Less Western Expats arriving than ever before and a significant fall in working Western expats now in Thailand

[HalfLight]

Yes, well. The writing's been on the wall for a while, but I'm surprised that the talk has become the walk in the way the article says it has. I probably became as cynical as everyone else about the guys saying they will leave. Surprisingly, many of them did.

 

Now all that remains is for Thailand to reap the whirlwind, having sown the wind. It is in the nature of things like this that leavers do not become returners , and Thailand, with the decline in tourism and westerner ex-pats is now very firmly in the same odious box as Spain, Greece.

 and others whose greed led them to kill the Golden Goose.

 

Enjoy the Chinese, Thailand, I doubt you'll see much competition for that particular avaricious and ill-mannered market.

 

 

 

[Odysseus123]

23 minutes ago, HalfLight said:

Yes, well. The writing's been on the wall for a while, but I'm surprised that the talk has become the walk in the way the article says it has. I probably became as cynical as everyone else about the guys saying they will leave. Surprisingly, many of them did.

 

Now all that remains is for Thailand to reap the whirlwind, having sown the wind. It is in the nature of things like this that leavers do not become returners , and Thailand, with the decline in tourism and westerner ex-pats is now very firmly in the same odious box as Spain, Greece.

 and others whose greed led them to kill the Golden Goose.

 

Enjoy the Chinese, Thailand, I doubt you'll see much competition for that particular avaricious and ill-mannered market.

 

 

 

Whilst you make many pertinent points the fact is that the Chinese are pretty much welcome anywhere a tourist industry thrives.

 

The Chinese and Indian sub-continent middle classes remain the greatest source of untapped mass tourism in the world and attracting them is,of course,a major strategic gain.

 

The day chief deputy dawg's brain fused and he opened his mouth on the subject of sinking tourist vessels was the day a very large nail started to be driven into the coffin.

 

My personal experience talking to my colleagues is that Thailand is/was great for a holiday jaunt but essentially meaningless as a more long term prospect.

[overherebc]

35 minutes ago, sanemax said:

You just mentioned it .

Whether it's this ancient phone or the net I don't know, I started posting and somehow the post just disappeared only to come back when I finished the longer post. ????????

 

[HalfLight]

7 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Whilst you make many pertinent points the fact is that the Chinese are pretty much welcome anywhere a tourist industry thrives.

 

The Chinese and Indian sub-continent middle classes remain the greatest source of untapped mass tourism in the world and attracting them is,of course,a major strategic gain.

 

The day chief deputy dawg's brain fused and he opened his mouth on the subject of sinking tourist vessels was the day a very large nail started to be driven into the coffin.

 

My personal experience talking to my colleagues is that Thailand is/was great for a holiday jaunt but essentially meaningless as a more long term prospect.

 

"My personal experience talking to my colleagues is that Thailand is/was great for a holiday jaunt but essentially meaningless as a more long term prospect."

 

I don't doubt that may expats feel exactly the same. For myself, I could not afford to go back to live in the UK, prices over there have risen rather more than they have here. I particularly regret selling my 2 houses in UK. That was not clever as it turns out. Oh for a crystal ball.

 

 

Edited December 11, 2018 by HalfLight

[buckieonsoi4]

the devalue of the home country currency posssible factor i think the pound is down like 15 to 20%?

[upu2]

On 8/2/2018 at 8:12 PM, Fex Bluse said:

All sorts of reasons, I guess. I know a guy who met his wife while working in Switzerland. She's Thai and they decided to come here. 

 

I know another guy who worked for an international company and had a choice to come to Thailand or Japan or Taiwan. He chose Thailand like many young guys do. 

 

Whatever their reasons, I know almost no expats who think it was the best decision to move and work here. 

I live in Thailand and yes my wife is Thai but I would not want to work here. I work around the world and that suits me just fine

[cleverman]

On 2 August 2018 at 7:18 PM, Misterwhisper said:

Soon we Thai Visa geezers will be all by ourselves, complaining and whining as loudly as ever... and holding high the slowly flickering-out torch of Western civilization in a country full of uncultured savages that neither want us nor need us.

 

Sorry for the melodramatics ?

Uncultured savages. If that is not down rite insulting to Thais I don't know what is. Disgusting language. Racism at its worse.

[overherebc]

40 minutes ago, cleverman said:

Uncultured savages. If that is not down rite insulting to Thais I don't know what is. Disgusting language. Racism at its worse.

Do I feel something from Kipling stirring in the wind ??

[ChipButty]

3 hours ago, BigT73 said:

Hi Melvin do you have any links or idea of price and application process for one of these?

You can import a car

When transferring your normal residence to Cyprus you are permitted to import one motor vehicle into the country exempt from duty and tax provided the following criteria are met; You must have owned and used the vehicle in the UK for a period of at least six months before transferring your residence to Cyprus.

[DrTuner]

46 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Do I feel something from Kipling stirring in the wind ??

Kipling seems to have been right. The former colonies are the livable ones around here.

[Dick Crank]

There's no survey data about manual relief habits.

 

Without this important info it's difficult to determine why people are leaving and/or not arriving.

[vinegarbase]

On 8/2/2018 at 2:59 PM, webfact said:

This has been driven by financial pressures due to earning less money from declining business in Thailand.

No it hasn't. It has been driven by their dictatorial crazy immigration policies that has made the place a miserable place to live and work. More and more expats are done jumping through their stupid hoops and going where they are treated better and actually appreciated for the skills and benefits they are bringing.

[overherebc]

24 minutes ago, vinegarbase said:

No it hasn't. It has been driven by their dictatorial crazy immigration policies that has made the place a miserable place to live and work. More and more expats are done jumping through their stupid hoops and going where they are treated better and actually appreciated for the skills and benefits they are bringing.

If you're here to work on a real job with a real company once you actually start ie get your WP sorted there is no reason for anymore contact with Imm.'

They can do 90 reports for you if you sign a bit of paper to allow them to do it.

If you srick with the usual expat attitude of 'I don't see why I have to do this' you're only making it harder for yourself.

Don't ever think that a job here is going to be for life. It just plain and simple isn't or ever will be.

[Felt 35]

Well isn't it this there are preached for from the upper... Btw., how is the business going

[bkk6060]

49 minutes ago, vinegarbase said:

No it hasn't. It has been driven by their dictatorial crazy immigration policies that has made the place a miserable place to live and work. More and more expats are done jumping through their stupid hoops and going where they are treated better and actually appreciated for the skills and benefits they are bringing.

How does an immigration policy make this a miserable place to live?Has really nothing to do with ones daily living and lifestyle.

Also, I know many skilled workers in Bangkok and they worry about nothing as they all can well afford and all use agents.

I guess if one cannot afford it here they are probably miserable anyway.

Just another misdiagnosed swipe at this place.

[DavisH]

On 8/2/2018 at 8:29 PM, overherebc said:

Lots of expats who worked here were involved mostly, my thoughts, in fairly large fabrication projects when at the time no one else here, meaning most Asian nations, was qualified to to do the same job.

Over the past ten years that has changed in a very big way on the project management and engineering side of things.

Over the past 10 to 15 years those expats, UK USA and EU guys have been replaced by Phillipino, Indian and local Thai managers and engineers who are 'generally' paid a lot less.

I'm not saying it's wrong, it's the way it is. Strange thing is most of them live very cheaply and send most of the money home, not spend it in Thailand as expats did/do.

It will never go back to the way it was.

It's been over that time frame that more and more Thais are graduating with postgraduate degrees in various fields and are finding work back in LoS in both Thai and International companies. 

[balo]

Someone should invite @marcusArelus into this thread , that will keep him busy for  while.  

 

[SupermarineS6B]

4 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

How does an immigration policy make this a miserable place to live?Has really nothing to do with ones daily living and lifestyle.

Also, I know many skilled workers in Bangkok and they worry about nothing as they all can well afford and all use agents.

I guess if one cannot afford it here they are probably miserable anyway.

Just another misdiagnosed swipe at this place.

Immigration has made it a miserable hoop jumping existence, you've only got to go to Malaysia to understand that. The Malaysian immigration actually welcomes tourists, gives them a free visa, ( In my case three months) and wishes the tourist a best of luck duck and enjoy your stay...... as opposed to the Thai gestapo grilling of, where you live, where you work, what you do ?????? blah blah blah, no wonder the place is down on its backside..... Honestly in only four years along with the tin pot action man has destroyed all the charm of the place....... My last border crossing i nearly laughed out loud as the pratts had been told no more crap with tourists because there's none left !  The bloke almost smiled as he stamped my passport, i might add i was one of only three westerners at the border crossing........ I had a chat with the Thai railway lads and they just laughed and rolled their eyes........ they all know the score..........

[fruitman]

19 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

How does an immigration policy make this a miserable place to live?Has really nothing to do with ones daily living and lifestyle.

I'm married to a Thai, she has more than 1 million cash on the bank...then why do i have to show ALL my bankaccounts to get a visa for Thailand? She can easy guarantee me here and has a very good job.

 

I refuse to put my money on a Thai bank because i don't trust them.

[melvinmelvin]

16 minutes ago, fruitman said:

I'm married to a Thai, she has more than 1 million cash on the bank...then why do i have to show ALL my bankaccounts to get a visa for Thailand? She can easy guarantee me here and has a very good job.

 

I refuse to put my money on a Thai bank because i don't trust them.

no problem, drop putting your money in Thai banks and

either move to another country

or resort to more frequent visa runs

or by a long term Thai Elite Visa

 

[nausea]

Yeah, they'll miss the 4 million odd bhat I've put into this country since I've been here. That''s not including tne money I've made locally., which has all gone into the local economy. No sending home money for me. They're pretty stupid,.  

[overherebc]

2 hours ago, Dick Crank said:

There's no survey data about manual relief habits.

 

Without this important info it's difficult to determine why people are leaving and/or not arriving.

Impossible to determine as every case is different

However many of the reasons don't actually add up to the I'm leaving posts.

eg

I'm leaving because of double pricing. ( don't go there )

I'm leaving because all Thai women are too money hungry.

( don't marry a hooker )

I'm leaving because I have to do 90 day reports

( sign a power of attorney and let the company do it. )

It's getting too expensive to drink in the bars and eat out every night.

( would you do that at 'home' )

[SupermarineS6B]

4 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Impossible to determine as every case is different

However many of the reasons don't actually add up to the I'm leaving posts.

eg

I'm leaving because of double pricing. ( don't go there )

I'm leaving because all Thai women are too money hungry.

( don't marry a hooker )

I'm leaving because I have to do 90 day reports

( sign a power of attorney and let the company do it. )

It's getting too expensive to drink in the bars and eat out every night.

( would you do that at 'home' )

Why do you think most people left home ?    So they could drink and eat out every night maybe ?  

[overherebc]

3 minutes ago, SupermarineS6B said:

Why do you think most people left home ?    So they could drink and eat out every night maybe ?  

Fine, but make sure you have the money to do it first.

[fruitman]

3 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Fine, but make sure you have the money to do it first.

I have the money to eat out every day but i prefer to cook myself...i like to eat healthy nice food and want to know what's in it.

 

But the i especially don't like the staff in ALL restaurants (cheap or expensive) because they are so untrained, everything goes wrong all the time and they can't sapee inlit. I also hate crying babies when i eat.

[overherebc]

26 minutes ago, fruitman said:

I have the money to eat out every day but i prefer to cook myself...i like to eat healthy nice food and want to know what's in it.

 

But the i especially don't like the staff in ALL restaurants (cheap or expensive) because they are so untrained, everything goes wrong all the time and they can't sapee inlit. I also hate crying babies when i eat.

Have to admit I agree.

A couple of places in BKK are good though.

We enjoy home cooking as well, as you say you know exactly what's in the food and how it's prepared.

Never been a fan of some kind of meat chopped up, mixed with a few unusual weeds, covered in chilli and MSG and a half cooked egg on top.

????????????.

[overherebc]

55 minutes ago, fruitman said:

I have the money to eat out every day but i prefer to cook myself...i like to eat healthy nice food and want to know what's in it.

 

But the i especially don't like the staff in ALL restaurants (cheap or expensive) because they are so untrained, everything goes wrong all the time and they can't sapee inlit. I also hate crying babies when i eat.

Have to admit I agree.

A couple of places in BKK are good though.

We enjoy home cooking as well, as you say you know exactly what's in the food and how it's prepared.

Never been a fan of some kind of meat chopped up, mixed with a few unusual weeds, covered in chilli and MSG and a half cooked egg on top.

????????????.

Anyway we're going off topic.

Let's just say there are fewer and fewer jobs available for expats nowadays unless they are willing to work for next to local rates.

Apart from all the foregoing we are discussing relocating, not because we have to but because we fancy a change.

Just can't decide what to do with the two kids, of the four legged variety, decisions, decisions.

[zzaa09]

Naive newbies need not apply.....

[overherebc]

21 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

Naive newbies need not apply.....

Funny how the vast majority, me included, used to find the older guys talking about the good old days as being funny.

Wonder how many younger guys in Thailand are thinking the same about us?

Everything changes but everything remains the same.

[talahtnut]

I try looking looking at the west with Thai eyes.

I see massive turmoil, lies, corruption, fraud, debt,

poverty in rich 'civilized' countries.. Civilized?

I see immigration policies allowing all sorts in to

receive benefits.  Properties/ businesses sold

to foreign nationals, with subsequent price/ tax rises.

The Thais must think the west is a bit Ting Tong

as they take good care of their nations borders.

The UK should have done the same.