How much RM savings u need to have to survive the first few months in AU jobless?
How do you settle your first few months lodging? First week stay at hotel and look for houses to let there? How to go house viewing withiut car?

So far I can say next to none, for both myself and my wife.

I stayed in a hotel for the first two weeks while looking for a place to rent. I got a little luckily though and managed to secure something in the first week. I also rented a car for my first week and made it a priority to drive away with my own car by then end of the first week.

I budget $100k or around RM300k to last me a year without a job ($42k for the first month and $48k for the remaining 11 months), but I had more than that after selling my assets in Malaysia.

I was lucky to start working around 2 months after I arrived (could’ve started in 1.5 months but had a better last minute offer).

what do you do after 8 pm besides staying at home?

Hmm ok but what's so good about Australia citizenship??

Mainly for the kids. I want my kids to have a better quality of life and will be able to earn a living wage by pursuing their interests, regardless if they’re a mechanic or a lawyer.

Also, considering the state of the government in Malaysia after PH’s failure with no potential future leaders in the pipeline and PAS gaining traction, I fear it’s just going to go downhill from there.

That’s the only thing I do because I have kids. 😅

It’s great for me because I can get my EPF money and no longer have to pay tax on the dividends. And I don’t have to renew my PR every 5 years 😅

Other than that, not much difference to having a PR other than being able to work for certain jobs like defence.

TS went there with family alone or already have relatives, close friends contacts in Oz prior migration?

Afterall, kids will grow up parents will grow old.

I frequently met with very old ex msians in airport or flight traveling alone back to msia. Mostly sad lonely stories, though they always brag how much money they have lol. Or their sons and daughters live very good life.

by age 30s, not that easy to have local accent, would always be treated like bangla level, do TS agree?

better quality of life seriously?

My sis just come back from Aussie for breaks. First thing she did was to bring her kids to see a specialist for some health issues..She said its so difficult to meet specialist there..you only get to meet general cheapo docs and to get appointment with specialists, need months..

I have some friends here, no family. I’ve always travelled alone most of my life, but knowing that the “sad and lonely” ex-Malaysians are able to travel home frequently to see their old friends, and their kids are set up well for the future, I’m sure they wouldn’t trade it for anything else, wouldn’t you agree?

I find it odd that they brag about money. One of the side perks of living in Australia is I don’t see a lot of people bragging. Australians are not materialistic and won’t judge you by your car or branded bags. Perhaps their old Malaysian traits flared up upon seeing another Malaysian? 😜

Being treated like a bangla was one of the things I worry about before coming over, but that’s only true in the Malaysia where blue collar foreigners are looked down upon. Perhaps there may be a glass ceiling, but even if there is, it’s probably much higher than I would like to progress in my career. And FYI I am currently sitting one level higher than where I was before leaving Malaysia in an ASX50 organisation and am lined up for a leadership role sometime this year. Accents doesn’t matter - being able to fit in culturally is important.

This post has been edited by Salary: Jun 11 2023, 05:31 PM

Try getting a specialist in local government hospitals in Malaysia - depending on the severity of the illness, it’ll take time to make an appointment as well. It’s the same here in Australia.

I’m sure your sister went to a private specialist which is comparatively cheaper in Malaysia. She has the option of going to a private specialist here as well, but I’m sure she’ll tell you it’s cheaper to buy a flight ticket back to Malaysia to see a specialist there. And if she can wait until her breaks to do so, don’t you agree it’s non-life threatening?

Oh, and there’s no “cheapo” doctors here. They’re all qualified and how much you pay doesn’t equate to the quality you get. Similarly in Malaysia as well - “cheapo” public hospitals have some of the best specialists that will see patients that private hospitals refuse. Gotta get rid of that mentality - you’re discrediting the medical profession.

Yes, private medical is expensive in Australia, but then again what isn’t? That’s why her pay is higher here than in Malaysia 😉. May I ask why she doesn’t want to return to Malaysia if she feels the quality of life here aren’t as good?

This post has been edited by Salary: Jun 11 2023, 05:17 PM

I'm guessing your role must be in high demand or is in a niche industry. Not easy for normal Malaysians that wish to migrate to find a role/position similar to what they have been accustomed to in Malaysia. I do personally know many Malaysians that wish to migrate over concerns over the country's future, some even pay exorbitant amounts to engage migration consultants. Many of them were not successful in obtaining employment tho.

Not exactly in a niche industry, but there is a labour shortage now that helps. And that’s why I decided to move even with border restrictions in place.

Yes I agree that there are some that are struggling to find jobs - again, I don’t want to paint a rosy picture about the job market here, but I feel that generally speaking, Malaysians with MNC experience in Malaysia will usually do well here. Can’t speak for others though.

I personally have not and also would not recommend using a migration agent for straightforward applications. They do charge exorbitant amounts and you’ll be doing the bulk of the work (collecting documents), but they do come in handy though if there’s issues with an application like having medical issues or criminal records. For normal applications without encumbrances, you can find everything on the DHA website.

The last time I went to Tasmania trough Melbourne I got "random" search twice at the airport to and back because I look fat ....... anyway I probably did not elaborate properly. My "lively activity" is more of a going to book store for books and a cup of coffee , board game shop, hobby shop etc ...... I barely get to do any of those. I suppose they don't chime with that kind of chill activity? Is it a crime if there are business operate at wee hours?

Where do you go for vacations?

Haha my bad, yeah those places usually close at 5pm. You’ll also find that for a lot of small businesses, sometimes they close on short notice when they don’t have enough workers. With the minimum wage at $21 (rising to $23 soon), small businesses can’t afford to employ too many people. Having people work after 5pm will cost businesses more as well as they usually pay >1.5x more. I think that’s probably why they don’t open longer hours.

Sometimes I don’t understand what kind of activities you would like to do after 8pm?

People keep saying nightlife in aus sucks

But here in Malaysia, after 8pm also nothing much to do other than going out having dinner or supper eating trash mamak foods, watch movies at cinema, shopping(which u can do on morning or afternoon) or clubbing

This post has been edited by Alternate Gabriel: Jun 11 2023, 06:35 PM

For long weekends - locally. There’s a lot of regional towns to visit.

For longer holidays, Bali. Just kidding. We just recently returned from Japan, our first proper holiday since moving here. With Australia being so far away from everywhere else and having to bring kids along, holidays aren’t as fun (or as cheap) as it used to be. Other than going back to Malaysia probably once a year, we’re trying to squeeze in one long holiday every 2 years or so.

Yeah, that's what I was suspecting. Which is why I prefer UK instead. I had lots of short 1 week/long weekend like Belgium, Madeira, Austria/Slovakia in the past half year or so