#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Living In Thailand Forum >  >  Best Realistic Career Paths for Enjoying a Decent Expat Life in The Far East

## CaptainNemo

Wondered whether to make this a survey, but seems better to see what people think first.
It seems like a topic that lots of newly-infaturated tart-wedders might be interested in.

Some ideas:

1. Working for a TNC and getting a spawny, but short-term overseas posting
2. Working on ships
3. Working on oil rigs
4. Working on planes (as an aeroplane driver)
5. University Lecturer or International School teacher (i.e. with a PhD in science, engineering, medical etc.., or MEd./MA in teaching; not TEFLing)
6. Import/Export of schmutter from the Orient (tacky wooden furniture, whores, drugs, gems)
7. Working online as a "writer" (i.e. technical manuals and translation, not "Blogging")
8. Law... setting up or joining some kind of legal practice in some specialism
9. Working for a pittance as an English teacher
10. Joining the locals with a little shop or stall and living on even less than a TEFLer
11. Retirement income
12. Winning the lottery
13. Modelling, acting, pop-star, prostiturion
14. Working for an equivalent job you might have in the west but in a Thai company, and earning a lot less
15. Making money off your own kind: tourism-related business; living off your children's income's doing #13.
16. Crime

any more ideas? experiences?

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## sabang

The Far East is a big place,  much much bigger than europe or the states.

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## CaptainNemo

Yeah, I guess China is a different ball-game, they practically throw jobs at you... but I suppose implicitly, Thailand/SEAsia is mainly what I mean.

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## Moonraker

> 7. Working online as a "writer" (i.e. technical manuals and translation, not "Blogging")


Which is what I do.

Once you get into writing, there's a huge spectrum of genres to choose from. If you are good enough you can make a decent wage. If you get very good and learn enough, there is *a lot* of money to be made.

I can also be a very interesting job.

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## alwarner

> Originally Posted by CaptainNemo
> 
> 
> 
> 7. Working online as a "writer" (i.e. technical manuals and translation, not "Blogging")
> 
> 
> Which is what I do.
> 
> ...


how do you get into it?

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## Moonraker

> Originally Posted by Moonraker
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by CaptainNemo
> ...


An SEO company in Bangkok (smart traffic) was looking for writers.

I had never thought people would pay me to write for them, but thought I had nothing to lose by giving it a shot. I no longer work for them but have a number of different contracts in Thailand and overseas.

They still look for new writers occasionally on ThaiVisa.

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## CaptainNemo

> how do you get into it?


I know a feller who does this... he worked for many years for Oracle as a technical writer, and then with experience came trust and contacts, and then clients, and the gradual ability to be able to work outside the office... after a few years graft, he can now do it by the pool on his laptop from whereever he likes... There are no free lunches.

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## armstrong

i know of a few that do website helpdesk stuff,  they get a western wage but have to keep a western time.   doesn't sound like much fun to me..

a few more play poker online, and some organize rooms for the poker players or something.   all done online.

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## dirtydog

If you want to write there is always work on freelancer.com, it's not well paid but a lot of it is just re-writing copied stuff to pass the copyscape test for website content, this one has 3 bids at $38.

*Project ID:*

 1256865*Project Type:*

 Fixed*Budget:*

 $30-$250 USD*Project Description:*

              I  am in need of high quality articles for two of my  websites. Right now I'm searching for a team as well as individuals that  can constantely provide me with fresh website content.

Article must be unique, readable and pass Copyscape. They must be free of any grammar mistakes.

For  now I'm willing to pay up to $.80 for of 500 words. Should you convince  me with quality work, I'm willing to pay more in future projects!

Article re-writer needed | Academic Writing | Article Rewriting | Articles | Copywriting

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## alwarner

> Originally Posted by alwarner
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by Moonraker
> ...



Sounds interesting, unfortunately, the way I write probably doesn't.

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## Moonraker

^^

I use oDesk.com

There's a lot of shit to shift through because of all the Indians, Indos and flippers that will work for peanuts. Some buyers do want quality though and are willing to pay for it.

It takes a while to build up a profile and I had to start at only $5/hr to get started. I'm now at $15/hr, which isn't bad considering I only started writing full time last last year. Some specialist,experienced writers on there get closer to $30-$40-hr. Experienced sales copy - landing page writers can get paid thousands for a day's work

It's the sales copy writing I want to get into.

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## dirtydog

> landing page writers can get paid thousands for a day's work


Thats more seo rather than writing, tonnes of key word searches to find good search terms, then trying to include them into the article also making sure it reads well for people.

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## Moonraker

> Originally Posted by Moonraker
> 
> landing page writers can get paid thousands for a day's work
> 
> 
> Thats more seo rather than writing, tonnes of key word searches to find good search terms, then trying to include them into the article also making sure it reads well for people.


I mean the NLP type stuff.

A page that converts well is worth A LOT of money to affiliate marketers. You should see what some of the writers make on warriorforum.com 

The SEO writing is more your bread and butter type stuff and is where most start.

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## alwarner

signed up to oDesk.com, in for a penny...

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## Moonraker

> signed up to oDesk.com, in for a penny...


Good stuff.

Don't be too disheartened by the (utterly) shit pay at first, it may seem at first glance as though it's a waste of time. There are decent jobs to be found on there though.

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## dirtydog

Got to agree with moonraker there Al, half the _writers_ just use spinning software which turns a re-write to crap, so many will expect the same sort of rubbish from you, once you get a few clients though and they are happy with your stuff they will recommend you, takes time though to build up trust.

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## alwarner

> Originally Posted by alwarner
> 
> 
> signed up to oDesk.com, in for a penny...
> 
> 
> Good stuff.
> 
> *Don't be too disheartened by the (utterly) shit pay at first*, it may seem at first glance as though it's a waste of time. There are decent jobs to be found on there though.


It had already crossed my mind! Seriously though, I spend hours titting about online doing nothing, so I might as well see if I can earn some beer money doing it!

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## CaptainNemo

I hate to interrupt, but I was kind of alluding to proper careers... [snooty chuckle]

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## Moonraker

^^

In which case it's a good idea to start building your profile and portfolio now so you can start charging decent money at a later date.

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## dirtydog

> I hate to interrupt, but I was kind of alluding to proper careers


Then Hong Kong is the place for you and your proper career, my mates worked there for about 15 years so far, we are both the same age, the main difference is he is a millionaire in proper money and I am poor  :Smile:

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## alwarner

> I hate to interrupt, but I was kind of alluding to proper careers... [snooty chuckle]



Ha ha, sorry dude, got a bit carried away with my dreams of a burgeoning literary career, what, what.

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## SiLeakHunt

The writing lark looks worth a try for me, I wrote a book a while ago which isn't enough to live off by any stretch of the imagination. I'm also now working in the oil industry, only been doing it for a year so the money isn't great to start with, but hopefully in time I'll be able to live in Thailand and enjoy the good life between stints on the rigs..

Cheers

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## alwarner

> Got to agree with moonraker there Al, half the _writers_ just use spinning software which turns a re-write to crap, so many will expect the same sort of rubbish from you, once you get a few clients though and they are happy with your stuff they will recommend you, takes time though to build up trust.


Sorry DD, missed this post earlier.  I thought that there must be some game afoot with the money on offer being so low in some cases.  Still, it is something that interests me so I'll give it a bash and see where it takes me.

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## CaptainNemo

> Originally Posted by CaptainNemo
> 
> I hate to interrupt, but I was kind of alluding to proper careers
> 
> 
> Then Hong Kong is the place for you and your proper career, my mates worked there for about 15 years so far, we are both the same age, the main difference is he is a millionaire in proper money and I am poor


Doing what though? (that was the point of the list...)
He sure as shit can't be minting on tapping in snippets of crap for for a few pounds from a chubby Yank 




(psst ...there are two sitters there for any takers...  :Wink:  )

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## dirtydog

^^If you spend most of the day at your pc you may aswell, obviously initially you will be competing with flippers and indians as you need to get your rating and portfolio up, but once that is up you can then charge more.

^Thailand isn't the place for a professional career unless you get sent here by a multinational.

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## alwarner

> ^If you spend most of the day at your pc you may aswell, obviously initially you will be competing with flippers and indians as you need to get your rating and portfolio up, but once that is up you can then charge more.


The other bits and pieces I do require me to be sat here most of the day, well, Western hours. A lot of that time is just sitting about doing sweet FA waiting for something to happen.

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## CaptainNemo

> Thailand isn't the place for a professional career unless you get sent here by a multinational.


The list isn't about having a career in Thailand, but rather, careers that facilitate having a decent life abroad in general, but also in particular in the far east, and Thailand (given that that's what this forum's about).

e.g.: Working on oil rigs and on ships is a viable one, because you can take all your (often tax free) paid leave (up to 6 months a year) wherever you want, but getting in can be a bit of chew; and the work/life doesn't suit everyone (it can be depressing).

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## Moonraker

I've looked into oil rigs.

It's all about who you know, almost as though it's a family affair.

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## alwarner

Yeah me too.  My mate went as far as doing the safety course, his uncle said he had a job lined up for him.  As good as his, he said.  He spunked a grand on the course and his uncle never came through for him. He was furious.

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## chitown

There was an O and G blowhard in Bangkok telling me and couple of my buddies to take the H and S course and he could get us big money jobs. One of my friends went to Singapore if I remember right and got certified. He came back expecting to get *a job* and *he did*. He teaches English at a school in Sriracha. Whenever we see the O and G guy he says he is working on getting him hired on. I think that has been going on for around 4 years.  :mid:

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## OneSureThing

I think working at a decent International School is a pretty decent job, for me anyway.

Get a decent salary (in my opinion), get medical, holidays and all the trimmings.

But it does take time, money and dedication to get fully certified (and I don't mean tefl).

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## thehighlander959

I work for an Oil and Gas Company in Qatar. My rotation in and out of Qatar is 28/28. My leave can be spent in any country on the planet I wish as long as I give them enough notice to purchase the flight tickets.
However I choose Thailand because of my girlfriend and our twins. When I come back to Thailand at the end of every rotation we go on holiday outside of Thailand as there are other places we like to travel too. 
Last four rotations were Hong Kong/China mainland, Langkawi Malaysia, UK and this trip Northern Vietnam.
I have a house in North East Thailand and we could stay at home anytime, but travel to different destinations in different countries, seeing different cultures is what we like to do.

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## Butterfly

> I work for an Oil and Gas Company in Qatar. My rotation in and out of Qatar is 28/28.


probably the best deals if you live in Thailand,

it's nice to get out of his place regularly,

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## sabang

The 'best' expat jobs require previous experience, a good track record- and they come with a cushy benefits package. But you can't just lob into your port of choice and get a job like that.
Starting from 'zero' I'd say the most likely option of getting a decently paid job is in oil and gas, by doing the requisite courses combined with tenacity and determination. Be original- try and get around the usual employment agencies by researching, and approaching companies directly. If you impress the right person, you'll get the nod. Hang around places where O&G workers hang out, such as Songhkhla, and you might get lucky too.

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## chitown

I disagree. The best is what you create.

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## Rural Surin

> I disagree. The best is what you create.


Yes. And it doesn't really take too much creativity to do well.

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## Airportwo

> I've looked into oil rigs.
> 
> It's all about who you know, almost as though it's a family affair.


It's all about experience! if there is anyone here looking for work that has oilfield experience, let me know, I get at least one genuine lead a day.
The illusion that you can step into a highly paid 'Oil Rig' job with no experience is exactly that!....

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## chitown

> if there is anyone here looking for work that has oilfield experience, let me know, I get at least one genuine lead a day.


I have changed the oil every 3000 miles in every vehicle I owned since I was 15.  :Smile:

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## Notnow

> Originally Posted by alwarner
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by Moonraker
> ...


A SEO company in Bangkok?  Do you have to speak/write Lao?

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## thehighlander959

Getting a job in Oil and Gas is about having the correct skill-set for the Oil and Gas Company you are going to be working for.
Last Year I replaced a Commissioning Engineer who when he sent in his CV said that he had previous Gas Turbine experience. 
However this experience that he had was very limited and next to useless as he had no idea on how to commission a gas turbine offshore.
I sent my CV in response to an advertisement in the Oil and Gas website, I was then flown to Qatar for interview by the Commissioning Team, proved who I said I was showed them my Rolls Royce Apprenticeship documentation and where I had worked previously with all contact numbers.
I was offered the job three days later on my return to Thailand, I now have a two year contract....

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## Bangyai

Livejasmin are always signing on but if you can only cum your coco once a day your room won't get many visitors and you won't be in the money.

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## Boon Mee

> Originally Posted by Moonraker
> 
> 
> I've looked into oil rigs.
> 
> It's all about who you know, almost as though it's a family affair.
> 
> 
> It's all about experience! if there is anyone here looking for work that has oilfield experience, let me know, I get at least one genuine lead a day.
> The illusion that you can step into a highly paid 'Oil Rig' job with no experience is exactly that!....


Yes, sometimes it can be a case of who you know.

The Oilfield for expats in Thailand is a closed shop.  You won't get out on the rigs in this area w/out knowing someone.  But having said that, if you are in the UK, knock on doors in Aberdeen and if in the States, doors in Houston long enough and you will land at least a Roughneck position eventually.

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## Bettyboo

> Some specialist,experienced writers on there get closer to $30-$40-hr.


Okay, I'll bite and get the anti-TEFLer crowd attacking me... 

Teaching MA courses (you need an MA in English/linguistis or the relevant area) pays 1500 baht per hour which is $50 at the current exchange rate - you get 3 hour slots, so that's $150 for half a day's work. PhD courses start at 2000 baht per hour which is $65 dollars per hour (again, come in three hour slots); so, for working on a Saturday (common for MA/PhD courses) if the timing worked out well, you could get about $350 per day ($1400 per month for an easy one-day week...). It'd take a few years to build up the contacts/relationships to get a few of these courses. 

You'd probably want a full-time job too because you get paid for 12 months, but only work 8 (teaching hours per week would likely be around 12), which is nice. Depending on your qualification/titles your salary would be between 25-60k per month (more if you do research); towards the higher end if you're qualified to teach on the MA/PhD courses. One or two unis pay 45k for a BA (any type) and lots of extra work at between 600-1000 baht per hour, so most teachers there would earn 60k+ during the semester; these places earn money from their International Colleges and are just money spinners - wouldn't work for them meself, and the turnover of staff is high...

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## Marmite the Dog

> any more ideas? experiences?


Working remotely for a Western company?

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## SiLeakHunt

> I've looked into oil rigs.
> 
> It's all about who you know, almost as though it's a family affair.


IT's not really, you just have to be able to do something they need. It differs from the ordinary in that they can rarely afford to have trainees being hand held on rigs, because of bed space, expense and the safety aspects involved. It took me f[at][at]king ages to get my job and it isn't that well paid at the start. Hopefully when it comes good I'll be sagging the seats on Soi Cowboy more often.

Cheers

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## CaptainNemo

> The 'best' expat jobs require previous experience, a good track record- and they come with a cushy benefits package. But you can't just lob into your port of choice and get a job like that.
> Starting from 'zero' I'd say the most likely option of getting a decently paid job is in oil and gas, by doing the requisite courses combined with tenacity and determination. Be original- try and get around the usual employment agencies by researching, and approaching companies directly. If you impress the right person, you'll get the nod. Hang around places where O&G workers hang out, such as Songhkhla, and you might get lucky too.


This thread isn't about "me", but is just a general chat about what works and what doesn't based on everyone's experience.
We've all read the occasional but regular posts from a n00b asking about some scheme to basically find a way to live with their slagdog viably.

I think a lot of expat jobs have dried up now... they might take on some expert that they can't source locally, and perhaps expect some training of local staff to justify the hire.

Some of us could feasibly go down either the more blue-collary specialist/O&G technical route or the more white-collary lecturer/R&D academic route, or maybe utiliise any number of other things they've done before in some other context, like law, or teleworking/technical writing, or some business, but, I'm mainly just curious to see what different people do and how they feel about it.

So often hear y'all slating the TEFLers... so I just want to pin the tail on the donkey or what *are* the implied better ways of working it than TEFLing? 





> I disagree. The best is what you create.


Programming is a great one for that at the moment.... (if it doesn't bore seven shades of shit out of you) though from programmes like "The Apprentice" and "Dragon's Den", you'd think that sales was the be-all-and-all of success.

Creating something from nothing is pretty tough unless you've got some exclusive skills... such as programming or something else that can't be replicated or picked up overnight, like a lot of businesses... trying to set up on the back of a patent is a pretty tall order anywhere, I would have thought.

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## SiLeakHunt

a reasonable alternative to living in Asia can be finding in work in your own country that's flexible enough to allow you a large amount of time in SE Asia. In the past I've worked as a taxi driver, you need to be thick skinned and it isn't prestigious but it was surprisingly well paid if I worked hard at it and flexible enough to let me have 5/6 months of the year in Thailand with no trouble getting work when I got back home. Not really an option now with the economy the way it is in the Uk.

cheers

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## CaptainNemo

I doubt "living in asia" is the best idea, it's probably wise to keep one foot "back home" for obvious longterm and parachute reasons.

I heard of a bloke who rented his house out and relied on the income to live out in Thailand permanently.

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## baby maker

> .....Creating something from nothing is pretty tough unless you've got some exclusive skills...


 

_This is a very interesting thread....quite intimidateing....brings home the lack of skill and contact us older retirees live with..._

_For my part.....I've been unemployable from a very young age....so I've been self employed all my life..._

_Nothing brilliant....I just work hard....start early...finish late....will turn my hand to anything....recognise there is a lot of dumber people and a lot of smarter people than me about...and get on with it...._

_I've always liked to buy and sell....I will buy and sell just about anything...and combined with hard work, it has been a very interesting and forfilling life..._

_Nobody would give me a job....I don't need one....I am too busy...._

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## CaptainNemo

Here's an interesting idea...
http://www.phdnomads.com/2011/04/how...with-phds.html

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## CaptainNemo

> a reasonable alternative to living in Asia can be finding in work in your own country that's flexible enough to allow you a large amount of time in SE Asia. In the past I've worked as a taxi driver, you need to be thick skinned and it isn't prestigious but it was surprisingly well paid if I worked hard at it and flexible enough to let me have 5/6 months of the year in Thailand with no trouble getting work when I got back home. Not really an option now with the economy the way it is in the Uk.
> 
> cheers


What other kinds of jobs would let you do that? Season work? Summer-focussed Tourism related work? A Christmas-focussed business?

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## SiLeakHunt

jobs where you can be self employed or do short term contracts can offer that sort of lifestyle. When the building trade was good you used to get people like brickies coming and going quit a lot. Roofers earn very good money, its not difficult to learn but its hard work and you could earn enough in the summer to winter in Thailand. If you're more cerebral and can get into IT you can do short term contracts of 6 months or so that pay well enough to let you have long stints in LOS as well. As well as oil boys, you tend to get a lot of engineers, with civil and project backgrounds getting contracts in places the HK and Singapore that help them prop up the bars in the tiger complex.

Cheers

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## Stumpy

I am sticking with #11

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## jimmymck

Interesting post you have started, I work on private yachts as a chef ,after years of working full time on them i have a job that I work 6 months over the summer and then 6 months off over the winter which I spend here.Then go back to the same  boat.

It's a good job depending on the owner but I do find as I get older living with 11 other people on a boat is getting harder, some real wankers in the industry . But if you are a decent chef or have maritime engineering back ground plenty of jobs.

The 6 months off fly by..

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## Stumpy

One you forgot was find a Thai gal that owns her own business and help her out from time to time to keep yourself in good standing then relax. 

Do not worker harder...relax smarter....

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## CaptainNemo

> The 6 months off fly by..


...and the 6 months on?




> One you forgot was find a Thai gal that owns her  own business and help her out from time to time to keep yourself in good  standing then relax. 
> 
> Do not worker harder...relax smarter....


I was thinking of that when I thought of #10, it seems a bit precarious...
Someone I used to knock about with as a teenager seemed to have a similar sounding arrangement, and  lived with quite a tidy looking young Thai lady for a while. He had a kid with her; did stints of brickie work in the UK; scuba teaching near Pattaya; ran t-shirt stall; then his willy  got the better of him, and he got caught and got the boot, and separated from his son. Pillock really, he looked like he'd got it made and threw it all away.
The last I heard it sounded  like he was doing a slightly dodgy version of #6 involving some kind of  medication and the Lao border.
Not a great long-term plan by the sounds of it.

Another one or two ideas I've seen:
Southeast Asia: who we seek | Careers
Employment Opportunities at Amari Hotels and Resorts. Job listing search and online application

I've no preconceptions about what people do, and I'm not looking for a plan for myself, I'm just curious about what works and what doesn't.
There's a lot of sneering at TEFLers, and I wonder what it's all about, and what better ideas people have had.

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## nidhogg

By and large, it seems t break down into three main categories:

1. have a skill set/trade/profession/experience that is in demand here. That can range from anything to knowing how to strip down and rebuild industrial gas turbines (above) to being an expert in international contract law. (on edit, I would include real, qualified teachers in this category)

2. Work farking hard "at home" for a period, and kick back here for a period. This catergory might include more general O and G jobs that rely more on mucle power than a skill set.

3. TEFL.

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## CaptainNemo

> By and large, it seems t break down into three main categories:
> 
> 1. have a skill set/trade/profession/experience that is in demand here. That can range from anything to knowing how to strip down and rebuild industrial gas turbines (above) to being an expert in international contract law. (on edit, I would include real, qualified teachers in this category)
> 
> 2. Work farking hard "at home" for a period, and kick back here for a period. This catergory might include more general O and G jobs that rely more on mucle power than a skill set.
> 
> 3. TEFL.


There is another category... having a skillset/trade/profession/experience that enables you to earn money internationally (i.e. a western wage), whilst being in the playground country at least half the time, if not more.
That would include online work like programming and technical writing; maybe a own business of some kind; and working offshore in some way, like on ships, oil rigs, aircraft.

seems like you could do a grid...

              _________|_Work in East/play in East__|__Work outside East/play in East_

Higher Pay_|_______Expat                                   ___________|______Offshore Worker_________

Lower Pay_|______TEFLer____________|_________Joe Bloggs___________


It's a bit contrived, and excludes the large numbers of retirees and other categories though, like entrepreneurs, landlords, students, missionaries, charity workers and criminals.

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## Moonraker

> There's a lot of sneering at TEFLers, and I wonder what it's all about, and what better ideas people have had.


For me, a TEFLer is somebody that goes to a school for a few hours a week to get some money for their rent/beer etc. They often take little pride in their work, are not particularly good at their job, constantly whinge about their job but do nothing about it and are often quite bitter toward anybody that is achieving something.

Then you have teachers (that can have TEFL qualifications). Teachers do take pride in their work and are generally good at what they do. They enjoy their job and strive to progress as far as they can. They are generally good people to know and quite bright.

That's from my experiences anyway. A lot of teachers are good folk, only they are bought down by the unprofessional, shoddy 'TEFLers' that are TEFLing because it's the only way they can get some money.

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## Ceburat1

> Wondered whether to make this a survey, but seems better to see what people think first.
> It seems like a topic that lots of newly-infaturated tart-wedders might be interested in.
> 
> Some ideas:
> 
> 1. Working for a TNC and getting a spawny, but short-term overseas posting
> 2. Working on ships
> 3. Working on oil rigs
> 4. Working on planes (as an aeroplane driver)
> ...




Number 11 is by far the best if it provides enough for a comfortable life style.  However, retirement income is not a job or career, it is the results of a job or career.

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## meat

I own some websites which brings in a modest amount of money.  I'm not rich but at least I can stay here in SEA for the rest of my life without going the teacher route.   :sexy:

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## Stumpy

> Originally Posted by jimmymck
> 
> 
> The 6 months off fly by..
> 
> 
> ...and the 6 months on?
> 
> 
> ...


^Well I think it is all in how you handle it. Living here on a retirement visa you cannot work. So a very nice way to have an income is assist with your GF's/Wife venture and assist(under the premise you have a significant other that has a business). You will have an income in a round about way through her. Of course you have to be in a solid relationship and not tied up in a trifling deal. 

Invest in the business more with labor then funds. I find it VERY rewarding. I do not bounce around in whimsical little start ups. What is nice is you still stay off the radar, you are contributing and keeping yourself busy, you share your time with your GF and  overall it is fun. 

There are endless options IMHO. I just turned 50 and am done with the 9-5's or the grind. For some it may work. Again retirement to me is not about not working anymore but more about doing what you want on your own terms. 

I think "English" teaching here(generally speaking) gets a bad name as there are a ton of teachers that use it as a tool to stay in Thailand and exploit young gals. I have seen quite a few English teachers here in BKK and they do just that. Its more about scamming then really offering a quality education. But hey, to each his own. I do know a few professors teaching engineering and math at the local universities and it is quite legit.

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## jimmymck

6 months on drag,first 2 are ok ,this year we did have a bunch of twats as crew so does not help the matter.

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## james777

Become a consultant with the World Bank. It worked for me !!! :Smile:

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## Marmite the Dog

> Become a consultant with the World Bank. It worked for me !!!


And you guys are doing such a great job!

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## beppi

> 14. Working for an equivalent job you might have in the west but in a Thai company, and earning a lot less


Hmm, I worked in an equivalent job I might have in the West and earned more. Did that for many years all over Asia (incl. Thailand until recently). The job market is global for certain skills (I am managing high-tech construction projects) and if talent is rare in Asia, price must go up.
I didn't like Thailand, though, and am back in Europe for now.

P.S.: I was on a local contract, no Expat terms. The factory I built is currently under water ...

----------


## CaptainNemo

[at]James & Beppi
From what I gather, the multinationals in Toyland seem to be financial things like HSBC and consultant things like Accenture. 
Some heavy industry like BOC, and Chevron and other oily/shippy things at places like Songkhla and Civil Engineering corporations.
I wouldn't have thought there was a lot of room for senior foreigners in  the manufacturing sectors, who weren't flown in from the parent company in other parts of east Asia. I can imagine the universities there are happy to add some foreign faces to their undergraduate teaching rota in maths and technical subjects.

[at]JPPR2
I'm hoping to pin down some of the endless options, to try and understand them... maybe there's a PhD thesis in it! "Study on success and failure of expats migrating to SEAsia". =P

I've seen on other fora examples of pay and other ways people make money.
I guess if you can make at least 100,000THB/month through "leveraging" your status with various private clients, then noone could accuse you of accepting "chump change" as one poster elsewhere put it. 
I do know a lecturer in a top tier uni who I think used to teach electronics at AIT, but I think moving to the UK uni must have been an obvious step up in their career (...and I can't picture them being there for the poon-tang, tbh... if you've ever met a science or engineering lecturer, you'll know what I mean).

A lot of Japanese electronics manufacturers' plants must be a bit soggy at the mo'.

----------


## keekwai

> *Realistic Career Paths*
> 
> not TEFLing


Why is "TEFLing" unrealistic? Or are you just being a snobbish internet sheep?




> Working for a pittance as an English teacher


Make up your mind!




> any more ideas? experiences?


Seeing as how gullible Thais are ... find something that's cheap and crappy, package it in a flashy box ... and flog it to them.

----------


## keekwai

> Originally Posted by CaptainNemo
> 
> 
> 
> 7. Working online as a "writer" 
> 
> 
> I can also be a very interesting job.


Especially when you don't proof read what you write.  :Smile:

----------


## keekwai

> For me, a TEFLer is somebody that goes to a school for a few hours a week to get some money for their rent/beer etc. They often take little pride in their work, are not particularly good at their job, constantly whinge about their job but do nothing about it and are often quite bitter toward anybody that is achieving something.
> 
> Then you have teachers (that can have TEFL qualifications). Teachers do take pride in their work and are generally good at what they do. They enjoy their job and strive to progress as far as they can. They are generally good people to know and quite bright.
> 
> That's from my experiences anyway. A lot of teachers are good folk, only they are bought down by the unprofessional, shoddy 'TEFLers' that are TEFLing because it's the only way they can get some money.


Spot on.

----------


## alexth

> i know of a few that do website helpdesk stuff,  they get a western wage but have to keep a western time.   doesn't sound like much fun to me..
> 
> a few more play poker online, and some organize rooms for the poker players or something.   all done online.


I wouldn't mind, problem is I haven't found such jobs

----------


## HansuMan

I just started this thread,
*Buying "investment property" (rental/income) in thailand*

pretty specific but has some general overlap with this topic, in seeking ways to make a living here-- so just linking the threads up here for posterity. Here's the OP in that thread; though if you're hot to discuss it specifically, best reply there:




> So the friendly restaurant manager cornered me  today with his binder of property for sale- I guess he's part-time  agent, certainly he's immersed in farang-contact, speaks excellent  english, so why not? 
> 
> I didn't disclose anything about my financial circumstances, but he  showed me a few condos & a couple of entire apt bldgs for sale. 
> 
> One apt bldg for sale was 76 units, near Chiang Mai Univ/ Nimman Rd,  asking about 25 million baht or $833K USD; said it pulls about 200K  baht/month rental income, or $6,666 USD/month or $80K USD/year, for an  annual ROI of 9.6% of an $833K purchase price.
> 
> Imagining 76 units "fully occupied" (haha), that would only suggest an  average apt rent of 2,631 baht/month, so maybe that income estimate  accounts for a high average vacancy rate? I would imagine so, given that  many/most tenants would be CMU students.
> 
> So I don't really have a particular point to make, or question to ask,  I'm just soliciting a general discussion. I have some property  management experience from the States, so one good way to start may be: 
> ...

----------


## Bob63

> Originally Posted by alwarner
> 
> 
> signed up to oDesk.com, in for a penny...
> 
> 
> Good stuff.
> 
> Don't be too disheartened by the (utterly) shit pay at first, it may seem at first glance as though it's a waste of time. There are decent jobs to be found on there though.


Probably an ignorant question, but what is the re-writing about in general ?
Translation from english to thai ex technical manuals ?

----------


## CaptainNemo

> Originally Posted by CaptainNemo
> 
> 
> *Realistic Career Paths*
> 
> not TEFLing
> 
> 
> Why is "TEFLing" unrealistic? Or are you just being a snobbish internet sheep?


Baa-a-a-a.

I think we've established that "TEFLing" is more a term of abuse than a job description; and it implies non-committal to a career and lack of professionalism: someone who has not invested time and effort into formal training and working as a teacher in their own country before landing abroad.

It's not snobbish to be brutally honest about what works and what doesn't; I wouldn't just include "TEFLing", but also running a bar, or a little shop or working as a waitress or something.

When I say "realistic", what I mean is "viable" or maybe "sustainable", in terms of a stable income that enables you to have a standard of living relatively equivalent to what you would have in your home (i.e. developed) country to not be reliant on state handouts and favours from friends and family. It doesn't mean luxury, but it doesn't mean squalour either. I s'pose that implicit in that, is that it means an income that you could save a pension on, buy a car with, not struggle to afford flights with, and enough such that you aren't trapped and that it doesn't do too much damage to your career, and that you could get out of whereever and slot back into your own country without it being a disaster.

Obviously because I used the term "expat lifestyle", viability also means having a decent amount of time there every year. It seems a bit inviable to just spend your 2-6weeks holiday every year there. Those who work offshore in some way can maybe spend half the year there broken up into bits, which is just about viable, but nowhere near as viable as physically being there 9+ months a year.

I'd say that the borderline of financial viability is maybe analogous to those people who emmigrate to New Zealand and just about get by there, but then realise that they can't easily afford to return to the UK, because the cost of living is about double that of Kiwiland. In contrast, for a Kiwi, working (not in a bar) in London for a few years, then going back to get a decent job in Auckland with that experience is doing something more viable than the escapist from the UK in NZ.

Someone with a Masters in teaching or PGCE who spent a few years teaching in a educational establishment in somewhere like Thailand, where they got a proper contract etc... is probably not going to harm their career; but a backpacker who just rocks up to a ropey language school, and "wings" it, is arguably just killing time.

Whatever you do, a viable career probably requires a couple of years of training (like a course or degree or something), and a couple of years of working doing it to get either the sweet deal or the money together to implement your "sustainable" plan.




> Originally Posted by CaptainNemo
> 
> 
> Working for a pittance as an English teacher
> 
> 
> Make up your mind!


About what?






> Originally Posted by Moonraker
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by CaptainNemo
> ...


Maybe he does require a lot of work.  :Smile:

----------


## keekwai

> When I say "realistic", what I mean is "viable", in terms of a stable  income that enables you to have a standard of living relatively  equivalent to what you would have in your home (i.e. developed) country  to not be reliant on state handouts and favours from friends and family.  It doesn't mean luxury, but it doesn't mean squalour either.


Yes. TEFLing has given me that for the past 5 years and I see no reason it won't continue for at least another three until I cash in my Superannuation at 55. I've worked with countless others who could say more or less the same.

Of course I've come across a few duds too (3 in the last 5 years). Which is what you're basing your statement on.

Which brings me back to the "unrealistic" bit. I suppose it would be for a complete numpty.

I'm just standing up for us competent TEFLers.




> viability also means having a decent amount of time there every year.


Yes. The mount of time a teacher gets off each year is terrible! Two months over March & April, three weeks in October and a dozen or so public holidays (long weekends) ... not good enough! 3 months or so a year!..... I want 6 months to make it "viable"

----------


## tamsin

> If you want to write there is always work on freelancer.com, it's not well paid but a lot of it is just re-writing copied stuff to pass the copyscape test for website content, this one has 3 bids at $38.
> *Project ID:*
> 
>  1256865*Project Type:*
> 
>  Fixed*Budget:*
> 
>  $30-$250 USD*Project Description:*
> 
> ...


This is one of those assholes on Black Hat Forum outsourcing for some US outfit called Associated Content (I think). They're too bloody idle to do the actual writing themselves and so post on freelance websites and get others to do it for them, whilst they take the lion's share of the payout. 

Do it yourself, if you enjoy mind boggling tedium. Christmas coming up, so they'll all be looking for shit about crackers or how to stuff a turkey.

----------


## Bettyboo

> consultant things like Accenture.


I worked in New Media at SMT level before getting bored of it around 12 years ago, sick of the idiots talking b/s and wasting money, etc... I had offers of CEO positions at international companies on decent enough salaries (0ver 400,000 baht per month), thought it through but decided to get out of that game... Accenture was where all the absolute muppets ended up; any project with them on it was sure to be wasting money and get bad recommendations at the end of an unnecessarily extend project time... About 10 years ago, I spoke to the people in Thailand involved in the same area I worked in (TrueVisions, production companies, channels, a couple of consultants), and they were as I'd imagined them to be here - useless, underskilled, knowledgeless, bullshitting muppets (granted they no doubt earned decent salaries...  :Smile: ) - I didn't want to work with them.

Fuk Accenture... Worked with them on projects in Germany and Holland - absolute waste of the clients money...




> I do know a lecturer in a top tier uni who I think used to teach electronics at AIT, but I think moving to the UK uni must have been an obvious step up in their career (...and I can't picture them being there for the poon-tang, tbh... if you've ever met a science or engineering lecturer, you'll know what I mean).


I saw a position in a UK uni, similar to what I'm doing now, it was paying 150,000 baht per month - my quality of life, expendable income, accom situation and holiday time would all take a downward step if I took it.

If you have post-graduate qualifications in the area you teach, do some research and presentations/publish articles, etc, then Thailand is not a bad place to be employed. I should imagine that there are a fair few titled foreigners working in Thai Unis doing better than you think...

----------


## CaptainNemo

> competent TEFLers.


 Allegedly an oxymoron.




> I think we've established that "TEFLing" is more a term of abuse than a  job description


 The term "TEFLer" is not used to describe good teachers, but the "duds",  the amateurs, the mickey-takers etc... I think you probably know that.   :Smile: 
I haven't got any issues with TEFLers, I just noticed that a lot of  sneering about them goes on. My understanding of what a TEFLer is does  not fit into what I understand as being an "expat lifestyle", so don't  misconstrue this as an attack on TEFLers, I just want to hear about the  alternatives.  :Smile: 




> Originally Posted by CaptainNemo
> 
> 
> viability also means having a decent amount of time there every year.
> 
> 
>  Yes. The mount of time a teacher gets off each year is terrible! Two  months over March & April, three weeks in October and a dozen or so  public holidays (long weekends) ... not good enough! 3 months or so a  year!..... I want 6 months to make it "viable"


 It seems you didn't quite manage to read or understand what I wrote in the midst of all that thrashing.
It's hard to understand what your point is...



> Especially when you don't proof read what you write.


 


> because I used the term "expat lifestyle", viability also means having a  decent amount of time there every year. It seems a bit inviable to just  spend your 2-6 weeks holiday every year there. Those who work offshore  in some way can maybe spend half the year there broken up into bits,  which is just about viable, but nowhere near as viable as physically  being there 9+ months a year.


If you are thinking that I meant working abroad in Thailand for 6 months  and then having 6 months holiday there, then you are mistaken, that's  not what I implied. I was talking about people who, as an alternative to  TEFLing, live and work outside Thailand, and can only spend some  portion of their time off there. My point was that if they spend less  than 6 months in Thailand, then it's not, to my mind, a sustainable  expat lifestyle. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it, just that  it doesn't fit the criteria.







> Fuk Accenture...


Well, there are others... I just cited them as an example... like AT Kearney etc... (not that I know much about it).




> If you have post-graduate qualifications in the area you teach, do some research and presentations/publish articles, etc, then Thailand is not a bad place to be employed. I should imagine that there are a fair few titled foreigners working in Thai Unis doing better than you think...


I imagine that some PhDs in very niche areas of science and engineering with connections to Japan and the UK could do better even than seagoing engineers.
Depends on what defines quality of life for you I suppose.

I wonder also, what kind of pay threshhold makes for a sustainable expat life there. I heard figures like 90,000THB/month is like the minimum amount. A lot of senior Thai jobs don't seem to get much beyond 50,000THB/month.

----------


## Don Ho

It's conversations like these that make me want to go back in time and slap the crap out of myself for thinking a degree in History would benefit me.  Sure I'm educated but so what?

----------


## CaptainNemo

> It's conversations like these that make me want to go back in time and slap the crap out of myself for thinking a degree in History would benefit me.  Sure I'm educated but so what?


It means you understand the value of something, instead of just the price of it.

----------


## keekwai

Captain Nemo: 

Ability to "Take the piss" 10/10

Ability to receive it back 0/10

 :bananaman:

----------


## HansuMan

> It's conversations like these that make me want to go back in time and slap the crap out of myself for thinking a degree in History would benefit me.  Sure I'm educated but so what?


Don't know where you're from, but if US, more & more are waking up to what a racket univ education has become, esp stemming from the inflated cost/debt-slave factor. Heard one critic note that debt-racked college grads today leave univ with a mortgage but no house! And they rejiggered the bankruptcy laws a few years ago so that school debt cannot be dissolved through bankruptcy. Those who borrowed their way through college but then can't get the big-bucks job at the end of the rainbow to pay it off, are well and truly slaves!

This segment from ABC 20/20 gave some rare truth (for mainstream/corp media):



And this independently produced documentary just came out early this year, 1 hour, goes into many facets of the "higher education" racket in the US,
*



*Then consider the "Deliberate Dumbing Down of America" - Charlotte Iserbyt has been a big exposer of this- her book by the same name is available as free PDF at *DeliberateDumbingDown.com*, and she also has this great interview online now, 75 mins:
*



*Also see*:* · *How University Betrays Students*
(^^^ from a guy with a Social Science BA, but no debt- paid my way through the CA State Univ system in '80s-'90s when it was a reasonable value...)

----------


## keekwai

I thought this had been common knowledge for years. Most people (including myself) I've met with degrees are working in something unrelated to the degree. Looks nice on the wall I suppose.

----------


## Bettyboo

> I wonder also, what kind of pay threshhold makes for a sustainable expat life there. I heard figures like 90,000THB/month is like the minimum amount. A lot of senior Thai jobs don't seem to get much beyond 50,000THB/month.


It's all relative - we'll spend what we earn... 

90k is high, I think 60k is comfortable, 40k is manageable.

It depends if you have your own house or not, where you want to live, what food you buy, etc. Some expats pay more than 90k per month for a condo in Bkk - I pay 8k per month for a 4 bedroom house with a garden in Bangkok; takes me 30 minutes to drive to work (or taxi, they're cheap here).

If you had a house and car of your own and were earning 60k then you'd be very comfortable. If you had to pay for your house and car out of that 60k, it would still be manageable, but you'd be watching your money (in which case the 90k would be a nice figure).

There are all sorts of jobs; they'll be expats who earn 250k+ per month who have accom and car on expenses, good luck to them (I'd rather be in London playing that game, but each to their own...). Others get by on pensions or jobs paying 30k per month; good luck to them too.

----------


## keekwai

^ Now that's a _realistic_ viewpoint.

----------


## Bettyboo

> I thought this had been common knowledge for years. Most people (including myself) I've met with degrees are working in something unrelated to the degree. Looks nice on the wall I suppose.


Very true.

My undergraduate degree was in Electronic Engineering; don't use that much... At a young age, we rarely know how the core of life will sort itself out, and exactly what skills we might need. Now, I kinda wish I'd done undergraduate studies in English Literature or Literary Linguistics, but at that time I wasn't in the slightest bit interested and it wouldn't have helped me to get the jobs I wanted at that time...

----------


## keekwai

> At a young age, we rarely know how the core of life will sort itself out, and exactly what skills we might need.interested and it wouldn't have helped me to get the jobs I wanted at that time...


Should be a core subject. Swap it for something useless ... like algebra.

----------


## CaptainNemo

> Originally Posted by CaptainNemo
> 
> I wonder also, what kind of  pay threshhold makes for a sustainable expat life there. I heard  figures like 90,000THB/month is like the minimum amount. A lot of senior  Thai jobs don't seem to get much beyond 50,000THB/month.
> 
> 
> It's all relative - we'll spend what we earn... 
> 
> 90k is high, I think 60k is comfortable, 40k is manageable.
> 
> ...


Of course. 
I'm just curious about the modal average based on a  typical and sustainable "comfortable" lifestyle, whether people have  kids or not, and whether they are nearer the start or end of their  careers.

The main point I was interested in was what kinds of things to people do  to get those salaries. Not necessarily because I want to get those  kinds of jobs (I'm already ploughing a particular furrow), I'm just  curious.
I guess that the 30k jobs are often the semi-pro English-teachers (i.e. the  ones without formal training like PGCEs and teaching Masters); and the  250k+ jobs are very senior managers in quite technical areas that either  the locals can't do or that are temporary placements within a  transnational corporation.





> My undergraduate degree was in Electronic Engineering; don't use that  much... At a young age, we rarely know how the core of life will sort  itself out, and exactly what skills we might need. Now, I kinda wish I'd  done undergraduate studies in English Literature or Literary  Linguistics, but at that time I wasn't in the slightest bit interested  and it wouldn't have helped me to get the jobs I wanted at that  time...


I did a first degree in electronics as well, which I've barely  ever used, but I could. I also did another first degree  before that in languages, which I've also barely ever used at work, except to chat to foreign scientists. 
I don't think it does you any harm to do a degree, because it can still open up new  things... doing languages got me interested in physics and electronics,  and doing physics and electronics got me interested in philosophy, and  switched me from thinking it was the most pointless subject to thinking  it was in fact the most fundamentally important.
Having said that, I think everyone should have to do *some* maths at uni, it would really sort out a lot of branez, and might open people up to new things, and give people more options... speaking of digressions.





> Captain Nemo: 
> 
>  Ability to "Take the piss" 10/10
> 
>  Ability to receive it back 0/10


 That doesn't even make sense in English, what are you trying say? Take your time, don't rush yourself.  :Smile:

----------


## keekwai

If you were British, Aussie or Kiwi you'd understand. American? "Take the Mickey"?

Kowjai mai?

 :Smile:

----------


## Don Ho

> (^^^ from a guy with a Social Science BA, but no debt- paid my way through the CA State Univ system in '80s-'90s when it was a reasonable value...)


I'm American and most of my education was paid for through the G.I. Bill.  I went with history because of my love for it and I enjoyed the classes.  I got an associates in economics but that's little more than a piece of paper.  If I could do it again I would buckle down on the math and go into engineering.  Sigh.

----------


## CaptainNemo

> Originally Posted by HansuMan
> 
> 
> (^^^ from a guy with a Social Science BA, but no debt- paid my way through the CA State Univ system in '80s-'90s when it was a reasonable value...)
> 
> 
> I'm American and most of my education was paid for through the G.I. Bill.  I went with history because of my love for it and I enjoyed the classes.  I got an associates in economics but that's little more than a piece of paper.  If I could do it again I would buckle down on the math and go into engineering.  Sigh.


What flavour engineering? Engineering is pretty boring tbh, but it supposedly opens doors in a wide range of careers. 
Surely doing something you love is worthwhile?
I'm sure that humanities subjects open doors too, in different areas, perhaps there are people on TD who have managed to carve out an expat-equivalent career that doesn't involve teaching. I'd be interested to hear about it.  :Smile:

----------


## meat

> Originally Posted by HansuMan
> 
> 
> (^^^ from a guy with a Social Science BA, but no debt- paid my way through the CA State Univ system in '80s-'90s when it was a reasonable value...)
> 
> 
> I'm American and most of my education was paid for through the G.I. Bill.  I went with history because of my love for it and I enjoyed the classes.  I got an associates in economics but that's little more than a piece of paper.  If I could do it again I would buckle down on the math and go into engineering.  Sigh.


I know of this guy who can help you get jobs anywhere.  he helped me out.  contact him...  dxsales1[at]hotmail.com.  the guy's name is Don and he can get you what you need.

----------


## CaptainNemo

I wonder what the proportions are of different categories of "expat" in Thailand... has anyone ever done a survey on this site about roughly what category people fit into? e.g. "retired", "TEFLer", "corporate", "small business", "lecturer", "occasional visitor", "offshore worker" etc...?

----------


## keekwai

> I wonder what the proportions are of different categories of "expat" in Thailand... has anyone ever done a survey


Yes. 67.3% are whore mongers.  :Smile:

----------


## CaptainNemo

> The 'best' expat jobs require previous experience,  a good track record- and they come with a cushy benefits package. But  you can't just lob into your port of choice and get a job like that.
> Starting from 'zero' I'd say the most likely option of getting a  decently paid job is in oil and gas, by doing the requisite courses  combined with tenacity and determination. Be original- try and get  around the usual employment agencies by researching, and approaching  companies directly. If you impress the right person, you'll get the nod.  Hang around places where O&G workers hang out, such as Songhkhla,  and you might get lucky too.


I have had a go at that, chatted to some bods in central London, but it feels like a cryptic labyrinth or a verbal Rubic's cube. Might try shifting sideways into marine and electronic instead of trying to blag a tropical shore job.




> I work for an Oil and Gas Company in Qatar. My rotation in and out of Qatar is 28/28. My leave can be spent in any country on the planet I wish as long as I give them enough notice to purchase the flight tickets.
> However I choose Thailand because of my girlfriend and our twins. When I come back to Thailand at the end of every rotation we go on holiday outside of Thailand as there are other places we like to travel too. 
> Last four rotations were Hong Kong/China mainland, Langkawi Malaysia, UK and this trip Northern Vietnam.
> I have a house in North East Thailand and we could stay at home anytime, but travel to different destinations in different countries, seeing different cultures is what we like to do.


That sounds like you are in some kind of power station, but the rotation sounds like for an OSV or a rig, apart from that it sounds similar-ish to what I'm looking at. Though I'm not sure how fond I am of the heat over there.

----------


## Bob63

> Originally Posted by CaptainNemo
> 
> I wonder also, what kind of pay threshhold makes for a sustainable expat life there. I heard figures like 90,000THB/month is like the minimum amount. A lot of senior Thai jobs don't seem to get much beyond 50,000THB/month.
> 
> 
> It's all relative - we'll spend what we earn... 
> 
> 90k is high, I think 60k is comfortable, 40k is manageable.
> 
> ...


Good info, thanks.
Just out of curiosity what is a normal utility bill in LOS.
I mean monthly pay for water and electricity (probably including aircon) ?

----------


## keekwai

I live by myself at the moment and my water bill is between 75-100 Baht p/m I don't use air-con and my electricity bill is around 400 Baht p/m. A couple of years ago I was using the air-con almost 24/7 and the bill was around 900-1200 p/m

----------


## Bettyboo

^ I have a 4 bed house with 3 people living here. The water and electricity total rarely, if ever, exceeds 2000 baht.

----------


## keekwai

It's sort of like asking "How long is a piece of string?" Lots of variables to consider. How many people, how big a residence, how many showers a day, washing machine?, amount of air-con use etc

----------


## Bettyboo

^ yes, but quite cheap here for utilities compared to most places.

----------


## Stumpy

Interesting,

Couple of points from my end. The options are endless on what will work for each person. Some require a lofty salary to afford to live the high life they either wanted or have grown accustomed too.  

Others have taken a different tact and want to live with less, not have to worry about having a high salaried job to sustain that life style and all the stress that are associated with it. This is exactly the trap in the US.  Live outside their means, finance everything and in one the fell swoop of a management reorg meeting could lose it all. Witnessed it for years.

I think it is important to remember that the variables are endless to what one will find to achieve their happiness. There is no magic Do this + this + that = Happiness.


On the college Education part....well that is all a scam IMHO. I was a hiring manager for many years and the unskilled, lazy and spoiled kids that come out of college is quite disappointing. The biggest gripe I have about college is it basically allows companies to legally discriminate against people who do not have the magic key called a diploma. Its too bad. Companies really miss out on stellar performing employees and tons of related experience. 8 out of 10 times I have hired for positions I went with tenured personnel and most had AA's or limited to no college education at all. These hires require less training, usually have instant impact(especially in mfg eng roles) and know the "in's and out's". Quite honestly they try harder, respect the job more and are usually not a 1 year sell out to move on.Companies lose millions in "Training" salaried employees only to have them leave after a year. Also all to often these snot nosed grads come out and expect 6 fig salaries and most have no work history to speak of. MBA or MS degree and worked a Tom's bar and grill at night for spending cash while parents footed the bill.

----------


## Bettyboo

^ yes and no, it's cultural and depends on what you do.

I've never seen any SMT memeber being quized about their qualifications in the UK. When I was being offered high salaried jobs, I never gave a CV or was asked about qualifications. 

But, in Thailand, you need a degree to get the most basic job on a 15k (sometimes less) salary - a teacher needs a degree for their 8k salary...

The US has a pretence of equality which just isn't true, so they are more likley to use qualifications as intentional barriers, imo.

----------


## keekwai

I'm pretty sure the girls in 7/11 need a degree too ... but it didn't include a "common sense module" I still get a handful of straws with my 2 litre bottle of milk purchase.

----------


## CaptainNemo

> Interesting,
> 
> Couple of points from my end. The options are endless on what will work for each person. Some require a lofty salary to afford to live the high life they either wanted or have grown accustomed too.  
> 
> Others have taken a different tact and want to live with less, not have to worry about having a high salaried job to sustain that life style and all the stress that are associated with it. This is exactly the trap in the US.  Live outside their means, finance everything and in one the fell swoop of a management reorg meeting could lose it all. Witnessed it for years.
> 
> I think it is important to remember that the variables are endless to what one will find to achieve their happiness. There is no magic Do this + this + that = Happiness.
> 
> 
> On the college Education part....well that is all a scam IMHO. I was a hiring manager for many years and the unskilled, lazy and spoiled kids that come out of college is quite disappointing. The biggest gripe I have about college is it basically allows companies to legally discriminate against people who do not have the magic key called a diploma. Its too bad. Companies really miss out on stellar performing employees and tons of related experience. 8 out of 10 times I have hired for positions I went with tenured personnel and most had AA's or limited to no college education at all. These hires require less training, usually have instant impact(especially in mfg eng roles) and know the "in's and out's". Quite honestly they try harder, respect the job more and are usually not a 1 year sell out to move on.Companies lose millions in "Training" salaried employees only to have them leave after a year. Also all to often these snot nosed grads come out and expect 6 fig salaries and most have no work history to speak of. MBA or MS degree and worked a Tom's bar and grill at night for spending cash while parents footed the bill.


Good post. 
A true meritocracy is obviously more efficient, more morally good, and generally beneficial than a bureaucracy that fixates on paperwork, but sometimes they have to for legal and insurance reasons.

I mean I sympathise with what you say to certain extent, having been in both positions.
I came from a working-class (i.e. northern england council house, petty crime, gypsies etc...) environment (probably equivalent to the US "trailer trash" idea), and after nearly graduating to becoming an oxygen thief, tried hard to get taken on on various kinds of apprenticeships during the 90s recession, but eventually gave up and went down the uni path, albeit reluctantly at first. I can't really evaluate how lazy, spoilt, and unskilled I was, but I think it's not an uncommon affliction amongst the under 25s, I certainly didn't come out that way, as I had my first baby during that course, and was forced to leave a disintegrating family home and nearly failed my course living in a pretty unpleasant poor urban inner city area of England, which really changed me from a lefty to a righty.
Still, you are filled with expectations about what a degree will bring, and since my BA and string of part-time jobs didn't seem to be worth much, I felt I had no choice but to have a go at engineering, even though I didn't really have much obvious aptitude for that.
I tend to think that if someone had spotted my entrepreneurial skills doing various naughty things in my teens, I could have had a successful career in business, but obviously, you can't really put that on a CV =P
I've done the join a corp and get trained and then after a year come to realise that it's maybe not really where you should be (whether because it's not what you expected, makes you depressed, offers nothing appealing in terms of career progression, overly bureaucratic, uninspiring leadership). Companies often get breaks for training courses, so I wouldn't get the violin out for them in quite such a hurry. I would even suggest that if people are leaving a company after a year of training, that the company's HR has failed because of not finding something to offer them that matches their skills and interests. Of course, sometimes it's a relief for companies for a trainee to go voluntarily, and it makes no sense to kick up a fuss.
The division of the corporation I'm with now has a staff turnover and morale problem, and they know it, go through the motions of asking staff what they can do about it, but in reality they simply factor it into their spreadsheet: there's no shortage of fresh meat to throw on the conveyer belt. I think that's a function of their size and bureaucracy, which just instills a blame/coveryourass culture, and results in inertia. 


University can be a healthy thing, but the trouble is that the academic side has been muddled up with the vocational side... (using the lazy 80-20 rule), I would guess that about 80% of degrees and students just want a decent job and should really be converted to apprenticesships and trainees, and companies be given tax breaks to sponsor them or give them on-the-job exposure. Most jobs don't really need more than half a degree.


As for the quest for happiness, I totally agree, and what my agenda is, is to understand what paths are sustainable, because there's nothing worse than arranging your life to achieve a life you want only to find it disintegrate around you. It doesn't need a particular type of job, but there is probably a range of things that people do that work.
I wanted to quiz people on here to here what things they know of that work, as many times I've seen new people come on here and other forums trying to get advice on their plans to escape to places like Thailand, and get roughed up, which is no bad thing.

Everyone who wants to spend most of there time in a place like Thailand has got different aptitudes and interests.
So I just want to work towards a conclusion that says something like: there lots of ways to do it, but it usually consists of the following ingredients, and here's a list of the kinds of things that have been tried and tested.

I think the money side from my POV, is less about "lifestyle", and more about pragmatism... not being trapped, and unable to afford to get back to your own country if it all goes tits up, as it does have the potential to in places like Thailand.

----------


## SiLeakHunt

> It's conversations like these that make me want to go back in time and slap the crap out of myself for thinking a degree in History would benefit me. Sure I'm educated but so what?


There should be a law against Universities offering courses like that !

----------


## Moonraker

> Originally Posted by Moonraker
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by alwarner
> ...


Re-writing is quite literally taking an existing article and re-writing it so it does not flag up as as being plagiarised. 

It pays poorly and is generally the domain of unskilled writers that work for peanuts. One cannot make a living of re-writing articles.

Anything from English to Thai, for example, would be categorised as translation and can pay reasonably well.

----------


## CaptainNemo

> Anything from English to Thai, for example, would be categorised as translation and can pay reasonably well.


...and even more if it's technical translation in something like engineering, science, medical, legal. Drudgery though... and I'm not sure how big the market is. You'd probably want to get to Chartered Linguist level with the IOL to take it (or be taken) seriously, I reckon.
IoL - Examinations - Qualifications - Diploma in Translation (DipTrans)

----------


## OneSureThing

> Originally Posted by CaptainNemo
> 
> I wonder also, what kind of pay threshhold makes for a sustainable expat life there. I heard figures like 90,000THB/month is like the minimum amount. A lot of senior Thai jobs don't seem to get much beyond 50,000THB/month.
> 
> 
> It's all relative - we'll spend what we earn... 
> 
> 90k is high, I think 60k is comfortable, 40k is manageable.
> 
> ...


A sensible post.

----------


## OneSureThing

> Originally Posted by keekwai
> 
> 
> I thought this had been common knowledge for years. Most people (including myself) I've met with degrees are working in something unrelated to the degree. Looks nice on the wall I suppose.
> 
> 
> Very true.
> 
> My undergraduate degree was in Electronic Engineering; don't use that much... At a young age, we rarely know how the core of life will sort itself out, and exactly what skills we might need. Now, I kinda wish I'd done undergraduate studies in English Literature or Literary Linguistics, but at that time I wasn't in the slightest bit interested and it wouldn't have helped me to get the jobs I wanted at that time...


Why do you now think that English Literature or Linguistics would be a good degree to have?

----------


## OneSureThing

I know what I want. 

Future progression, good salary (in my opinion), comfortable lifestyle and enough leftover to try something new. 

That's why I am currently studying at Masters level in The UK.

----------


## can123

> I know what I want. 
> 
> Future progression, good salary (in my opinion), comfortable lifestyle and enough leftover to try something new. 
> 
> That's why I am currently studying at Masters level in The UK.


 
A Masters degree is ordinarily " more of the same". There is no reason to think that your earnings prospects will be enhanced. It takes something else to make money - hard work and guts. No point hiding away to get a worthless qualification, just get on with it !

----------


## CaptainNemo

> Originally Posted by OneSureThing
> 
> 
> I know what I want. 
> 
> Future progression, good salary (in my opinion), comfortable lifestyle and enough leftover to try something new. 
> 
> That's why I am currently studying at Masters level in The UK.
> 
> ...


I half-agree... it really does depend on what your masters is in... for some careers there are specific vocational masters that are a necessity to even get access to specific jobs (e.g. research posts); and they are a requirement for some more academic things (e.g. that IoL DipTrans thing). Some masters courses, yes, it is just "more of the same". It does only get you to the door, actual ability and experience (and probably contacts) gets you in through it.

A HNC (a bit like half an "Associates Degree" for our American chums) is good enough for a lot of well-paying jobs in engineering, more in the vein of "hard work and guts". Many offshore jobs are earned that way, albeit with a few occasional tedious and irrelevant exam hurdles to jump over.

----------


## nidhogg

> I know what I want. 
> 
> Future progression, good salary (in my opinion), comfortable lifestyle and enough leftover to try something new. 
> 
> That's why I am currently studying at Masters level in The UK.


Hope you picked something sensible.  Uk universities work out a good few years ago that masters degrees were a nice little earner....

----------


## Bob63

> ^ I have a 4 bed house with 3 people living here. The water and electricity total rarely, if ever, exceeds 2000 baht.


Keekwai and bettyboo, thanks a lot.
I am comparing how much the utility bill is when staying at MIL.
Much appreciated

----------


## Bettyboo

^ very welcome.




> Why do you now think that English Literature or Linguistics would be a good degree to have?


1) I enjoy reading and reading with depth; 2) My work involves teaching critical thinking skills, and Literary Linguistics is a great area for that.




> it really does depend on what your masters is in...


Yes, but I'd presume that most people who study an MA do so with intent; intent to apply the more specific skills afforded by an MA to a specific work related area. This was true when I worked in business, and it's true in an academic environment - obviously, the more closely you can match your MA courses to your work, the better (and more financially rewarding...).

----------


## CaptainNemo

^^
I was thinking more about MSc really, they usually seem to be very specifically related to some profession or research area. The MA I've seen like that were in things like translating subtitles for films.

With an integrated masters, you don't have to think about the fees so much: it's covered by the UG loans system.


On another tack... does anyone here know about Hydrographic/Geophysical Surveying? Seems like a sustainable gig for living abroad.

----------


## OhOh

> does anyone here know about Hydrographic/Geophysical Surveying?


Similar to most engineering jobs worldwide. Keep riding the next wave or this happens:

1. Educated westerners originally assisting the natives. 
2. Natives establish independence. 
3. Locals educated sufficiently to run the maths. 
4. Low priced "Asians" winning outsourced contracts. 
5. Earnings spiral to "Asian" wages. 

In most Asian countries labour cost is minimal so investment in high tech minimal. Surveying a river consists of a boat, a rower and a long stick. Readings written in pencil on a paper form. Some governments have high tech GIS systems, Thais have many. There are then "political" issues about the reliability/mangement/maintenance of them.

There are always piranhas selling their snake oil during a crisis. This happened during/after the last Tsunami, how many of those systems are still working? The current flooding crisis is not even a 1 in 25 year problem. The "management"  :Smile:  , either engineering or political, is the issue coupled with the "no ploblem" attitude and the subservience of the masses. 

Look at socals thread about the polluted water and LoyToys efforts for a solution.

----------


## CaptainNemo

^^
No, I didn't mean doing it there... I meant doing it properly, worldwide, but living in SEAsia (or Costa Rica, or Shetland, or wherever).

I think there are a few ocean-going surveyors who spend shore leave in Thailand and similar places.

----------


## OhOh

Ah, Ok, so general offshore work then?

----------


## CaptainNemo

i thought that was fairly specific.

----------


## Stumpy

As reported today on CNNMoney, 123 colleges in the US have tuition's fees over $50K a year.

What are we buying? A better education? Paying off a college to keep a campus gorgeous? or is it as simple as saying "You are buying a diploma with our prestigious name on it? I mean think about it. As a student they supply nothing anymore like grade school. You pay for all books, supplies, syllabus material etc.

I know of a few younger friends that are still paying dearly on their MBA degree. Its like a life long bill at 3.2%. Sadly if you compound interest over the duration of the loan they will pay a ton for that education. Its almost like buying a house for Christs Sake

----------


## CaptainNemo

No offence, but this thread isn't really about the American university system, it's about sustainable careers that allow you to live in Thailand... can we keep on topic please mate/buddy (delete as applicable to your side of the pond).  :Smile:

----------


## CaptainNemo

so we've established that in general, offshore job such as rig work,  ship work, and ancillary careers like science and dive support,  surveying, on small ships; chef and hotel and entertainment on cruise  ships and large yachts are sustainable.

Running yor own little pub/restaurant (or some dodgy businesses like  running gogo bars, online gambling and porn) might work, and some  freelance online technical writing and translating might work.

is it true to say that most of the *real* expat jobs are gone or going,  with the advent of videoconference technology and a larger more  (sometimes western-) educated workforce of locals?

----------


## baldrick

if you have a Instrument / Electronic / Electrical background you might want to look into becoming a Remote Operated Vehicle operator/maintainer

with the large amount of wellheads off the west Aust coastline and in the timor sea I would imagine there would be plenty of work doing regular inspections.

maybe some one who works on the FPSO's or workover rigs in the region can supply some more info

----------


## SiLeakHunt

> ^^
> 
> 
> On another tack... does anyone here know about Hydrographic/Geophysical Surveying? Seems like a sustainable gig for living abroad.


I know two people who do that, one has an MSc in Geophysics another has an MSc in Oceanography. 

If you're interested in something similar you could do a google search for ROV Training courses or ROV schools.

Cheers

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> is it true to say that most of the *real* expat jobs are gone or going, with the advent of videoconference technology and a larger more (sometimes western-) educated workforce of locals?


Possibly.

You could also argue that technology has made where you work from, less critical. Meaning that you could now enjoy a job with western benefits/salary working from home or an office pretty much anywhere in the world.

----------


## CaptainNemo

^^
Trouble with technology like that is that you can end up being worked to death.
I guess if you've got established in some field where you can take it out of the office, like programming, and stuff involving technical computer-based design work, or technical reading and writing, it can work. I'm not sure how common those kinds of gigs are.





> Originally Posted by CaptainNemo
> 
> 
> ^^
> 
> 
> On another tack... does anyone here know about Hydrographic/Geophysical  Surveying? Seems like a sustainable gig for living abroad.
> 
> 
> ...


Sure, there are few companies here and there that offer expensive training courses on ROV stuff, that may not always be necessary... but then maybe you are paying for *access* to your first job... (feels a bit like a bribe).

I think there's a difference between the data processing side of  surveying, which sounds more like what those people might do; and the  equipment support side, which is more to do with electronic, electrical  and mechanical engineering, depending on what bits of kit you're on  about.
I've heard of a few people in this sector who seem to have no bother  spending a lot of their off duty time in places like Thailand.

----------


## SiLeakHunt

noticed that nobody has sensibly suggested bar ownership. Mate of mine just dropped dead of a heart attack after running a bar for 10 years on Samui (far ttoo young an age he was as well)..

It seems to be the short cut to the mortuary ..

----------


## CaptainNemo

I suppose if you were going to run a bar purely as a cynical moneymaking machine rather than as a half-hobby that just about breaks even, you'd probably be able to do that anywhere, though I guess you could stack it full poontang and pay lots of police bribes in the developing world, but it doesn't sound like much fun to me.

----------


## CaptainNemo

> if you have a Instrument / Electronic / Electrical background you might want to look into becoming a Remote Operated Vehicle operator/maintainer


A bit of shore-based experience is required, i think.




> Posted:  01:38 Wed 14 Sep 11         Please read through the messages posted on the site on this subject, especially in the Rookie Section. 
> 
> There is a shortage of EXPERIENCED ROV personnel, there is a glut of people trying to get jobs or new starts into ROVs. 
> 
> An ROV training school course is not necessarily an advantage to getting  into the industry, many people pay thousands on these courses and still  don't get jobs. Others apply for the jobs and get them due to their  technical qualifications/experience without having to do expensive  training school courses.


source: New ROV technician - ROVworld Subsea Information

This gives an outline to the current career structure by a company that wants to sell expensive courses...
ROV Pilot Technician Career Path - Subnet Services Ltd

----------


## nidhogg

> noticed that nobody has sensibly suggested bar ownership. Mate of mine just dropped dead of a heart attack after running a bar for 10 years on Samui (far ttoo young an age he was as well)..
> 
> It seems to be the short cut to the mortuary ..


Bar or Pub ownership anywhere is a bloody hard job if done properly, and the "socializing" side can take a heavy toll.  The owner of a pub I worked in as a youth drank/worked himself to death.  No real days off, up early to do the inventory and stocking, do the books, then open for business.  Cleaning up after closing, a few "lock in sessions" a week for the regulars.  Add food service in on top of that...

People who only see the bar from the customer side have no idea.  "great job, few hours of an evening, couple of drinks with your mates, life of Riley".  Not.

It is clear that here you can make money on a bar, given that you invest sufficiently, and more importantly know what you are doing.  Setting up a bar in pattaya with your "tirak" ain't gonna do it....

----------


## meat

> Originally Posted by SiLeakHunt
> 
> 
> noticed that nobody has sensibly suggested bar ownership. Mate of mine just dropped dead of a heart attack after running a bar for 10 years on Samui (far ttoo young an age he was as well)..
> 
> It seems to be the short cut to the mortuary ..
> 
> 
> Bar or Pub ownership anywhere is a bloody hard job if done properly, and the "socializing" side can take a heavy toll.  The owner of a pub I worked in as a youth drank/worked himself to death.  No real days off, up early to do the inventory and stocking, do the books, then open for business.  Cleaning up after closing, a few "lock in sessions" a week for the regulars.  Add food service in on top of that...
> ...


I'd like to run one, but just as a hobby.  I'd only occasionally stop by and check on things.  Running it day to day is the part that doesn't sound fun.
 :sexy:

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> Originally Posted by SiLeakHunt
> 
> 
> noticed that nobody has sensibly suggested bar ownership. Mate of mine just dropped dead of a heart attack after running a bar for 10 years on Samui (far ttoo young an age he was as well)..
> 
> It seems to be the short cut to the mortuary ..
> 
> 
> Bar or Pub ownership anywhere is a bloody hard job if done properly, and the "socializing" side can take a heavy toll.  The owner of a pub I worked in as a youth drank/worked himself to death.  No real days off, up early to do the inventory and stocking, do the books, then open for business.  Cleaning up after closing, a few "lock in sessions" a week for the regulars.  Add food service in on top of that...
> ...


Agreed. It's probably one of the hardest jobs to do properly; the stress and the long working hours can be seriously detrimental to your health. My mum's second pub nearly killed her. We had to step in and tell her to call time on it.

----------


## danno

what a load of tosh. ring some of the oil cos tell them your a scaffolder looking for a job as a roustabout and your living in the far east. they cant  get enough  of them. please dont try this if you cant climb. moneys good but hours long and work hard but if your up for it ok

----------


## CaptainNemo

No offence, but pretending you're a scaffolder doesn't sound like a great idea.
I was under the impression that oil companies love paperwork, and I would expect them to ask for your BOSIET, UKOOA and maybe MIST, and a CISRS card or some proof of some kind of apprenticeship.
https://nextstep.direct.gov.uk/Plann...s/default.aspx

I wouldn't expect them to have the time for scraping up bits of rookie roustabout off the deck, and all the extra admin that goes with squaring it away.

----------


## SiLeakHunt

you need "roped access" qualifications and such like !

----------


## thehighlander959

To get offshore you will require:- BOSIET,T-BOSIET,HUET,ISSOW,H2S & PTW
for starters. *ISSOW ,H2S and PTW* can be done on the worksite offshore at a push although all of the major oil companies do this onshore prior to deployment the others must be completed and passed prior to deployment.

If the company you work for comes under UKOOA authority and a lot of companies in foreign waters adhere to this then a very stringent and strict offshore medical will take the shine off your application.

----------


## james777

Thanks Marmite. Most people aren't so complimentary about our work !!!!




> Originally Posted by james777
> 
> Become a consultant with the World Bank. It worked for me !!!
> 
> 
> And you guys are doing such a great job!

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> Most people aren't so complimentary about our work !!!!


I know. Most people think you should be lined up against a wall and shot. Funny that.

----------


## CaptainNemo

> Originally Posted by james777
> 
> Most people aren't so complimentary about our work !!!!
> 
> 
> I know. Most people think you should be lined up against a wall and shot. Funny that.


The firearms industry seems to be doing quite well these days...
http://www.nssf.org/PDF/2010EconomicImpact.pdf

----------


## CaptainNemo

> To get offshore you will require:- BOSIET,T-BOSIET,HUET,ISSOW,H2S & PTW
> for starters. *ISSOW ,H2S and PTW* can be done on the worksite offshore at a push although all of the major oil companies do this onshore prior to deployment the others must be completed and passed prior to deployment.


That sounds like an expensive shopping list, considering that it doesn't guarantee you any work. It seems a bit of an odd situation where you have to pay a lot of money in order to get a job, but I guess it's kind of comparable to paying for a degree.




> If the company you work for comes under UKOOA authority and a lot of companies in foreign waters adhere to this then a very stringent and strict offshore medical will take the shine off your application.


You mean, if you don't get your UKOOA before you set foot on an offshore workplace, then they won't be that interested? Sounds like it's back to the same old thing laying out loads of cash up front before you even get an interview.

----------


## meat

> If you want to write there is always work on freelancer.com, it's not well paid but a lot of it is just re-writing copied stuff to pass the copyscape test for website content, this one has 3 bids at $38.
> *Project ID:*
> 
>  1256865*Project Type:*
> 
>  Fixed*Budget:*
> 
>  $30-$250 USD*Project Description:*
> 
> ...



low wage work, really.  I just pocketed $300 today through my website.  not bad considering it took no work.  I just love waking up in the morning and finding hundreds(or thousands  ::chitown:: ) of dollars in my paypal account.  I make 50k-100k/baht a week easy.

 :sexy:

----------


## CaptainNemo

^^
So you host your virtual sodom and gomorrah on an anonymised server in the USA, and collect your sticky winnings through an account based outside Thailand, and transfer bits of cash in? There must be a catch...

----------


## dirtydog

> I just pocketed $300 today





> I make 50k-100k/baht a week easy.


So today wasn't a good day then?

----------


## OhOh

Thai Water Skiing lessons

----------


## CaptainNemo

^
That's a career?!

----------


## armstrong

i'd get well dizzy doing that for 8hours a day

----------


## DJ Pat

> 9. Working for a pittance as an English teacher


This is the sole option for many.

You didn't list ''DJ''

----------


## Jeremia

[quote=DJ Pat;1934187]


> You didn't list ''DJ''


I thought Thailand had enough Dick Jockeys....

----------


## DJ Pat

^That's another career choice as well

----------


## CaptainNemo

> My undergraduate degree was in Electronic Engineering; don't use that much... At a young age, we rarely know how the core of life will sort itself out, and exactly what skills we might need. Now, I kinda wish I'd done undergraduate studies in English Literature or Literary Linguistics, but at that time I wasn't in the slightest bit interested and it wouldn't have helped me to get the jobs I wanted at that time...


I so agree... I think I chose electronics thinking about robots, and assuming it would be a "better value" course in terms of getting and keeping a decent job; but really, I'd be far better off as a lawyer, and probably would have enjoyed philosophy or fine are more.

Have you ever felt this way?

----------


## Chairman Mao

you back again Smeg.

Melly Christmas to ya. Hope you can find some Christmas cheer. Perhaps go out to a nice Thai restaurant over the festive period.



> Never forever again not even a 1 day holiday in the land of lies


Yet here you are logging into and posting on a Thai forum on Christmas eve/day.  :Confused:  

 :Smile:

----------


## CaptainNemo

Update: Become a monk




> the Monks houses were quite nice, I mean large  and modern,  probably living better than a lot of us, and this is where  the passive  Thai income comes in.


source: https://teakdoor.com/living-in-thaila...ai-income.html

----------


## t.s

> Originally Posted by SiLeakHunt
> 
> 
> a reasonable alternative to living in Asia can be finding in work in your own country that's flexible enough to allow you a large amount of time in SE Asia. In the past I've worked as a taxi driver, you need to be thick skinned and it isn't prestigious but it was surprisingly well paid if I worked hard at it and flexible enough to let me have 5/6 months of the year in Thailand with no trouble getting work when I got back home. Not really an option now with the economy the way it is in the Uk.
> 
> cheers
> 
> 
> What other kinds of jobs would let you do that? Season work? Summer-focussed Tourism related work? A Christmas-focussed business?


a freind of mine is a stone mason. he works flat out from may to december, then hangs out at the beach from December-May

----------


## westozguy

> Possibly.
> 
> You could also argue that technology has made where you work from, less critical. Meaning that you could now enjoy a job with western benefits/salary working from home or an office pretty much anywhere in the world.


Well I got to seriously thinking about this matter so I've applied Sakdina to my relationship with my (now) Thai mrs that involves a deal that also includes my sister...

My mrs is an accounts girl in a department store so after testing her out about a few things I worked out she's reasonably intelligent at what she does... Anyway she said to me that she wanted opportunity to make higher income than the 6500/month she currently makes...

My sister has a successful book-keeping business in Australia, right smack in the middle of a mainly small home business self-employed demographic and she is also indeed a qualified MYOB consultant (MYOB is probably the most popular small business accounting software package in Oz)... She complains she can't get good data entry clerks/client managers and of course the situation in Oz is that with low unemployment numbers, people job hop to the highest salary they can find...

So after much discussion with my sister I put a deal to my mrs that she come to Oz to learn how to do the books and whatever else she needs to know about our way, with the goal being that we'll set up a home office in our house in Thailand and once proficient, she'll return home to do book work remotely, ie: scan and email documents and files... At that point OUR business will be getting paid 1.2 to 1.500.000 baht/yr (which is the lower end of the salary range for that position in Oz), for her to do 40 hours per week... Then she has an easy-on-the-body job she can easily do from home for the rest of her life.

I told my mrs I will make this investment towards our future lifestyle on the proviso I get to stay at home in Thailand and build custom motorcycles. Themz are the  :ourrules: 

And I'll live off and buy motorcycle parts from, the rental income from my house in Oz.

----------


## SiLeakHunt

you could always set up a web cam and sit there naked for queers and earn your money that way..

Cheers

----------


## OhOh

A Bereavement Councillor seems to have some advantages. Lots of elderly felangs kicking the bucket leaves lots of distressed young Thai ladies requiring a shoulder to cry on.

It worked for a while for a Welsh guy.

Psychic faces jail for conning women into performing naked sex acts - Crime - UK - The Independent

_"A psychic who conned young female disciples into stripping off for raunchy spiritualist sessions is facing jail. Karl Lang, 49, was found guilty today of 12 counts of causing women to engage in sexual activity without consent. The rogue medium targeted two women in their 20s who sought him out in the belief he could contact dead relatives. Lang, of Newport, South Wales, brainwashed his vulnerable victims and went so far as to claim he was Jesus Christ reincarnated.

Both women were encouraged to perform sex acts in front of him and pressed to act more and more outrageously as his influence increased.

One told the trial she was conned into acting like a "porn star" in the belief that her naked antics would boost her own spiritual powers.

Lang generally sat watching, fully clothed, but would occasionally strip off himself and join in.

His manipulative behaviour lasted almost four years and covered a period from November 2005 until September 2009. A jury at Newport Crown Court found him guilty of all 12 charges today, dismissing claims that he was an innocent spiritualist instructor. All 12 counts were majority verdicts. The brief trial started on Monday.

Judge Patrick Curran QC agreed to grant Lang bail to "get his affairs in order" until a sentencing hearing some time next month. But he warned: "This involved a very serious breach of trust and an immediate custodial sentence is, it seems to me, absolutely inevitable." He described Lang's activity as "systematic conduct and a breach of trust involving two very vulnerable young women".

He added that they were "vulnerable in the sense that they were bereaved and sought the defendant's consultation in communicating with those who died, and he took the most gross advantage of the situation"."_

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## CaptainNemo

Fucking idiot judge. So he was basically convicted of inciting stupid women to perform pornographic acts? As if "Medium" is a profession! That kind of ruling puts the whole of male civilisation in jeopardy! Who ever got their end away by telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but?!  :mid:

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## Orfeu

I work on cruise ships.
4 months on 2 months off.
So I get to spend 4 months a year in Thailand.

I would prefer 6 months off....but then money becomes a problem.

I am thinking of building a house in the boondocks....and then just doing 1 contract a year.
I remain pessimistic about finding enough work in Thailand to sustain me.

My field is Music.

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## CaptainNemo

Go for it... join "The Family", and get yourself a Thai passport
Home
Christy Gibson - XFamily - Children of God

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## good2bhappy

I always wanted to take the robe

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