What Jobs Do Most Farangs Do In Thailand Other Than Retire, Run A Business, Or Teach English?

[MisterBill]

just curious and looking for some inspiration (not related to retiring, running a business, or teaching english ) and knowledge that could help me or friends looking to come over to thailand in the future. what can a farang do to make money in thailand?

Edited February 3, 2008 by MisterBill

[kiakaha]

just to name a few(because their are lots of fields employing non-thais legally) held by friends of mine :

IT , technical and non technical positions

diplomats, NGOs

chefs

consultant engineering

oil/gas work

accounting

law

banking

golf pros

hoteliers

etc..

etc..

[Crossy]

I'm one of the Consulant Engineers, to the rail industry. Unfortunately most of my work is currently in Barely Credible India

[MisterBill]

i'm hoping to get business and law school qualifications in the future from an accredited us colleges. why would anyone in thailand hire me over a local counterpart who knows the culture better?

[Prakanong]

i'm hoping to get business and law school qualifications in the future from an accredited us colleges. why would anyone in thailand hire me over a local counterpart who knows the culture better?

Thats a pretty open question but basically they would not unless you had better skills in a pretty specialist area's

For example

I am a regional department manager for a large MNC and just spent 11 nights in Thailand on business at our office there. Every one of the girls in the department I visited had either undergraduate or post-graduate degree's abroad from English speaking countries ie England for old money, USA for new money and Australia for no money

She has gone now but we had a Harvard MBA with a Chula life sciences degree in the same position as the others.

Now do you think we would hire you over these locals with the language skills in both English and Thai (sometimes Mandarin too)?

As for their salary - about the cost of a real LV handbag monthly

Unless you are going to come from a top notch law and business scholl I would look at something else if I was going to aim towards Thailand - engineering, F&B for a 5* hotel etc.

Best to do something you really enjoy and you will do well in that area.

[Deke]

In my case, I've managed to make a living in the electric power industry. If you have a specialized engineering, legal or other professional background (and an entrepreneurial bent), then you can probably do well. If not, I think you might have a hard time.

[kyb789]

I recently ended my 2 yr contract with my company. I was stationed in Thailand at a subcontractor in the electronics industry. They wanted me back home so I hinted I would quit and started looking for work in Thailand. ...almost none to be found.

If you want to live and work here, you had better speak fluent Thai. You will then have a fighting chance. If you don't, then you had better be the best in the industry, at least that's the rules in the electronics manufacturing industry. As a previous poster had said, there are so many Thais that can speak mulitple languages, they don't really need you if you cannot.

Fortunately for me, my boss and 2 other engineers back home had quit and the company could not afford to loose one more. They gave in to my demands and I am now permanent. If they want me out of here, they will have to give me severence pay per the Thai law. I am happy to take it when the time comes. :-)

[bendix]

A couple of guys I know (including myself) have regional management roles for international companies and choose to be located here. We travel a lot and could have chosen any Asian city in which we have an office, but chose here. It's not that uncommon, I think.

[andy1308]

I know of at least six, including myself, in the media/publishing industry.

[kash]

.... England for old money, USA for new money and Australia for no money

I've never understood this, a Oz UG is pretty much just as expensive/inexpensive as a UG in England or USA/Canada, same for PG. In our company we don't hire US graduates due to their fcked up attitude, and UK degree holders and Oz seems to be pretty much the same, do you mind elaborate a bit? Thanks.

Edited February 4, 2008 by kash

[Phrakhanong]

I wouldn't bother with law. Almost all of the firms I know of that employ foreign lawyers are international tier one firms who have very high entry requirements (ie top university, honours degree, work experience in another tier one firm etc). Also, most of their people stationed in Thailand are transfers from within, and most of the work revolves around banking, finance and mergers & acquisitions, for which you will need to already be experienced. Most other areas of law tend to be practiced by those firms in other country offices, such as Hong Kong or Singapore. If you are just graduating in law, you will be extremely lucky to find anything substantial in Thailand.

With a legal background, you'd probably have a better chance working as a contracts manager or similar for the Bangkok office of an international company, eg in mining, oil/gas, engineering etc. There are a number of players around that seem to have a big enough BKK office for that sort of role.

[naka]

A couple of guys I know (including myself) have regional management roles for international companies and choose to be located here. We travel a lot and could have chosen any Asian city in which we have an office, but chose here. It's not that uncommon, I think.

Not uncommon at all, BKK is a very logical choice.

Naka.

[steveromagnino]

.... England for old money, USA for new money and Australia for no money

I've never understood this, a Oz UG is pretty much just as expensive/inexpensive as a UG in England or USA/Canada, same for PG. In our company we don't hire US graduates due to their fcked up attitude, and UK degree holders and Oz seems to be pretty much the same, do you mind elaborate a bit? Thanks.

I'd agree with the UK vs. USA vs. Aussie point.

UK = where the old money goes Oxford, Cambridge, etc.

At a push, maybe LSE. We aren't talking about the run of the mill Sunderland University PhD type degree *. High schools as well.

Oz is just not considered to be up there. Sad but true. Plus most people don't like the accent acquired either. Not surprising, Aussies cannot even be trusted to say fush and chups properly.

* I have no idea if Sunderland has a university however ;-) Just an example for no reason of a fine typical english town with a solid footy team.

[Prakanong]

.... England for old money, USA for new money and Australia for no money

I've never understood this, a Oz UG is pretty much just as expensive/inexpensive as a UG in England or USA/Canada, same for PG. In our company we don't hire US graduates due to their fcked up attitude, and UK degree holders and Oz seems to be pretty much the same, do you mind elaborate a bit? Thanks.

I agree with you but its what the Thai's say themselves not me!

I first heard it years ago and never heard it for ages till last year from someone who hire's people. I do know they scrutinize the institution name more for the Aussie Masters but maybe its because they do not recognise the name??

I know they can be pretty snotty about which USA Uni someone went to as well - if its a no name then its looked down upon.

Our Aussie staff are great and most have PHd's wheras in the resto fo the region for the same position its a UG or Msc - I seem to get the impression their PHd's are slightly different from say a UK one but never got to the bottom of that.

I thought it strange that Aussie MBA's did not do a dissertation but recently found out many USA ones did not either? The lack of dissertation at the end put me off doing an Aussie MBA and chose to do the UK one with the modules plus extra dissertation/project. Just the taught modules in the UK would only get me a post-grad diploma and you need the dissertation for the Masters.

[Prakanong]

.... England for old money, USA for new money and Australia for no money

I've never understood this, a Oz UG is pretty much just as expensive/inexpensive as a UG in England or USA/Canada, same for PG. In our company we don't hire US graduates due to their fcked up attitude, and UK degree holders and Oz seems to be pretty much the same, do you mind elaborate a bit? Thanks.

I'd agree with the UK vs. USA vs. Aussie point.

UK = where the old money goes Oxford, Cambridge, etc.

At a push, maybe LSE. We aren't talking about the run of the mill Sunderland University PhD type degree *. High schools as well.

Oz is just not considered to be up there. Sad but true. Plus most people don't like the accent acquired either. Not surprising, Aussies cannot even be trusted to say fush and chups properly.

* I have no idea if Sunderland has a university however ;-) Just an example for no reason of a fine typical english town with a solid footy team.

It certainly does have a University

It was a old style Polytechnic though when I attended it part time before transferring to Sheffield (Uni not the Poly) full time

Apparently they do a very cheap MBA and its available here in Singapore - they even give you a money grant towards the fee's to attract you It does have pretty stiff competition down here though with over 30 MBA's on offer.

A lot of the Older Uni's ie not converted poly's are considered very good and not just Oxbridge and LSE.

Edinburgh, Glasgow, Strathclyde and Aberdeen in bonnie Scotland

Nottingham, Manchester, UMIST, Sheffield (of course) Bristol to name just a few.

[Tolley]

If you want a good paying job in Thailand it is possible in the area i work.

I work as an SAP consultant which is a business software package that a lot of the big companies use.

Good salary and good opportunities to move around if you so desire.

[biggle]

just curious and looking for some inspiration (not related to retiring, running a business, or teaching english ) and knowledge that could help me or friends looking to come over to thailand in the future. what can a farang do to make money in thailand?

there are thousands of people in pattaya in the export business , you just have to find something to export.

[steveromagnino]

just curious and looking for some inspiration (not related to retiring, running a business, or teaching english ) and knowledge that could help me or friends looking to come over to thailand in the future. what can a farang do to make money in thailand?

there are thousands of people in pattaya in the export business , you just have to find something to export.

most of the people in Pattaya export misery and herpes

Nah seriously... I think there are plenty of jobs for expats same as anywhere in the world. Hard work, expertise and specialist skills that others cannot do are the keys.

[Phrakhanong]

Disappointing with the stereotypes in the uni debate... I've experienced a range of education systems in the west and don't think Aussie unis deserve the rap they get compared to others... all three countries seem to be dumbing down their curriculum for the benefit of overseas students.

I'd be cautious on the export front. My dad used to be in that game, along with some of his friends (exporting out of various Asian countries) and quite often they wound up with hundreds of boxes of stock they couldn't move, or else they were too slow to get their stock where it was needed etc etc. I've got lots of tales to tell on that topic.

Some of the international accounting firms seem to have positions in Thailand. They seem to encourage a multicultural workforce in each countries' office. eg, check out Pricewaterhousecooper's website... and don't think they only employ accountants. They have positions for all sorts of skills... all of them require a solid tertiary qualification though.

[Karlm84]

Disappointing with the stereotypes in the uni debate... I've experienced a range of education systems in the west and don't think Aussie unis deserve the rap they get compared to others... all three countries seem to be dumbing down their curriculum for the benefit of overseas students.

I'd be cautious on the export front. My dad used to be in that game, along with some of his friends (exporting out of various Asian countries) and quite often they wound up with hundreds of boxes of stock they couldn't move, or else they were too slow to get their stock where it was needed etc etc. I've got lots of tales to tell on that topic.

Some of the international accounting firms seem to have positions in Thailand. They seem to encourage a multicultural workforce in each countries' office. eg, check out Pricewaterhousecooper's website... and don't think they only employ accountants. They have positions for all sorts of skills... all of them require a solid tertiary qualification though.

[Karlm84]

Sorry about that...im a bit trigger happy

Is it fair to say then, that a potential employer in Thailand (Local / Int'l) would not consider you if you didn't have a degree of some sort, despite say if you were a chartered accountant (I know strictly speaking it is a prohibited profession for farangs, but im sure there are ways around that).

Surely an employer would be able to look beyond degree standard academic qualifications to post grad qualifications, such as ACA/ACCA?

Surely its more about being in the right place at the right time with the right skills, attitude, etc??

[Phrakhanong]

Problem is many people with good tertiary qualifications want to work in the Bangkok branch of one of the big international firms, therefore these firms can afford to be picky about the benchmark for entry. Of course, as with applying for a job at, say PWC or KPMG in any other office, they look at work experience and other accreditation... although I don't see how you could be a chartered accountant if you don't already have tertiary qualifications?

As for working as CA, or lawyer etc... there are quite a few foreigners in those roles here, but they are simply declared as "consultants" etc, to get around Thai restrictions.

[Karlm84]

It is possible to qualify as a chartered accountant in the UK without a degree. There's a course called the AAT, which you often take whilst working for an accounting firm, which then enables you to progress to the professional examinations. In this respect, someone who is AAT as well as ACCA qualified will have more "real" work experience than a qualified accountant with a degree.

[fletchsmile]

It is possible to qualify as a chartered accountant in the UK without a degree. There's a course called the AAT, which you often take whilst working for an accounting firm, which then enables you to progress to the professional examinations. In this respect, someone who is AAT as well as ACCA qualified will have more "real" work experience than a qualified accountant with a degree.

Most UK ACA's do a degree in absolutely anything, then do 3 years combined work and study for the ACA qualification. Hence, at the point you qualify as an accountant you will also have 3 years work under your belt.

A BA degree in Accounting is pretty worthless in my view. If you go on to train as an ACA it will give you a 6 months head start, and exempt you from a few exams. i.e do a 3 year degree to save you 6 months of the 3 year ACA training. With numbers and thinking like that, you should automatically be disqualified .

Funnily enough Thailand is the opposite, focus is on the degree and people get hired to be accountants after just a BA. Or BA plus MA. So that's 3-5 years of academics and very little/no experience. Says it all about a large part of the system here. That said there are some very good Thai accountants despite the disadvantages of the system, and over-emphasis on academics.

Edited February 7, 2008 by fletchsmile

[Thomaskorat]

Hi!

I have been working in Thailand in the fields,construction,as a farmer and part of big isaan morlum music group.Salary is pretty low 150-200 bath a day,but just enough for food and beers.This kind of living is not for everyone...you need right attitude and passion to live like Thai people.

[ericB]

I do work in IT field. I have been free lance (R.A.C. for those who knows), worked in office too (did the mistake to resign).

2 things :

1) there is still rooms, IF you have the will to over work, invest yourself and have specialities that are not competiting with the locals (java is useless, c/c++/c# are almost useless)

2) due the hight amount of wizards/gurus living in Khao San Road, it's uttermost difficult to get an interview directly; simply because potential employers tend to think you are one of them. So for employement you have to rely on contacts , contacts you can have by thir party websites (R.A.C. for exemple).

Another point, avoid like Plague to work for as free lance for people located in Thailand. It's illegal, and mostly it end without the payment (as you can not sue because the work was illegal ....). On the other hand, there are many good companies still looking for the right person out there.

[LivinLOS]

Another point, avoid like Plague to work for as free lance for people located in Thailand. It's illegal, and mostly it end without the payment (as you can not sue because the work was illegal ....). On the other hand, there are many good companies still looking for the right person out there.

Illegal in the same way as working for anyone (located in Thailand or not) for instance !!!

[Furbie]

These kind of "job hunter" posts always amuse me. There is plenty of work in Thailand for qualified Westerners and little to no good work for unqualified Westerners.

Here is how to judge if you are qualified - if you are at the low end of the wage scale in the West, you will be at the low end of the wage scale in Thailand - sadly for you, it is very difficult to live as a Westerner in Thailand at the low end of the wage scale. If you are at the high end of the wage scale in the West and in a field that requires some form of expertise - be it law, IT, accounting, risk management, hotel management, health care, etc., you will do well in Thailand.

What always gets me is the guys with few or no real qualifications and a poor or unremarkable job history who believe that by moving over to Thailand, the will somehow stand above the pack and should be making a few hundred thousand baht a month with a car and apartment thrown in. Add to this, companies are weary of hiring someone who "wants to live in Thailand" as they know most will get frustrated and leave in a year or two once reality sets in.

[steveromagnino]

These kind of "job hunter" posts always amuse me. There is plenty of work in Thailand for qualified Westerners and little to no good work for unqualified Westerners.

WORD.

I'd add that willingness to start near the bottom and work up is here; I started earning less than 60,000b...for a 1 month assignment that ended up taking 13 weeks of 7 day weeks when I went back to the grindstone of office work.

But now...I earn many many multiples of that.

There is a lucrative oportunity as a portable walrus polishing kit salesman.

Of course, decent job fairly much precludes one of the major reason that the dredges of society come here; Bangkok is fairly small, if you are working in a Thai firm, you BETTER learn how to control the zipper on your pants particularly with regards to who and where you choose to frequent.

Something many westerners seem to hang themselves out to dry with.

Well hung I suppose you could say?

[SWINDON MASSIF]

My speciality is sales, and at times it appears as though there are more sales jobs than you can shake a stick at. Unfortunately though many of these should not be touched with a barge pole as they are out and out scams.

However, I have had two interviews in the last month with companies that I know to be reputable and although one appears to have passed me by, I am hopeful of a positive decision on another next week.

Regardless though, 2 interviews a month goes to show that 'reputable' sales jobs are available, it's just a case of looking in the right places (Here for example). And each job was offering a fixed salary of around 35,000 - 40,000 baht a month, plus an acheivable opprtunity to earn 50.000 - 100,000 / month additional in comissions. Not a bad income at all really.