Expat to malaysia with kids

Expat life in malaysia is comfortable and above all suitable for kids in terms of education and services.

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Education in a private or international school is expensive. Depending on where you live and what school the child attends, it can be from about RM1700 - RM2500 per month. Foreigners are not allowed to send their children to State Schools. There are some home schooling options as well, if you think you can educate your child.

Immigration is the most complex. Foreigners need to have a work permit and dependents passes or join the MM2H programme (which does not allow a person to take up work).  The minimum salary to qualify for an employment pass is RM5k per month.

Job availability for foreigners can be scarce and difficult to find. This can be because employers do not know about immigration matters and require a foreigner to already have a work permit. That does not mean going and buying a fake one - that does not work as it can never be transferred to another employer and the deception will be found out at some point.

Accommodation will be RM3000 - RM5000 per month so it does not leave much after schooling or childcare costs are deducted.  A minimum salary should therefore be at least RM10,000 per month with health insurance paid by the employer for the whole family.

Thanks for these information. Work shouldn't be an issue as I'm working in a multinational company with an expact support program. I'm worried about the impact of the malaysian climate, hot and humid, on my kids. Is there anyone that can share an experience of moving to malaysian with kids coming from a mediterranean country ?
Thanks in advance
SM

Children are very adaptable so I would not give it a second thought. It is great for them to experience different cultures and living situations. Most people with children are just delighted at the quality of life they experience and the freedom to learn to swim and use the pool every day. The downsides are air pollution and traffic congestion. All health facilities are world class these days. If you are happy to relocate, then your children will be happy as well. One word of warning though is that office hours are very long and school pick up times are early. So if you both are going to work, then your children wont have a quality life, if they have to be looked after by a foreign maid for a lot of the time. Working mothers can find that they are not at the school gate to get involved in the social life that comes from having children and them making friends.

A good preschool will cost you between RM15k to RM20k per year per child depending on the number of days and hours per week. You'll need to figure that in for your 1 year old.