CrunchWrapSupreme

I've done volunteer teaching in Europe sold as a "working vacation". Teach in the mornings and afternoons, then enjoy your evenings and weekends bicycling around town, lounging on the beach, and getting sloshed in the pubs. The school rented apartments we had to chip in for, but much cheaper than hotels. Overall a good deal. A good balance of working and enjoyment the rest of life sorely needs

I'm officially a high school teacher here on a Non-B visa, but also teach adults online. Whenever I tell my students I'm in Thailand, they usually go "Oh, another one, I've talked to so many. American, British, Australian, Canadian teachers, in Thailand, Vietnam, and Philippines." Despite the gray area and strict view these countries have, it's become common practice. The students ask me why, I always tell them the availability of work, low cost of living, beautiful country, beautiful women. ????

I finally got jabbed last week at the local govt hospital. Many other farangs, mostly retired, but a few who mentioned doing online work. Of course they didn't care to elaborate. It's likely a lot more lucrative than my teaching.

10 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Sure, sure. I've no doubt every young woman from a poor family in school dreams of working in a sweat shop for a pittance, and would never ever take the easy way to riches by engaging in sex with farangs.

Not all factories are just sweatshops, particularly those run by multinationals. A member of the extended fam works in a factory for a Japanese company. He does quite well, with a nice apt, big bike, and a car.

Is Thailand doing more to attract those businesses? Quite on the contrary. I remember an article from about a year ago, about Panasonic shutting down a battery factory here and moving it to Vietnam. They cited the difficulties in doing business in Thailand, all the ridiculous bureaucracy. I recall similar articles about a rubber factory and car suspension factory, where the workers showed up one day to find the doors shut, and all their jobs gone.

I also said businesses other than factories. Across the countryside I've seen countless abandoned buildings where something once was, a retail store, a restaurant, entertainment venue, tourist attraction. There could be housed anything that could be imagined to generate money, besides another beer bar or soapy massage. As been said in the thread, there is money in Thailand, it's just not getting to everyone.

The Thais can be bright and imaginative people, I know because I've taught many of them. Many of them have had big dreams. They could be turning those abandoned places into successful businesses. Yet this country and its inept govt, and cultural aspects that have a habit of reinforcing inequalities, and veer toward exploitative vices, keep that from happening.

Glad to hear the Chinese automotive quality has been improving. It certainly wasn't this good about 15 years ago. Look up the crash tests for the car company called Brilliance. They crushed like aluminum cans and got the lowest possible ratings, which made news around the world at the time. I remember the reaction at that time was like "Wow, the Chinese making cars? Should that even be possible, or allowed?" Haha.

While the Chinese certainly know how to keep the factories running to crank out product, they've been a bit lacking in designing said product. Thus, it appears the solution has been to rely on design from the outside, with foreign partnerships.

22 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I would look pretty damn silly, buying a 7 psgr Fortuner, and then renting a 40 meter room to live in.  Who would that impress ?

That was at my condo when I lived in BKK. Very nice cars in the parking lot. I could see why not much was left over for the 7000 baht rooms. I imagine their rationale is that the car can be flaunted in the parking lot at work and about town, whereas the room cannot.

My wife and I were just in it, coming up from the South, in Samut Songkram. An impressive turnout. Many of the trucks were labeled with numbers, I saw as high as 50 as others were joining them.

Google Translate: "Covid hasn't ended yet. You have to fight the cost of fuel. Have some sympathy for the people! #expensiveoil"

Certainly has gotten expensive. 700 baht used to fill the tank. On this trip it now took 1100.

3 minutes ago, greeneking said:

Central is the Chirativat family.

Indeed. Central was a bit miffed at not being able to take control of Lotus's's's's or whatever when it was up for grabs, when Tesco pulled out. Seeing as how CP already has 7-11, Makro, True, etc. They took this to the anti-monopoly office or whatever. There was some investigation I remember. And as you might expect, it went nowhere.

1 hour ago, bang saen guy said:

Must be a nice group of guys.

CP, OCP (RoboCop, 1987)

https://movie-sounds.org/sci-fi-movie-samples/quotes-with-sound-clips-from-robocop-1987/and-remember-we-care

I'm out in Issan and easily had my Covid extension converted to a Non-B, about 6 months ago for my current job. I actually got it and my work permit in record speed, about 2 weeks. I was amazed.

They could be talking about the "waiver" problem. Before you can get the full teaching license you apply for waivers at each school. Once the teachers' council doesn't want to give a teacher any more, they're sent packing. However, I have heard of teachers with a high number of waivers (3 and up) still getting another, in light of this current shortage.

Unfortunately, Thai children know all too well the bane of the Thai educational system, its cherished tradition of the minimum passing score. They can do nothing and still get a score.

In my classes of around 30, I've had always maybe 5-6 students who are really interested and do the work. It's been this way for years in person and continues now online. Always the 20% who actually do something, and the other 80% who do next to nothing.

I'm not seeing the stress, most kids just aren't doing the work. We've had to reduce the load down to one lesson a week, or continue a lesson into a second week if not enough students completed it. We then keep repeating the lessons over and over as students bother to show up.

We conduct classes on Line Messenger. If their English is weak they can translate. We have video chats, tell them to read something, write something, fill in a worksheet, record themselves speaking. It's hardly rocket science.

They've all got phones and we know they all work, because my colleagues constantly see them on FB, Instagram, etc. But when it comes time for schoolwork, oh! Suddenly they've got phone problems, bad Internet. Heh. And when they grow up, I'm sure it'll be "brake failure".

I just did an xfer this afternoon of about 500 USD, they said it took 5 seconds. Indeed it did. I opened my Krungthai app and there it was. Wow.

Just a lowly ESL teacher here with my monthly take from teaching intl adults, to supplement my modest Issan govt school teaching salary. Unlike the rest of you Donald Trumps out there. Heh. I reckon it has to do with the Thai economy desperate for foreign currency in response to the falling baht.

I reckon his mistake was selling them online, and hinting that they might be real brands. This stuff is sold at the night markets all the time with no issues. Yet he was prob driven online with most of those now being shut.

You know, I once paid 1000 baht for an Adidas bag at Central. I figured it'd be better quality and last me a long time. Not really. The paint's been flaking off, the threads are coming loose. It's made in China, Vietnam, etc. right next to the "real" stuff. I might've done better to pick up a night market one. Same same but different.

Same same but different

7 hours ago, Pravda said:

much easier to find a lady due to Chinese style leftover women once they reach certain age.

Indeed. The older ladies, 40 and up IMO, are the best. Warmer, sweeter, more humbled by their position. They know they aren't turning heads like they used to. Yet they still look good, and a higher libido is a nice added bonus.

The young ones here aren't worth the trouble. They act like spoiled children well into their 20's and 30's. But at least it's not like the West, where many women remain entitled princesses at every age.

To address this ridiculous topic, haha, "risk of child support"? As been said, there's indeed a solid solution to all such worries, called the vasectomy.

12 minutes ago, cmarshall said:

because of migration from rural areas into the cities. 

Quite the opposite, people have been fleeing the high rents of the coastal states for the Midwest. Out there more businesses and factories have been built because of the tax breaks. They're also the ones pledging to take the most refugees, such as from Afghanistan. A lot of promising growth to be seen in these areas. They'll need someone to teach them ESL, so I'll be in a great position heh. My mom was lucky to have got her place out there 6 years ago, it's about tripled in value since. That's where my Thai wife and I will be headed back to in a few more years.

2 hours ago, gk10012001 said:

the locksmit from across the street was sitting at the bar, just like Norm or Cliff from the TV show Cheers.

Everybody knew his name, and they were always glad he came.

Desperate times. Sales are down in general, so in their call center boiler rooms they're desperately trying to make those numbers. Since buying our car 6 months ago we've been getting hounded with car insurance calls.

The photo is not unlike that of US Congresswoman AOC crying at a chain link fence, into a supposed immigrant detention facility, though no one was there. I'm actually a Democrat myself and still disagree with it.

Just lazy, these photo ops. How difficult would it be to actually go to the real location, and do the real thing, rather than staging it?

2 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Isan. See it all the time.

I've got several shirts with similar patterns. I love em as they're considered appropriate, formal attire for teachers to wear to work. Very comfortable. If I wanted to wear bloody dress shirts and ties, I would've stuck with an office job back in the States.