vrsushi

People who need so much will never understand people who need so little.

I loved my student days in the UK where we all lived on basically benefit levels. If you have great friends, a great girlfriend, varied interests, and a curious mind you can live life and not just exist for very little.

Good post above.

Put simply. How many women would change their minds about a guy and feel "cheated" if they found out he had insoles in his shoes that give him signifcantly extra height?

Would it be fair enough to ask for the money one had paid for a date if one were later to find out either the above or the bra deception had been perpetrated?

Just wonder what you all think. If they don't pay rent then lets say 30k.

WOW! very good indeed. Is there a cover charge? Anyone care to say how much a large Leo or Singha goes for?

Trang has just come onto my radar in the last couple of days.

I'm a 42 experienced English teacher. BA with a CELTA. Looking for a place where I can live the good life. For me this would be a decent school with good mates. Acheap beer after work in a bar with some eye candy and a pool table.

Can any of the English teachers say what the score is regards work? Is Trang a place I could walk to work, my home and a decent bar in the same neighbourhood?

Thailand is full of retired farangs who are bored out of their minds." - far from the point of your article I know, but this sentence is SO TRUE.

He takes it from another writer. Anyway, do you agree?

That reminds me. I am useless with my hands. Better make it a skill that uses the old grey matter.

That's just it. I don't know!

But I figure there must be some type of skill or training that would allow me to easily get a bit of work every summer in the UK. I don't need a lot of cash, just a pleasent way to earn a few grand.

It"s also about me having some bablance to my life and not being on perpetual holiday.

I can afford to live in Thailand or the UK as I have a house and passive income in England.

But I would love to spend 6 months of the year in both. The trouble is I don't quite have enough for this option. I would need to earn say 3 thousand every year in the UK. Actually I also like the idea of having "some work" in my life to keep the balance right.

I'm 42 and really don't want to continue in my current field. A change is needed.

I am willing to train. Equally I am quite happy to do an unskilled job if I enjoyed it.

So what to do? How to earn 3kGBP a year over 6 summer months in the UK that A. Is relatively pleasant and B. A job that will be around in the coming years.

Anybody got a good idea?

The biggest 2 costs for most people are housing and social life.

If you want to live and mix with quality farangs then it will often cost you. (Sukhimvit/phucket apartment, tourist pubs, western restaurants etc)

If you have social skills, brain to learn a foreign language, adventurous spirit then live and socialize with the quality Thais and it will be much cheaper.

My Thai farther in law was a very successful business man (made at least a $million), sold the business and now teaches business in a uni in his home town for fun. Has taught himself how to make a website and has just built a resort, again for the challenge not the money. His idea of a good night is drinking a couple of Leo on his balcony. You wont meet him though unless you can speak Thai because he has no interest in English. He'll provide the Leo.

Or you can spend a few thousand playing connect 4 with farm girls.

The good life has far more to do with who you spend time with than how much money you spend.

So many of the posts make me think that many posters are talking about their life in Thailand as if they were on perpetual holiday.

How much is a breast of chicken, some potatoes and veg in Thailand.........to cook yourself? More than Farangland? I don't think so.

How much is a regular house......... away from the tourist areas?

How much is a beer where a middle class Thai on 30,40 or50k a month drinks?

Caught hungry out shopping in Thailand spend 40bt.....caught hungry in England......?

Take a nice girl out here......A 500bt dinner is enough if you aren"t a loser. How much would a dinner date cost back home?

The way everybody here is talking I presume that there are many good looking available women who are not from the bars and speak GOODish English in Chiang mai. Is this really the case?

On another forum teachers were talking about how low the standard of English is in Thailand. And in my experience it aint the good looking girls that stay in studying English on the weekends.

So are there really lots of good looking, English speaking, educated women in Chiangmai? People want to know.

Great info.

Can I work (teach) part time on that visa? I don't fancy sitting on my bum every day, but health may well exclude me from full time work. 2 or 3 days a week might be ideal.

To the guy who asks about the cost in Japan. Well, I often download 500mb in literally the time it takes to make a coffee. the yen is very strong at the mo, making it more expensive in baht terms than usual, but still the cost is about 1500bt a month.

How much are the other posters who are getting surprizingly good speeds paying?

Strangely I thought I read many posts on other threads complaining about terrible downloading. this is much better than I thought.

Sticking the 400k in the bank then drawing it down seems the way to go then.

Does that money need to come from outside Thailand? Can I just use the wifes money?

And what is the total cost per year for this visa?

many thanks, your answers really help. I hope this is the last.

Looking for just that. 35 to 40m2. But must be clean, fairly modern, have a kitchen and in an area with life. I don't plan on having private transport except a bicycle so convenience to supermarket and some night spots needed.

How much you say?

yes, but what about the electrical supply. It is the external hard drive that I want to hook up to a pc.

Many thanks. So am I right in thinking that the worst case scenario is a border run every 90 days even if I have no proof of money? But if I had 400k in the bank then basically I never have to leave Thailand again?

This is much better than I thought.

Actually the apartments are more like 30m houses. I mean they are all on the ground floor. I was thinking about not owning the land, but "leasing" the rooms for 30 years. That type of thing. Think it would work?

Here is my situation.

42. 10 years teaching English in Japan. 6 of those in a university. When I have taught uni, business, adults I get great reviews. But the trouble is, though I can do it I get very bored teaching kids and fear that I just don't have it in me to do it long term.

Now, I have really bad back pain. I love teaching, but fear that I can't do as much as I used to. A teaching load of 20 hours a week would probably be the most I could handle.

Holidays to help my back would be good too.

I have a BA and a TEFL. Salary isn't as important as good working conditions. Lastly, for the last 6 years I have been the only English teacher and I really miss working with other foreigners. I really want to have a staff room again.

Is there any type of work I should be looking for? And with what I have to offer what am I likely to get?

Are there students who could even study the subject in English? I mean, "the functionalist perspective" would be pretty tough.

I understand, but any idea of a best/worst case scenario?

Sorry I have tried looking, but am a bit lost.

The wife owns 10 apartments and gets about 40k a month in rent. Will I be able to stay in the country? What visa can I get? We are moving back from japan next April. I am 41 and have savings but no income as such. Hmm, well my shares this year provided about 3kGBP.

No idea if I will have to do visa runs etc and obviously we can do without this.

Wifey intends to work, but bad health may prevent me. If I "owned" the apartments would it help?

I am used to downloading large files for work etc 300mb to 500mb. In Japan it takes about 3 minutes. Yes I know how lucky I am.

So how long will it take in Thailand? minutes, hours, days or weeks? I am happy to pay up to 1000bt for the connection.

Not sure where I will be, but probably Chiangmai or Bangkok. But maybe in a smaller city like Kohn Kahn.

I may be relocating to Thailand quite soon. The thing is I have 300GB of great stuff on my external hard drive. I live in Japan so of course it's a Japanese model. A lot of it is legal downloads of tv. I really hope the drive will plug in and work in Thailand. All things electrical confuse me to buggery so I hope someone out there can tell me that they have done it and everything works fine.

The good doctor, perhaps you could tell us how much you spend on laundry a month? I mean seeing as you feel it to be a significant enough cost to blow a 30k budget.

Many thanks.