monkey39 Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 Hello all, Posted this on another board, but thought I'd try to get as many opinions as possible. I have been offered a position in Penang as an I/T manager, with salary RM7500/month (approx. 77000THB/month). This would be an internal move for me, from the US to Malaysia in a major multinational corporation, but it would involve a 65% cut in my current salary, as my wages would be adjusted for Malaysian rates. My main motivation for even entertaining this move is because of my boredom with living in the US, and I've always enjoyed my previous vacations in SE Asia. I'd like to travel around the region a bit, which would be a lot easier being located there, but the drastic drop in salary concerns me a bit. I know that RM7500/month is a pretty decent salary for Malaysia, but I'm not sure if I want to risk my future financial security, especially if I decide to move back to the US at some time in the future. Also, I've been thinking that I'm ready to start a family in the near future, as well. Anyway, I'm still considering this, and, if I accept, would be required to spend a minimum of 4-5 years in the region before any transfer requests back to the US would be entertained (but not guaranteed). Personal stats: 36 years old Korean-American Single, no girlfriend or children 8 years I/T experience, 6 years as network engineer for multinational. I think I would enjoy living/working in Malaysia, but I'm not sure I'm ready to commit to the large salary cut. So, what would you do? Salaries go a lot farther in SE Asia, so my current day-to-day lifestyle would not be significantly affected, but disposable income/travel funds would be. Any pros/cons you guys may have would be much appreciated. Thanks, monkey39 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgianBoy Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 I voted no, any change of job or career move should be a promotion, not a demotion. JIMO of course..... BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magician Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 Malaysia is...ok. Very clean, very nice, very organized....and there is minimal evidence of corruption. There are hot women there, too. But there are not as many hot women there as there are in Thailand, and it is harder to "know" them in the carnal sense. In Thailand...it is no problem to nail an 18 year old hottie, if that is your thing. In Malaysia....much harder to do. I also think that you absolutely need a car in Malaysia. In Bangkok....nah. It costs more to live there than it does to live in Bangkok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli13 Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 it really depends how bad you need to be in asia. I would accept 80k+ in bkk, but for MY I guess my threshold would be a bit higher say 100k as I wouldn't be able to cut my expenses as drastically as I know I could in LOS to even begin to justify such a pay cut... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.. Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 Not sure about Penang, but KL is cheaper than BKK. I expect Penang to be cheaper than KL, but still, I certainly would not want to live there on RM7700/mo (is that before or after taxes?). Do you get any benefits, like housing or air tix for home leave? What about your EPF (Malaysian Social Security) contributions -- do you get it as a lump sum when you leave or is that money lost in space? You have no choice but to contribute. I lived there in 1995-1999 and really, really enjoyed it. But I was on a regular expat package of US salary (~US$8K/mo after taxes which was really spankin' when the RM crashed to 5.5/$ in mid- late-97!!), and benefits like housing (RM5K/mo, which got a nice 5BR bungalow on about a 1/2 acre with fruit trees & electric driveway gate in Subang Jaya with RM500 left over), a maid, a car (Proton Perdana) w/driver, schooling for the kids (@ KLASS) and business class tix once a year back to the States for all four of us (which I cashed in because we did not care about going to the States LOL!). Of course, I managed 600+ employees and reported direct to the CEO, so we are talking different levels of employment too. I am with BB that at this point in your career and considering your age, you should not be looking at downgrades or even lateral moves. The whole point of an expat position is to cash up and to gain experience to be used in furthering your career should you choose to move back to farangland. I do not see this position as giving you either, so I voted no. But you know your situation better than I, so only you can make the end decision. That said, I highly recommend Malaysia and found that *if you lived there* and spoke (even a little) Bahasa, getting into panties was as easy as anywhere else in Asia. Ya, even with most Musilm gals. Especially on Penang, with all the factories employing bored late-teen/20-something single gals away from home. Tourists would have a different impression. Cheers, SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
didierhardy Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 Even if the salary seems to be on the lower end - GO FOR IT, ABSOLUTELY!!! Once established, you always can look for other opportunities. I work in the Far East for the last 25 years (Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand). Believe me, it's just great!] Didier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samak Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 65% cut on your current salary is quite a lot! of course is Penang cheaper than US, but in my impression (several business trips and vacation) certainly not cheaper than Bangkok. it really also depends whether this is a indefinetely move or whether your employer gives you some career and salary growing perspective. the salary is very local. a good IT manager in LOS can also make over 70k (a leader of a team of several staff members; not a 1-3 person IT dep) and Malaysia salaries should be slightly higher. are you working for one of the big electronic contract manufacturer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous_Dog Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 If your plan is to move to this area, or Thailand, do it, I did the same, but for a salery increase, from Aust to Taiwan, a few years later to Bangkok. Easier! DOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liquidflux Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 65% is a big cut. Too big if you ask me. If you were making a shit salary like me, then it might be worth it. 4000 USD a month is a lot to give up. Personally I'd stick it out in the states, enjoy a few weeks vacation in SEA every year, and put the extra money towards an early retirement. Big picture wise, 6 years in a company is nothing. Few years down the road, with the added experience, you'll have a lot more leverage to hook up a real fat cat expat package, which IMO is what you should be aiming for if you want to move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkey39 Posted May 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 samak said:are you working for one of the big electronic contract manufacturer? Nah, I work for a computer manufacturer with a call center and a manufacturing facility in Penang (guess which company?..starts with a 'd':). I'd be setting up a network monitoring center there, part of my company's plans for globalization. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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