We moved to Malaysia in 2012. As a foreigner (even one married to a Malaysian) it is difficult to find a job in Malaysia. Malaysia aims to protect it’s citizens’ from outsiders so there are quite a few bureaucratic hurdles to jump through. We were lucky enough to be able to stay with my wife’s parents who live in a small town a few hours away from the capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Realising that it might take time to find a job in Malaysia I called up my old contacts at the Dyslexia Association of Singapore.
I worked with the Dyslexia Association of Singapore between 2002 and 2005. At that time it much easier to get an Employment Pass. The system is now stricter but once I had demonstrated that my qualifications at least matched the Singaporean version I had my visa. I spent the next year assessing children in the Singaporean Educational system to find out why they were struggling academically. We wanted to live in Malaysia so we set up home in Kuala Lumpur and I travelled down on the bus to work in Singapore for a few days a week (the rest of the week was spent writing reports).
Spending time away from the family wasn’t ideal so I was really pleased when an ex-colleague emailed me to say he’d seen a job advert for an Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham’s Malaysia Campus. I spent the next three years working there full time and I’m now an Honorary Assistant Professor. You can read about my experiences at the university here.
Dear Dr. Dan Seal,
Thank you for sharing your experiences!
As a Psychology student who is looking into working in KL or Singapore after graduation, your Blog is very insightful. Since studying in Tanjung Malim (UPSI) for a semester, I cannot wait to get back to Malaysia and hopefully register as a Psychologist there.
Your thoughts and experiences are highly appreciated!
Best,
Linda
Thanks! It’s great to hear that you found my blog helpful!