Employment in Malaysia

Before you can start working in Malaysia, you need to be granted expat status The you need to be granted expat status. The country has a dedicated Expat Committee, which deals with questions of , qexpat employment.

There are two preliminary requirements p y qwhich must be fulfilled by prospective expats before they can start working in M l i i i l f RM 5000 Malaysia: a minimum salary of RM 5000, and a minimum period of employment of 2 years 2 years.

On top of that, only people who fall into one of the following categories qualify for one of the following categories qualify for working in Malaysia as an expat:

Key post: You occupy a top managerial Key post: You occupy a top managerial position in the company in question.

Executive post: You hold a middle Executive post: You hold a middle management post and have relevant professional experience and academic qualifications.

Non-executive post: You are highly skilled thanks to your technical know-skilled thanks to your technical knowhow and are thus indispensable for the company. This is normally the case for p y yEnglish teachers. For an updated list of English teaching jobs in Malaysia, please visit TeacherGig.

ESL Jobs in MalaysiaAlthough the demand for English Although the demand for English

teachers is not as high as in Japan, Korea and China there are opportunities and China, there are opportunities, especially if you are willing to go that extra yard to secure a position. Many y p ypeople simply travel to Malaysia and begin looking for work after they arrive.

Jobs are advertised all year round in local newspapers but it’s quite acceptable to newspapers but it s quite acceptable to walk in off the street and approach schools directly. Be sure to dress ysmartly; men should wear formal pants, shirt and tie, although a jacket is not necessary. You should also carry several copies of your resume.

Job requirements are a little more demanding in Malaysia than in most demanding in Malaysia than in most other Asian countries. In addition to a 1st degree, you will need to have a g , yrecognized TESOL qualification and at least two years English teaching experience. Greater experience and a post-graduate degree in either TESOL or linguistics will likely be necessary to linguistics will likely be necessary to secure more competitive positions.

Work visa requirements also mean that prospective teachers must be at least 26 prospective teachers must be at least 26 years of age and many schools will be reluctant to hire those over the age of 50 gunless they are already working in Malaysia. For new English teaching jobs in Malaysia, click here.

In most teaching establishments, your work schedule will be around 30-35 work schedule will be around 30 35 hours per week. For public schools, the education system is highly centralized. y g yLocal authorities have very little input into curriculum design and classes are geared towards passing standardized examinations.

Foreign English teachers will largely be responsible for conversational classes responsible for conversational classes although you may be asked to participate in other classes, such as sport, drama , p ,and music, particularly if you have an interest in these areas.

Although most teaching jobs are to be found in and around Kuala Lumpur it is found in and around Kuala Lumpur, it is likely that you will have plenty of opportunity to explore other parts of the pp y p pcountry while you are there. With long coastlines and a multitude of islands,

fthere are great opportunities for those who enjoy water-sports, particularly scuba divingscuba-diving.

For those with some background in teaching and basic TESOL qualifications teaching and basic TESOL qualifications, Malaysia is a choice destination, offering a vibrant lifestyle and an exotic cultural yexperience.

Teaching jobs in Kuala LumpurMalaysia is already home to some 60 000 Malaysia is already home to some 60,000

expatriates – many of whom herald from the United Kingdom originally – and the United Kingdom originally and because employment opportunities are relatively plentiful, the cost of living low y p gand the standard of living high, living and working in Malaysia is now a popular h i f i t ti ll i d d choice for internationally minded

individuals.

Unemployment in Malaysia is currently low running at 3 6% (2005 est ) which low, running at 3.6% (2005 est.) which means that there are currently no restrictions on foreign workers seeking g gemployment in Malaysia. Once an application has been made for a job in

fMalaysia it’s normal for a potentially suitable candidate to travel to the country for an interview country for an interview.

Working as a teacher in Malaysia is quite common A successful candidate will then common. A successful candidate will then be granted an Employment Pass or Professional Pass by their employer y p ywhich will give them the right to residency in Malaysia.

A travelling spouse and children will then require Dependent’s Passes.

And finally in terms of Malaysian taxation –the country has many double taxation the country has many double taxation agreements in place which means that there is little risk an expatriate will have to pay tax twice - employment income is taxed on a sliding scale with the top rate of tax just 28% and if an individual of tax just 28%, and if an individual decides to own property in Malaysia they will face stamp duty of between 1.5 and will face stamp duty of between 1.5 and 1.75% and capitals gains tax of between 0% and 30% depending on how long they hold their property for before reselling it. Teaching jobs in Malaysia.

Teaching English in MalaysiaEnglish teachers are in high demand in English teachers are in high demand in

Malaysia.I very much doubt that you will be able I very much doubt that you will be able

to secure a job before you get here, although some schools advertise on the although some schools advertise on the Web. Malaysian employers will want to put you through a full interview and then consider carefully before employing you.

There is quite a variation in the salaries offered for English teachers offered for English teachers. International schools are the best paymasters. Colleges and universities are p y gsurprisingly not the top payers. For teaching jobs in Malaysia please go to TeacherGig.

Jobs here will give you good experience lik l t b t hi f i as you are likely to be teaching foreign

students as well as Malaysians and most centers have computer labs and modern centers have computer labs and modern facilities.

The capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur, or KL and this is basically where the or KL, and this is basically where the teaching jobs are. KL is a modern city with skyscrapers, modern highways, y p , g y ,shopping malls galore and plenty in the way of entertainment. However, it is still

fa developing city, so it has its share of slums and all the problems associated with a developing city: overcrowded with a developing city: overcrowded buses, poor service in some shops, and a whole host of things that don’t work whole host of things that don t work properly.

English is widely spoken, sometimes well, sometimes badly There are four daily sometimes badly. There are four daily English newspapers, three or four TV channels that feature mainly English y gprograms, and plenty of English radio stations.

Malaysians prefer to use British English, so Americans may have to adapt accordingly.

If you work as a teacher in Malaysia you will probably have to work hard but you will probably have to work hard, but you will be exposed to all kinds of different cultures. On weekends, you can travel , yaround the country and visit the islands. You can get to Singapore and Thailand easily by bus, train, or plane.

Language is not a problem. Basically, you can experience a whole new world can experience a whole new world without giving up the “Western” comforts that we are so used to.

Find teaching jobs in Kuala Lumpur here:

http://www.teachergig.com