Common Roles Foreigners Fall Into in Thailand

[KhaoHom]

3 hours ago, frank83628 said:

Teacher, digital nomad are not really grifting. It would be very fortunate to be able to work remotely, earn home wages and live in thailand.

 

 

Teacher is definitely a grift. Only 10% any good at what they do with another 5% simply not worth firing. 85% total grifters. Worthless

 

Teaching English online is a very sad grift bc it's pretty much outright theft unless payment is simply for conversation and nothing educational

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

I can't deny that those types exist in Thailand, but my my experience is a bit different. Most of the expats that I have come into contact with are in these categories:

 

• Senior management or industry specialists sent by their multinational company employer to work here
• Entrepreneurs who own successful companies.  (Perhaps Bill Heinecke is the most successful of all those I've met, but since he's renounced his US citizenship I'm not sure he's still considered an expat. But there are many others.)
• Teachers at international schools and local universities who have relevant degrees and credentials.
• Lawyers who are owners of, or who work at,  local law firms.

Perhaps it depends upon why one came to Thailand in the first place, or perhaps on the company one keeps.

[frank83628]

20 minutes ago, KhaoHom said:

 

Teacher is definitely a grift. Only 10% any good at what they do with another 5% simply not worth firing. 85% total grifters. Worthless

 

Teaching English online is a very sad grift bc it's pretty much outright theft unless payment is simply for conversation and nothing educational

Classic Pattaya barstool critic

[rattlesnake]

3 hours ago, frank83628 said:

how many do you actually know?

That's a bit of a false stereotype to be honest, i know quite a few that work online in various jobs, if they have an online meeting or are teaching then yes, they go home and are sitting at a desk, or what ever..but if that is only for certain hours they why can they not work anywhere they please for the rest? 

 

 

I've been location-independent myself for 16 years and I can assure you it isn't possible to actually work at the beach.

 

All I'm saying is that in my experience, those who post pics like the one below (usually with clichés such as "this is my office") are often posers looking for validation on social media, wannabe YouTubers etc.

 

[rattlesnake]

1 hour ago, Lemsta69 said:

11. Fake content generator for a failing Thai visa forum

 

Definitely 

[spidermike007]

3 hours ago, frank83628 said:

how many do you actually know?

That's a bit of a false stereotype to be honest, i know quite a few that work online in various jobs, if they have an online meeting or are teaching then yes, they go home and are sitting at a desk, or what ever..but if that is only for certain hours they why can they not work anywhere they please for the rest? 

 

I know a few real influencers who make $1200 to $2000 plus a month, for 15 hours a month of work. Not a bad gig. 

[sidjameson]

Those living off inheritance pretending they're living off their current abilities.

[hotandsticky]

22 minutes ago, sidjameson said:

Those living off inheritance pretending they're living off their current abilities.

 

 

Oh, a slight note of envy in that comment perhaps.

[StandardIssue]

13 hours ago, Alpha84 said:

Not trying to be negative, just curious, are these the ten most common roles foreigners fall into in Thailand, or are there others people have come across?

 

1. Pattaya YouTuber

2. Shoestring blogger

3. Freelance English teacher with no visa

4. Crypto bro not making it

5. Spiritual nomad or tantric healer

6. Digital nomad come consultant

7. Visa fixer middleman

8. Washed-up DJ or bartender

9. Illegal tour guide or motorcycle rental hustler

10. Illegal dive instructor or restaurant worker

 

 

( GREAT LIST, I'll have a go at a few)

 

11) Penniless after thinking "my $150K nest egg" should last me through to age 75 in Thailand.

12) One in a long line of "husbands" to June working at Happy Joy Joy Bar Beer

13) Homeless on Jomtien Beach but funny enough drunk to keep mooching beers from beach going "friends"

14) Washed up Ebayer (those damn Ebay fees)

[StandardIssue]

4 hours ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

I can't deny that those types exist in Thailand, but my my experience is a bit different. Most of the expats that I have come into contact with are in these categories:

 

• Senior management or industry specialists sent by their multinational company employer to work here
• Entrepreneurs who own successful companies.  (Perhaps Bill Heinecke is the most successful of all those I've met, but since he's renounced his US citizenship I'm not sure he's still considered an expat. But there are many others.)
• Teachers at international schools and local universities who have relevant degrees and credentials.
• Lawyers who are owners of, or who work at,  local law firms.

Perhaps it depends upon why one came to Thailand in the first place, or perhaps on the company one keeps.

 

You understand this OP was mostly to poke fun. The OP was listing "roles" they FALL INTO. These roles you list are roles people have BEFORE they show up in LOS. We are talking about pipe dream types who assume they can "make it" in Thailand without proper planning. 

 

As you have mentioned, the above types are smart professionals who plan and come to Thailand with a realistic outcome.

[rattlesnake]

 

[ChipButty]

13 hours ago, hankypankee said:

A.K.A Begpackers. That's a great grift angle. Infinitely shameless, but so many angles to it. The money needed for a plane ticket home was a popular grift for a while.

In days gone by when you had to pay 200 Baht Tax as you were leaving, I have been approached a few time by farangs asking for 200 Baht, 

[Yagoda]

10 hours ago, KhaoHom said:

 

Well, in and out of Asia 35 years. I'm not any of those. Never was

Number 1 on the list should be retired old guys still chasing poosy

[EVENKEEL]

Let's not forget the old guys with young children brigade.

[PJ71]

19 hours ago, Alpha84 said:

Not trying to be negative, just curious, are these the ten most common roles foreigners fall into in Thailand, or are there others people have come across?

 

1. Pattaya YouTuber

2. Shoestring blogger

3. Freelance English teacher with no visa

4. Crypto bro not making it

5. Spiritual nomad or tantric healer

6. Digital nomad come consultant

7. Visa fixer middleman

8. Washed-up DJ or bartender

9. Illegal tour guide or motorcycle rental hustler

10. Illegal dive instructor or restaurant worker

 

 

No.

[PJ71]

17 hours ago, save the frogs said:

one pattaya youtuber used to work in bars on Soi 6. 

mac something ... 

not sure if he was managing them.

but he did mention in one of his videos that there is a fairly young cutoff age. maybe 30? they want young foreigners in there it seems. to keep a hipster vibe I guess. 

did he start his youtube channel because he got kicked out? or as additional income? not sure. 

 

but your list seems exhaustive. nice job. 

He's a total Chav.

[save the frogs]

11 hours ago, PJ71 said:

He's a total Chav.

you know him? 

the thing is, these youtube channels are full of garbage. they start inventing stories about being scammed by their bargirl girlfriends for clicks. fake drama for titillation and views. 

[SAFETY FIRST]

17 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Sex workers , a few male backpackers from different countries available gay4pay

Georgie, you're coming out of the closet. 😂

 

Well done mate. 😎

 

[SAFETY FIRST]

19 hours ago, Alpha84 said:

most common roles foreigners fall into

11. Penny less Losers trying to scam other foreigners. 

 

[Yagoda]

49 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Let's not forget the old guys with young children brigade.

And the ones with young children who are actually their children

[HappyExpat57]

18 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

How does one make money showing hate for  Trump? Tell me and I might change my position on him from neutral.

Well, loving him is costing us ALL a LOT of money, so there's that.

[Yagoda]

1 minute ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Well, loving him is costing us ALL a LOT of money, so there's that.

Its not costing non racist MAGA America supporters anything.

 

 

[fredwiggy]

1 minute ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Well, loving him is costing us ALL a LOT of money, so there's that.

Hopefully for our sake and his, he doesn't try to take money away from the retired ones. If his decisions have us spending more, then he won't last the term. We'll all see what this amount of power can do in the next year or more.

[EVENKEEL]

4 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

And the ones with young children who are actually their children

Those are the ones I was referring to. Old guys starting a family.

[PJ71]

32 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

you know him? 

the thing is, these youtube channels are full of garbage. they start inventing stories about being scammed by their bargirl girlfriends for clicks. fake drama for titillation and views. 

I've seen a few of his VDO's, they're s***e.

 

[Yagoda]

7 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Those are the ones I was referring to. Old guys starting a family.

I was referring to the ones who never intended to, and probably didnt, but got them anyway.

[HappyExpat57]

7 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Hopefully for our sake and his, he doesn't try to take money away from the retired ones. If his decisions have us spending more, then he won't last the term. We'll all see what this amount of power can do in the next year or more.

His minions have already hurt social security recipients and they are actively going after civil servive retirement system recipients as well. And they're not even trying to hide it any more.

[soalbundy]

19 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

How does one make money showing hate for  Trump? Tell me and I might change my position on him from neutral.

So I have been despising him for free so far

[Alpha84]

CLARIFICATION: When I first created this topic, the title included the word “grifter”, same with my original post. But someone quietly removed that after about ten or fifteen replies, without notifying anyone or making the change clear, not even to me.
 

So now the conversation’s gone off in a completely different direction from what I intended. I wasn’t trying to spark a debate about all the lazy and grubby losers in Thailand. The point was to talk about foreigners scheming in Thailand to make money and exist at someone else’s expense. That was the actual purpose of the topic.