TheRascal

Not 7500 dollars on deposit but 7500 dollars income for every month earned.That is an proven salary of 7500 dollars a month.

Seems on the high side. A quick google of the average US salary puts the upper average at $48k a year. It's worded strangely, I wonder what it actually means.

Drop a red t shirt in and start the wash again....that should send the right message.

Red shirts are banned

There's a Rot Fai market at Rachada too now.

Also there's the gypsy market at JJ green.

A beer costs 1.5 euros in Thailand and only 40 cents back home. Cars are cheaper in Europe than here. Fruits and vegetables are more available, free of formaldehyde and much cheaper than here. My electricity bills in Thailand are higher than in my cold home country. The cost of education, well dont get me started there. Clothes or quality appliances are 40% costlier here.

Thailand is not the bargain it was a decade ago. And also, most foreigners are not paying 10k for a hotel room, not in Thailand nor in farang land.

Yes, Heineken costs more.

Yes, european cars cost more.

Yes, european imported fruits and vegetables cost more.

Yes, Organic food has its price.

I dont know which country you are come from but in electricity in every western-europe country costs at least double as much as here, not to mention water costs which for example in Germany costs at least 10x times more.

Yes if you want Lacoste, Ralph Lauren and other brand names which are made for Western market then expect to pay more. You can buy the same quality for half of the price without and Lacoste crocodile or Ralph Lauren tag on it....

"live like a Thai pay like a Thai, live like a foreigner pay like a foreigner... it is the way you choose to live..."

Pay peanuts, get peanuts is what you mean.

Go to any H&M shop in Europe and you will find that t-shirts are lower priced than in Central. I am not talking about designer stuff. Try to buy a Philips shaving machine here, or a speaker set. Most Thais import their stuff from Singapore or Japan. The price of Japanese cars is significantly lower in the US or Europe than here. My electricity bill never topped 4,000 baht a month back home, not even in the cold winters. Here in Bangkok, with 2 aircon units only at night, this seems to be standard. Take the BTS, or MRT and compare their prices with Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and you will find it expensive.

Its difficult to find a house, or even apartment these days, less than 4 million baht in Bangkok. That's a whopping 100,000 euro. The house you buy in Europe will still be there in 100 years. Have you ever seen the materials that are used here? Real estate, of comparable quality and size, is more expensive here. I know this because we just build a house up country. The price quality ratio is bizarre.

If you are prepared to live in a wooden shaft, without proper sanitation, ride a motorcycle and eat mama noodles, yes than you can say that living here is cheaper. But I don't know many Thais who like to live like that. Every time I cross the borders I get endless shopping lists from my Thai friends.

Living here for me is cheaper than in the UK. Here I live in a 50sqm condo in central Bangkok, I pay 25k which is a little less than £500. I lived in Manchester previously, there's no way that I would have got a place for that price - and any place I would have got wouldn't have had a pool or fitness room.

Electric: I pay 2500 - 3000 a month. UK I paid gas and electric, it was much more than this.

Internet: UK it is cheaper and more reliable

Food: I spend about the same but here I eat out much more

Gym: UK I paid £38 a month as I was grandfathered into an old price at Virgin, suspect a new member would be much more. Here I pay 1500 or so after paying up front for a year with True. I would say gym costs are about on a par.

In the summer I visited London. Travel card for the tube works out at £12 a day off peak. Taxis cost a fortune, a decent central hotel was £130 a night. I don't drink but alcohol there is much more expensive even than Thonglor or parts of Sathorn where drinks are peak price for BKK.

Just got back from Hong Kong, I was there for 6 days and spent the equivalent of 6000 baht just on taxis. Taxi from airport to hotel: 1500 on the meter.

Yes Thailand might not be as cheap as it used to be and there are cheaper places but it's cheaper than major UK cities.

I wish there were some along lower Sukhumvit , (maybe I never found them)

I like the food and at least the small things I buy seem the same prices as 7-11 and Family Mart.

There's one at Asok. Same side as terminal 21 but a little before that I think

RASCAL . Take my hot off to you. A very honest a straightforward response. Wish you well in future on net . As I mention earlier post. Internet work is the new world. Good luck with that

Thank you. Good luck with your stocks too.

Cool looking bike in your pic.

I'm bowing out of this thread as it has ended respectfully and I need to eat something to continue my tireless work in becoming the aforementioned seal.

Good evening and farewell gentlemen.

A kid who does some work with a friend of mine is making upwards of $10k a month, he's 15 years old. I'm sure he's not the only one out there.

With a bit of startup capital and some hard work a couple of thousand a month isn't a stretch at all.

Travelling folk??? Must be me 60 fights in next 8 months

60 fights in the next 8 months, you might well be a traveller

Is the fact that Thailand allows perpetual travellers and the UK does not relevant?

Neither the UK or the US allow perpetual "travellers" .

In the UK "perpetual travellers" are known as Gypsies who leave a tail of mess and destruction wherever they happen to go. Sometimes referred to as an "ethnic minority" They can also be found massing in and around the Gare du Nord in Paris where their favored occupations are thieving , mugging and robbery !

A group of posters on here would like you to believe online workers act in the same way, referring to them as Digital Pikeys. My guess is most haven't had many experiences with real travelling folk.

The digital nomads, backpackers and teflrs will be crying into their chang.

If truth be known, a dump, well beloved of those who live in cheap scuzzy condos in soi 81.

Places like this abound all over Bkk, thankfully the, knocking out muay thai shorts on e-bay dont know about them.

Just down the road another place lies empty, the rents are way too high.

Head to soi pridi, if you can afford it.

For a laff, head into to T/L next door and check out the food court.

Was bloody disgusted, a bunch of KSR refugees too bloody cheap to buy a drink, swigging from a litre bottle of pepsi, didnt even pour it into the free glasses provided, even the burmese cleaners were shocked.

please someone update the Lonely Planet and tell these kee nok types to stay away.

I lived in the Ideo condo next to it for a few years. Got bored of eating there after a while but there was some good food and it wasn't too expensive. The Japanese food and burger place that recently opened were highlights.

A lot of Thais eat there too but it might have been hard to see that from up in your ivory tower.

Dear Andy,

I wouldnt recommend you elite visa, first it is expensive, second, why would you spent so many money when there is solution for digital nomads?

Many companies provide working visa ( legally ) for digital - internet employers, I think they also cover your health insurance and social welfare, ( whatever that mean in Thailand)

I am not familiar with this world since I am not digital nomads but my friends are and they are using Igloo in Chiang Mai,

however, I dont know what are their experience and you should maybe ask on forum ( maybe this one but just other part or another one) whee digital nomads gather to discuss their option,

best of luck

Works out at over 20,000 baht a month to be employed in this way. 21,296 at the current exchange rate. Elite works out at around 8333 baht albeit paid upfront.

The tripe I was referring to is to quote "the older guys don't like the younger crowd as they don't have to pay for the girls" ......this is the typical stuff we see from the usual suspects, that distracts from the OP and frankly just display a level at very best immaturity and at worst stupidity

Yep, we should really treat one another with a little more respect.

I'm sure there's jealousy in some instances but also I think up to a certain age older guys have no problem getting normal girls and not paying for sex (I personally know of a couple of guys around the 60 mark) just by dressing well and treating girls nicely.

You misunderstand!

The "digital nomads" live in 5* hotels , use the "gratis" Wi FI and pay tax on their huge incomes!

They also contribute to the economy of the local mobile noodle stall !

Actually there are quite some digital nomads that make far more as the old guys, there are also many old guys that live of a meager pension contributing almost nothing to the country.

But as with all groups there are those who make only a bit of money and those that are successful.

The older guys don't like the younger crowd as they don't have to pay for the girls.

As usual complete tripe

What's tripe? There are definitely online guys making fortunes, I'd say a significant number in Bangkok - probably less so in Chiang Mai. There are a couple of large affiliate marketing conferences here every year, they wouldn't bother if there weren't a lot of big affiliate players.

How incorrect can you be ? YOU are in Thailand and YOU are working, be it remotely or not - that is illegal without the correct visa and work permit.

Tell the online teachers that were arrested and deported from Chaing Mai that there have never been any arrests !

They were working for a Thai company and getting paid in Thailand without work permits. Look up the details before scaremongering.

Technically illegal to do that in Thailand. No work permit. Anyway the common problem is most of possible suggestions, like the elite card are

You can't say it's illegal. You can say your interpretation of the law is that it's illegal but no one has ever been arrested for it and immigration officers in CM said it was no problem. Still, this doesn't mean it is no problem but it's not clear.

Everyone on here is just posting conjecture - no one really knows a thing for sure one way or the other.

I always find it amazing the number of "digital nomads" who are working online, want to live it up somewhere... but don't want to do so legally.

the fact is if you can't afford the 500,000 baht for a elite card, you probably aren't contributing significantly to the economy anyway.

at current exchange rates that is around $250 usd a month - which isn't really that much if you are making a good living and want to settle down somewhere like Thailand.

The reality though, is a lot of these folks are making just enough to sustain themselves - which is fine; so I suggest they go to countries with easier visa's (say cambodia or malaysia, or many places in africa) at which they want to be somewhere cheap, but also with reliable infrastructure... infrastructure they don't contribute to the upkeep of with their taxes (sure they pay taxes on purchases etc. but its not really the same)

Firstly as someone else already pointed out, if it's illegal it's illegal, Elite doesn't change this.

I'm currently living off savings and investments and a business I have shares in but don't currently work in. I'm not plagued by the working/not working legality that some people are but you could suggest as I pay no tax I don't contribute to the economy. However I'd say I do, I spend 25k a month on a condo that's owned by a Thai, I pay to go to the gym, I eat in restaurants, buy clothes, electronics, pay a laundry shop to wash my stuff.

I don't spend a fortune but I'd say that money is going into the economy and that filters its way through, I take taxis and motorbikes - do they not pay licenses that (in theory) pay towards the upkeep of the roads? I take the BTS - surely a tiny fraction of which goes towards the development of new lines, I pay electric and water etc etc.

The Thais won't see the stamps, but most are recorded in their database(s) so it is very likely they will sort things out. Deliberately lying and saying you lost your passport is fraud, and illegal. I am surprised the moderators let that post slip by.

It's completely pointless too, I replaced my passport with 10 pages left as I plan not to go home for a while and will travel a fair bit, as long as you pay you can get a new passport when you want.

Skillset... Oh boy.

Let's see, I finished a lot of the Codecademy tutorials. I've done some exercises on Codewars and HackerRank.

I'm still pretty green.

You probably should get a degree first.

Agree - a standard company is going to generally have to have 4 Thai staff members for an expat - so they are going to make that person count. Just look at how many people pop up on threads on the expat facebook groups as soon as any kind of programming job or task is mentioned.

BOI software companies don't have the thai staff requirement but they can only hire an expat if they have a related degree plus 2 years experience or no degree plus 5 years experience.

This sounds kinda negative - and I don't mean it to because I have a huge amount of respect for anyone who takes the time to learn new skills. There is an alternative, if you can get freelance clients outside Thailand that's an option - please note I'm not advocating working illegally, there are setups where you can get clients then they will hire you, bill your clients for you, take a cut and then pay you a salary out of the other end - with that they provide a visa, work permit and office space.

What's your skillset?

There's definitely a shortage of local skills in some areas from what I've been told.

You will need to get minimum 40.000 baht in salary to get a work permit and extension of stay.

You can get a Thai Senior programmer for half.

Senior Thai programmers will work for 20k a month? Let me know where as I know a number of companies who would snap them up.

Bearing in mind a university educated staff member starting in an office job will be on around 15k with a reasonable grasp of English 20k is more than possible.

I have one friend in charge of 100 programmers and associated staff, the Thai project managers start at 50k and junior developers at 60k. I asked another friend how much a decent html guy would run at per month (2-3 years experience not really a programmer and generally significantly cheaper) and he said minimum 35k a month. I'm happy to be proved wrong but from what I've seen this ballpark is way off.

To the OP I think you'd struggle if you had no experience at all, if you had a related degree and (I think) 2 years experience you would be in a much stronger position. If you have no degree I think you would need to prove you had exceptional skills and in most instances your application would be passed over without a second glance.

I've got an iPad and a Kindle and if I had to give up one i'd be keeping the kindle. Loads smaller and miles better for reading, wouldn't be easy standing reading with one hand on the BTS.

I pay about £8 a month for kindle unlimited, loads and loads of books and as others have also mentioned there are a lot of free books on there and obviously it's pretty easy to get books by other means.

also:

http://searchengineland.com/google-is-hiring-an-seo-to-improve-their-ranking-in-google-225320

and

https://www.seroundtable.com/moz-search-engine-ranking-correlation-study-20739.html

All you're doing is sharing stuff that proves that you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

Do you understand the article, do you know what Penguin was - do you understand the fundamentals of search and how it works? The guy actually contradicts himself by further down the article saying:

Obviously something still causes one page to rank higher than another, and its a combination of inbound links, social signals (likes, shares, tweets, +1s), and good quality content.

SEO works, links still work and Google has yet to come up with a better way of determining what should be at the top than the link graph and as long as links rank content then SEO still exists

Actually, since the geniuses at Google can distinguish legitimately earned inbound links and social signals from bogus ones, and since legitimate inbound links and social signals are earned by having good content, ranking basically all comes down to content.

This part is laughable - the machine often can't distinguish between the two, that's why some industries are heavily manually reviewed, something that can't be done for millions and millions of sites.

Read "Nonthaburi Dickman's" column from 2 August about the guy that set up the online escort service....he actually thought the profits would just roll in, while he was in NZ. He got zero.

If what you took from that article was that "it's impossible to make money online" and not that "it's stupid to think you can get a bunch of ropey bargirls, leave a new business to run itself and trust someone you don't know to manage it all" then I think you completely missed the point.

It was pretty clear it was making money, the Thais involved just cut him out. Completely different situation.

I'm not really sure why you think Scamaudit is the authority on what revenue a site makes - whatever its algorithm is for calculating the amount a site can make it certainly isn't taking considering into account affiliate commissions. It's likely working out an average of what traffic would convert for adsense and returning a guestimate, which in this instance it's going to be wildly off.

Amazon pays a flat 4% commission on electronics. Bearing in mind the value of some camera bodies, lenses etc I would guess it's a good earner.

Also I'm fairly sure he's based in the US, it wasn't an example of someone in Thailand making money online, simply an example of someone making money from affiliate links who isn't spamming the internet. He's providing value, maybe not to you but the term stevehuff.com gets searched 8100 times a month, I'd guess most of that isn't him googling his own name

There's another thing to take into account, for me he provides value, I enjoy photography and I like his reviews. If I buy a lens when I'm in the UK I'm going to specifically go to his site and click his banner so he gets paid for the value he's given me. I'm sure I'm not the only person who thinks this way.

The problem is you're unwilling to change your position and accept there's a possibility you might be wrong - it's not a nice trait in a person. Try a bit of humility and accept that there's some things that actually you don't know the answer to. You've made some great points here and there but you keep persisting with the obsession that people can't make money from affiliate marketing - if that's the case why are there huge conferences and meetups in Bangkok every year.

I can understand the jealousy, hell I'm 32 and I know of a 14 year old american SEO wizard who's making five figures a month, he coded up an epic piece of software and flipped it to one of the big industry players. Kid looks like he's 10 years old and he's banking harder than most of the planet. At the end of the day people deserve it - no need for jealousy, it's just poison.

I've bought three homes in the last 6 years, and have done a ton of work to them, and had to re-outfit every one of them. You can't name one item, NOT ONE, that I would have been better off buying from an affiliate marketer. Just show us one of what you consider to be a good website from one of these people. And these people that put their pitch in comment sections on blogs all over the internet....how pathetic. No, they didn't make $6642.27 last week while they took care of their three illegitimate kids.

You don't get it, you're seeing the dregs of an industry not doing things the right way and assuming everything is the same. It's like getting ripped off by a bad builder and saying the entire building industry is a con. What you're referring to is spammers and not all affiliate marketers are spammers.

If you've bought something online you might have no idea if an affiliate has been involved somewhere - read a review or product comparison and clicked a link through and then bought something? That site maybe got a commission. Clicked a banner ad for a hotel and then booked while reading about a beach resort you'd like to visit somewhere? That travel blog just got an affiliate payment. To you the buyer it makes no difference, to the site doing the actual selling affiliate is a smart way of advertising as people are actively doing your marketing for you and you're only paying on results.

As someone stated, Thaivisa makes money this way, from the number of visitors it probably makes a huge chunk of it too, is that earning not legitimate? Do you feel scammed when you see an ad for Thai Friendly?

Stevehuffphoto.com is a photo review site, great camera reviews and content but effectively it's a large affiliate site, he's getting commissions on all clickthroughs - does that make him less of an avid photographer? Is the information on his site devalued because he makes money that way?

I do agree with you on the fact that there's a huge problem of "gurus" trying to sell get rich quick schemes, posing infront of their hired cars and most people who pay for the courses won't make a single penny.