Has my life gone wrong if I wind up living in Thailand??

[lesmiles]

This was the advice I was given this morning by a man who used to live here but now limits his time here to holidays, adding that it took him too many wasted superficial years away from what is important to see the light.

I have been offered a job in bangkok that pays three quarters of what I earn now in england. I can live pretty well on that. I can fuck around and live in a flashy apartment and swan around in taxis and eat in restaurants every night as if I am some kind of success story. But the job seems quite dead-end (seems like thais want to use foreigners but don't want foreigners to progress here), i can't buy a house, and lots of other rubbish too like the grubbiness here and cheapness of life.

I am temped to throw caution to the wind but i wind up asking myself why. Lots of doubts that welcome your perspective.

[DaffyDuck]

Ask yourself this question:

"Do I want to be the kind of person that gets to go to Thailand, or the kind of person that has to be in Thailand"

In my opinion, Thailand's a great place to vacation, and the only way to consider moving there would be if they paid you substantially more than you would make on your last job, which would allow you a comfortable life in Thailand, and give you a buffer that would allow you to return, or move elsewhere, when you want/need.

[Thetyim]

Thailand is great for a holiday and fine for retirement.

I would not recommend it as a place to raise your family

[crippen]

Question--Has my life gone wrong if I end up living in Thailand? Answer-- YES. But don't let that stop you! It's quite pleasant living here.

[AntRobertson]

This was the advice I was given this morning by a man who used to live here but now limits his time here to holidays, adding that it took him too many wasted superficial years away from what is important to see the light.

This guy, doesn't post on here under the name "Smeg" by any chance does he?

[Edit] Actually having now seen some more of your threads/posts you don't normally post here under the name "Smeg" do you? "DJPat" maybe, or someone else trying a poor imitation troll perhaps?

I have been offered a job in bangkok that pays three quarters of what I earn now in england. I can live pretty well on that. I can fuck around and live in a flashy apartment and swan around in taxis and eat in restaurants every night as if I am some kind of success story. But the job seems quite dead-end (seems like thais want to use foreigners but don't want foreigners to progress here), i can't buy a house, and lots of other rubbish too like the grubbiness here and cheapness of life.

I am temped to throw caution to the wind but i wind up asking myself why. Lots of doubts that welcome your perspective.

The dead-end job would be the deciding factor for me; it might be ok for a year or possibly even two, but being that your work takes up a significant proportion of your life if you're not being challenged there then it's going to make life difficult in all other areas (no matter where you are).

Anyways seems like a moot point to me given your list of negatives. Sounds to me like you've made your mind up already and wouldn't be very happy here. Perhaps just looking for others to confirm that for you?

[The Gentleman Scamp]

Has my life gone wrong if I wind up living in Thailand??

For many yes, but it also depends on what you want to do - there are some opportunities here that are more within reach than they are at home.

[Jet Gorgon]

I'm with Daffy -- if you go overseas, you should get paid much more, like a hardship bennie. Also, it may be difficult to re-enter your field when you get home. Some things to consider.

[lesmiles]

Ask yourself this question:

"Do I want to be the kind of person that gets to go to Thailand, or the kind of person that has to be in Thailand"

In my opinion, Thailand's a great place to vacation, and the only way to consider moving there would be if they paid you substantially more than you would make on your last job, which would allow you a comfortable life in Thailand, and give you a buffer that would allow you to return, or move elsewhere, when you want/need.

Thank you for the perspective but this is much more complex and is about qualititive factors not quantitive factors. I don't have to go to thailand. I will if it will raise my long term hapiness level from quite high to very high but not if it will lower it. That is the big unknown/

[Muadib]

If you've never been to Thailand before, perhaps taking a holiday there may sway your decision one way or the other...

[DrB0b]

Les, you really shouldn't come to Thailand. It's an awful place, vile and terrible, degenerate and disgusting beyond belief. It's the sewer of the Orion Arm. It would be far far better if you stayed in Somalia or wherever it is you're from and kept your seed there. Really, Thailand is not for you, stay away, far far away. Please.

[Spin]

I can fuck around and live in a flashy apartment and swan around in taxis and eat in restaurants every night as if I am some kind of success story

Are you saying you could not do this in your own country? Because if you couldn't, then maybe you are already doing a crap job..........?

the job seems quite dead-end

[BigRed]

Quote: Originally Posted by lesmiles I can fuck around and live in a flashy apartment and swan around in taxis and eat in restaurants every night as if I am some kind of success story Are you saying you could not do this in your own country? Because if you couldn't, then maybe you are already doing a crap job..........?

depends if you count McDonalds

[Jarvis]

Has my life gone wrong if I wind up living in Thailand??

For many yes, but it also depends on what you want to do - there are some opportunities here that are more within reach than they are at home.

Agreed Scampy, though its not every day you bump into Nicholas Cage and Willem Defoe in the Banyan Tree is it?

[Jarvis]

The dead-end job would be the deciding factor for me;

So is being a lawyer a dead end job Anty?

[DaffyDuck]

I will if it will raise my long term hapiness level from quite high to very high but not if it will lower it. That is the big unknown/

You've already established to all, except possibly to yourself, that it will lower it, definitely, in the long term - particularly if you make it all depend on a dead-end job.

On the other hand, if you have burnt your bridges, are at the end of your rope, and are running from the law, or taxes, in your own country, then you could probably see a short term improvement -- but in the end, whatever caused you your problems where you are from, will still be in the Thailand, or wherever you go - you.

[Jarvis]

^well said FattyFuk

[teddy]

You can save money on fine suits, sparkling bling and exotic prostitutes in Bangkok. It beats Leeds.

[Panda]

Why not try to negotiate a term contract of a year or two with the option to return home to your current position after that?

If you are a young single guy, you would most likely be pleading to stay after 2 years.

Money is going to be a big factor. Some expats can survive reasonably comfortably on 30,000 baht a month. But my estimation is that you would need at least 100,000 baht a month to live the good life for a young single bloke. Thats about 1,800 British Pounds I believe.

[sabang]

If you have to agonise so much about it, you should probably take the safe option and stay where you are. Different people react very differently to going expat, and the accompanying change of environment and culture.

Myself, going expat as a professional was the best career decision I ever made. Going expat as a retiree (well, more accurately professional bum given my age) was the best lifestyle decision I made. For others, it can be the opposite. We are all different.

[watterinja]

This was the advice I was given this morning by a man who used to live here but now limits his time here to holidays, adding that it took him too many wasted superficial years away from what is important to see the light.

I have been offered a job in bangkok that pays three quarters of what I earn now in england. I can live pretty well on that. I can fuck around and live in a flashy apartment and swan around in taxis and eat in restaurants every night as if I am some kind of success story. But the job seems quite dead-end (seems like thais want to use foreigners but don't want foreigners to progress here), i can't buy a house, and lots of other rubbish too like the grubbiness here and cheapness of life.

I am temped to throw caution to the wind but i wind up asking myself why. Lots of doubts that welcome your perspective.

Don't waste your time. Why on earth would you consider a corrupt little rice kingdom on the economic skids, in the first place? The place is filled with losers, liars, wannabes & drunkards, with the occasional delusional decent sort. Very few folks stay for the long haul, although they will all tell you how wonderful it is.

Fine for holidays & whores, that's about it. It's crapola, pure & simple.

[robuzo]

Ask yourself this question:

"Do I want to be the kind of person that gets to go to Thailand, or the kind of person that has to be in Thailand"

In my opinion, Thailand's a great place to vacation, and the only way to consider moving there would be if they paid you substantially more than you would make on your last job, which would allow you a comfortable life in Thailand, and give you a buffer that would allow you to return, or move elsewhere, when you want/need.

Thank you for the perspective but this is much more complex and is about qualititive factors not quantitive factors. I don't have to go to thailand. I will if it will raise my long term hapiness level from quite high to very high but not if it will lower it. That is the big unknown/

That's probably the big unknowable. Shit happens.

Are you in a position that would allow to give the Thailand gig a shot for a year and return to your current job if you decide you don't like it? Would the international experience lead to better things? Otherwise, I concur with some of the others here that this place is usually better left as a holiday or retirement destination.

[lesmiles]

I'm on holiday here now visiting my TGF. Went for the job interview last month and was very surprised to get offered it. It pays 95k baht but my boss will be thai and I can't see myself ever stepping up to that position and there seem to be no other routes up. Still, other companies are out there. It is a toughie. They want a firm decision tomorrow morning plus my flight home is tomorrow night.

[baldrick]

95K baht a month is not an expat salary

[mooncake]

To the OP

If the experience from this job doesn’t make you more valuable in the job market back in your country, "once it’s over"….then I would stick around back in England.

The problem is that I have seen many young farangs spending most of their time outside works, mostly to just drinking and whoring…not trying to take the time/opportunity to advance themselves for better future. That’s why it’s so attractive for many expats to be here in exchange of lower pay scale…because "fun fun fun" that’s all they are thinking about!!

The problems come when they will get used to this ..fun jetset lifestyle…and difficult to leave Thailand once the contract is over. And almost guarantee you will add on the burden of having a gf , thus another mouth to feed. Then what do most of them do?…they just ended up wasting their prime earning years in Thailand, doing whatever that will keep them continuing that lifestyle. Most of them won’t feel it that they had just made the biggest bad decision of their life, until they are about 40s…when they have no saving or retirement fund to show for - for the future retirement. This is when you will see them grumbling the rest of their life away or drinking themselves to death… while blaming everything on everybody else for their own downfall, except themselves for bad decisions and plannings. Besides getting into all sort of trouble, in which I wouldn’t want to mention here.

Just my little thought

[lesmiles]

May be the thai mindset takes hold of them, enjoy today and don't worry about tomorrow. But then that is why this is still a poor country.

I don't long to live here but it would be nice to spend more time with my TGF. She wants to go to england but its too soon coz I've known her but one year.

I will think over some Cheers Extra beer today (nice red cans).