Helping hand ignored ?

[amazed pj]

To be able to join my friend in BKK I have offered my svcs as a htl management & tourism professional to relevant orgs in Thailand. All have ignored my helping hand ( no response to emails etc)... What is it that I need to do to be heard??? Tourism figures show a slump for thailand. Surely a creative manager from overseas (am a British national) could bring a welcome breath of fresh drive. Singapore extends a warm welcome to professionals who help its economy.   Can't Thailand do the same? Anyone who can help me please do so.

[pschef]

Hi I am a catering pro also British, I have lived in Thailand since 98 after working many years overseas in many locations.

I did actually get a job in Thailand, in the offshore oil business. I had nothing but problems, firstly about working permit. After that with Thai based company not wishing to pay up. The main problem is they cant afford us, they prefer to recruit Thai people even with no experience of our business. The best way to get in a good job is to be recruited by a large group, outside Thailand. EG Marriot or Sheraton etc. They bring you in as an expert to increase the business and training, or as a skilled Executive chef whatever. They only have so many postitions per business, that is for work permits. I actually worked for the company who run the Marriot chain, the offshore thing is only a small part of their business. They owned Pizza hut untill recently, they lost the franchise. Now they call the shops Pizza company and are in dirrect competion with Pizza hut its self. I could go on and on but I think you got the picture? best of luck with your search, you could try the island hotels. I know some of them employ Expat managers, like Koh Samui and Phuket.  ???

[Brian]

From what I've read and heard, sending CVs is a waist of time. You need to be in their face.

[mrentoul]

FYI. From a friend of mine, and fellow journalist, when I told him I didn't know about the Pizza Co-Marriott connection:

Minor Holdings is a company

owned by a very newsworthy

American Bill Heineke, the

son of a former VOA

announcer, who went to high

school in Bangkok. He was a

millionaire at 18 and never

has looked back. He has very

wide businesses - Pizza

Company and Swensen and

Sizzler and Dairy Queen,

Marriott and a bunch of hotels

up-country along with condos

in Hua Hin. He financed the

first book on Charles Sobhraj

by an Australian couple. He is

a very interesting guy.

Married his high school

sweetheart Cathy.

[pschef]

mrentoul, you are correct. Bill seems to be a very upstanding guy. After I had some problems with his management, I did mail him directly. The very next day I got my money, I have never met him. That means I would like too, very much ::

Just for the fact that we are in the same business, with simalar backgrounds.

[Old Hand]

Hi amazed,

Just a couple of points which raised red flags with me when I read your Post and may be the reason you have received no response from Companies you applied to.

1) "To be able to join my friend in Bangkok" is not going to be seen by a prospective employer as a good reason for giving you a job in Thailand. Many, MANY, men have visited Thailand, fallen in love with a girl here and are desperate to find a way to get back and live in the Country. (OK - I am assuming your "friend" is a Thai female - but so would anyone you wrote to). To many employers this would be reason enough to throw out your application - I know, I've done it myself - no one is going to employ you if they feel you will be more concerned with your love life than the work they give you.

2) When you write things like "helping hand" your Post reads as both condecending and somewhat arrogant - if this attitude was evident in your applications, again it would put off a great majority of prospective employers. Thailand is a major tourist destination, and as a result there are a great many local "tourism professionals", often with overseas qualifications, a lot of whom are currently unemployed despite having a great deal of experience within Thailand. Also, of course, the people you contacted looking for employment would probably be Thai and consider themselves "tourism professionals" too, so having someone imply that he, a foreigner, can make some unique contribution to their Company or organisation simply because he is a foreigner will also rankle.

[chav]

If you are really determined to get out here permanantly then the best place to start is here.

Why come on holiday when you can come over to find a job.

Find any job to start with, if after that you still want to follow your dream you have a foundation to start, from then you can do as Brain said "get in their face".

Telephones don't evan work as a good way of comunicating here, by the time you have finished with the 1st 500 "heelow's" your 300 baht phone card is empty. The only chance of getting anywhere with CV's is if it lands on a Ferrangs desk.

Thai companies like to use recruitment agencies, have you registered with any ?

Don't frighten potential employers off by talking salarys, let them know what you can do and let them see your smille before numbers a really talked about.

Be realistic about what you can earn on your first mission.

Out here nobody likes a show off, big head or dictator. Be friendly and curtious and you will be amazed at what doors can open.

If after all your efforts you still can't get anywhere either go alone and become an independant consultant to all those lovely contacts you made that won't give you a job. or forget it and piss everything up the wall with a dodgy bar beer purchase.

Either way best off luck, hope your friend is worth it.

Chav

[pschef]

Old Hand your posting is so on the ball, When you write things like "helping hand" your Post reads as both condecending and somewhat arrogant - and who woulkd employ someone just because they have a " Friend" in Thailand. Great On the other hand Chav also good imput, better off to buy that bar I think

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Old Hand has told it as it is .....ANYWHERE in the world. A       " helping hand" would indicate to most employers bothering to read a CV, an unacceptable superiority

complex. Maybe Amazed really is a super star.

[chav]

I kind of doubt he is that "superstar", if he was he would not be posting here for our helping hand.

[pschef]

No Khun Chav

You read wrong, the super star was offering his helping hand, bighead sounds better than superstar.

[MaiChai]

I think I have come to the conclusion that the only way to get a job in TL is to base yourself in not too expensive accomodation in Bangkok, and take anything that is offered to you. If you end up teaching English or doing something that allows you to network, then hopefully you will eventually meet someone who will give you a decent job. It really seems that touching the flesh and networking is the only way to do it. It might also be a case of working your way up and getting yourself established. You need to keep plodding at it until you achieve something; its too easy to give up. And finally, I think ultimatly you have to run your own business and have people working for you; this is pretty much the only way to make it in TL, as most people who have businesses here work on the basis of charging as much as they can for whatever they do, and pay their staff as little as they can. I have tried numerous other ways of job hunting, and this would be my next approach.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Luckily in a forum one is entitled to an opinion. I have mine you have yours.  To me he comes across as a superstar in   his own mind.  His unrealistic expectations that he's be snapped up overnight seem to support my view.

[chav]

Yes, I know he was offering his hand, I was being Ironic ... obviously to subtle, nevermind.

Dear Dr Pat. I guessed I missed the subtle tones of your label to awe inspiring "superstar"

I want to know if he has a change of opinion after seeing our replies.

Chav

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Dear Chav....I wonder too. Somehow I doubt it. He is a bit of a legend in his own lunchbreak.