Where Would You Go?

[Karlm84]

Ok all,

ill keep this brief.

Having been to Thailand 3 times and also Hong Kong and falling for the place, I am taking 6months out of the UK to take some time out and live a different life for a while. I was initially gonna head to BKK, rent an appartment, study thai and try to search for a job since I recently qualified as an Accountant (I know, I know, Farangs cant do this etc, etc).

Now I am thinking, it may be a waste of time if after 6m I blow a load of $$ trying to learn thai & looking for jobs and have to come home with my tail between my legs and with regrets that that money could have been used to explore other places which may well be equally as good as Thailand.

The alternative....

Go to Central America, travel down to South America and just have a great time, since ive never been to Latin America.

I know I may get somewhat of a bias response but what the hel_l, please throw your thoughts and ideas into the ring!

[Riley'sLife]

Why waste your time coming to Thailand to do something that you (and we !!!!) already know is a complete non-starter.

You've been here already so, assuming you're in your twenties, I would suggest you head for L.A. and spend your cash travelling from there through Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the rest of Central America before heading down to S. America country by country until your money runs out.

Alternatively, stop dreaming, get a job, earn some money and work your <deleted> off like you know you should.

Hope that helps !

[girlx]

hmm i agree that you should try something new. thailand will still be around after that. thailand is a place to come after you have done everywhere else, and retire happily. (i have to tell myself this too).

[Hairy]

Why limit yourself? Zimbabwe is crying out for some accounting stability.

Ask yourself what you're going to get out of your stay, wherever you go. If you like birds, Central America is pretty cool. If you want to kick back and relax on a beach, Thailand might be a reasonable choice. Unless you're very, very fortunate, you are not going to find a dream job in accountancy; if you're merely lucky, you'll barely scrape by with beer money by teaching English to bored middle-schoolers. Otherwise, you'll probably just blow your savings and go home broke.

If you have some special reason to spend an extended vacation in Thailand, this is not meant to discourage you. However, if you're just starting out in a field, your best opportunities will be at home, in a language and culture you understand, where you can start building your career.

[opebo]

I know very little about the world of work, but I do know you are not allowed to do any job other than teaching in Thailand. Probably the best bet with an accounting background is to work in the Middle East and fly to Thailand and/or other Southeast Asian hedonistic destinations two to four times per years.. its not that far.

[Gravelrash]

To move to Thailand you really need at least one divorce under your belt, so get married and get that sorted out first. However make sure you have some extra stashed away after the divorce cleans you out so that you can afford to come to Thailand, that should give your accounting skills a bit of a workout.

[ignoramus]

Saw a TV show on Guatemala City recently. It appears to be crime central, with innocents copping copious crossfire between rival gangs. Know someone who was mugged twice somewhere in S America. Suppose one could describe such experiences as the rich tapestry of adventure. In which vein one ought perhaps suggest South Africa as being a country of really exotic adventure. Murder country of the globe, it seems. Sounds truly colourful. My female cousin escaped unraped, unlike many of her nice white friends. Nice animals though.

[threelegcowboy]

OK here is the wave of the future, some have done this already.

Go to China and go to work teaching English. Look for a job in business as International China Co needthere token flang employee.

[Maigo6]

Ok all,

ill keep this brief.

Having been to Thailand 3 times and also Hong Kong and falling for the place, I am taking 6months out of the UK to take some time out and live a different life for a while. I was initially gonna head to BKK, rent an appartment, study thai and try to search for a job since I recently qualified as an Accountant (I know, I know, Farangs cant do this etc, etc).

Now I am thinking, it may be a waste of time if after 6m I blow a load of $$ trying to learn thai & looking for jobs and have to come home with my tail between my legs and with regrets that that money could have been used to explore other places which may well be equally as good as Thailand.

The alternative....

Go to Central America, travel down to South America and just have a great time, since ive never been to Latin America.

I know I may get somewhat of a bias response but what the hel_l, please throw your thoughts and ideas into the ring!

I'll keep this brief, you have recentley qualified as an accountant, a job that can pay you well in the country you qualified in, don't expect to be able to get a job in Thailand though. ( you know this already ).

You say you have been to Thailand 3 times and also Hong Kong and fell in love with the place, I'm assuming you mean Thailand, as Hong Kong is an absolute armpit unless you have lots of money.

You know what Thailand is about as you have been here 3 times already, so................. as they say in Thailand, ' Up to you '.

But if after 6 months you would be broke, then I would advise getting a job in your home country, get a few $$$$ behind you, then give it a try.

One more thing, don't expect to be able to live like a tourist on Thai wages if you ever do get a job in Thailand, most jobs in Thailand are low paid, even though on anonymous internet forums you'll get told that expats recieve fabulous wages, very few do, yet most don't.

Good luck anyway, give it a go, you're dead a long time.

Edited November 7, 2008 by Maigo6

[PeaceBlondie]

Guatemala City was crime central when I bought a Guns n' Roses t-shirt on a downtown street in 1999. Just be careful, but go, and avoid capital cities.

[JimsKnight]

I know very little about the world of work, but I do know you are not allowed to do any job other than teaching in Thailand. Probably the best bet with an accounting background is to work in the Middle East and fly to Thailand and/or other Southeast Asian hedonistic destinations two to four times per years.. its not that far.

The farang are getting younger each day in Thailand, but there's still some places that haven't been farangised so come over while its still good.

You can do a bit more than teach English, just travel to a diving resort (Thailand has many) pay $$$$ get your DM / OWSI ticket and dive for free. You'll earn low coin but it's more than enough for beer and tutti money

It's what I did years ago on Tao and don't regret any of it.

[Tyree D.]

Never been to Latin America but reading stats and hearing stories turned me off. Do you wanna be around 90% practicing Catholics? Do you wanna be called Gringo daily? Do you want prostitutes saying, "I wanna have your babies"? Do you wanna be somewhere more nationalistic that Thailand ever will be? Do you still wanna make under $1000 a month?

I'm in Korea.

edit: just read the post above me. He talked about un-farangnized places. I moved to Phayao at my 11 1/2 month mark. By that time I was fluent in speaking and could read basic stuff. I became "Farang" even at school. And people still couldn't understand me and walked away. Before that, I would come to TV and make posts like "You are a farang, deal with it." Then it became me and I hated it. I was actually looking forward to being the only foreigner around. But my name became Farang and people expecting not to understand me despite my fluency in Thai. And there where the people that would talk shit not realizing I could understand.

Edited November 8, 2008 by Tyree D.

[PeaceBlondie]

Never been to Latin America but reading stats and hearing stories turned me off. Do you wanna be around 90% practicing Catholics? Do you wanna be called Gringo daily? Do you want prostitutes saying, "I wanna have your babies"? Do you wanna be somewhere more nationalistic that Thailand ever will be? Do you still wanna make under $1000 a month?

I'm in Korea.

edit: just read the post above me. He talked about un-farangnized places. I moved to Phayao at my 11 1/2 month mark. By that time I was fluent in speaking and could read basic stuff. I became "Farang" even at school. And people still couldn't understand me and walked away. Before that, I would come to TV and make posts like "You are a farang, deal with it." Then it became me and I hated it. I was actually looking forward to being the only foreigner around. But my name became Farang and people expecting not to understand me despite my fluency in Thai. And there where the people that would talk shit not realizing I could understand.

Your reading about Latin America may be as shallow as a typical first year in Thailand. I learned to be semi-fluent in Spanish in less than a year, and many locals aooreciated that. I travelled enough to see less than one percent of 1.25 continents. I will bet that most countries of LA are less nationalistic or xenophobic than Korea or Thailand is. The peasants of most Central American countries have little to be proud of, and are realistic about life.

The trick is also to avoid farang style ghettos like Lake Chapala in central Mexico, most of the big resorts, etc. For most of us, Spanish is far easier to master than Thai. Many Latin Americans are not really Catholic, just as many Thais are not devout Buddhists. Some countries disestablished the church a hundred years ago.

[JSixpack]

Never been to Latin America but reading stats and hearing stories turned me off. Do you wanna be around 90% practicing Catholics? Do you wanna be called Gringo daily? Do you want prostitutes saying, "I wanna have your babies"? Do you wanna be somewhere more nationalistic that Thailand ever will be? Do you still wanna make under $1000 a month?

I'm in Korea.

Your reading about Latin America may be as shallow as a typical first year in Thailand.

The reading about Latin America is both shallow and wrong. Mexico, Central, and Latin America are, with some exceptions (e. g., Venezuala), far less xenophobic and more accepting of "gringos" than Thailand is of "farang." After all, they are Westernized. In most ways, living there would be preferable to Thailand. Yet any young person from a developed country should stay there and build a career and financial stability and only work abroad if transferred as an expat with all the benefits.

[Tyree D.]

Well back to the OP's given intentions, he must be ready to spend a lot of money traveling around, then make under $1000 a month with no benefits, 401K plan, etc. And I was generalizing my little research and advice on Ecuador with all of Latin America. The money is what turned me away from there and going back to Thailand.

Who knows what I will be posting about my one year mark here in Korea, but by then I will have money to go somewhere other than home instead of post about how (insert country here) sucks. Remember, when I first started posting here I had to fight off the jaded expats telling me I was still living a fantasy.

EDIT: so I've just read the OP and replies more closely multiple times. You must ask yourself: Do you have money and a job at home if this just ends up as a long holiday? If so, go for it.

My story is I came here on an accident settlement. I was 24 so teaching English for $600/month looked great when I realized that was my only option when my first choice was engineer. Traveled all over the country then settled. Fast forward two years my body breaks down again. I moved to a new part of a country and had to buy new shoes so my money was already gone. Had to go back to Los Angeles with Daddy. Since I now have teaching experience, I could teach but only get substitute work. My choice was Ecuador but saw the most I would get was $800/mo and didn't wanna risk a repeat of my last days in Thailand and remembered how I never had money to travel out of the country or save (run-on sentence!). Went to Korea after I got laid off from a park job due to budget cuts. They pay for flight and housing here. And I originally wanted to be an engineer. In Thailand those jobs were taken then also the stuff I knew how to make and fix are out of style.

For me it was fine because I was young. But you sound older and still need stability. Thailand works for the starting out and the retired, which I was the former. But returning for living is not a good option. I don't know about Latin America except the money and working options may be the same. Hope any responses help but only you can decide.

Edited November 8, 2008 by Tyree D.

[sassienie]

Why waste your time coming to Thailand to do something that you (and we !!!!) already know is a complete non-starter.

You've been here already so, assuming you're in your twenties, I would suggest you head for L.A. and spend your cash travelling from there through Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the rest of Central America before heading down to S. America country by country until your money runs out.

Alternatively, stop dreaming, get a job, earn some money and work your <deleted> off like you know you should.

Hope that helps !

Exactly - good advice, couldn`t have said it better myself.

[Tyree D.]

I feel like I've already said too much but what turned me off from Costa Rica was the number of Americans living there. But most of them are retired as it is supposedly a "401K paradise". That also indicates it's the place to be for the retired, not the career seekers like me or the OP.

My advice, if you are in your 20s and are willing to teach English, go for it. Otherwise, enjoy your long holiday then move to one of these places when you are retired.

[TheJoker]

Go to Japan...

[HorseDoctor]

Are you male and wanting to imbibe on cheap , easy sex? Either place . Worried about violent crime? S America is rife , look at all the razor wire , don't see that here , yet .

If you're a woman, it's relaxed here in Tland very little sexual harassment on the street , then again very little sexual anything - for women ( that's another thread)

S America is hideous for a woman on the street ,alone

Both places are sexist as hel_l. But where isn't?.

Thailand is zenophobic, much more so than S America, Gringo is just a term , Falang is used like " Nigger " and laws in Tland actively discriminate against foreigners , starting a business, etc. . But if you just want to spend your savings....

[KohChang120]

It has to be Thailand although this website www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk/ looks good. If anyone has any guides on Latin America please e-mail me at [email protected] or phone me on 0874567345