Are there any Fitness job opportunities?

Hi Clare,  there are fitness opportunities here in Malaysia. However, I will need to check with fitness centres for vacancies. As for all your questions, will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks! Afiq

Clare I think it highly unlikely you would find a job paying the minimum required in fitness (unless you go into the field of lecturing or PE teaching) and also there is no free eduction in Malaysia for foreigners. Tuition fees increase with age and start at about RM1.5k per month for a child of 6 years old. 

Retail work pays about RM5-8 per hour and mainly locals or people on Foreign Worker visas would do this kind of work for those rates. So you would be competing against citizens of the 10 or so countries that can work on the FW visa for lower wages.

So I would suggest you use your time to qualify as a lecturer or teacher and then migrate that way. This could be as an English teacher as well. However international schools (rather than language schools) will often provide free education for children of their staff. If you look at jobs mentioned in the Times Educational Supplement you will get an idea of what qualifications will be required.

On the question of setting up a business, there are quite high requirements for the paid-up capital required for this. It's RM1m for a 100% foreigner-owned business and RM350k in partnership with a Malaysian. It's not altogether straightforward to ensure getting a work permit (as company director) if the duties could be carried out by a local employee (i.e. seeing the foreign business owner more as an investor than an active component). Together with the danger of the business failing (some of the big chains are closing in Malaysia) it would be a risk.  A large proportion of people live in condominiums which have their own gyms and  modern housing estates have club facilities - so the need to attend external gym or training faciilities is reduced. Most jobs at club level are often based on freelancers, who pay to have clients at gyms - and that sort of arrangement would not result in a work permit either. This is why I mentioned the possibility of training to be an educator to ensure a life-long attractive income.

Thank you. I have a specific interest in working with women with a halal approach, no music and modest dress and no male onlookers etc. Any help would be much appreciated

Thank you. I have been looking into studying towards a career as an ESL teacher as a reliable means of migration. Maybe I could do this to establish myself and then later persue the fitness business as a venture instead of relying on it with uncertainty. Food for thought at the moment and I've been in touch with careers advice and universities for guidance also. I certainly don't have the RM1m at hand.