I have a degree in engineering (neither process nor environmental).. been with our national oil company for more than 3 years (experience thus far spanned across gas and petrochemical)..

I thought being technical is the way to go. So you are suggesting more of an office- or firm-based position, rather than one that requires me to be based in the manufacturing plant/ site?

I presume your co does not provide relocation cost in your pay package. Unless you stay in a friend's place for a while, otherwise I strongly suggest you have at least 8k to 10k.

In Sydney, the general practice is to 2 weeks bond and 2 weeks - 4 weeks advance rental, that will require you to come out with at least 4k. (assuming your rental is about 500 to 600 weekly, and you are not renting a room from a sub-leasor). I presume it is similar in Melb.

On top of that, you might want to have 1k to 2k for deposits / others - mobile phone / internet subscription, furnitures and car, if u are planing to get one soon. (assuming you are not getting a fully furnished unit).

Maybe you should check with your friends who stay in Melbourne and ask them SPECIFICALLY those question. People who has lived long enough in Aus would have conveniently forgotten about those question because it probably only happens once / twice in their life when they move overseas, but it is without a doubt critical.

Cheers and good luck!

Thanks for sharing. My co provided standard relocation package - airfare, temporary accommodation etc. Sadly to say I don't have friends/relatives in Melbourne. They are in Sydney/Perth but I'll probably ask for transfer in 1 to 2 yrs times.

Western Australia or Perth? If in one of those small town maybe lah.

But with the mining sector boom down, not sure if they are adversely affected.

Trouble is, every migrant wants to live in the big city, be it Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth or Brisbane.

Well if all else fail, just get any job. If the prospective migrant is migrating because he or she wants to build career, I think that person is being unrealistic (unless that person is cream of the crop), migrating is about the quality of life there.

Me too. For some it would be the free medical, u can check tat out. Some of my frens say can claim for specs, child birth, etc.

Education used to be free but i not sure to wat aspect now perhaps other posters can help advise here.

Other than that its the freedom n i suppose fair n equitable treat ment u receive in oz compared to bolehland. But dun get me wrong, racism is everywhere. I myself hv gotten racial taunts in oz b4 but harmless ones with exception of an aussie trucker wanted to run me down when i jaywalk haha.

Expect some favortism to their own kind at workplace. But hey we get that too in bolehland.

You pay ur taxes n its channelled to transparent means. Just look at the world class bike lanes, parks m amenities they hv compared to our clog drains n persistence water shortage

Their town council also respect ur rights. B4 they decide to build a road near ur housing they will set up committee with stakeholders like residence politicians govt councul etc to get feedback n approval. Not like here can set up radioactive plant in gebeng not even bother to consult local populatiom some more say as save as kicap plant.

Also u earn good ex rates n live in first world country. U probably not enjoy 100% but ur kids will benefit the most as their education system is likely surpass our msian ones. I think theirs is less exam based n more focus on creativity thinking n assignments.

U go anywhere as 1st gen migrants sure suffer one la dun expect bed of roses. The ozzies r bias to our work experience. If u work 10 yrs as tax accountant they rgd u as hvg zero yrs. If u 30 u may hv to work same level as 23 yo ozzies. That is if u r lucky to get a job of ur profession. Cant deny there r exceptions.

I suppose the economy there works differently. I know people who can save up on 50k a yr as a petrol station manager. I got a fren there he can survive with a bit savings by working as part time child care n at night as retailer.

U cant expect to be living as a manager pay if u want to migrate. There r people who r lucky to get top notch jobs maybe  its the timing or they belong to some niche industry or they r top students.

However majority i hear get pretty much sub standard jobs thst ozzies dun want. Anyway u cant expect much. I mean how would u feel if bangglas here start encroaching ur jobs like banking officer, engineers n doctors? Answer is protek protek. U obviously be competing with ozzies for jobs in an already limited job supply mkt. Most just gave up n tool up jobs ozzies dun want.

I got frens who been there for 7 to 10 years, they seem to be doing fine and satisfied with average paying jobs. I also got frens who returned from Australia and gave up on their PR after the bitter taste of being unemployed and not happy with jobs. Also got friends who keep on going back n forth every 2 years between Malaysia n Australia, like hotel, can;t make it up their minds.

Me too. For some it would be the free medical, u can check tat out. Some of my frens say can claim for specs, child birth, etc.

Education used to be free but i not sure to wat aspect now perhaps other posters can help advise here.

Other than that its the freedom n i suppose fair n equitable treat ment u receive in oz compared to bolehland. But dun get me wrong, racism is everywhere. I myself hv gotten racial taunts in oz b4 but harmless ones with exception of an aussie trucker wanted to run me down when i jaywalk haha.

Expect some favortism to their own kind at workplace. But hey we get that too in bolehland.

You pay ur taxes n its channelled to transparent means. Just look at the world class bike lanes, parks m amenities they hv compared to our clog drains n persistence water shortage

Their town council also respect ur rights. B4 they decide to build a road near ur housing they will set up committee with stakeholders like residence politicians govt councul etc to get feedback n approval. Not like here can set up radioactive plant in gebeng not even bother to consult local populatiom some more say as save as kicap plant.

Also u earn good ex rates n live in first world country. U probably not enjoy 100% but ur kids will benefit the most as their education system is likely surpass our msian ones. I think theirs is less exam based n more focus on creativity thinking n assignments.

U go anywhere as 1st gen migrants sure suffer one la dun expect bed of roses. The ozzies r bias to our work experience. If u work 10 yrs as tax accountant they rgd u as hvg zero yrs. If u 30 u may hv to work same level as 23 yo ozzies. That is if u r lucky to get a job of ur profession. Cant deny there r exceptions.

Guys, what kind of private insurance you guys choose here? I'm not PR yet and need it to cover my kids vaccine. Any recommendation? Thanks.

Hi guys, just came back from KL for a week holiday. Wondering around cheras & PJ.
Construction development gone crazy looks like plenty of jobs but the pay.....
Road works everywhere and the road condition is bad....real bad.
Despite of the horror on malaysian driving style, food is the key to keep me calm.
Had most of the food you name it.

Went to Jusco & Tesco, the goods are so expensive which comparable to Oz. Sometimes even expensive say ikan bilis! Tot gonna bring in few kilos but after conversion, i better buy in Oz as cheaper than malaysia....wonder why

Yeah, bought some shoes and clothing. However, compared to previous visit, realising RM is smaller, inflation gets higher. Even we bringing in ozzie dollar, you still pay higher.

Mononpoly..............Msians pay very high prices for essentials with respect to their income.

Hi guys, just came back from KL for a week holiday. Wondering around cheras & PJ.
Construction development gone crazy looks like plenty of jobs but the pay.....
Road works everywhere and the road condition is bad....real bad.
Despite of the horror on malaysian driving style, food is the key to keep me calm.
Had most of the food you name it.

Went to Jusco & Tesco, the goods are so expensive which comparable to Oz. Sometimes even expensive say ikan bilis! Tot gonna bring in few kilos but after conversion, i better buy in Oz as cheaper than malaysia....wonder why

Yeah, bought some shoes and clothing. However, compared to previous visit, realising RM is smaller, inflation gets higher. Even we bringing in ozzie dollar, you still pay higher.

talking about food, quality has seriously dropped (but price increased) to a level where by i don't have the urge anymore...

e.g. Melaka, used to do makan trips once or twice a month... now just don't bother... the bosses lost their passion and can't cook properly... those who have kids to take over can't do it as good as their parents... those who have nobody to pass the biz to is now cooked by some foreigner

yeah, there's a chinese restaurant in PJ called new paris where i used to go those days, what they serve is crap. The taste looks different then i saw most of the cook are burmese, bangla......what the heck?
no doubt the portion is small and i paid RM6 for a bowl of wantan mee. 2 chopstick scoop, gone!
Tried nasi kandar too. Me, wife and 2 kids ate RM35! wow...

New Paris is famous, haven't been there for years after they couldn't maintain their standard...

seldom eat out now... its a waste of time and stomach

well, there's goes the ONLY reason for coming back after migrating