MeowBundit

Booking stand in arrival hall have a LOT of hotels very close. I remember once stay overnight in hotel about 10 min from airport. Shuttle provided, food provided, anything great including morning call to your flight.

Credit card w/o deposit issued only to someone, who WORK. In case you really need this security money - just cancel the card. Your savings account is just a savings and you free to withdraw money anytime, therefore bank not have any power this is why it secure/lock deposit

When you obtain WP, you can withdraw deposit. Maybe bank re-issue your card.

Kasikorn is one of the toughest bank to get secured CC. And really no worth of it, because others do this much more easily.

Anyway, anything about credit history in case of secured card is incorrect. Everyone, who had CC will receive yearly statement from credit history bureau. I got mine two statements for year 2013 just week ago. Security deposit is just a reason to issue for bank scoring system, and not linked to credit history.

Think about your goal, not about traveling. Laos now less boring anyway in case a lot of fast transportation options available. Trip to Malaysia more than year ago gives me damage about 15000 THB, because unusual non-listed religious holiday occur, was written by hand on Consulate door... Lost plane ticket, stay over weekend... Right now KL Consulate issue ED-s only for Uni students.

Time-saver option to Laos are: Buy ticket to International bus going directly to Nong Khai Friendship Bridge border Check point then to Vientiane Bus Station. Company is Transport Co. Ltd, departs from Mo Chit 8 pm and arrive at border 6 am. In case your need Lao Visa, tell them you will end journey at Lao immigration point, so Bus will not wait you after Thai border crossing and they will sell you ticket also. Bus going fast and VIP salon have only 6-8 seats. Bus driver helps all passengers clearThai immigration FAST, you will not wait in the queue with others.

You will finish all formalities at border and arrive at Consulate door about 7-30 am.

Next day return even more easier - from Consulate to Border by Van directly, after cleaning Lao immigration you will see vans going to Udon Thani Airport. Then you return to BKK from Udon by plane.

If you depart BKK on Sunday evening, Tuesday evening you will be in BKK with VISA.

Are there any ways around this? Legally of course.

Retirement

Investment

Thai Elite program

Marriage

Nothing is impossible as long as you have fresh banknotes coming from abroad.

I retired too early to Thailand. Just watch your days are used productively otherwise you can find your life slowly destroyed.

I was a workaholic when I came here and after 14 years of not having to do anything, this life has tried to slowly destroy me. None of it is Thailand's fault, but the "retired life in paradise" is not as good as it may sound.

A lot of people working here and happy. My friend who is retire next year, commercial airline pilot, already in contact with private flying clubs.

Just to confirm, the financial proofs from home country deposited regularly and statements will make things easier. There is actually no limits of tourist visas, if you able always show your proofs. Then, you will able to spend 9 years combining ED and tourist visas.

Actually, buses from Kunming to Vientiane then to Bangkok exists. Buy you will pay LESS for plane ticket, if you count all expenses together.

Depends on situation. Most low-class shoebox "furnished" condos come with furniture with total cost about $500

The same time, high-end condos can be beautifully furnished.

Show your financials and they must come from abroad. Bank statement will be enough.

Ask your hosting provider. in most cases to do something unusual you will need to have SSH access to this server.

Interesting indeed. Next week I will try to open account at UOB at Suk 26.

Living on tourist visas? Nice joke. The same as fluency in Thai. OK, then advice:

smile in front of officer, tell you was partying/new year/etc. Then politely pay overstay + extension. Nothing serious.

the warning poster in front of your eyes just when you accept documents back at immigration booth - "check your entry"

10 years... Yes, time to marry her. Depends on her and her mood.... We just sign papers and no expensive gifts/wedding dinners/sinsod-s.

NON-O marriage is closest to RP. in terms of freedom. Of course this is not RP, but one and only visa/extension not connected to job. You can work or not work. You can go an back with re-entry.

This is also your dependence to Kingdom. Hmmm.... in 10 years you can have residence already

Just to be sure - Joomla become unstable from release to release. You can't upgrade to 3.x easily, for example. A lot of older sites simply broken after any Joomla update.

In the same situation I help friends to move from 1.5 to 2.5 just to avoid hacking. This is not so difficult. Anyway, this is not enough and next step will be to migrate to WP. But this "migrate" means data, anything else like functionality and visual look must be re-created from scratch.

Key question in job interview in Thailand. "What salary do you expect?"

About 1990 I got a call from a company in Bkk for an interview. First question "What salary do you expect". I gave a fairly reasonable amount as a answer. That was the end of the interview. No more questions. ha ha.

Local job market is different. Of course, here is a lot of companies, who will to pay 20k baht, but in any country a lot of companies want anything for cents....

I try to compare my new life to Moscow... Climate, traffic jams, unusable smelly public transport full of strangers. No social security in fact government just steal people pensions this year... Then Thailand is better in any way.

OP living in Italy, so this is much better than move. And if Italy social system really great (I don't know) better work in Italy.

Not all jobs on JobsDB for Thais only. But to be sure - every year less and less foreigners will have a chance to be employed here, especially if they not come here straight from US/EU/AU HQ. The reason is Thais become more educated and the only one type of foreigners have a chance - who speaks Thai. No exception. New trick on JobsDB is a postings in thai, but for foreigners. If you able to read it, you can read something like "be able to communicate in Thai". "This position open for foreign candidates" "We prefer foreign candidate".

LOL.....you have an example of this "latest trick" then ? Or are you making this up ?

OP take it from someone who has worked in engineering for the 13 years in Thailand, your best bet is the agencies as some else has posted, and build your contacts with expats already in the part of the business your looking to get into, certainly in my experience in Thailand most expat jobs are not even advertised and some gets a job by word of mouth or via an agency as someone else

As to the Thai proficiency thing, in the engineering field not really an obstacle

Of course I have example, but postings in Thai not welcomed here as I understand forum policy.

To say true, this is possible to obtain well-paid job in Bangkok. In most cases, this will be (a) Foreign company You will be someone in-between Thai and foreign offices c) of course, you must speak Thai, because this is the biggest advantage in any case, regardless of job.

A lot of foreigners come here say that "easy way", invited directly from abroad. But I was be a witness of such foreigner, who spent 10 years working in Phuket, then unemployed 9 months now an screaming "what to do how to support family". Not able to come back to his homeland, and not able move to Laem Chabang to open position with 120k baht salary, because lack of language skills.

Serious thai study is about 2 years for some basic school level (I really mean basic...) and almost full-time.

Just to confirm, a lot of time and money you will need to spend here, just to be close to what you have now.

Think more about things, really important for you. Not think much about your girlfriend (sorry to say that), because this is what you can change according to situation. I not sure your GF is well-educated from good Uni and come from wealthy family who will to support you and help you all the way to build your career and life here. I married to Thai, but change 2 GF in several years before, just because I can't hear and see right things. A lot of girls here expect you to do anything alone, while they "measure" you as "right partner". Now, as "farang from Europe" you is attractive to a lot of girls here. But anything serious and you will have a risk of "misunderstanding". The RIGHT partner is a half of success here...

Depends of what you want to achieve. IMO Joomla is a buggy system with a lot of problems regarding security. Wordpress is more stable platform.

I invest several millions baht in similar situation. I'm IT Infrastructure manager.

Yes, actually no one want to offer you anything until you here. Also, your personality will be judged from many angles, and the most important now is your stability here. The most important thing is to obtain first legal job here. The first job may be not the what you expect. So, be prepared to some loss in money and interesting projects. The stability is your relation to Kingdom. A lot of foreigners come to short period of time, then move to another place.

This is a typical advantages :

Married to Thai +

Have your own property ++

Have working history in the Kingdom +++

Fluent or at least able to communicate in Thai, this include understanding of local culture, working/life rules, etc ++++

I can spend a hours to advice, but key points is right now here.

Not all jobs on JobsDB for Thais only. But to be sure - every year less and less foreigners will have a chance to be employed here, especially if they not come here straight from US/EU/AU HQ. The reason is Thais become more educated and the only one type of foreigners have a chance - who speaks Thai. No exception. New trick on JobsDB is a postings in thai, but for foreigners. If you able to read it, you can read something like "be able to communicate in Thai". "This position open for foreign candidates" "We prefer foreign candidate".

Post offices typically not crowded at all and I never able to understand for what reason longstayers enjoy going to Soi 5, but not to send reports by mail.

Thanks for the replies. Happy that I'm able to keep my existing Visa, no need to rock the boat. After many years of the same visa extension it's pretty much a formality each year, so won't want to complicate things by switching to a B visa if not necessary.

Even more, the NON-O marriage based extension is the one and only, which is gives freedom from work in case you want to switch jobs or even not work. Your WP will be closed, but not extension of stay. Very close to residence permit...

Question 1: Why you think you will be able to return taxes? Your deposit interest is a profit and it as any profit (salary, etc) have a tax.

Nothing to discuss about such a small amount. If you need them here in THB for living, why not to transfer. If you not need them here just do not do this.