Tuesday 17 September 2013

Frequently Asked Question-Part IV

This blog continues to get mails regarding life and career in Malaysia. We personally try to answer all the queries of people but if  someone couldn't get a reply then we pay our sincere apologies. I take this opportunity to pay our gratitude  for all the support our visitors have given us. Keep it up guys!

1.V.R: Hello dear , I have  australian masters in IT . I will be getting married and settling in kualalumpur from feb onwards.i have 3 years of working experience and one year of Australian work experience . Also i would like to know the current malaysian job market  and demand from your perception . Looking forward to hear from you.

Ans: Thanks for visiting my blog. Malaysia is at full employment with an unemployment rate of 2.9 per cent in November 2012 (Department of Statistics [DOS], Malaysia). Given this positive economic scenario, Malaysia's dependency on foreign workers is unavoidable, The government, through Talent Corp, has made forays overseas to recruit Malaysian professionals to return home to serve the country, but has met with limited success. The government is looking at what is available at home and find ways to attract foreign workers into the labour market, particularly those with tertiary education.

2. G.S.S: I went across your blog on internet and found it excellent. I have one query too but I did not know how to put it on blog so I am emailing you. I hope you can help me out. I am a software engineer at Delhi and my company is sending me to Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) as onsite professional for Malaysian Airlines. They are paying me 4k RM along with indian salary component which will be credited in India itself. I am married and my wife is working as a Chartered Accountant in India and getting 6 lacs per annum. She has just 2 months of experience post CA passing. I want to know if she will be able to get a job in KL in accounts/finance field easily? If yes, how much salary can she expect?  I would appreciate you replying to my email as this may decide whether I should go to KL or not.
Ans: Thanks for visiting my blog. Malaysia is slowly but surely emerging as a regional financial hub. Its proximity to Singapore and presence of major multinational banks and financial institutions are helping the country to emerge as an international financial centre. There are lots of jobs available in the field of finance and I am sure your wife will be able to find one. I suggest her to start searching a job from India itself so that once you reach there, you don’t have to take pains. I also advise her to go through a course on Islamic banking which will increase her job confirmation chances.

 3. V.N: I got a job offer from Manpower Consultancy, Malaysia. Actually I will be under permanent position of Computer Science Corporation (CSC) client account. CSC contracts me to Paypal for peroid of 2 Years. So, I will be working in Paypal Office, KL. After a peroid of 2 Years if my performance is good, I could become a permanent employee of Paypal. My Profile : 3.5 yrs , Web developer. Current CTC: 3.6 lakhs per annum INR. In KL,Am offered a basic salary of 4600 + 1000 (allowance). Please let me know how much could I save per month.I am a bachelor.
Ans: I think it’s a very good offer considering your prospective job, your present package and your single status. You should not think twice for accepting this offer. Grab on and explore the world.

Sunday 15 September 2013

Jobs in Malaysia in IT sector for Indians

According to Randstand, the information technology (IT) sector in Malaysia continues to see robust growth. There is an increase in hiring trends especially from business process outsourcing (BPO), shared services centres, software development companies, banking and IT consulting companies. The top four key hiring areas were software engineers, business development managers, project managers and regional sales managers. While much of the hiring activity is taking place at the junior to mid level, Malaysia is experiencing a shortage of senior level IT professionals, with some professionals being offered a 50% increase in salary levels as an incentive to join these firms. 
The talent shortage is being overcome by bringing in professionals from countries such as from India, Philippines, Europe and Singapore and this is something which employers have been considering. Skills and experience required for roles in IT for software engineers, employers are looking for strong programming knowledge in a variety of languages. With enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions and an influx of data centres and shared services centres, infrastructure engineer requirements are on the rise to support IT help desks and set up networks.
In IT sales roles, employers want candidates with both a sound technical knowledge and strong customer relations experience.
Skills required for software engineers:
  • .Net Technology (ASP.Net, VB.Net & C#)
  • Java & J2EE Technology (Java, J2EE, EJB, JMS, Java Beans)
  • C++ / C Technology / Software QA Tester (both manual and automation testing)
  • DBA (Oracle & MS-SQL DBA)
  • Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence Technology (ETL, Informatica, Cognos, Hyperion)
  • Mainframe Technology (IBM Mainframe, AS/400, Cobol)
ERP solutions: (Both support and implementation engineers)
  • SAP
  • Oracle
  • PeopleSoft
  • JD Edwards
Business development professionals are mostly likely to be employed by IT consulting companies in Malaysia. They are generally required to have some business development experience in software solution sales within the banking and insurance sectors, telecommunication and retail, among others.
As this is inherently a sales role, candidates should be customer focused, target-oriented professionals with marketing, pre-sales and relationship management experience, coupled with good overall IT knowledge and some technical background.

Project managers For project managers, it is critical that they have industry or sector experience in infrastructure, data centre management, telecommunication, banking and finance, insurance, retail and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG); backed by an in-depth knowledge of .Net, Java, SAP, Oracle and PeopleSoft technologies.
Project managers should have a strong customer relationship focus and stakeholder management experience, as well as a good track record of meeting project deadlines.
Regional sales managers are usually employed by IT consulting firms in outsourcing, consulting or software solutions sales. Malaysian candidates at this level are rare and businesses have been tapping foreign talent to fill these positions.
Regardless of position, employers increasingly say they want evidence of the following soft skills in potential employees — emotional intelligence, communication and interpersonal skills, team work and team management abilities. Businesses also emphasise that having the right attitude is often more important than technical skills.

According to Malaysian Technoprenuers Association (MTA), Malaysia has a shortage of around 2,000 Information Technology and Communication (ICT) professionals in the sector each year, forcing the sector to hire professionals from abroad. MTA president  Aziz Ismail said in an interview that between 1,000 to 2,000 ICT professionals are hired from countries like Singapore, India and Vietnam, to meet the demand each year. "Among reasons for the situation is because local ICT graduates do not meet the requirements needed by the industry," he told reporters after the Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) CEO Roundtable 2012. Chief Executive Officers (CEO) from 10 industries and organisations from Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore took part in the round table conference to exchange views on strengthening academic programmes, promoting study products and fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship among students of UTeM. Aziz said tasks such as programming and content supply needed many experts because the progress of current technology was more prone towards software demand compared with hardware. He said TeAM had implemented a cooperation with institutions of higher learning (IPT) in the country, including UTeM, to ensure ICT graduates produced, met the current industrial market needs and expectations.


Source: Randstand

Sunday 8 September 2013

Frequently asked questions-Part III

Hi Guys and sorry for the delay. I am overwhelmed by the number of queries and appreciation that this blog is generating. I once again take this opportunity to thank everyone visiting my blog especially people of Indian origin. Guys, as you know that our currency is going through a bad phase of depreciation. Our foreign exchange reserves are also deteriorating. It is time that we as NRIs start helping our motherland. Once you are in Malaysia or any other foreign country, I suggest you to start remitting some funds to your loved ones in India. Also instead of holding your savings in a foreign country where rate of interest is minimal, its better to lock your savings in NRI, NRO or FCNR deposits of Indian banks. Not only will it give you a better return, but it will also help in improving the economy of our own country. Please play your part in improving the condition of your local community in India as well. I am helping my mother in running an education society  which is involved in teaching the kins of maids and migrant laborers. It gives a lot of satisfaction to me when I think that my hard work in a foreign country is helping to bring change in my country as well. It also acts as a motivator for me in times of stress. So keep earning and also give back something to your own motherland.




1.A.S: I visited your blog and found it very useful, you have articulated ask the information very nicely, kudos to you for the great job. I have few questions, it would be great help I'd you could answer. I have a job offer from a start up in Malaysia, they are offering 4.5k MYR per month. I would like to know it's this offer ok? Given that i don't drink or smoke, how much will I be able to save in that(after tax and general expenses)? I may be getting married after an year, will it be difficult to survive then for two people with this money?
Currently I make around 9 lpa in India compared to that is this offer good?
Thank you in advance, look forward to your reply.

Ans: Thanks for you appreciation. If you are getting 9LPA in India, I wouldn’t advise you to go for this offer. The reason is 4.5K roughly translates to 10.8LPA in INR terms in Malaysia. So in purchasing power parity terms your pay package is actually going to decline because cost of living is higher in Malaysia than India. In your case, if you are getting a package of more than 7K then only consider an offer from Malaysian firm.

2.B.J: I will be visiting Malaysia from 15 Sept. 2013, I was working as NOC  / IT Operation Manager. I have 10 Years of experience, I need of  Job. I just wanted an help from your side, Is there any opportunity for me for any of the below mention field like,
1. NOC Operation Manager
2. IT Operation Manager
3. Asset Management or Configuration Manager. Request you to kindly help

Ans: I have also handled recruitment in my company and during the course of my job; I have come across with different recruitment agencies too, especially in the IT sector. Please send across your resumes. I will forward it to concerned agencies. I will let you know if some recruiter gets interested in your profile.

3. M.S: My spouse has got an offer to work for an IT concern, placed out of Petaling jaya. The package is 8500MYR. So, with flat 26% of tax the take home would be  6290MYR. We require the details of cost of living which includes accomodation, food expenses and all other stuffs. Please, do let us know how much we can save if he stays alone there and also, how much we can save if we both plan to stay in Malaysia.  Kindly, do provide us the details
By a conservative estimate he’ll be able to save around  MYR 2000-3000 per month. If you both live together, then the saving may go down by MYR 1000. But if you both eat mostly home cooked food then you would be able to save pretty much the same amount.

4.N.B:  Hii.. Sir.. I am happy to see your site,sir I completed my bsc in electronics in India is there any job opportunity for me in Malaysia,but sir but I am fresher I don't have much command in my subject also,and even I can't speak fluent English,and I can't spend money. I am poor and help less,so plz help me if you have any chance by giving me a good information. Sir is there any company's in Malaysia which will provid free visa and accommodation for students like me,sir please don't think badly I am helpless so I am asking for information about job opportunity for me plz don't think badly if you can plz replay me by your information or suggestion,if I disturbed you I am very very sorry sir thank you for reading my message I am waiting for your suggestion sir.
Ans: I can empathize with your situation brother. But you see there are no shortcuts to success. (Unless you are Prince William!). Everybody has to give his dues in this world. I suggest you to first slug it out in India. Get some work there even if you are paid meagrely. Once you will have some experience and skill set, the world will start chasing you. So don’t lose hope, have faith in god and do the hard work for next two years.
5. V.P: I just came across your blog while searching about cost of living in Malaysia. I am a Telecom OSS/BSS tester and having 7.5 years of experience.I am B.E. in telecommunication. I got a call from consultancy from Malyasia and they are saying they have a permanent testing opening in one of the top service company@ KL and asking for confirmation to agree for 6100 MYR to proceed with my candidature. Currently I am drawing around 9Lpa in Bangalore. I am married and expecting a baby in few months. And my wife is working in Network Testing domain and having around same salary of mine. I (or we) never travelled onsite and not sure if this is a good offer or they are offering less. Please suggest if this a reasonable offer and offer is as per market standards. Also if you can tell me the average expenditure per month. Thanks in Advance
Ans: If you are getting 9 LPA in India, 6.1K is pretty much a par salary in Kuala Lumpur considering the cost of living. I think you should bargain for more as it is not an offer going by the current market standards considering your experience. You can get the details of expendicture at

6. G.S: I have visited your blog and found the information about living in Malaysia useful.. We are currently based out of Singapore. My husband, who works for a healthcare MNC, is exploring opportunities in KL.. I am a Siebel CRM professional with 6+ years experience with Cognizant Technologies. I had taken a break for three years, and am looking to get back to work. I want to understand if there will be suitable opportunities for me in KL. This is a key factor in our final decision about the relocation from Singapore. Thanks for your time and advise.
Ans: Thanks for your appreciation. There are lots of opportunities present in Malaysia in the IT sector. Besides that the cost of living in Malaysia is much less than that of Singapore. You can ask your husband to give it a try.

7.P.S:  I have been through your blogs, find them really helpful. I have an offer from a company based in KL and would need your inputs for a few questions. I am a Software Developer in Microsoft Technologies with around 7+ yrs of experience presently working in Mumbai and married. I am being offered a role of a BA cum Developer by GlobSyn Innoventures (www.synlog.net). The remuneration they are offering is MYR 8000. Basic 6000 + Fixed Allowance of 2000. Please let me know your view if i'd be able to save anything with a conservative to moderate lifestyle.
Ans: Thanks for your appreciation. You haven’t specified whether its pre-tax or post tax salary. If its pre-tax then you will be able to save around MYR 2000-2500 with a conservative lifestyle.

8. A.M.: I came across your contact details at one of the blogs.  I am an IT employee with 8 years of experience. I got an offer at Malaysia offering 7500MYR per month. I would like to know, if this is a good figure at Malaysia for SINGLE. And how much can I save per month after all the expenses. I would appreciate, if you could provide details on this
Ans: 7,500 MYR is a good enough salary for single. You can expect to save around MYR 3K-4K with a conservative life style. However, you should bargain them for more considering your eight years of experience.

9.D.B:.Working as a medical rep. I want to apply for
same field in malasiya.Is there any scope for me?I have total three
year experiance nd my education is m.Com marketing.Please give me a
information.
Ans: Its generally tough for the sales people to get through in Malaysia especially if you are not in IT sales. Other industries require good knowledge of local language and hence localities are preferred over foreigners.  I would suggest you to get into software sales or pre-sales division of a software company. After that, you’ll have bright prospects in Malaysia.

10. M.S: I saw your blog and really found it very helpful. I also needed your advice. My hubby is Doctorate in Pharmacy and got an offer from AIMST university, Sungui petani, Kedah RM 5000 PM, semi furnished accommodation. Medical insurance for him, me n our baby (2.5 years) 2 years contract, once paid to n fro. Kindly let me know the cost of living, is the salary enough to survive there, baby's education (probably after a year).
Ans: Thanks for your appreciation. MYR 5,000 is enough for you to survive and enjoy in Kedah considering the company is paying for your accommodation. You will be able to save around MYR 1K-2K after taxes. However, after your kids education will cut away a major portion of your savings once he starts.

11. M.R:  Just went thro ur blog n i had a few questions regarding malaysia. my husband is presently working in the UAE n has got good job offers from malaysia. but many of his friends living there have given us mixed reviews regarding schooling n lifestyle n my husband is quiet confused whether to take d job or not..so i have these questions for you-
1) i have a 3 yr old n i want her to put her school..so how are the indian schools there or any other local schools??? ( 2 friends of my hubby gave both positive n negative input so we arent sure)
2) how abt the crime rate there in malaysia ?? ( we were told that women arent supposed to wear gold jewellery since there is too much of chain snatching n women cannot possibly go alone without husband )
3) how about holidays ( here in UAE there are hardly any so we want to travel around )
4) can we afford a 2BHK in KL with around 3k RM???
hope u answer my queries..thanks in advance
Ans: Compared to UAE, the standard of Indian or local school is inferior in Malaysia. However, if you can afford international schools, then that problem is taken care of. Crime rate is moderate in Malaysia. Certainly, wearing expensive gold jewellery in public place is not advisable. Nor is flashing or showing off valuable items when you are walking on the street or public transport. But that holds true for most parts of the world. However, women are pretty safe in Malaysia. They can travel alone even in the night. However, late night clubbing is usually not advisable if you are alone. Malaysia has a lot of public holidays so you can relax and enjoy travelling. A fully furnished 2BHK will cost you around 1.5K to 3K in general depending on the locality.

12. G.D: I am into IT industry from last 11 years mostly dealing with multiple web technologies and now managing multiple US based projects. Got 5 years of US onsite experience and currently working from last 5 years in a BI based company in India. I am planning to move on from here for good career progression as  well as financial growth. My friends suggested about seeking out opportunities in Malaysia and NOT singapore as its less costly comparatively. I wanted to know from where can I start finding IT jobs in Malaysia that too lead/project manager level jobs. Any suggestions/advice will greatly help me in taking further decisions
Ans: You can take help of SetMY which is our venture. You can  send across your resume to me as I also personally know people in some recruitment agencies.

13. R.V: Actually I'm planning to switch to malasiya in few months. So I would like to know how is SAP market and living cost over there? If we will get time to get job what is the situation and is there any chance to work other jobs for surviving ,what about security for life and growth. Could you please send me the right information. I look forward to hear from you my dear friend.
Ans: SAP market is flourishing in Malaysia and there are lot of job openings for SAP consultants. You can get the cost of living here
Security of life is pretty much guaranteed if you do not get into some criminal activities. Growth strictly depends on your performance.

14. R.S.R: How r u ? Hope ur doing great. I got an offer from one of close friends close friend. He asked me 2 Lakhs Indian rupees for getting a Jon on testing in KL,Malaysia.He asked me to pay 1.8 lakhs and send all my documents to him so after that he will be sending me the call letter to apply for visa.he said he got contacts with few consultancies. He said I will be getting a single visit visa and once I land their in Malaysia he will apply for 2 years work visa with multiple visits.and he will arrange the interviews and promised me that I will get job within one month and for 4 years experience he said they will pay around 4000 RM. Can I believe him ? Pointed to be noted is he is my close friends close friend. Coming to cost of living he said it will cost me 15K to 30K depends on my life style but maximum would be 30K.Is that true ??? Please let me know. Please brother help me in this matter.Already I have lots of problems in my life.I am married and with 2 kids. Anyway I'm planning to come alone. Eagerly waiting for ur reply.
Ans: I can understand your situation brother. Some consultancies do provide jobs in Malaysia in lieu of fees. But let me warn you that there are large scale fraudulent activities also happening on the pretext of providing jobs in Malaysia. I will advise you to use help of SetMY, my venture. Alternatively, you can also seek help from consultancies which do not charge any fees or charge fees as a percentage of your first salary. These kind of firms are safer than the advance taking firms.  

15. Dr. SA: Greetings. I just saw your blog and found it very useful.. Keep up the good work.I wanna ask you about Universiti Teknologi Petronas. The campus is in Tronoh, a small town in Ipoh, Perak. The expected salary package is around 10K plus health, schooling ($3000 per child for two kids). I am planning to move with my wife and two kids (7 and 5 years both school going). I would like to have a furnished/serviced residence and would definitely need a car to move around. 
1. How is the pay package. How much would I be able to save?
2. the monthly rental
3. we eat out twice a week.
4. english medium school?
5. average monthly grocery.
Ans: Thanks for your appreciation. The pay package you have mentioned is pretty good and enough for your family considering you are getting schooling allowance too. You will get a furnished accommodation in the range of MYR 2K-3K in Ipoh. I advise you to go for a second hand car in Malaysia as it is a much cheaper option. A second hand car will cost you around 10K-20K depending on the condition.(one time) The running cost of car is much cheaper in Malaysia due to low cost of fuel. Average monthly grocery would cost you around 1K. Eating out twice a week would cost you around MYR 200-400 depending upon the standard of restaurant. International schools will cost you around MYR 2000 per month per kid. Considering all this you can save around 3K-5K with judicious spending and tax planning.

16. V.B: I am currently in India & working as IT Manager & specialized in Infrastructure Management. Recently i came across a Company in India who provides employment pass (2yrs) for Malaysia which can be  extended to 10 yrs every 2 yrs but without job offer. The Company tells me i can work anywhere in Malaysia on this employment pass & there are plenty of opportunities in IT Sector specially Infrastructure Management. Is it true ?? What is a tax structure there ??. How much salary is ok initially on bachelor status with potential of saving ?? Sorry for any inconvenience 
Ans: I do not advise you to go ahead with such a company as you can land in trouble. Usually the name of employer is mentioned in your employment pass and you are advised to work only in the place where the company is. However, a company can send you on a client’s location on a project. If that company is involved in body shopping work, it would not be beneficial for your career and you can get trapped as well. Its better to go for some reputed companies in Malaysia as then you would have better working conditions and labour rights as well. 4K-5K is enough for a bachelor to survive with some savings in Malaysia.

17. V.S: I am exploring option at Malaysia. Could you suggest that how do I fish out the opportunities there. In India, I am a working in contract logistics & freight forwarding and am getting 22 Lakhs in INR per annum. I am sure you will help me in the same.
Ans: You can explore opportunities at SetMY, our venture.

18. R.B: Thanks for creating a blog and the information that you are providing is really owsome. By looking into previous queries, I can understand that 8000 to 10000 RG are enough to live 2 to 3 persons. I am an IT professional with 6+ years of experience in Software Manual Testing / Database Testing and planning to get settle in Malaysia.  Need your suggestion, on how is the IT market there in Malaysia for Software Testers?
Ans: Thanks for your appreciation. There are large number of opportunities that exist in Malaysia in IT sector. You can explore opportunities at SetMY. You can also send me your latest resume and I will forward it to some recruiters if possible.
19. A.M: Thanks for a very informative blog. I think it is helping a lot of Indians to understand the work culture in Malaysia.I had certain question about my travel as well. I have been offered RM10000/month by an IT Services company to work for an Insurance giant in the Malaysia. Now reading from your blog , I believe , it would have been sufficient for a couple. However , I have 2 more i.e. I have twin boys both would be around 2 , by the time I reach Malaysia. There are a few things which I wanted to understand.

1. Do you think this amount is sufficient to sustain a couple and two children (age bracket of 2-3 years) ? I do understand that schooling will be around RM 15000/annum . Do you have any idea if starts from 2 or 3 in Malaysia ?

2. What is going to be my tax ?
My understanding from your blog is that the tax cycle is from Jan-Dec.So if I reach in November, which tax bracket will I come , and what will be my salary in hand  for those months?

3. Lets assume I continue on the work permit and complete 182 days in Malaysia in a fiscal. I have read that you are considered a Malasyian citizen if you stay 182 days in Malaysia in an year. Is it valid for Indians who are working there as well on a work Visa or do we come under directly the 26% bracket ?

4. What do you think my savings will be ? I have a direct liability of around RM 2000 i.e. around INR 40000 as my Home Loan EMI. Also do understand that staying with a wife and two kids , I cannot be very conservative.

5. Lets say, if I want to travel to Delhi (my hometown) , I was checking online that travel from and to Malaysia with my whole family will be around Rs. 1,30,000. Is there a way to travel cheaper ?

6. How much do diapers cost in Malaysia ? :)

7. I have broken down my understanding of my expense in the following table. Let me know if you think my understanding is correct. Kindly add if I have missed out on anything. Your help and an early response will be highly appreciated.

Expense
Rent
2500
Food
2000
2 Phone+Miscaneous Expense
500
Home Loan liability
2000


Ans: Thanks for your appreciation. I see that you have done a thorough research on my blog which I appreciate. MYR 10,000 pre-tax converts into MYR 7,400 post tax considering you will be in 26% tax bracket for first six months. Now for one year you will not have to worry about the kids’ education as it starts only after three years. Considering that, it is enough for you and your family to sustain in Malaysia even after deducting MYR 2,000 liability. If you can pitch in for health insurance for your family from your employer , it will be an icing on the cake. Now, coming to the tax aspect, for first six months you will be in the 26% flat tax bracket. If you continue to work beyond that then your tax bracket will be down to 12%-14% only. In that case you can file for tax refund and get the extra tax you gave back as a lump-sum after the financial year is over. (for example 2,600 is deducted every month from your salary for six months between January 2014-June 2014.Once you complete six months in July 2014, you are no longer bound to pay 26% tax but 14% tax just like a normal Malaysian resident. Moreover once you complete one year in Malaysia. You can file the tax refund for year 2014 in March 2015. And you will get the extra tax you  paid during first six months refunded. (2600-1400=1200; for six months 1200*6=7200; thus you’ll get 7200 , as return in March 2015)). The cheapest way to travel to malaysia is through Kolkata. You can board an AirAsia flight and can take your family for a return ticket of as low as 80,000.

Tuesday 6 August 2013

Frequently asked questions-Part II



1. MVS: Let me introduce myself as MVS from India, working in an automotive sector.Had the oppurtunity to go through your very useful blog. I am in discsussion with European based MNC in Malaysia.The job location is Johar and they are offering 12,000 RM/Month.Planning to shift with my Wife.How good is that? How is the cost of living in Johar area? What are the additional benefits I can ask for`? How about the savings?(because in India Inflation is very high)

Ans: Thanks for your kind appreciation MVS. Johor is a state located in South of Malaysia close to Singapore border. Many of the Singapore based companies are shifting their bases to Johor in order to avoid exorbitant costs they experience in Singapore. Johor Bahru and Iskandar are the upcoming industrial cities in Johor state. Compared to Kuala Lumpur, the cost of living is lower in Johor. MYR 12,000 is more than enough for you and your wife in Johor. (I assume u have no kids). As far as addictional benefits, do ask if your company can arrange for a furnished accommodation as it is a major headache in Malaysia. If they can arrange for a company car, it would be an icing on the cake. You can expect to save almost half of your salary with a conservative lifestyle if they take care of your accommodation.

2. SK: Many thanks for creating a blog and using your wisdom to help and assist people in their decisions to accept the job in Malaysia. I totally appreciate it. Regarding my query, I'm getting an offer from a leading IT company headquartered in UK and having offices across the globe to join their Malaysian entity as head of their one vertical. I'm being offered 20,000 RM as monthly salary. This is the only salary I will be getting and any tax calculation will be done within 20,000 RM. Also, they are offering me free Medical insurance as I will be an expat. My queries are hereby as below - 
1. Considering flat 26% tax deduction from my salary, my net take home will be 14800 RM 
2. Is 14,800 RM enough to lead a happy lifestyle for family of 3. (We are living quite a lavish lifestyle in Mumbai here). 
3. Apart from my lifestyle, I have a liability of paying off my loans upto 1.5lakhs a month (8000 RM). 
4. So, I'm practically left with only 7000 RM for my monthly expenses in KL, where I need to basically pay off 
1. Rent
2. Travel
3. Food
4. Lifestyle expenses. 
They are also not offering me once a year travel to India as other countries do. Kindly let me know whether it would be a good deal to crack with.

Ans: Thanks for your kind appreciation S.K. MYR 14,800 is enough to lead a happy lifestyle for a family of three in Kuala Lumpur. (Now happy lifestyle is a very subjective thing but I am assuming it to be having a fully furnished 3BHK apartment, owning a car, kids studying in international school, eating out on weekends, travelling out once in a quarter.) Now , your second part is a bit worrying, deducting MYR 8,000 will leave you with MYR 7,000 which is pretty tight in Kuala Lumpur for a family of three (school going kid). You might not be able to splurge with that amount in Kuala Lumpur but you will be able to sustain with a conservative lifestyle. If you want to experiment with a life in foreign country then it’s a gud deal but if you want to live lavishly in Kuala Lumpur with MYR 7,000, I am afraid it’s not the right thing to do.
3. NK: I have seen ur blog and must say its helpful. Thanks for sharing the info. Coming to my purpose of my mail, I need your advice regarding epass and jobs in malaysia at the moment. I have 2.3 years of exp in java ..am planning to find a job in malaysia. I met a consultancy recently which says it will conduct first interview in india and next in malaysia...and the permit i get is for 1 year..and salary will be around 4000 to 6000 ...could you please help me by letting me know..if the job oppurtunities r good ..and about life in malaysia..

Ans: Thanks for your kind appreciation NK. Large number of opportunities exists for software programmers in Malaysia. India IT professional are given much regard in Malaysia and you can find them in all the sectors of economy. Many consultancies offer jobs in Malaysia but beware of the fake ones too. (Especially the ones which ask for advance money). MYR 4,000 to 6,000 is enough for you to sustain and enjoy in Malaysia. (I assume you are single). 1 year permit is the norm for the jobs here which can be renewed based on your performance.  

4. SB: I am Frm Hyderabad From Andhra Pradesh I got job offer in Malaysia.My Job Offer is 4500MYR.Iam Having 4 yr Exp in  Microsoft Technologies (Dotnet).I dont know where the company located but work place is in Kuala Lumpur. Right Now Iam Single Wont Spend Money alot. May Be Next Year I Will Marry So Plz tell me the living details for single person and hw much i can save for a month and if i married how much will i have to spend for 2. Plz Tell Me Cost Details For Food(if possible i will cook),room,transportation,etc. And Occasionally Movie In Theatres.Plz Tell Me The Details.

Ans: Thanks for visiting my blog SB. The cost of living details for singles can be found out on my blog. http://costoflivinginmalaysiaforindians.blogspot.in/2012/05/bare-minimum-costs-foodshelter.html . Inflation is low in Malaysia hence the costs haven’t changed by much. MYR 4,500 is enough for you in KL but it would become a bit tight when your wife arrives. However, you can expect around 10% hike next year and might reach a salary of more than MYR 5,000. With that salary, you can live an enjoy a conservative lifestyle. (I define a conservative lifestyle as the one where you predominantly eat home cooked food, no or very less drinking, a decent but not very lavish apartment in a decent locality, and travelling abroad twice in the year). A tip-Shop for your clothes in India to save the apparel costs!

5. SS: I got ur mail id from ur blog, i wanted some info please help me out 1. I got a job offer for Malaysia, i wanted to know what is the avg cost of leaving in Malaysia per month 4 single person n i got a salary offer of 64500 rm per annum as a gross , is this a gud one pls reply me fast.

Ans: Thanks for visiting my blog SS. The cost of living details for singles can be found out on my blog. http://costoflivinginmalaysiaforindians.blogspot.in/2012/05/bare-minimum-costs-foodshelter.html. Inflation is low in Malaysia hence the costs haven’t changed by much. MYR 64,500 is enough for you to sustain comfortably in Malaysia assuming you are single. However, please do enquire your employer about the tax deductions.

6. AK: I am an I.T professional with 10+ years of experience in I.T industry working in Oracle domain. I need a help/advice from you. Recently I have been hired as a Sr.DBA in one of the MNC (Experian Marketing Services) in Malaysia. This company is located in Cyberjaya Selangor Darul Ehsan. I have been offered between RM 13000 to RM 14000 PM. This job is on permanent basis. Also they provide 20 days of vacation yearly. We are a family of 3 ( Myself,wife and 2 yrs old baby). I have been earning a good salary in India (around 20 LPA). I have read your blogs about cost of living in Malaysia and found very informative. So kindly suggest me whether this offer is reasonable considering my current earning and expereince. Wondering will I be able to save anything after my expenses. I may have to travel to India atleast twice in a year. Not sure my expectation is feasible. Also I will be very greatful if you can give some information about the company and its location & transportation, locality, nearby city, and availability of vegetarian food as I am vegetarian

Ans: Thanks for your kind appreciation AK. Considering your salary to be 13K and converting that into INR makes it around 28LPA. By conservative estimates also the cost of living in Malaysia is almost 1.5 times that of India. That means 28LPA in Malaysia is around 19 LPA in India. I haven’t even considered the tax deduction. So this salary will give you almost the same standard of living in Malaysia. You can expect to save around 2K-4K only if you lead a conservative lifestyle. Experian is a known company listed on FTSE100 index so be rest assured. Cyberjaya is a satellite town of Kuala Lumpur located around 25-30km away from the main city. Vegetarian food is available in Kuala Lumpur particularly the South Indian food. North Indian food is also available in selected areas. You can stay in Puchong, Kuala Lumpur which is closest to Cyberjaya.
7.R.M: I am a Computer Science and Engineering Graduate fresher, 2013 passed out from JNTUK. The company people said that we will be having training in Aptech (a training institute in India ) Is it reliable company. So, what will be the chance for a fresher to survive there and what is the average cost of living for a single person to have a decent living with good amount of saving? Please help me with the credibility of the company. Is it really existing or not? And is it good to be in Malaysia for the 3000 RM?
Ans: Thanks for visiting my blog RM. You haven’t mentioned the name of the company so I can’t provide you information about that. MYR 3000 is enough to survive in Malaysia but you have to live in a shared accommodation which will cost you around MYR700-1200. Go through my blog to know more
8.A.A:  I am a female physiotherapist from india. gt a job offer frm hospital( name didnt dsclose yet by recurimn agency) with 55000 inr per mnth. it also includes accomdatn,food n transport provided by hospital. i hv to answr for ds job within 2 days. is this ok to go for this offer with such package. n i m also thnkn abu switch off frm ds job aftr 2 years. is dat possble?
Ans: Thanks for visiting my blog AA. INR 55,000 converts to MYR 3,000. Considering ther are taking care of your accommodation, food and transport, MYR 3,000 is enough for a single individual. You might not like the taste of the food they offer you so u’ll have to spend some extra bucks on fooding. But still u’ll be able to save around 2K. Regarding switching jobs go through the following link.  

9.RN: I am from Bangalore, An animator by profession ,Have about an year experience working here. I was applying for a job in Malaysia ,That's when I had to do some research about the cost of living and the other stuff about that Place. I just Came across your blog and found it very useful, So here is my question - There is this Animation studio called Silver ants ,Located in  Petaling Jaya,Selangor D.E . Wanted to know what is the cost of living there?  Is 4000 RM enough for a single person live there? and what about the tax system etc... I haven't discussed about the pay yet, Just taking the first step, So just wanted to be sure before talking to them . Hope to get your reply soon
Ans: Thanks for your kind appreciation RN. MYR 4,000 is enough for a single person in Selangor. Go through the following two links to know about the cost of living and tax structure.
http://costoflivinginmalaysiaforindians.blogspot.in/2012_09_01_archive.html
10. R.K: very happy to go through your blog. It was quite informative. would request some additional information. I got an offer from zenith infotech for C2H Position as PSS Analyst(Oracle) at kuala lumpur. I got 3.5 years of experience. and they are offering me RM 5000 per month. would request your suggestion.
Ans: Thanks for your kind appreciation RK. MYR 5,000 is enough for a single in Kuala Lumpur. You can go ahead with the offer if you want to gain some overseas exposure. However, go through the terms of contract carefully as many times there are very tricky conditions in the C2H contracts.
11.RT: Hello sir, I saw your blog... I want to know some details.... I heard that some agents telling they will give me a job in Malaysia (like in hotels etc....) they demanding approximately 2Lakhs.... I asked them how they'll send they replied that first they'll send me through visiting visa and with in 1-2weeks they'll offer me a E-pass... is that possible... so many different company agents are telling the same... can I trust...??? and the salary will be about 1200RG.... is this sufficient to live a normal life in malaysia..??? can you please conform me sir, caz this is challenging for my life.... so I'll b waiting for your reply... thank you in advance
Ans: Please beware of this scam RT. You may land up into trouble with these sort of companies. Besides MYR 1,200 is too less to lead a decent life in Kuala Lumpur.
12. SA: I was going through your blog and found it very informative that is why I thought of sending you a mail as I have few queries. Actually I am currently in Delhi, got an offer from Astrums Consulting on permanent basic for working with their client called "T-Systems" Malaysia. I have been offered RM 9000 PM and I am single and I have 5 years of IT experience. Job location would be Cyberjaya. So, just need a small suggestion from you, If this compensation structure is good enough for me. I belong to not that affluent family so saving is a must. So please suggest. Can you also suggest me the place to stay near by the job location, so that I could save time and money. Can you please tell me the income tax which I need to pay before 182 days of stay. As I was reading it said i need to pay flat 26% tax that means RM 2340 I have to pay for income tax every month? Please correct me if I am wrong.
Ans: Thanks for your kind appreciation SA. MYR 9,000 is enough for you to live and save money in Malaysia. Puchong is near Cyberjaya and you can get some inexpensive and decent accommodation there. You are right, 26% flat taxed will be deducted from your salary during first six months but if you stay more than 6 months that tax rate will come down to MYR1,200 per month. Besides that you can claim the extra taxes you paid as refund at the end of financial year.
13: AK: I have seen your blog on cost of living for Indians in Malaysia. I have got a full time job opportunity in AIG (American International Group) in Cyberjaya  Malaysia. Currently i am working in Fidelity Investments, Bangalore and have more than 3 Years of Experience. I have asked for 10,000 Ringgits per month as salary. Also in future i would like to relocate in India so thinking if i will get enough opportunity again to work in India or its really difficult to switch. Please suggest if its good to join, i have thought of earning more and explore my carrier onsite and to save a decent amount of money which will help me very much in future if i come back to India:) I am basically from the north India.
Ans: Thanks for visiting my blog AK. MYR 10,000 is enough for you to live and save in Malaysia. You can expect to save almost half of that. Relocating to India won’t be difficult if you make the right connections. Though you’ll have to be bit moderate in your salary expectations once you decide to relocate back to India.
14: AM: I just came across your blog while searching about cost of living in Malaysia. I am a SAP Retail consultant and having 7 years of experience.I am computer science engineer. I am getting a job offer from Capegemini Malaysia. Thy are offering me 11,500 RM per month before tax cut. They will be providing me and my spouse with Medical insurance. No other allowances are provided. Work location would be PJ/Shah Alam . I am not sure if this is a good offer or they are offering less. Please suggest if this a reasonable offer and offer is as per market standards. Also if you can tell me the average expenditure per month.
Ans: Thanks for visiting my blog AM. Your offer with Cape Gemini seems good but I would suggest you to bargain for more especially if you can get them to arrange for your accommodation. You have a skill set which is very hot in Malaysia and can fetch you more. Average expenditure for a family of two would be around 3.5k-5K going by conservative lifestyle estimates.