with one child in Primary and one in Secondary, any suggestions on where to live? Closer to which? (We'd like to be closer to the "city centre"...

[buffalofan]

Somewhat related, can anyone explain this 'Malaysian tax jail' that I've read about on the paid ISR site? Are you really stuck in Malaysia for the entire first year of the contract? It would be a bummer not to be able to hop over to Thailand or Indo on the weekend.

[PsyGuy]

I cant believe this is still being circulated. Its not true that "YOU" cant leave. First you need to understand some fine points of Malaysian immigration. There are two levels of foreign workers. Expatriates are "a foreign national who holds a high-level managerial post in a foreign-owned private company or firm, an intermediate-level managerial or professional post, a technical post, or a job requiring specific technical or practical skills and experience". Everyone else is considered a foreign laborer. So foreign laborers cant leave, because of the tax laws. These are basically unskilled workers who come to Malaysia for short stays and then exit with their money, circumventing the paying of taxes. These people cant get an exit clearence.

So non of this is relevant to you really, because as a professional educator, you are an "Expatriate" and can leave, as long as you have a multi entry visa, or reentry permit. The reality is your employer deducts your taxes every month and holds them until they are due by the government.

So why the "story"?, because there are a number of language schools and psedo schools that basically cant or dont want to go through the work of a skilled/professional visa, and hired teachers as unskilled labor. These people got in, but couldnt get an exit permit to leave. Its big time shady, and scandoulus, but has nothing to do with legitimate "real" IS's.

[Mathman]

Alice Smith is not in kl. It is in a crappier part of town dressed up with fancy lights. Depends on how many times you can stand going to the same mall. Guaranteed to need a car there or you will die of boredom. Probably better to live in the 'inner' outskirts and drive to work everyday. Traffic won't be a problem in that direction. Their second campus is further south, in a much more boring part of town. I'm not sure about their logistics since they will only offer me a local contract hence uninterested.

I have no idea about the tax since I just use my Malaysian ID for work here.

[overseasvet2]

You may leave Malaysia as much as you like before Jan. 1 during your first year. On January 1 the new tax year begins and you are required to be in the country until July 2 to establish residency. You can leave, but you'll take a big hit on taxes. After the first year, it's a non-issue. Some people arrived before July 2 before their contract begins and stay in the country until the winter break...again this established residency and after January 1, for them it was a non-issue.

Throughout your stay in Malaysia you must keep track of your dates in and out of the country - be sure to insist that your passport be stamped every time! When you leave the country, you have to submit a list of the entrance and exit dates along with a photocopy of the passport (s) and the page numbers where the relevant stamps appear. Not a big deal if you start right away and keep it up. It can have a big impact on the retirement funds you pull when leaving - if you don't have all the stamps and dates documented.

This information is about 5 years old so the very best thing to do is to contact the HR dept. to see if any of it has changed - I'd be cautious about checking with co-workers because there can be confusion and you don't want someone else's misinformation to cost you lots of money!

[buffalofan]

Thanks overseasvet, that isn't as bad as I thought it was. I'm not actually heading to Malaysia yet, but it's very high on my list for my next posting. Visited many times and loved it - ISKL would be a dream school though I've heard it's not the easiest place to get a job.

[Mathman]

Plenty of things to do in Malaysia, so it's quite irrelevant actually. If it's the Thai or Vietnamese etc 'massage' you are after, well said law was made partially to make their lives difficult. So go figure