|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
PierogiMonster
Joined: 17 Jun 2010
Posts: 148
|
 Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 12:57 pm Post subject: International House Malaysia |
 |
|
Hi all
Does anyone have any thoughts and experiences of International House Malaysia? And any idea of salaries?
I've searched around but all I can find is some bad blood about links to IH Jakarta (which is itself a trifle disconcerting!)
Thanks in advance.
PM |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
KayuJati
Joined: 21 Feb 2010
Posts: 313
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 1:53 pm Post subject: Re: International House Malaysia |
|
|
| PierogiMonster wrote: |
Hi all
Does anyone have any thoughts and experiences of International House Malaysia? And any idea of salaries? |
Good question.
My only experience with IH Malaysia was an Intermediate Malay class that my wife and I took several years ago. The class started with 15 students, and after its 10-week run, was down to only 3 (us and a local Chinese). I doubt that salaries are very high, and most classes appear to be at night since they were targeting adults at that time.
Hopefully, you can get more recent info from someone else. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Hod
Joined: 28 Apr 2003
Posts: 1613
Location: Home
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 8:53 pm Post subject: |
|
|
There�s a 2006 thread about IH Malaysia.
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=40410&highlight=international+house+malaysia
And a 2010 update, albeit six years on, I enjoyed IH as a young, free and single. The students and (most) teachers were great. But the non-teaching staff were a pitiful bunch, which apart from anything else meant 75% of the teachers working illegally.
So despite my efforts to be legal, I worked from June 2003 to June 2004 with no work permit. It�s really not hard to sort. It was pure admin staff laziness. Every three months, I had to pay for my own visa runs.
I�m not complaining. Those Hat Yai weekends were fantastic. But if the Immigration Office had ever noticed me, I would�ve been treated the same as a Bangladeshi KL street cleaner, e.g. jail, deportation or even getting caned. If you don�t believe me, go google.
I liked KL, still do (having a Malaysian wife), and it was only a RM20 taxi ride after an IH day to Bangsar or KLCC. Weekends were free too!
But IH have long since moved to Cyberjaya, a soulless new township 50Km south of KL, built by that nutter ex-PM Mahathir as part of his defunct Vision 2020.
And IH now work Saturdays.
Apart from that.. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
warda
Joined: 22 May 2010
Posts: 29
Location: in transit
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2010 7:08 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I turned down an offer from IH- Malaysia about 10 weeks ago. They were offering RM4150 a month plus furnished shared accommodation and return airfare ($1000 US, half at 6 months, half at one year). It sounded like the classes were to be intensive English preparatory classes for the local university. The ADOS I emailed with offered to put me in touch with one of the teachers to answer questions.
I decided not to take the gig because I was asked to work illegally. They told me in the job offer:
"Important note: Your visa process will start as soon as we have all your paperwork but will take approx 3 months to be completed, it is therefore very important that upon arriving at Malaysian immigration you state that you are here on holiday. This will give you a 'social pass' valid for 90 days by which time your visa will be ready."
After going through the IH-World and IH-Cyberjaya websites, I read all the reviews I could find here and on google. From the dates and info, it sounds like they're better than they once were; however, I refuse to do the illegal thing.
Hope this info helps. Good luck to you! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
KayuJati
Joined: 21 Feb 2010
Posts: 313
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2010 7:29 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| warda wrote: |
I turned down an offer from IH- Malaysia about 10 weeks ago. They were offering RM4150 a month plus furnished shared accommodation and return airfare ($1000 US, half at 6 months, half at one year). It sounded like the classes were to be intensive English preparatory classes for the local university. The ADOS I emailed with offered to put me in touch with one of the teachers to answer questions.
I decided not to take the gig because I was asked to work illegally. They told me in the job offer:
"Important note: Your visa process will start as soon as we have all your paperwork but will take approx 3 months to be completed, it is therefore very important that upon arriving at Malaysian immigration you state that you are here on holiday. This will give you a 'social pass' valid for 90 days by which time your visa will be ready." |
This is good info: the salary and benefits. But in my experience, you will find that schools will not apply for a visa unless that person is in the country; thus, the 3 month lag between starting and obtaining the visa. In fact, the issue lies with government slowness, not the schools' desire to be illegal. (Yes, it seems contradictory: welcome to Malaysia.) Too bad your standards are too high.
Eclectic!! Here is your job... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bje
Joined: 19 Jun 2005
Posts: 527
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2010 7:34 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| KayuJati wrote: |
| warda wrote: |
I turned down an offer from IH- Malaysia about 10 weeks ago. They were offering RM4150 a month plus furnished shared accommodation and return airfare ($1000 US, half at 6 months, half at one year). It sounded like the classes were to be intensive English preparatory classes for the local university. The ADOS I emailed with offered to put me in touch with one of the teachers to answer questions.
I decided not to take the gig because I was asked to work illegally. They told me in the job offer:
"Important note: Your visa process will start as soon as we have all your paperwork but will take approx 3 months to be completed, it is therefore very important that upon arriving at Malaysian immigration you state that you are here on holiday. This will give you a 'social pass' valid for 90 days by which time your visa will be ready." |
This is good info: the salary and benefits. But in my experience, you will find that schools will not apply for a visa unless that person is in the country; thus, the 3 month lag between starting and obtaining the visa. In fact, the issue lies with government slowness, not the schools' desire to be illegal. (Yes, it seems contradictory: welcome to Malaysia.) Too bad your standards are too high.
Eclectic!! Here is your job... |
Seven out of nine countries I've worked in have done exactly the same. It's common practice to apply for a work permit once in the country and working. This does not generally signify being 'illegal'. It is simply the procedure for obtaining work permits. Only twice have I been handed a work permit prior to entering a country to work, as these countries had different procedures.
If you wait around for non-existent upfront work permits you may find yourself never working. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
KayuJati
Joined: 21 Feb 2010
Posts: 313
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2010 7:41 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| bje wrote: |
| KayuJati wrote: |
| warda wrote: |
I turned down an offer from IH- Malaysia about 10 weeks ago. They were offering RM4150 a month plus furnished shared accommodation and return airfare ($1000 US, half at 6 months, half at one year). It sounded like the classes were to be intensive English preparatory classes for the local university. The ADOS I emailed with offered to put me in touch with one of the teachers to answer questions.
I decided not to take the gig because I was asked to work illegally. They told me in the job offer:
"Important note: Your visa process will start as soon as we have all your paperwork but will take approx 3 months to be completed, it is therefore very important that upon arriving at Malaysian immigration you state that you are here on holiday. This will give you a 'social pass' valid for 90 days by which time your visa will be ready." |
This is good info: the salary and benefits. But in my experience, you will find that schools will not apply for a visa unless that person is in the country; thus, the 3 month lag between starting and obtaining the visa. In fact, the issue lies with government slowness, not the schools' desire to be illegal. (Yes, it seems contradictory: welcome to Malaysia.) Too bad your standards are too high.
Eclectic!! Here is your job... |
Seven out of nine countries I've worked in have done exactly the same. It's common practice to apply for a work permit once in the country and working. This does not generally signify being 'illegal'. It is simply the procedure for obtaining work permits. Only twice have I been handed a work permit prior to entering a country to work, as these countries had different procedures.
If you wait around for non-existent upfront work permits you may find yourself never working. |
Yeah, I was just thinking about this in regard to how my visa has always been handled. It is not illegal to be working while your visa is in process. As long as your passport is in the possession of Immigration, it is okay. As bje said, most work permits are converted over from social passes, rarely do people get the work permit before entering the country. That the government takes so long to process an application is their problem, not that of the school's or yours. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
eclectic
Joined: 09 Nov 2006
Posts: 1122
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 1:06 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| 4150 is good $ for Malaysia, no? I just saw soemthing on the web, says you need a CELTA. But it was cached/old page Is it still a requirement? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bje
Joined: 19 Jun 2005
Posts: 527
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 6:06 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| eclectic wrote: |
| 4150 is good $ for Malaysia, no? I just saw soemthing on the web, says you need a CELTA. But it was cached/old page Is it still a requirement? |
No, RM4150 is NOT good. It's $US1300 per month; a pathetic salary. All IHs require a CELTA- a minimum requirement for an entry-level position such as the one advertised. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
warda
Joined: 22 May 2010
Posts: 29
Location: in transit
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 6:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
bje and Kayu: That's good information, as I'm a complete newb. I'll probably lower my standards after I get over the learning curve. Hopefully my loss will be eclectic's gain.
That said, I did research the visit pass requirements for Malaysia, and, according to the Malaysian government websites, it would have been illegal to work on the type of visa IH wanted me on, and impossible to transfer to the type of visa needed for the work permit. That coupled with reports here that a number of IH-Malaysia teachers spend their entire contracts without the work permit led me to pass on them in favor of another offer.
bje- I do realize that work permits tend to come second. My concern, as a new teacher being hired from abroad, was about being able to work legally on the visa while the work permit was being processed. I chose to take a position in Thailand that has me entering on that country's work visa, and teaching legally while the permit processes.
Eclectic: The salary looked about average for entry level, but as I'm exactly that (I fly for my first contract this month), I don't have a good point of comparison. I know that some of the past Malaysia threads addressed salary, but I don't recall how dated they are.
As far as the CELTA, I was asked to provide scans of my quals up front.
I believe their Ih-world listing also said CELTA or equivalent was required. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
KayuJati
Joined: 21 Feb 2010
Posts: 313
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 1:47 am Post subject: |
|
|
| warda wrote: |
| That said, I did research the visit pass requirements for Malaysia, and, according to the Malaysian government websites, it would have been illegal to work on the type of visa IH wanted me on, and impossible to transfer to the type of visa needed for the work permit. That coupled with reports here that a number of IH-Malaysia teachers spend their entire contracts without the work permit led me to pass on them in favor of another offer. |
Yes, for sure the government will state that one cannot work on a social pass and needs a work permit before beginning, but then they won't give a work permit until that person is on-site and doing what? Visa in-process is the usual method here when one begins working.
Several years ago there was a sweep of an international school (grade school, high school) and a bunch of international teachers were caught working on social passes. Of course, their work permit applications were in-process. This was pointed out in the local press, and the government backed off, quietly taking care of the issue (i.e., promising to speed up the vetting procedure) and no teachers were punished or deported.
Many laws are passed; few are enforced. Many tough pronouncements are made to the press; in private they back down.
Congrats on landing a job in Thailand. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
eclectic
Joined: 09 Nov 2006
Posts: 1122
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 4:30 am Post subject: |
|
|
| IS A CELTA OR TESOL NEEDED FOR ANY AND EVERY JOB IN MALAYSIA IN WHICH THAT POSITION WILL BE LEGAL? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
