Job project management

[Luke456]

Hello,

I am an student who has almost completed a degree in construction engineering
I currently live abroad where I spent 1 year as a student with an exchange program and about 7 months as "trainee site engineer" in a massive construction commissioned by a multinational company.

I would like to move to Thailand (Bangkok) and to work in the project management field starting eg. with a internship but I am having some difficulties to find job opportunities probably both because of the several restrictions for the foreigners (especially in the construction field) and the pandemic.

So I would like to know whether there are opportunities for foreigners in the construction management field or other alternatives related to the project management field please.

Thank you!

Edited April 18, 2020 by blackcab
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[Ron jeremy]

Many Thais can do this job, I doubt very much you'll have a chance to get hired.

[blackcab]

First of all, credit to you for trying. There are many people who don't have your initiative.

 

Expat engineers do work in Thailand, but they are generally in quite senior positions where their experience and specialism is a variable asset.

 

I have not seen any junior expat engineers.

 

@Crossy What's your opinion please?

[Mama Noodle]

I haven’t seen any expat junior engineers in Thailand of any capacity working for a Thai company but I have seen a few working for foreign companies doing projects in Thailand. 
 

The oil & gas sector specifically. 

[Leaver]

Make your money in the west, and spend it in Thailand.  It's as simple as that.  

[Muzzique]

Get yourself some Work experience locally first. You're dreaming too much at the moment based on your current employability rating but that's not a bad thing. The World can always do with more dreamers.

 

Prove you can do the job close to home before you think about taking those skills and proving in another country. No one will take you on from overseas with your limited experience when there are plenty of locals who can do it that speak both English and the local language.

 

I would also suggest you start working on building up your languages along side your working skills.

 

I speak from experience here having fluency in 7 languages and working as an International PM.

 

I started in my home country, built up my industry knowledge, studied additional languages in my spare time. then expanded into work in other countries where my fluent English, local language knowledge and solid PM experience gave me an employment edge there.

 

Good luck..

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, Leaver said:

Make your money in the west, and spend it in Thailand.  It's as simple as that.  

No, if you are experienced and good at a job, you can make a very good living here.

[Leaver]

28 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

No, if you are experienced and good at a job, you can make a very good living here.

It may be a good living HERE, but the experience is not so recognized in the west, nor is the money you earn.  

 

 

Edited April 18, 2020 by Leaver

[Crossy]

8 hours ago, blackcab said:

 

@Crossy What's your opinion please?

 

Pandemic not withstanding you are going to have a hard time. But as others have said, it's good to have a dream to aim at, and aim high!

 

I'm afraid I have to echo most of the above sentiments, gain experience and (important) reputation at home before looking at "exotic" locations. And, unless you have very specific skills (language competence is handy) you won't be doing a lot of choosing where you go. I spent 15+ years jetting round the world living out of a suitcase, going where I was told to go (and it seems, gaining a reputation for getting things done which led to more jetting) - seriously this lifestyle does wear thin. The days of Thailand being a "hardship location" (with salary and per-diem to match) are sadly over.

 

Budgets are tight and overseas companies much prefer to employ their junior staff locally. The expats are invariably 50s onwards and highly experienced in what they do. We do see younger foreign engineers, but they are usually specialists here on a fly-in (fix-it foul it up), fly-out basis.

 

 

Potted history (highlights).

I first started working overseas in my 30s as a young (ish) but competent engineer employed by a large UK company (Thorn EMI - just before they de-merged) with a 10 week assignment in Seoul to "show the locals how it's done". Three and a half years, 1 dead marriage and 135 metro stations later I had finally trained myself out of a job (I still occasionally cross paths with the Korean guys I worked with). I then went to Hong Kong, Ankara (Turkey) and after that K.L. still with the same company. Moved to ERG (now Vix) an Aussie company but the job was in Rome, where I met my Thai wife (that's a whole other story), on then to Brussels and Gothenburg (much too cold and dark for Madam).

 

When ERG came to an end in 2004 I finally had a choice of where to go, Thai wife in tow, so Thailand it was. I still had a large network in SE Asia and one of my friends just happened to be working on an early iteration of the Red Line and got me in as an engineering consultant doing tender preparation (and the documents I wrote then have come back to bite me as 15 years later I'm PMC on the Red Line implementing the ruddy things). The rest, as they say, is history.

 

[FritsSikkink]

15 hours ago, Leaver said:

It may be a good living HERE, but the experience is not so recognized in the west, nor is the money you earn.  

Where do you get this wisdom from? Ever worked here having a good job?

People who work for a multinational are getting Western standard money.

[Leaver]

1 minute ago, FritsSikkink said:

People who work for a multinational are getting Western standard money.

As project managers?

[FritsSikkink]

6 minutes ago, Leaver said:

As project managers?

And in other jobs, all depends on how much responsibility, qualifications and experience you have.

Edited April 19, 2020 by FritsSikkink

[Leaver]

21 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

And in other jobs, all depends on how much responsibility, qualifications and experience you have.

I accept there are many expats working in Thailand, and are on good money, but the OP is a Project Manager.  

[FritsSikkink]

15 minutes ago, Leaver said:

I accept there are many expats working in Thailand, and are on good money, but the OP is a Project Manager.  

No, he wants to be one. There are very well paid Project Managers. There is a wide variety of Project Managers, managing very small projects (not much money) to very big projects (lots of money).

Edited April 20, 2020 by FritsSikkink

[smutcakes]

Project Management is one of the types of work where quite a lot of farangs are employed and there is still quite a lot of demand for them. The problem will be your lack of experience and convincing a company to take a punt on you.

Still the best way to find work as an expat is to get your boots on the ground and knock on doors, go to chamber events, industry events etc. You might have to veer away from project management a little bit and accept a crappy job to start with but it is much easier to find a second job when you are already employed.

Project Managers can take a little bit more risk on employing people as they can cost you out to clients on PM work they are already committed to working on. 5% here, 10% there etc.

Good Luck.