Moving to KL?
Have you been offered an opportunity to move to KL? Have you already made up your mind? Have you just arrived? Hopefully you can find some answers to the questions you have from this blog! We have all arrived to this wonderful city with kids in tow, and know it may feel a bit daunting sometimes. It is a great place to live, though, and we recommend you start reading from these posts:
Where to live in KL? Best neighbourhoods for families
International schools in KL
What to do with kids in KL
Being pregnant and giving birth in KL
Organic food in KL
Learning Mandarin in KL
Learning Bahasa Malay in KL
Apps you need in KL
Where to buy furniture in KL?
Also check out travel guide to KL with kids over at Strollers&Suitcases and general tips for the move on this post we wrote for the ExpatWoman.com. We are glad to have you over, make sure you don’t miss any posts by signing up to the email list on the right sidebar, and following us on Facebook and Bloglovin!
You can find answers to most of your questions on Facebook discussion groups like KL Expats Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur Expats or Expats in Kuala Lumpur, or on Expat.com.
For and easy way of shopping for home appliances, check Lazada (affiliate link):
We are researching a move to KL, and I wanted to get some honest feedback about the city. Is KL a safe place to live? I’ve read countless articles, read through FB comments, and spoken with friends originally from KL. The impression I get is- plan on being mugged, pick pocketed, or attacked. Is this accurate? I’ve been told (by people from KL) that expats are followed specifically and robbed. That women and children are specifically targeted. My husband is to the point that he thinks KL is too dangerous to move to. I’m the type that can always find positive in situations, but even with the great schools and kids activities, I concerned for my safety and that if my kids. Is crime and personal safety really this bad?
This is also not my first expat experience in this part of the world.
We haven’t been victims of any such incidents in KL – thankfully. In the five years I have lived here I have heard of a few burglaries, one kidnapping of an expat child and a number of pickpocket/snatching/car window bashing incidents. There have been terrorist threats in the past year. I do not feel expats are particularly targeted, I would say most crime victims are Malaysian but have no statistics to back that up! There are certain areas that are more prone to snatch thieves and pickpockets than others. We do take usual safety precautions as in any big city and keep a close eye on the kids when in shopping centres and parks, but do not loose sleep over our personal safety. Obviously there is also reason to be vigilant but I feel stories travel fast on social media before being verified to be true. I personally wouldn’t rule out KL based on security and am not considering moving away because of it – but that is of course a call every family must do for themselves. Hope this helps at least a bit!
Hi guys!
We’re a family of 5 from Australia and we’re thinking of moving to KL with our children for a few yrs. Our kids are 7yrs, 4yrs and 1yr respectively. I don’t think we can afford international schools for our kids. So do you know of any other schools that we can enrol our kids that are affordable? Do you think that Catholic schools in KL are OK? We’re 4th generation Chinese Australians
so we don’t mind if our children learn Mandarin ….if that’s also an option.
TIA
Hi there! Schools are typically the biggest headache for people who have to pay their own fees here! You can start with this link to get an idea of the fees: http://www.educationdestinationmalaysia.com/general-articles/annual-tuition-fees-for-year-1-2016-17/
The international schools at the top of the range are very expensive, but some of the middle range ones are still good. For example you may want to check out Help, ELC, Eatonhouse, Beaconhouse and such. Unfortunately I can’t say anything about the Christian schools, but do check them out. Apparently foreign children can’t enroll to local government schools (including the Chinese schools) so that is out of the question. In any case the level of Mandarin might be too high in Chinese schools if your children are not fluent – and you may not agree with the methods. Most of the international schools do teach Mandarin, but of course to varying degrees. I would suggest you sign up for Malaysia International Schools Parents Support Group (MISPSG) FB group and start asking questions there. Homeschooling is also an option, there is a vibrant homeschooling community in KL, with a lot of parents who can’t/don’t want to pay for high fees but are ambitious about their kids education. I know it’s not for everyone but there is a lot going on amongst the homeschoolers. Hope this helps a bit!
Hi Jessica, I am a local mother, understand your concern. you have few options. There are many category of international school, the annual school fee from RM15,000 to may be RM100,000. so called small international school can be in the shoplot and without campus. their extra curricular activities usually done at off campus or sport centre. Others than that, you can consider homeschooling, which using USA or UK syllabus and most of them included bible teaching. Chinese school can be one of the fastest way to learn and master mandarin. Local Government school start from 7years old. i am not sure about your enrollment, but my kids told me there is foreigner in their class. If you need me to drop by and ask the chinese school, please email to me. i hope my message was not too late for you, haha. jesslyn.cgasia@gmail.com
I am a teacher by trade so perhaps homeschooling is an option for me 😀
Thank-you so much for the prompt reply.
Hello, I am having a hard time finding any recommendations for reputable real estate agents/lawyers. Someone who has experience dealing with foreign investors. I’ve looked everywhere but no blog seems to give any recommendations. Thoughts?
Hi there! Sorry but can’t recommend an agent either. Many agents specialise in certain neighbourhoods so if you know the areas you want to live in, you can ask around for recommendations on Facebook forums, like Expats in/around Mont Kiara, KL Expat Malaysia or Kuala Lumpur Expats.