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

Ans: You can get the details at http://costoflivinginmalaysiaforindians.blogspot.in/2012_05_01_archive.html

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

 http://costoflivinginmalaysiaforindians.blogspot.in/2012_05_01_archive.html

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

http://costoflivinginmalaysiaforindians.blogspot.in/2012_05_01_archive.html

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.