GuestHouse

Sounds like a 2:0 victory for the long arm of the law to me.

Keep up the good work.

NEVER EVER EVER NEVER EVER NOT IN A MILLION YEARS EVER - Gaurantee someone else's loans.

A minor (under 21 I think, maybe 18) can not own property without the appointment of a manager.

Placing the land/house in the name of your wife while she makes a will that in the event of her death she leaves the land to her/your children but specifically wishes that you manage her estate and specifically menssions that she wishes you to have use of the house until your death is one way around this.

The problem arises, what happens if your wife has an older child from a previous marriage?

If that child is not taken care of then there may be grounds to contest the will, and who do you think is going to want to be the manager of that child's estate?

Alternatively, simply buy land/house in the name of your wife and take out a lease.

The way I see it, if you don't trust your wife to own land/house and act in the best interest of you and your children then you are only going to have problems trying to cut her out of controlling your shared property.

What is it with Americans and Guns?

You'd have thought they'd realize, you go to live in another country where you are not allowed a gun, then that's the end of it.

Perhaps breathing in all that GSR has addled their brains.

Our home in Thailand is not in Chiang Mai, but I'll admit to be stand-offish with other foreigners.

I have two, what I regard as valid reasons for this attitude. Firstly I don't want to rush into a friendship and then get lumbered with someone who turns out to be a Farang version of 'Khunlatchia', around the house at every oportunity.

Secondly, I reckon I have about five good friends, out of all of the thousands of people I have met and worked with, hundreds I know reasonably well, I have five I regard as friends. I don't really have an expectation of frienship in small communities. Pals maybe, friends, I'd be extremely lucky.

As someone recently said to me, not having many farangs around is not a reason to drop the standard of the company you keep.

I think the main problem the OP is having is where he is aproaching foreigners, take TP up on the advice to join in the local get-to-gether, I'm sure that would be a far better place to meet people than cold footing them in the market etc.

Derogatory comments about the OP's wife are uncalled for, as are suggestions that he go home.

Well done that man. Congratulations to you both, I hope mum is feeling well and my best wishes that your son has a great life.

His health is being toasted in Rome... or will be as soon as I stop typing.

GH

The Thai Engineers assigned here with me in Rome are making (Salaries) a great deal more than Bht18K a month. In additon to their salaries they receive the exact same expat package as I do.

In our Thai office we have Thai engineers who are making over Bht100K a monthK, to my knowledge non of our Thai engineers earn as little as Bht18K.

I presume your child holds Australian Citizenship, if so he has the same rights as all other Australians. If there is any question regarding his citizenship, then I suggest you take legal advice on how to address helping him gain his Australian Citizenship.

I do not believe for one moment that your child will be discriminated against on the grounds that he is raised in a single parent family, the stigma you perceive is, I would suggest, just that, a personal perception.

You state that you believe you do not have long to live, and earlier have discussed your child’s father’s will. It seems, and forgive me if I am wrong, that your concern is the welfare of your child in the event of your death.

There is no one answer to that problem. If you are suffering illness/old age, then I would suggest you ask your doctor to arrange for you to speak to a councilor regarding your concerns. You may wish to discus the possibility of involving your child’s father in helping you address your child’s future, but accept that he may not wish to be involved or his involvement may be conditional of his own legitimate concerns and terms.

That I would suggest is a matter of discussion for which you may need help. Certainly if your health/age is at the root of this issue then I would urge you to seek the help you need to have these discussions before you consider marrying your son’s father.

Marrying your son's father, or indeed anyone for that matter, as a means of resolving your own concerns strikes me as the kind of decision made through immaturity of which you spoke earlier. Moreover, it very likely will not achieve the ends you desire.

High-class professional engineers, of course, are a law unto their own.

Nothing wrong with that in my book

In the early 90s there was a raft of complaints about Thai MPs who didn't have the necessary degree. Much discussion about 'Police College and Army College certificates".

Needless to say, those in power remained there.

With the opening of higher education to the masses, this rule is soon to become outdated, and no doubt a new rule will be required.

I would suggest that you go speak to a financial advisor and discuss what saving best suits you. I know for a young person the whole idea of these life long commitments to saving can be at best a bit of a bore, but believe me. Starting a saving habbit now, will provide real benefits as you get older.

I realize too that Financial Advisors do have a bit of a dull image, but honestly, advice I was given about starting a pension and life assurance when I was around your age has really been a huge benefit to me and is now opening possibilities that I had never dreamed of when I was younger.

I've just run a test on opening a few pages here in ROME (08:50hrs local time).

I'm viewing via a high speed industrial network and this being Italy most of our staff aren't in yet

Opening a page: The page headers appear after 15~30 Seconds. The Full Page appears in a further 25~70 seconds).

I tried this for 'Forum Home', General' 'One Topic in General' this 'Forum + the topic'

I've repeated the time check as I've gone back out of the pages.

Repeating the same test for the BBC News Website gives almost instantanious pages.

Four bits of advice I'd give any 22 year old.

1. Start a Pension Plan

2. Take out a life long Life Assurance Policy.. It will never be cheaper

3. Keep the Wee Fellow covered until you are at least 32

4. Enjoy every minute

Congratulations on passing your degree.

Learn from your mistakes.

They'll be gone in August, just make sure they don't come back.

We also have a rule in our house. Nobody visits for more than two weeks.

Since the early 90s I and now my wife and I have given direct sponsorship to two school students a year in Thailand - Each receives a single payment of Bht 2500 per year for uniforms and books + Bht500 a month for expenses.

Until last year we were sponsoring one of these students through universtity at the rate of Bht5000 a year single payment + Bht1000 a month.

This level of sponsorship clearly does not cover all their expenses, but it does keep them in school.

We've got a line of photos on our desk at home, kids with smiling faces glad of a chance. One of a young lady in her graduation gear framed between her very poor parents.

Bht5K a month could be spent a lot more wisely and with a lot more benefit to people who need help.

One other piece of advice, and it is not a judgment on anyone.

I'd advise anyone who is moving to Thailand to seperate two issues: Buying a home and Investments that support your life.

Keep the investments offshore where you control them.

I say this because for all sorts of reasons relating to Thai law and life in Thailand, the investment in your home can be easily lost.

You need to make sure that the investments you hold off shore and that support you into old age remain under your control.

I think you are under capitalized.

By my reckonning, buying a house, car, sorting out family stuff you might not be aware of until you move to Thailand could concervatively set you back around $150K.

If your plans are based on actually finding a well paid job then you have no back up plan.

Your finances should be based on being able to keep your family if you can't work and keep your family well if you find work.

Then there's the whole family and future thing, have you children, if not, how old is your wife and does she want children?

The way I count it, to move to Thailand, settle in and have a secure income of $1000 a month (a fraction of what you have now) you need to have at the very least $500K in cash.

And at that rate your lifestyle is still being eaten by inflation.

My advice would be you are making good money, keep making and saving it. Buy some land in Thailand now (the prices are not going to go anywhere but up) and then work to make enough to live off the interest.

The worst case senario is you go to Thailand, make ends meet for five of six years and are then forced back home to work, your skills are passed, your connections have moved on and you'll have no options.

Money is about options.

Sorry I double Posted

Don't be too disheartened, all kinds of jobs do turn up its all about luck and NETWORKING

Joining the right clubs is always a start (The Siam Society would be my starting point, but fees are high and you need a referee who is already a member).

Best of luck.

GH

No, well maybe, it's just the too often assumption that Thais are on the make that came to mind when I lent a colleage money for her lunch.

Though it has to be said, I am considering adding interest

I'm in Rome, so are three of my Thai colleages.

I've just lent a Thai colleague ten Euros to buy lunch, she told me she had forgotten her purse this morning, I'm not sure I believe her.

She's on a full expat package here, earns at least .. well an awful lot.. but I'm worried she might not think its enough, I'm worried she's going to rob me.

Should I bring this up in this afternoon's Project meeting or should I get one of our other Thai staff to intercede on my behalf?

I'm worried if she looses face she might turn nasty.

(Spelling Corrected in edit)

I was employed back home by a multinational which then sent me to Thailand. My obervation was that these companies tend not to recruit locally (we have never recruited one 'raw' foreigner locally in over 15 years)

By Raw foreigner, I mean someone coming into the business who was not already employed by one of our competitors or who had not previously worked for us elsewhere.

I think if you want to move into an industry/sector then Thailand is a very difficult place to do so. One of the problems is how much companies have to pay foreigners, while another is the 'expendature' of a work permit on an un tried foreigner.

As a start take a look at the BKK Post/Nation, I personally believe that a lot of the adverts there are attempts at 'poaching' rather than raw recruiting, but if you have the time and the inclination a few applications can't hurt.

GH

PS. If office politics bother you, then you might want to reconsider, it is one of the worst aspects of working in Thailand (all to do with the restricted job oportunities if you ask me).

shocked to see young people who had obviously been taking hard, class A drugs.

I'm glad you know the signs.

But are you sure you are were on KSR?

KSR has always been the area where young professionals taking time out from work, and students taking a gap year. Mostly middleclass, well educated and pretty well off.

As noted above, it's been going up market too.

Something that has not gone amiss on Bangkok's own Middleclass, well educated and well off kids, who head down their to meet and enjoy time with foreigners of their own age and similar outlook.

Whenever I've been down KSR the most shocking thing I've seen is the prices of the tack on sale from the sidewalk stalls.

However, being offended by young people being young people and doing what young people do is not necessarily a bad thing. i) It gives young people that sense of comfort that they are upsetting old fuddy duddies ii) It confirms the accusors credentials to join his aged compatriates in that same old fuddy duddy club.

Next time get out of the car and ask someone to confirm you are on KSR, do so as a rouse to strike up a converstation with the kids hanging around there, you'll be surprised just how normal they are.

I'll venture, not unlike most of us when we were younger.

A couple of things to look out for.

Keep tools locked away, especially ladders.

If you have corregated roofing, the type held down to the roof frame with u-bolts, then consider going up onto the roof with a roof ladder and bending the ends of the bots over.

Unscrewing these bolts and lifting the roof tiles is a classic Thai burglary trick.