Job Discussion Forums

[wailing_imam]

The air is Georgetown is much cleaner than that of KL. Singapore's air is generally good other than during periods of haze. Having lived and worked in this region for many years, I must say I haven't come across the nickname Stinkapore before. Must be from the late 90s. Yes, the air in KL is cleaner than Jakarta, Manila or Bangkok - but the expats who thrive in these 3 cities sacrifice a portion of their lungs so that they may party with abandon and enjoy highly vibrant, quirky environments, more than can be said for life in KL.

The RapidPenang bus service is fantastic, cheap and aircon and runs all the way to the airport. I'd much rather use that than take a taxi. In Malaysia, I try to avoid taking taxis.

Yes, I prefer Georgetown to KL. I like its size, its food, its location, its ambience. IF I had to work in Malaysia, I would choose to work in Penang rather than KL, as would many others.

Yes, Singapore is expensive compared to Malaysia, but you get what you pay for. Accommodation is pricey here and it's another thing to consider if looking for a position.

Beer in Malaysia is pricey no matter where you are.

[eclectic]

all of these people have been to malaysia and know the region--i have never been there and know nothing about the region. widely differing views on KL and other places make it very difficult to make a decision. as in everything in life, in the end you have to pull the fokking trigger, so pull it soon God willing I will.

We'll arrive in KL from Seoul, check it out a while, head up to GTown to check it out as well. Wherever the fock I get a job, God willing I get one AT ALL, Ill be glad to stick it out and try saving a few hundrer a month. IM not looking for a break-even situation. If I cant save AT THE VERY DARNED LEAST AND I MEAN IT atleast $300 US equivalent, I aint stayin.

[sojourner]

Eclectic,

You have asked about accommodation in both Singapore and Malaysia.

- Hod (or, was it Iman ?) mentioned Singapore's Little India. This is my favourite part of Singapore - great outdoor Indian restaurants ! However, I can't recall seeing any hotels along the main street, which is called Serangoon Rd. If you go there, check some of the side streets near there for any budget hotels (I'm sure that there are some there).


- whenever I'm in Singapore, I usually stay at the (2-star) Southeast Asia Hotel (aka SEA Hotel), 190 Waterloo St (about 10 minutes walk from the city's main street, Orchard Rd).The tariffs for a standard room (2 beds, I'm sure) is around 100 SGD.The tariff also includes a Western continental or Chinese breakfast. Who knows, there might be special rates for longstays - do a google search for the hotel . Running parallel to Waterloo St is Bencoolen St - there are a number of hotels there, but I'm not sure of the tariffs.


- ten minutes walk away from Waterloo St, you'll come to Dunlop St, which runs between Jalan Besar (I think) and Serangoon Rd. Dunlop St is v.interesting/colourful. Anyway, there are a number of backpacker places along the street - mostly dorm setups, but there might well be places with single rooms . Also, check out the small hotels in the streets that run off Dunlop St.

- there are some reasonably-priced hotels in the Geylang area. However, this area is a bit grotty/redlightish.Check AsiaRooms for hotels in that area


- in KL, I usually stay at the Citin Hotel (2 star), which is just opposite the Purdu Long-Distance Bus Station.Tariffs are quite reasonable, but offhand I can't remember exactly how much - however, the tariff includes a Western and Asian buffet breakfast. Book through the AsiaRooms agency.There are a number of backpacker hostels/hotels in the same area, which is about a 10 minute walk from Chinatown (more budget hotels !)


- in Georgetown, I usually stay at the (2-star) Continental Hotel, 5 (I think) Jalan Penang.Tariffs are v.reasonable - also, with a good buffet breakfast. Again, check/book through AsiaRooms.

- if you prefer backpacker hangouts, try Chulian Lane, which runs of Jl Penang. One popular place is the Blue Diamond. Chulian Lane is quite interesting .

Do a search for online street directories for the above locations.

Peter

[eclectic]

this Peter is exactly what I was looking for. Kayu in addition mentioned a Chow Kit hotel. I am saving this info to my email inbox and will write it down as well. Nice to have this before arriving. Time is getting close now. Time to tell the wanjan-nim soon, that I aint renewing the contract.

ASiarooms......hmm, cant one just show up and get a room?

[sojourner]

Of course, one can just "show up". But, if you are pretty certain about your travelling times/destinations, isn't it much better to make some reservations ? If you just turn up without reservations, there's always the possibility of "sorry - full up". There's nothing more frustrating than arriving in a new city for the first time, late at night, and having to fork out money to taxi drivers to take you around town in an attempt to find a room vacancy. Much, much better to make a reservation - and, avoid hassles ! Also, I believe that booking through agencies such as AsiaRooms can (but I'm not absolutely sure) sometimes be a bit cheaper than just turning up, hoping that there is a vacancy.

In any case, even if you don't want to book through an agency such as AsiaRooms, such a facility can give you an insight into the sort of tariffs that are usually being charged - thus, letting you know which hotels to avoid if you prefer the "just showing up" option.

Of course, there are a number of booking agencies out there, besides AsiaRooms - some, of course might be much better that that particular agency. If I hear of one, I'll definitely ditch AsiaRooms. In China, however, I always book through SinoHotels. Of course, there are many hotels that don't deal through an agency - one being, it appears, is the SEA Hotel, in Singapore, which I referred to in my previous post to this thread.

Peter

[Hod]

wailing_imam, your opinion, albeit biased, is as valid as anyone�s who takes the time and effort to post lucidly on the internet, but I have to offer some balance.

[eclectic]

[wailing_imam]

[eclectic]

[eclectic]

ANYWAY, whats the consensus? Where should I go next with my wife after these 2 years in Korea of wild kids/crowd control classrooms, being stared at until you want to kill the starers, and DARN IT!!! NO CIGARS, NO OATMEAL, NO CILANTRO, NO FRESH MINT LEAVES, NO COCONUTS, NO WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, NO LAMB/MUTTON/TURKEY, NO RESTAURANTS EXCEPT FOR KOREAN RESTAURANTS!!!!!

[eclectic]

P.S. -- NO REAL COFFEE, NO CHEESE, NO CHINESE/JAPANESE RETSUARANTS!!! CAN U BELIEVE THAT???? I THOUGHT THIS WAS A 1ST WORLD COUNTRY!!!

On the street I live in New Jersey, JUST ONE STREET, we have an Ethiopian, 2 Lebanese, 2 Italian, 1 Argentinian, 1 Chilean, 1 Guatemalan, 2 Cuban, and 1 Turkish restaurant. ALL WITHIN 200 METERS OF EACH OTHER.

[Hod]

Not sure where we�re going with this, eclectic. I see wailing_imam and I playing out a KL Vs Singapore stalemate for a handful more posts before some �moderator� locks this thread.

But will you and Mrs Eclectic really make a decision based on input from three or four people, including me, on this website?

Ninety percent of what I read above advocates a boycott of Malaysia because one poster, who never lived or worked there, is disgruntled with beer and taxi prices. Yet this guy still visits Malaysia regularly and was even commissioned, so he says, to write some guide book update.

How about this for advice: For Mr and Mrs Eclectic, I recommend Singapore. No, I�ve never worked there, just visited a few times. I also did so when I was single so have no clue if my wife would like it or not. Having never lived or worked in Singapore, I have no idea of costs nor the job market and can offer pretty much zero insight into paying less than could some backpacker for these all important beer and taxis.

Anyway, eclectic, I will still assume you�re serious about heading to Asia and try and answer your questions without unfounded rants.

[eclectic]

[wailing_imam]

Hahahahaha Jaysus!

Wailing Imam has said that Malaysia is a tremendous country for a holiday (avoid KL though!), but not ideal for teaching ESL in! There are far better countries, in my humble opinion, for an ESL teacher to work in, esp when taking salaries into account and the variety of and number of ESL teaching jobs available. That is all I want to stress.

Eclectic, bon chance wherever you go, be it Malaysia, Indonesia or Singapore! Research well, and take your time.

Last bit of advice - Jakarta has much more of a single man's scene than Singapore, and if you are to be the chief breadwinner the paperwork for a dependent visa might prove to be a serious hassle. Check out this website for more info: www.expat.or.id. Singapore dependent visa is a piece of cake providing you have all the necessary paperwork http://www.ica.gov.sg/index.aspx.

Let us now where you end up and if you can find a decent selection of cheese there!

[eclectic]

Well lets wrap this thread up, Hod and Wailing and Kayu and all the rest!


We had a good time didnt we? And I thank you all. I think right now, based on the info furnished, and based on other reading I have thus far done, Singapore would be the best job option as well as best option for a married couple (no offense to UNmarried couples, of course) due to slightly higher standard of living (which we have established also means higher COST of living), and a more easily obtained/procured/pilfered dependent (spouse) visa process.

Doing a job search cold-turkey hit-the-ground-running is expensive anywhere, as one must rent something clean for atleast a few weeks to conduct blitzkrieg interviews praying to God to land a job a.s.a.p.

Never actually did it that way yet, will be a 1st 4 sure. I'll let you all know how it goes God willing, and thank you all again and again for all your thoughtful input. Good luck to you all as well.