cheynewalk

Jetstar flies nonstop perth to bangkok. In fact have just bought a oneway ticket with them for 4,500 baht!

From friend's experiences you do not have to live 2 years continuously in australia prior to age 67 to gain portability of the oap. You are only denied portability if you are deemed to be a "returning resident". If you spend 51% of the 2 years prior to age 67 in australia you will be deemed to be a resident for portability purposes. I know 1 fellow who spent 2 months overseas and 1 month in australia for the 2 years prior to applying for the oap. He was deemed to be a resident because he maintained a continuous connection to australia and was merely considered a frequent traveller.

What is usufruct? Is that a common practice in thailand? If so, why don't more expats cover themselves this way?

Is it possible to buy a house in your thai wife/partner's name, then at the same time rent the house back from your partner at a peppercorn rent for say 20 to 30 years?  That would cover you in the event your partner decided to kick you out or even if you have a trusted partner and they suddenly died then the family could not take the house from you whilst you had the rental contract in place.

For those returning residents having to do their 2 years in oz to get portability.  Just spoke to a lady in international. She said during your 2 year wait period you can travel os for up to 13 weeks (without payments of course).  No more though as you lose your pension on return and have to start again.  So in effect you could do 3 mths oz, paid, 3 mths thailand unpaid.  Do this 4 times to make up your 2 years.  Not too bad actually.

No, my friend was a cook.  He worked casually for a few months, then travelked a bit.  He actually did about 15 months in oz.  But yes, you could get the dole, but if you travel os it gets cutoff and you have to apply again.

Thanks for that, ross

Can anybody provide recent experience of immigration queues at don muang?  My flight will be arriving around midday. Cheers.

As some sort of guide to the op, i manage to live quite well here in sea on a budget of about 50,000 baht per month.  I live in bali and thailand most of the time with regular visits to malaysia and australia (to visit family).  This money includes all airfares, comfortable airconditioned accomodation wherever i go and travel insurance.

I don't drink or smoke, but enjoy nights out at the pub for footy, quizzes etc.  I mostly eat local food in asia and regularly enjoy company with local women. I stay with family in australia, still maintain private health insurance there and eat western food, though i do supply and cook for them when i stay.  Last financial I managed this EASILY and in fact came in under budget by about 40,000 baht.

No, previously people who had lived and worked in australia up to pension age would continue to receive their pension if they travelled overseas. Now they don't. The old rule only applied to "returning residents", people who had lived overseas prior to coming back to australia to claim their pension. These applicants had to fulfill the residency requirement of 2 years. ALL applicants must now fulfill the 2 year residency requirement after claiming the age pension, even if they have lived in australia their whole life.

This is quite different to the old rule and will affect many more people.

No, if you read my post it now applies to all new applicants. Your friend would have been termed a "returning resident" under the old rules and required to do his 2 years in australia. The new replies apply to everybody, even if they have never left australia before.

Those people working back in australia who may have holidayed in thailand before and are contemplating retiring here may well have to wait another 2 years before coming over to thailand.

A friend of mine has recently returned fron a trip to australia to claim the age pension. His interviewing officer told him that as of next year ALL new aged pension applicants must reside in australia for 2 years before their age pension is paid to them whilst overseas. This is regardless of whether the applicant has lived their entire life in australia or is returning from living overseas to claim the pension. The new rules are meant to coincide with the staggering of the age increase from 65 to 67 years before claiming the age pension.

New recipients who travel overseas during the initial 2 year period will have their payments suspended whilst overseas and the time spent overseas added to their 2 year residency period.

So it looks as though all aussies will have to accept their "2 years time" in australia before they can be paid whilst living overseas.

I was on cosopt and xalatan for years, but they no longer control my pressures properly. In malaysia ganfort is available at about 850 baht and azopt 700 baht. If it is an issue i will stick to obtaining them there.

Can anybody tell me if ganfort and azopt eye drops are available in thai pharmacies? If so does anybody know the cost?

For a reasonable mid range hotel i would suggest the empress hotel in changklan rd.......the breakfast buffet is excellent (well it was the last time i stayed there), can fill you all up for the day ......sometimes cheaper to book through the hotel website.

Regarding portability of the australian aged pension. If you are in australia doing your 2 years waiting time before being eligible to have it paid to you overseas, you can leave australia during this time for periods up to 6 weeks, though you won't be paid the pension during this time and those 6 week periods are added to your original start time for portability. If you stay o/s more than 6 weeks during the wait time you have to start all over again when you come back to australia and apply for the pension, start the 2 year wait time.

So for example, if you take 2 x 6 weeks trips to thailand (unpaid) during your 2 year period for eligibility for portability, then you must add another 24 weeks living in australia to the original 2 year period.

This may make the 2 year waiting period a little less painful for some people.

A perusal of the internet shows the following salaries of teachers at govt. schools in nsw, australia (approx). ( $1 = 25 baht).

New graduate on commencent, then rising incremently up to 10 years service 125,000 to 175,000 baht per month.

Head teacher/deputy headmaster 250,000 baht per month.

Headmaster 320,000 baht per month.

These are before tax wages and other deductions. Of course, it begs the question why any qualified teacher in australia (or other western country for that matter) would teach in thailand unless it was with a commensurate salary at a top tier school. The provision of good quality professional development would be crucial too.

As a matter of interest, where do the diplomats,foreign businesspeople and wealthy thais send their children to school in bangkok?

Do these schools pay western wages/conditions for their teachers?

I like the un irish pub for their burger with the lot. About 200 baht, but good value for the money.

Many thanks

Does anybody have recent experience in visiting an eye specialist in chiang mai with regard to costs, quality of service (particularly in regard to glaucoma).