Moving to Malaysia

I'm not sure exactly what the equipment is, but there may be some restrictions on non-Malaysians being licensed to operate cranes. You may find this FB group helpful - Foreign Spouses Support Group - https://www.facebook.com/FSSGMY/

Some useful links
http://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/pass.htmlhttp://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/pass.html?id=290

Your first port of call may be to contact the Department of Occupational Safety and Health, who are responsible for accreditation.

http://www.dosh.gov.my/index.php/en/

Hi Gravitas,

Thank you for your reply. I know it's hard to move to a new country without any knowledge of whether it works. I hope to move back to my own country, but because of my husband, I can't simply just leave. And we can't not to work once we are in Malaysia. Straddler driver is a heavy duty machine that carries ship containers at the port.

I think your hubby needs to be flexible in his job search. Perhaps look at jobs in oil exploration as drilling companies often employ foreigners. Perhaps look at Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand although many of these companies are based in Singapore, he may be able to be based out of Malaysia.

Thank you abdulkalil, your information is valuable, I will let him know. However, do you have any idea how do I search the companies online.

These may give you some ideas  - from a search on  "rig crane operators" or "oil rig crane operators"

http://www.maerskdrilling.com/en/jobs-a … e-operatorhttp://www.rigzone.com/oil/jobs/categor … rator-553/

Thank you for the information. I tried to search the requirements as rig drilling operator, but they need experience and certificate which my husband does not have.

can I post link here?
https://www.northport.com.my/npv2/career.html
Anyhow I suggest you to call them directly to obtain further info (contact person email from HR/ Recruitment Dept) instead of write in

Thank you for your suggestions. It's kind of frustration that I would like to go back to my country but worried unable to secure a job for my husband for surviving. I tried to call the hr to one of the companies in Malaysia but they are not interested to talk on the phone. Doesn't help much at all.

Your husband may need to work his way up in the O&G industry and may be of interest because of his crane experience. Most likely the job he does now in NZ will not be available to him in Malaysia. So it's a case of a career shift - the O&G industry does have openings for technically mind people with heavy machinery/crane experience. It was a good suggestion. Often the company will sponsor a worker to get the certificate. He needs to apply and get his CV in front of as many O&G companies - they will see his potential.

Oil Exploration is in a bit of a decline at the moment, and there are less expats being employed recently and even some leaving Asia. However, it is still worth a shot. With the kind of experience your husband has, I still think he could apply with some of the larger oil and gas service companies who often provide training. Don't just look at being a crane operator. Many posts held by expats are with people who began as roustabouts or roughnecks in their home countries which require no experience and who have worked their way up the ladder. If he has a degree then it would be easier too. There are a lot of petroleum related companies based in Singapore, both drilling companies and service companies. I guess a search online or looking through the phone book or check with the Singapore of Malaysian Chamber of Commerce might help. I think your hubby's experience is useful. Salary packages are generally pretty good too, as he would only be employed as an expat and not a local.

But I agree that these days you need to be prepared for a complete change in career.

Hi abdulkhalil,

Thank you for your advice, much appreciated. It will be a rough path at the beginning especially for him moving to a new country. However, we just have to do our homework before moving. Once he landed a job there, I hope he will be fine and work his way up. Phone contact to Malaysian companies are difficult as I had tried. Also I feel harder when we are not in the country yet as companies unwilling to deal with people half way around the world. I appreciate the blogs here which gave us some idea about the process. Thank you.