Any Farangs Here Work In Finance In Thailand?

[wasabi]

I'm exploring career options in Thailand. I've seen a few jobs I may be qualified for but am not sure if such jobs are open to Farangs. Here's an example of one. It's not exactly what I'm looking for but close enough.

http://server2.jobthai.com/En/findjob/job_...?Code=100463171

Presently I am a Performance Analyst for an investment organization, I run and create reports and calculate investment returns, but I don't expect to find this exact job in Thailand. I also have experience as a Portfolio administrator and it's this type of work I'm hoping might be open to me. I realize teaching English is the career path followed by many but I'm wondering what else is out there.

Edited June 8, 2007 by wasabi

[teejay]

please don't give up a decent job to become an english teacher here.... leave that to the people with no former jobs.

[wasabi]

please don't give up a decent job to become an english teacher here.... leave that to the people with no former jobs.

I make no judgment on those who wish to be English teachers in TH, but the more I research that career path the less appealing it seems as a job for me. Thailand is where I want to live and I'm willing to make some sacrifices but the sacrifices continue to seem too great to make it a satisfying move for the long term. One alternative I bump into over and over is the possibility of working in Singapore, which has a strong financial sector. I find Singapore boring and not nearly as enticing as Thailand but it is only an hour flight away so I may have to explore this option again.

I have applied to jobs in Singapore before with no reply, most likely the fact I live in California USA makes it unlikely anyone over there will take me seriously. I don't know how I could go about living in Thailand or Singapore for the duration of my job seeking pursuit, any ideas on that front? Is it realistic I could go over there on a 3 month visa land a job then come back to get rid of my things and make the move?

[bkkexplorer]

Maybe you can tell the potential employers in Singapore that you will be there for a period of time and see what their response is. I'm sure it's easier landing a job if you're on the ground.

I would also look into companies back home and see if they have overseas branches and try to get posted in another country. That way you're hired by the head office and would be on an expat package. Not that you would'nt be anyways but I think this route would be best.

Try Hong kong as well. In my opinion, more opportunities to make money there.

[Meerkat]

If you are interested in the financial sector, you'd be far better off looking at Singapore or HK. To give an example, my old (interbank broking) company had around 120 people in HK, 150 in Singapore and 13 in Bangkok. Of the 13, only 1 - the MD - was an expat. Our industry mirrors the banks as they are our customers.

I was based in HK, and "commuted" to Thailand probably for around three weekends a month: no great hardship and it was great to have a second home for proper R&R. Having done 13 odd years there I finally quit last year and moved to Thailand full-time. Now I miss the market and so have decided to get back in! I didn't even consider doing the job in Bangkok (markets are too small), so am about to accept a position back in HK and will commute again.

Now as to how to get in to the sector in the first place, it's tough. I used to get CVs chucked on my desk daily. If we were looking for someone who was new to the market, 90%+ of the time we'd go for a local. It does happen though. Again I expect that is pretty much mirrored in the banks themselves.

Personally if you wanted to take a first step in moving to Asia, I'd look at doing something like becoming a pensions/investment advisor. It's thankless work and the basic pay isn't great AFAIK, but these IFA companies are always hiring expats to sell their products to other expats. What it will do is to get you on the ground and out meeting people. A lot of hiring in the industry here is done on the back of personal contacts. We even hired one English guy who was a barman in a pub; seemed like a bright guy and had a good disposition so we gave him a crack. Worked well for both parties in the end.

Another avenue which will get you at least to the periphery of the finance sector is to look at working for the financial news services, such as Bloomberg. Again, because they need to sell their products largely to the expat traders, they do hire expats themselves.

Not a perfect answer to your dilemma I'm afraid, but it might help get you closer to Thailand...

[RusT]

I'm exploring career options in Thailand. I've seen a few jobs I may be qualified for but am not sure if such jobs are open to Farangs. Here's an example of one. It's not exactly what I'm looking for but close enough.

http://server2.jobthai.com/En/findjob/job_...?Code=100463171

Presently I am a Performance Analyst for an investment organization, I run and create reports and calculate investment returns, but I don't expect to find this exact job in Thailand. I also have experience as a Portfolio administrator and it's this type of work I'm hoping might be open to me. I realize teaching English is the career path followed by many but I'm wondering what else is out there.

I think you would be better off trying to see what is available from where you are now ie responding to job ads, sending out your CV to several companies or more realistically applying for a positon in a company in your home country that has a branch office in Thailand. Most of the advertised jobs are seeking Thai candidates unless specifically stated although there are exceptions. Hiring foreigners is a complicated issue for companies. Firstly, there is the expense of paying an expatriate salary and secondly there are several considerations for work permits to be approved by the government ie. how many existing work permits the company currently has and whether the position can be filled by a local to name a few.

IMO it would be quite difficult to find work in Thailand without lining it up before arrival. The options for expatriates on the ground is quite small.

Just my opinion though. Good luck.

[Prakanong]

"I find Singapore boring and not nearly as enticing as Thailand but it is only an hour flight away so I may have to explore this option again.

I have applied to jobs in Singapore before with no reply, most likely the fact I live in California USA makes it unlikely anyone over there will take me seriously."

Singapore boring? - yes its very work orientated but the nightlife is brilliant - no early closing here and everything you could want with the variety Thailand does not have.

Work, make big money and play where you like in SE Asia.

Its 2 hours 20 minutes to Thailand and flight times are convenient and cheap - I thought I would be doing a lot of weekends in Thailand but I go other places as well.

Applying for locally advertised jobs from abroad is probably not going to work - you need to have skills they can not get locally. Transfers in are more common unless you have skills that can not be found here in the Singapore market place - locals and expats.

There is a type of pass that allows you to come her and look for a job - lots of finance jobs here so if you have required skills you would get something - hang around Harry's on Boat Quay and I am sure you would get something like the O&G guys can get something in Harry's Orchard in todays booming market.

Do not go an teach English in Thailand for a paper boy's salary just to be there!

[blizzard]

make money outside bangkok and then live here good idea for usa guy.

not good to work at thai wages and live here,lol,

i just got apt on bts line @ 350$ a month all in, i think. seems great but to majority of thais this is unattainable living.

what does a job with those requirements pay, 400$ a month.

Edited June 9, 2007 by blizzard

[bendix]

make money outside bangkok and then live here good idea for usa guy.

not good to work at thai wages and live here,lol,

i just got apt on bts line @ 350$ a month all in, i think. seems great but to majority of thais this is unattainable living.

what does a job with those requirements pay, 400$ a month.

Congratulations blizzard for your first ever post which doesnt include references to Thai women or the sex trade. Let's have more please.

To the OP, there are a few farang in financial sector jobs, but they tend to be at the higher end of the market and very senior. You dont say much about your profile.

Just one point on Singapore. Rents are exploding. I have one staff there. Her lease expires next month after two years; her landlord is increasing the rent from S$2500 a month to nearly S$9000.

I think Prakanong works there. He might have some more useful information.

[chinthee]

Wasabi,

It's true Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo are the logical locales for your skillset. However, if you have a "transferable" skill set that does not depend on your being in a fixed office to render your services, it is possible to work remotely from a home office living in Thailand, traveling to the regional HQ in either SG or HK etc.. In that case, you can earn International scale pay, live in Thailand and enjoy the best of both worlds. Of course, there is the issue of work permit or not, and there are some recent threads on that. Generally, IMO, if you stay under the radar, do your work on email, skype, and by phone, and don't keep an office etc., in Thailand you will be fine. However, again, the caveat is that you would need to have a job that a regional employer, most likely located in HK or SG, would allow you to work remotely, with regular travel to HQ here in Asia. So, I would focus my search in HK or SG for financial sector jobs. Try AWSJ, South China Morning Post, Jobsdb, and Monster, as well as executive recruiters if you're in that level.

Your biggest problem, will be a visa to stay in Thailand if you're under 50. I think you should post more personal details and the members can give you more advice.

[wasabi]

Thank you for all the replies. I'm 32 degree in English but 5+ years in finance and before that 6 years as tech support for a university. I currently am working for a large endowment who has investments in hedge funds, Venture capital, real estate, commodities stocks, bonds basically everything which has given me exposure to the mechanics of a wide variety of investments and how they are recorded and measured. As far as being a person who makes investment decisions, that's not something I'm knowledgeable about. I'm more of an operations guy who also knows how to measure how well an investment did after the fact and how to manage the databases and software that do so. A while back I did see a job that was almost an exact match to mine in Singapore, I applied but didn't get a reply, as I mentioned my odds were probably greatly decreased due to the fact I'm applying from far away.

Perhaps I judged Singapore too quickly. I have been there and found it dull, but I haven't full explored it. Living in Thailand is what I'd like best but if I could commute there frequently that may be acceptable. I'm also very interested in improving my Thai which I've studied for 3 years and living in Thailand would be the easiest way to do so.

I once talked to my employer about telecommuting, they considered it but then rejected it. I was sympathetic to this because it would have been setting a new precedent and there are a few of my duties I'd be unable to do remotely though I could still do the bulk of my job.

[chinthee]

Thank you for all the replies. I'm 32 degree in English but 5+ years in finance and before that 6 years as tech support for a university. I currently am working for a large endowment who has investments in hedge funds, Venture capital, real estate, commodities stocks, bonds basically everything which has given me exposure to the mechanics of a wide variety of investments and how they are recorded and measured. As far as being a person who makes investment decisions, that's not something I'm knowledgeable about. I'm more of an operations guy who also knows how to measure how well an investment did after the fact and how to manage the databases and software that do so. A while back I did see a job that was almost an exact match to mine in Singapore, I applied but didn't get a reply, as I mentioned my odds were probably greatly decreased due to the fact I'm applying from far away.

Perhaps I judged Singapore too quickly. I have been there and found it dull, but I haven't full explored it. Living in Thailand is what I'd like best but if I could commute there frequently that may be acceptable. I'm also very interested in improving my Thai which I've studied for 3 years and living in Thailand would be the easiest way to do so.

I once talked to my employer about telecommuting, they considered it but then rejected it. I was sympathetic to this because it would have been setting a new precedent and there are a few of my duties I'd be unable to do remotely though I could still do the bulk of my job.

Wasabi,

The airfares are dirt cheap between Thailand and Singapore. And, for example, if you choose to live in Phuket, it's virtually a one hour commute to SG. You could spend the workweek in SG and weekends in Phuket, or if allowed to telecommute, spend even more time in Thailand. BTW, with a job like this where you have so much frequent travel, visa would not be an issue.

You might consider looking at the VCs and Private equity players in both HK and SG. Good luck.

[Prakanong]

make money outside bangkok and then live here good idea for usa guy.

not good to work at thai wages and live here,lol,

i just got apt on bts line @ 350$ a month all in, i think. seems great but to majority of thais this is unattainable living.

what does a job with those requirements pay, 400$ a month.

Congratulations blizzard for your first ever post which doesnt include references to Thai women or the sex trade. Let's have more please.

To the OP, there are a few farang in financial sector jobs, but they tend to be at the higher end of the market and very senior. You dont say much about your profile.

Just one point on Singapore. Rents are exploding. I have one staff there. Her lease expires next month after two years; her landlord is increasing the rent from S$2500 a month to nearly S$9000.

I think Prakanong works there. He might have some more useful information.

Sorry Bendix I do not believe you - 2500 to 9000 is <deleted>

Yes its exploding and some are getting 50% rises but 2500 to 9000 would make the front page.

ROFLMAO TIT - I know Thailand is the land of bullshitters but come on!

I am actually going to phone our company relocation consultant now and ask here to ask someone at Dennis Wee if they have heard such such a raise.

Edited June 11, 2007 by Prakanong

[bendix]

You could be right. I'm only passing on a hearsay anecdote from the girl in question. I have no way of verifyng it because it doesnt involve me.

[blizzard]

bendix

you never go off topic?

[taxin]

make money outside bangkok and then live here good idea for usa guy.

not good to work at thai wages and live here,lol,

i just got apt on bts line @ 350$ a month all in, i think. seems great but to majority of thais this is unattainable living.

what does a job with those requirements pay, 400$ a month.

Congratulations blizzard for your first ever post which doesnt include references to Thai women or the sex trade. Let's have more please.

To the OP, there are a few farang in financial sector jobs, but they tend to be at the higher end of the market and very senior. You dont say much about your profile.

Just one point on Singapore. Rents are exploding. I have one staff there. Her lease expires next month after two years; her landlord is increasing the rent from S$2500 a month to nearly S$9000.

I think Prakanong works there. He might have some more useful information.

Sorry Bendix I do not believe you - 2500 to 9000 is <deleted>

Yes its exploding and some are getting 50% rises but 2500 to 9000 would make the front page.

ROFLMAO TIT - I know Thailand is the land of bullshitters but come on!

I am actually going to phone our company relocation consultant now and ask here to ask someone at Dennis Wee if they have heard such such a raise.

Maybe the landlord wants to kick her out ? This is not an unusual tactic for Singaporean landlords. Or any landlord for that matter.

[greedyalgorithm]

Macquarie Bank - the largest Australian investment bank has just set up a new joint venture with TMB (Thai Military Bank). I bet a new firm like that is recruiting. Perhaps you could drop them a call or email to ask about job vacancies?

You can contact me if you need any help.

[greedyalgorithm]

http://server2.jobthai.com/En/findjob/job_...?Code=100463171

Let me guess that you have to interact with clients in Thai, or read some Thai reports/regulations. Ask them whether the job needs Thai skills or not. This might be your greatest challenge.

[expatwannabe]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say this position isn't available to foreigners because you have to interact with Thai customers in a marketing fashion.

But inquire and see how far you get.

[bendix]

make money outside bangkok and then live here good idea for usa guy.

not good to work at thai wages and live here,lol,

i just got apt on bts line @ 350$ a month all in, i think. seems great but to majority of thais this is unattainable living.

what does a job with those requirements pay, 400$ a month.

Congratulations blizzard for your first ever post which doesnt include references to Thai women or the sex trade. Let's have more please.

To the OP, there are a few farang in financial sector jobs, but they tend to be at the higher end of the market and very senior. You dont say much about your profile.

Just one point on Singapore. Rents are exploding. I have one staff there. Her lease expires next month after two years; her landlord is increasing the rent from S$2500 a month to nearly S$9000.

I think Prakanong works there. He might have some more useful information.

Sorry Bendix I do not believe you - 2500 to 9000 is <deleted>

Yes its exploding and some are getting 50% rises but 2500 to 9000 would make the front page.

ROFLMAO TIT - I know Thailand is the land of bullshitters but come on!

I am actually going to phone our company relocation consultant now and ask here to ask someone at Dennis Wee if they have heard such such a raise.

Maybe the landlord wants to kick her out ? This is not an unusual tactic for Singaporean landlords. Or any landlord for that matter.

Just as an aside, I can state categorically that our office lease in Singapore is close to expiring. We have 200 people in prime commercial real estate - i can't remember the name of the building, but it's near Conrad / Pan Pacific hotels. The building owners have requested a 100% rental increase on our previous lease. We're renewing.

[Fortesque]

I found it tough trying to find anything worthwhile in Thailand... (tried english teaching and quit after 1 day). My plan is something similar to what has already be mentioned. I'm working in the UK for a company which also has an office in Singapore. After building up some funds for a couple of years I will move out to work at the Singapore office using it as a base to earn money and scout out some land/house in Thailand. That way I can start preparing a comfortable life in Thailand whilst still earning OK money.

Maybe you can find out what companies you may want to work for which have head offices in the US and try and get a job in the Singapore office through them... I know my company interviews people in London and will then give a recommendation to the Singapore office.