Which language should i try to learn before moving to Malaysia

Both english and mandrin is actually useful in here , you won't have a hard time in cities . Also , about the money . Try to make a survey on the area that you desire to live in

English is widely spoken, but a lot can hardly manage a word.
4 Chinese languages are in common use, those including Mandarin - The latter is spoken by most Chinese, but not all.
The main language is Bahasa Melayu, that being spoken as a first language by at least 60% of the population.

Hi Andre,

Yes you are correct, most Malaysians speak English and in the cities and towns the standard is pretty good although of course Malaysians have their own accent on English. You'll get used to it really quickly. Many Malaysians in the cities are actually pretty fluent in English. I'd say there really isn't a need to learn a language, but of course Malay is fun and easy and Mandarin would be useful if you planned to visit places like China, Hong Kong or Taiwan. But it really isn't important for Malaysia.

As for money, do not bring in more than US$10,000 or equivalent in other currencies as Customs have this limit and more than this they might confiscate the whole lot. If you do bring in more then declare it on the Customs Declaration form and then if questioned have some support documentation to show where the money comes from (bank statements, salary slips etc) as Malaysia is quite strict on preventing money laundering. It would be much better to open a bank account early and transfer funds from overseas. Local banks are easy but foreign banks such as HSBC will ask more questions such as where is the money coming from and may require documentary proof.

One of your biggest expenses will be renting an apartment. Tenants are generally required to pay two months security deposit and half a month's utilities deposit and then always pay the rent a month in advance. So you'll need to take that into account if you plan to rent a place. Think about transportation when finding a place to live. The cost adds up if you take taxis or Grab car everyday, so being close to the school or near public transport such as a train station will make things less expensive.

Food can be really cheap if you don't mind eating local as there is street food everywhere an inexpensive places selling Indian and Muslim food as well as Chinese food.

Assuming you'll open a bank account once you have your work permit, then I'd recommend opening both a local account such as with Maybank as well as one with an international bank such as HSBC. You'd need your work permit to show the bank in order to open an account. And if you don't already have one, then consider opening an HSBC account while you are still in the UK so sending money between the two countries is easy via online transfers. Otherwise, what a lot of expats use for transferring money online is TransferWise which is fast and cheap.

Apartment rental varies a lot but it is easy to go to one of the main property websites and enter the area and details of what you are looking at and then see that each result has a property agent's name that you can contact via WhatsApp.

Another initial cost might be medical insurance which fortunately is not very expensive in Malaysia. I would guess that it might cost you around RM2,000 to RM2,500 per year including private room and less if you don't mind sharing a room or staying in a ward.

I disagree about the importance of Mandarin, but that depends very much on where you are. If you go to the old 'communist' villages, you'll be pushed to find anyone with English skills, and more than a few, especially older residents, don't speak Malaysian.
However, in the cities, or at least the posh areas, you'll have no problem finding English speakers - but don't assume because Malaysia effectively dropped English from schools for many years, so there's a whole generation with atrocious language skills.

Expats who stick to the business areas and expensive restaurants won't have the slightest trouble if they speak only English.

Shill88 wrote:

Hi Andre,

Yes you are correct, most Malaysians speak English and in the cities and towns the standard is pretty good although of course Malaysians have their own accent on English. You'll get used to it really quickly. Many Malaysians in the cities are actually pretty fluent in English. I'd say there really isn't a need to learn a language, but of course Malay is fun and easy and Mandarin would be useful if you planned to visit places like China, Hong Kong or Taiwan. But it really isn't important for Malaysia.

Really useful info thank you. I guess while Mandarin isn't at all crucial for Malaysia I'll continue to try and learn as much as possible as I would like to visit china too.

As for money, do not bring in more than US$10,000 or equivalent in other currencies as Customs have this limit and more than this they might confiscate the whole lot. If you do bring in more then declare it on the Customs Declaration form and then if questioned have some support documentation to show where the money comes from (bank statements, salary slips etc) as Malaysia is quite strict on preventing money laundering. It would be much better to open a bank account early and transfer funds from overseas. Local banks are easy but foreign banks such as HSBC will ask more questions such as where is the money coming from and may require documentary proof.

One of your biggest expenses will be renting an apartment. Tenants are generally required to pay two months security deposit and half a month's utilities deposit and then always pay the rent a month in advance. So you'll need to take that into account if you plan to rent a place. Think about transportation when finding a place to live. The cost adds up if you take taxis or Grab car everyday, so being close to the school or near public transport such as a train station will make things less expensive.

Food can be really cheap if you don't mind eating local as there is street food everywhere an inexpensive places selling Indian and Muslim food as well as Chinese food.

Is street food less expensive than cooking at home?

Assuming you'll open a bank account once you have your work permit, then I'd recommend opening both a local account such as with Maybank as well as one with an international bank such as HSBC. You'd need your work permit to show the bank in order to open an account. And if you don't already have one, then consider opening an HSBC account while you are still in the UK so sending money between the two countries is easy via online transfers. Otherwise, what a lot of expats use for transferring money online is TransferWise which is fast and cheap.

Apartment rental varies a lot but it is easy to go to one of the main property websites and enter the area and details of what you are looking at and then see that each result has a property agent's name that you can contact via WhatsApp.

Another initial cost might be medical insurance which fortunately is not very expensive in Malaysia. I would guess that it might cost you around RM2,000 to RM2,500 per year including private room and less if you don't mind sharing a room or staying in a ward.

Thanks

Yes Mandarin is useful if you plan to travel or even one day move to teach in one of those countries I mentioned above. I only started learning it in London although my background is in Engineering/Geology and later continued my studies in Taiwan, and it helped me get jobs in the past and to speak with factory owners etc, but really assisted me a lot when traveling there. However, it's not much use in Malaysia at all. Even when I deal with Chinese speaking property agents who often converse in Mandarin when they work together, as soon as they know I understand and speak Mandarin they switch to a different dialect.

Yes, definitely street food and food in cheap local restaurants can be a lot cheaper than cooking yourself. I'm talking about dishes like roti canai, , tosai masala, fried noodles, chicken rice, nasi lemak, nasi kandar and a lot of Malay food etc along with an orange juice or teh tarik. Great if you like Indian and Chinese food. But if you go to the touristy places like Jalan Alor in Bukit Bintang, KL then you'll get tourist prices.

Remember that Mandarin is the language of Beijing and lets say the educated class. Malaysian Chinese came from south China and that means Cantonese would be probably most useful although i've counted at least eight dialects regularly spoken.  Cantonese, im told, would be hardest for someone to learn but at least through written characters (if not spoken words) the gist of the message is understood between them. Its through such similarities that Malays and Indonesians can freely talk, more or less. But even within Malaysia there are dialects of the Malay language which seem foreign to each other so I dont know what to say.

My experience is that English gets you by more than half the time. There are Chinese who live their entire lives speaking only their chinese dialect with each other and barely speak Malay (and forget English entirely), although some chinese are multi-lingual in chinese dialects, too. Depends on their upbringings and careers.

All govt paperwork is in the Malay language and its very helpful to have a dictionary or an enthusiastic helper around. SOME people are able to pick up Malay quickly and its very useful since all the cultures speak it since young. Ive found two things when listening to locals of different races, when in doubt they either speak Malay to each other or English. Of the races, ive found that Indians speak English well and widely compared to the others, speaking as well as westerners.

I wrote a book on the Malay language that was published in 2001 and I still use it myself. Knowing just 100 common Malay words would really be worthwhile, even just 50, plus the ability to count to 25.

As for a dialect of chinese, i consider it a shameful crime that I havent learned. What I did was buy childrens books and tapes and tried to learn (failure) and also bought the writing books in which I trained myself to write about 200 common characters so I could understand signboards on shops.

So, with English all is pretty much well. I would pick up an inexpensive, small English-Malay tourist book to get some familiarity and see if you can make any sense of it. Its very helpful.

Having said this, also think beyond Malaysia and your future. As the chinese build up their might in the world, being able to walk away from a stint here with a working knowledge of Mandarin would serve a person well.

Last, you asked about money. Well, who knows. If you can bring about USD5,000 to start a bank account that would be good. We've been around this topic ad nauseum but I would say NOT to bring a tiny amount and ATM your life. Many do and I dont want to start a new debate, just saying my opinion. Put USD5,000 in and an online method to transfer more from your home bank if needed until you see how your salary is working out. For that, make your arrangements for transfers while you are still home just in case your bank needs you to sign a transfer agreement before leaving. AND, AND, dont forget to bring your SIM card because most banks use the TAC method of verification at times of online transfers. Some banks are trying to force customers onto their phone apps and while I wholly disagree thats a good thing and must be heartily resisted, it might be the only option for some people.

thanks a bunch really useful info

Teaching position? Do you have a PHD in any field? If not, language will not matter. All institutions of higher learning here are really only looking for PHD candidates. If you do not care about working for peanuts at a tuition center, then Malay would be the first choice really but honestly, it does not matter because of the language level for English here is relatively higher than the rest of the region (outside of Singapore).

Good luck

No I don't have A PhD. I have a degree a PGSE and a masters.  I noticed some good salaries at international schools which I have had several interviews for.
Do you think that these international school salaries of 10,000 to 18,000 depending on experience are not good enough to live sufficiently in Malaysia?

Are you saying learning Mandarin would be important? Thanks

I have lived here since March 2009 and no way will you get an offer of RM 18,000 a month - RM 10,000 maybe but honestly I guess it depends upon how you want to live but do not hold your breath. Malaysia's cost of living is out of scale compared with salaries, and knowing the education system here, your total monetary package includes whatever housing they promise.

I worked as a Communications Lecturer for 3yrs and my total package was USD 5,500 per month - I have a PHD in Communication Studies, an MA in Psychology, an expired USA teaching license and I decided to make far more money in Singapore, and China.

Now, I do hold permanent residency here, and I do own multiple properties as well (one i live in with my wife - 2 we rent out for investment), but I will only work in Malaysia again when I fully retire and open up my own tuition institution.

Good luck

Thanks for the info.
Interesting, you went to China and Singapore to earn more after Malaysia.
Was 5,500 USD not a good lifestyle to live on in Malaysia? I would've thought it would be but of course I do not have nearly as much experience as you nor the money  (3 homes - well done mate).

How much do you think I can realistically earn as an international school teacher without a Phd? and how much do you think is a reasonable salary for a westerner to live on in Malaysia? Any additional tips or resources is welcome.

Thanks again for your wisdom

The lifestyle that I live was not a problem with my salary but the lack of respect from the locals is why I left for greener pastures. The people are outstanding (I am married to a local Malaysian Chinese) but the working environment is altogether a different story.

The business world (education included) really wants local talent, not only to pay them less but also for less headaches. Furthermore; they will want to put you on a 3-month probation period (standard for everyone) and then after your 3 months are up, there is a greater than 50/50 chance that they will make a excuse to further your probation which will affect your salary.

Honestly, if you are dead-set on coming then I wish you the best but I would look into Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Indonesia or Thailand - South Korea is a nice experience but nothing i would recommend long term - I have no desire to explore Japan so I am unable to help there. 

Finally; if an experience is more important than money, go to Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos. The most beautiful people i have ever encountered from a family environment perspective.