Job Discussion Forums

[eclectic]

great post there. But you did say you lke Penang/Kuching and some other areas outside KL, no?

[wailing_imam]

Yes, there are plenty of nice places in malaysia, but kl is not one of them. Unless I could get a bc contract in penang (fair pay) I think I would head elsewhere in the region for esl work and save Malaysia for holidays.

[eclectic]

where specifiacally else in the region would you say the salary and/or savings per month would be better than Malaysia? Any help at all here is greatly appreciated, thanks to God.

[Hod]

[sojourner]

Both Hod and the Iman have discussed the attractiveness (or otherwise) of KL. I agree , KL may well not be the most interesting of places in Malaysia - or SE Asia, in general - Georgetown (Penang) and Malacca are far more interesting (and cheaper !) in my opinion

Yet, KL is still worth a visit for, say, 3 days. Hod implied that KL's Chinatown is not worth visiting. I disagree ! There are a number of quite reasonable outdoor Chinese restaurants there - patronised mostly, it would appear, by backpackers and other tourists. I even find KL's Purdu Long Distance Bus Station rather interesting - quite colourful, compared to its equivalents in China !

Iman mentioned that he was earning 18 K RMB per month in Shanghai. What type of institution would pay that sort of money ? Certainly not a uni ! A corporate training centre, maybe ? If so, how many hours did he have to put in, in order such big bickies ? Also, was he provided with a rent-free flat ?

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Electic,

You asked us for info as to where you could earn good money in other parts of the region. A few posts back, I suggested China. For your first time there, with a Master's degree, if applying for a uni job you might get offered 5 K RMB, but with some hard - but polite ! - bargaining, you might get the initial offer upped to 5.5 K, or even 6 K. And after a couple of years, you'll probably be on around 7 K. Also, because of the light workload, you'll probably be able to earn more through "privates ".

However, in another of your most recent posts, you mentioned that you loathe "homogenous" societies, such as ROK and China. You may not be aware, that China is entirely different from Korea.I'm fully aware that many FTs in ROK are far from happy with that society - xenophobic, bland, boring comformist people and lifestyle (supposedly !).Anyway, you would find that the Chinese are a bit more spontaneous than the Koreans. Even streets in a typical Chinese town are far more "interesting" and "colourful" than what you would usually find in ROK. (I am never bored in China ! Everytime I walk from my uni to go to town I always come something "unusual" or "different" ! ). Also, be ware that there are a number of ethnic groups in China besides the Han. eg, in Inner Mongolia, you have both Han Chinese and ethnic Mongolians. SW China, esp. in Sichuan and Yunan Provinces, is even more multi-ethnic. But beware, FTs' salaries are not always that high in that region, partly because everybody wants to work there ! In Yunan, I've been informed, wages are especially low because of the additional competition posed by the "missionaries".

Yes, Malaysia, ethnically-speaking, is far more interesting than either Korea or China. About the only other country in the world where there is an "interesting ethnic mix" would be South Africa, with its White, African, Indian and Cape Coloured population groups - but, because of high unemployment, as well as the predominance of English in business and government activities, it might be v.difficult for an outsider to land an ESL job there. Again, re-consider China.

Peter

[eclectic]

sojourner this was an excellllent reply and I thank you so so much, and MAN ALIVE DO YOU HAVE THE ROK DEPICTION DOWN, BRO!!! Couldnta said ti better myself.

SO CHina is a bit more colourful? Makes sense, thinking they were trading with Europe thousands of years ago, anmd w/ the Gulf, etc. while ROK was living under a rock in the forest, fermenting cabbage........

1 thing that is inconveniencing me (ohhh, poor me! {sarcasm}) is the damn CBC. I got a crim back check before I left US for Korea, cleared it w/flying colors, and been here in ROK 2 straight years, never left once. IN order 2 get another CBC from my local police statn in NJ< USA< it is a major pain in the gluteous--then getting it notarized, then apostillized, then sent to China, this is quite unwieldy and i just cant understand why COUNTRIES CANT LOOK AT ONE'S PASSPORT AND SEE THEY HAVENT RETURNED TO THEIR HOME COUNTRY, and therefore their last CBC covers them even it was 2 years prior. Now if they ask me to get a CBC for the time I have been HERE, that's sensible, and easy, and no problems.

Will consider China, you have sparked a renewed interest for me in it, and also outside-KL areas of Malaysia. Thx again sojourner!

[wailing_imam]

In china I worked for a Singaporean school, hence the fair salary. Working with foreign institutions in china is quite lucrative.

It is quite clear they are illegal immigrants by the way they scatter at the sight of the regular police patrols. Chinatown haschanged dramatically over the last decade. Taxi drivers in kl rarely use the meter, oftentake the wrong route and are generally hard work.

Elsewhere, I would recommend eastern china, Indonesia or Singapore as being better esl options than Malaysia.

[eclectic]

[wailing_imam]

Dunno where you have been getting your info but it sounds rubbish to me. Singapore is very friendly to americans.

[eclectic]

good news then! thank you. One last question 4 u please-- if I showed up in Singapore without a job, where could I stay as inexpensively as possible with my wife for a few weeks while looking for a job?

[wailing_imam]

There aren't too many cheap options available in Singapore. There are a number of excellent hostels in the Little India area that will set you back around SGD$60-70 for a small double. Finding reasonable work can take some time here (as opposed to Shanghai or Jakarta for example), so it may be an expensive wait.

The key to getting a decent ESL job is to take your time and not get desperate. It's when we get desperate that we agree to work at terrible places. Be patient and search hard.

[eclectic]

[wailing_imam]

Beaches on Peninsular malaysia's west coast are not very good. The east
coast has some beautiful beaches and islands.

[KayuJati]

KL is not as bad as some of you postulate. One has to avoid using a car to travel from the suburbs into the city centre everyday, or else traveling from one suburb to another with all of the other commuters. This can be accomplished by using a motorcyle, public transport, or else living within walking distance of your work.

I have not had troubles with taxi drivers because I know what the price should be, use Malay in my conversation, and don't mind paying a couple of ringgit more. (Why haggle over the difference between RM3 and RM5? RM18 and RM20?)

The air in KL is certainly not any worse than that of Manila, Jakarta, and Bangkok. Even Singapore has stinky air on many days; thus, the nickname 'Stinkapore'.

Wailing imam, saying that Singapore has few cheap options is an understatement. Singapore is very overpriced relative to the rest of SE Asia. One ESL poster in the Singapore forum admitted that she had been paying 40% of her salary in rent!! And for a HDB apartment, no less.

But, I do agree with the fact that the east coast of Malaysia has nicer beaches than the west coast. Ten years of living on the east coast is also proof that a foreigner can obtain employment as a teacher, and not necessarily in ESL only.

But, these jobs are not as plentiful as in Korea, China, Taiwan, or Japan. One has to be on the ground and searching.

[Hod]