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Enhance Education - Penang, Malaysia

 
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Dekadan



Joined: 09 Dec 2011
Posts: 95

PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 4:55 am    Post subject: Enhance Education - Penang, Malaysia Reply with quote

Hello all, there's recruitment currently happening for Enhance Education in Penang, however after searching the forums I don't see any reviews or reference to them. Wondering if anyone has heard anything about them?

Many thanks!
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Hod



Joined: 28 Apr 2003
Posts: 1613
Location: Home

PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 12:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Never heard of it. It looks new, but they have an impressive website and what seems to be a big group of experienced native-speaking staff, ex-BC, etc. Someone's been spending big.

First impressions are it looks decent enough and a lot better than most places advertising in Malaysia. If you're up for living in Penang (and why not?*), I'd at least give them a call.

* They have four centres. One is in Georgetown, another is to the south of the island near the airport, the other two are in Penang state on the mainland. If you wanted to live in Georgetown (I would), getting to the other centres won't be a quick journey. In fact, Bayan Baru to Georgetown would be an hour stuck in serious traffic. You'd have to ask right away where you'd be working and see if you'd be happy living nearby.
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Dekadan



Joined: 09 Dec 2011
Posts: 95

PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 4:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Hod for the response, and especially good to consider potential commuting, and about the living situation over there! Yeah, they're offering a good package for a language centre in Malaysia.
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Hod



Joined: 28 Apr 2003
Posts: 1613
Location: Home

PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 9:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't want to put you off Very Happy If my situation was different, I'd certainly be interested. I spend a lot of time in Penang every year, and the traffic is terrible and getting worse with all the new condos springing up. Places such as Bangkok and to a lesser extent KL have the rep for traffic jams, but these places have transport systems, which may be flawed but are nevertheless usable. Penang has the Rapid Penang buses which are luxury compared to the heaps of a decade ago. Saying that, I’ve never had to rely on these new buses to get to work. But apart from the buses, Penang has no other transport options, although in fairness the hills and forests would make investment in these an expensive affair.

But go for it. Penang Island is still a great place. People say the beaches are naff, but you won’t get anywhere else like the ambience of Georgetown. Do it now before the island sinks under the weight of condos and shopping malls.
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SiThep



Joined: 30 May 2013
Posts: 39
Location: Thailand

PostPosted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 1:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dekadan wrote:
Thanks Hod for the response, and especially good to consider potential commuting, and about the living situation over there! Yeah, they're offering a good package for a language centre in Malaysia.


I lived on the East Coast of Malaysia at Kuantan a while back. I have not heard of Enhance at all so I cannot comment on them as somewhere to work.

But people should be aware that tax rates are higher in Malaysia than in neighbouring countries. I got a nasty surprise when I got my first pay check. The salary was RM 6800 but when I got my first pay, I only received RM 4900. They have taken almost 30% in tax out. This made a reasonable pay packet absolutely lousy.

I was told it was possible to get about half of the tax back at the end of the financial year. But I had started work in May and did not get the money back to the following June. If you are counting on sending money home, factor in that you might be losing 30% of your pay for up to a year. Check whether the salary offered is net. It probably won't be I would guess.
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disneyeric



Joined: 02 Jul 2014
Posts: 21

PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Most employers in Malaysia don't subtract anything like 30% income tax. 10 to 15% is more like standard. It is likely that schools which take the 30% rate have had problems with many teachers running away/breaking contracts. They tax their teachers at a high rate and make them claim the tax back at the end of the financial year. This puts pressure on them to stay. If you break your contract, then you will not get back the extra tax you've paid back. If schools are doing this, I would be extra careful about working there.

In terms of Enhance Education I have heard that the branch to avoid is Bukit Mertajam. It is 40 kms away from George Town and takes at least one hour travel time each way. It could be an hour and a half each way in peak times. If you must work for these people, better to live and work on the island and avoid the lengthy traffic jams. Mind you, I am not recommending this place. The management is said to be controlling and micro-managing. Also, they are apparently one of those employers which don't tell you about the tax situation in Malaysia. But if you do accept a job with them, only consider working on the island.


Last edited by disneyeric on Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:03 pm; edited 5 times in total
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SiThep



Joined: 30 May 2013
Posts: 39
Location: Thailand

PostPosted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 12:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

disneyeric wrote:
Most employers in Malaysia don't subtract anything like 30% income tax. 10 to 15% is more like standard. It is likely that schools which take the 30% rate have had problems with many teachers running away/ breaking contracts. They tax their teachers at a high rate and make them claim the tax back at the end of the financial year.


I have asked around with people I know still in Malaysia, and this seems to be the case. Many said 10-12% is normal, 30% is the maximum tax rate.

It seems mind-boggling to me that a company's idea of how to fix a staff retention problem would be to over-tax people deliberately. This is really bad management in a nutshell. Can you imagine the thought process?

"Hmm, I know how we can get teachers to stay longer: Let's tax them through the roof. They won't have any money to save or to enjoy a good lifestyle there, which will really make them feel positive about staying in Malaysia." But that's how many companies in this industry think. It's a shame. Shocked Shocked Shocked
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jimmiethefish



Joined: 12 Jun 2007
Posts: 29

PostPosted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 8:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You have to pay a tax rate of 26% until you have been in Malaysia for 182 days consecutively in the same financial year to establish tax residency. You don't have to have been working for 182 days, just in the country. (This also applies to Malaysians who are leaving for or returning from overseas.) There is leeway for a short amount of time outside the country for specific purposes during this period and there is provision for linking from the end of one year to the beginning of the next (while within your initial 182 day period) as long as you meet certain criteria. After 182 days, you go onto your regular tax rate based on your income, and claim back your over payment at tax time. Your HR staff should be able to inform you about this. I've heard of employers who use a 'work around' approach to this but that comes with some concerns.
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SiThep



Joined: 30 May 2013
Posts: 39
Location: Thailand

PostPosted: Tue Nov 07, 2017 7:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jimmiethefish wrote:
You have to pay a tax rate of 26% until you have been in Malaysia for 182 days consecutively in the same financial year to establish tax residency....After 182 days, you go onto your regular tax rate based on your income, and claim back your over payment at tax time. Your HR staff should be able to inform you about this. I've heard of employers who use a 'work around' approach to this but that comes with some concerns.


That pretty much tees up with my experience. Thanks for the info. The problem is that you will lose a large chunk of your salary for the first 6 months. Then you won't get that money back till the end of the financial year. Maybe it will take another couple of months to process your tax, so the government won't refund the money lost for up to a year or so. That's a long time to wait.

There are many reasons why this might not suit the finances of certain people. It is imperative to ask a lot of questions about tax before you accept a job here, especially if you want to send money home.
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Mr. Kalgukshi
Mod Team
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Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Posts: 6613
Location: Need to know basis only.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 12, 2017 9:06 pm    Post subject: LENGTHY POSTINGS Reply with quote

Postings exceeding 300 words are not permitted and will be removed.

If they continue, there will be sanctions
.
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Old Parrot



Joined: 14 Aug 2017
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Thu Dec 21, 2017 11:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I wish the person who made the too long post on Dec 12 would come back with a shorted edited post. I'd like to hear more about this place.
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