Planning A New Life In Thailand

[wasabi]

I think moving from a 1st world country to a 3rd world country is a mistake for you and your family. The 1st world can seem stifling and stagnant but those detriments pale in comparison to the inefficiency and corruption you will run into everyday over here, you may be surprised to see you miss what you once found boring. Be it the polluted air and water or the subpar building regulations this place can wear you down faster than overbearing laws and cold winters. I guess it's all what you value and I understand many disagree with me. You may think living here would give you and your family access to a different cultural outlook but I think that could be achieved by simply taking vacations here. And you will always be the Farang outsider, the mark to hit up for Baht when the Mekong runs low. Stereotype? I don't think so, I call it playing the odds which are not in your favor in Thailand. You are almost certain to sacrifice your wages and your health by living here. I have met many great Thai people and this is not a knock against them but their warmth and friendliness doesn't inspire me to spend my life with them until this country stars showing some accountability and progress.

[Steps]

I think moving from a 1st world country to a 3rd world country is a mistake for you and your family. The 1st world can seem stifling and stagnant but those detriments pale in comparison to the inefficiency and corruption you will run into everyday over here, you may be surprised to see you miss what you once found boring. Be it the polluted air and water or the subpar building regulations this place can wear you down faster than overbearing laws and cold winters. I guess it's all what you value and I understand many disagree with me. You may think living here would give you and your family access to a different cultural outlook but I think that could be achieved by simply taking vacations here. And you will always be the Farang outsider, the mark to hit up for Baht when the Mekong runs low. Stereotype? I don't think so, I call it playing the odds which are not in your favor in Thailand. You are almost certain to sacrifice your wages and your health by living here. I have met many great Thai people and this is not a knock against them but their warmth and friendliness doesn't inspire me to spend my life with them until this country stars showing some accountability and progress.

Where do you live? if i may ask.

And

What are your personal experiences in order for such comments to be made.

Cheers

[henryalleman]

With regards to keeping up the NI contributions, this is something well worth considering. I think you need to have contributed for 30 years in order to be entitled for the state pension.

You will receive a pension from each EU country where you have worked for at least one year.

Sorry this is simply not true.

[wasabi]

I think moving from a 1st world country to a 3rd world country is a mistake for you and your family. The 1st world can seem stifling and stagnant but those detriments pale in comparison to the inefficiency and corruption you will run into everyday over here, you may be surprised to see you miss what you once found boring. Be it the polluted air and water or the subpar building regulations this place can wear you down faster than overbearing laws and cold winters. I guess it's all what you value and I understand many disagree with me. You may think living here would give you and your family access to a different cultural outlook but I think that could be achieved by simply taking vacations here. And you will always be the Farang outsider, the mark to hit up for Baht when the Mekong runs low. Stereotype? I don't think so, I call it playing the odds which are not in your favor in Thailand. You are almost certain to sacrifice your wages and your health by living here. I have met many great Thai people and this is not a knock against them but their warmth and friendliness doesn't inspire me to spend my life with them until this country stars showing some accountability and progress.

Where do you live? if i may ask.

And

What are your personal experiences in order for such comments to be made.

Cheers

I used to have Thailand fever and thought it would be a dream come true to live here. I thought I liked Sanook, Sabai Sabai and Mai Bphen Rai. All I could think about was Thailand and how much better it was than my home in San Francisco. I quit my job and came here for a year to study Thai which I had studied for 4 years prior to coming. I have been here on a student visa for 7 months, my school is excellent and I am pleased with them though having conversations in Thai with my teacher has shown me how different we think, it has been useful to live here but I am eager to go back.

I am in Bangkok. The first thing that bothered me was the pollution and dirtiness of the streets. Trash and rats everywhere, people constantly littering and no emission standards. I also found the food generally unsanitary as well as the water. I was aware of these things having taken many vacations to Thailand but they bother me much more as a resident than a tourist. Also I have had a few medical problems while here. My treatment has been somewhat hit or miss though decent. I just don't have the same faith in Thai doctors to be thorough and honest as I do in the USA. I know the USA and probably the UK has it's share of medical care problems but let me say it flat out, I think the education system in our countries is decades ahead of what they have here hence better doctors and also better equipment due to the wealth of our countries. Alot of expensive things you may encounter in Thailand like MRI machines or high end shopping malls are just for show and not really a reflection of the state of the whole country which is still 3rd world.

I also don't like the rote learning and uniformity in thought I find here. I just don't encounter people who strive for excellence. It seems most people are passive and just accept things as they are. At first I liked this and found it made for lower stress but I found out I actually like the stress of ambition and the chance to earn a decent wage as a result of that ambition. I like knowing my country is constantly on the cutting edge of technology and medicine, not just appropriating or copying what others are doing. I miss fast internet and reliability. I miss accountability. I don't like having to worry about changing visa laws. I don't like that the airport was shut down and that the police ran from the protesters. I like my country to be fair but strong and firm. Learning Thai is a great and rewarinding challenge but the more Thai I have learned the less interesting many Thai people have become to me. The main reward has been talking to my Fiancee more freely and teaching her English with greater ease. Though as I said I have met some truly stellar people as good as anywhere in the world, it's just rare that's all.

I do like the taste and low cost of food though I do wish it was more sanitary. I have ceased to believe what anyone tells me here since it is wrapped up in saving face or self delusion most of the time, you just can't trust what people say here and that can cost you your life if we are talking about something like exiting a building in a fire. I like the low cost of rent but overall I have actually found I spent less in the west than here. The main thing I like is my Fiance who I have applied for a US visa for. When it is ready I will leave. I may return as a tourist but I will never retire in Thailand or stay here for a long time in the future.

Edited January 4, 2009 by wasabi

[Kf6vci]

Tell us more. You are a professional with a steady job? Would you marry her? Even then you would have to show a certain income leval or support the family with 400 k a year for a VISA.

If at all possible, keep your family together. (BTW, in case she doesn't have a computer or access to one where she can use Skype, you might use www.voipdiscount.com to call 300 minutes a week for free to her mobile phone).

Once in LOS, you need to stick to your guns and avoid silly overspending. Take food and "ladies stuff".

The very best dishes are cooked in some small eating places often for 24 - 55 Baht. But you can spend 500+ per meal elsewhere. Watch where the money goes! Lots of silly ways with you not getting real value One such way is my wife going to a high end spa. At a deep discount, 600 instead of 1,200 per hour. But the actual massages and treatments may be the same as in places charging half that amount. Shop around !

If a lady is under 30 and has good skin, maybe this is a huge waste of money alltogether. there might be something like this costing thousands each month.

^^^

Wherever you go, you will take your unique problems with you.

Q: would you be allowed to work in the field you want to work in? I just learned on TV that Photography is banned to farang

happiness depends on you - many folks are unhappy wherever they may be.

Q: moving the family to the UK is not an option? How big is your war chest - your savings?

Thailand is excellent to retire to but it won't be easy to make a living... Do your homework!

Good luck and take responsibility as a man and father.

[RAZZELL]

I just learned on TV that Photography is banned to farang

With all due respect you're wrong Don't believe everything you read.

The "banned list" on TV has not been updated. Those professions haven't been banned for years.

The page (somewhere on TV...when I find it I'll post is for the 1973 Act (???))

If you google "alien business act thailand" fourth one down is a PDF with a definitive list from Tilleke & Gibbins International Ltd.

perhaps the most respected law firm in Thailand.

No mention of photography etc

Read this:

http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=12800

Or if the link gets deleted look at number 9 - New 1999 Act:

"The 16 eliminated businesses to which no restrictions apply are:

1. Gardening.

2. Livestock farming (but this does not apply to silk worms; restrictions on alien participation in silk worm business remain).

3. Manufacture of drugs.

4. Manufacture of matches of any kind.

5. Manufacture of cement and cement byproducts.

6. Manufacture of products from silk, silk threads, or silk cocoons.

7. Trade in ores.

8. Business under the law governing service-providing establishments.

9. Photography and photographic developing and printing.

10. Export of products of any kind.

11. Retailing of machines, machine tools and tools.

12. Manufacture of animal feed.

13. Extraction of vegetable oil.

14. Manufacture of embroidery and knitted products including weaving, dyeing and pattern printing.

15. Manufacture of glass containers including light bulbs.

16. Manufacture of writing and printing paper."

NOTE TO MODERATOR - Someone should find that page with the "banned list" on TV and replace it with the new updated information. It's existence is very unhelpful.

RAZZ

Edited January 4, 2009 by RAZZELL

[Steps]

Tell us more. You are a professional with a steady job? Would you marry her? Even then you would have to show a certain income leval or support the family with 400 k a year for a VISA.

If at all possible, keep your family together. (BTW, in case she doesn't have a computer or access to one where she can use Skype, you might use www.voipdiscount.com to call 300 minutes a week for free to her mobile phone).

Once in LOS, you need to stick to your guns and avoid silly overspending. Take food and "ladies stuff".

The very best dishes are cooked in some small eating places often for 24 - 55 Baht. But you can spend 500+ per meal elsewhere. Watch where the money goes! Lots of silly ways with you not getting real value One such way is my wife going to a high end spa. At a deep discount, 600 instead of 1,200 per hour. But the actual massages and treatments may be the same as in places charging half that amount. Shop around !

If a lady is under 30 and has good skin, maybe this is a huge waste of money alltogether. there might be something like this costing thousands each month.

^^^

Wherever you go, you will take your unique problems with you.

Q: would you be allowed to work in the field you want to work in? I just learned on TV that Photography is banned to farang

happiness depends on you - many folks are unhappy wherever they may be.

Q: moving the family to the UK is not an option? How big is your war chest - your savings?

Thailand is excellent to retire to but it won't be easy to make a living... Do your homework!

Good luck and take responsibility as a man and father.

Yes i am a proffesional with a steady job. However, i am going self employed next month for the remainder of my stay in the UK. Would i marry her? Well that is something i am definately not going to jump into yet. Other than gaining a 1 year visa and confirming our co-exsistence i dont see the real need right now. I will remain commited to my responsibilities regardles. As far as the 400,000k per year is concerned, that wont be a problem.

Cheers for the voip link, i've been using this now for 6 months curtesy of helpfull Thai visa members and would be completely lost without it. www.voipcheap.com is another one to get free calls to UK landlines.

Your not wrong about watching your pennys. This is a philosophy that i have adopted since my late teens anyhow, which has helped get me to where i am. The good things in life (good food for one which is not compromised) are still enjoyed but money is only spent on what is needed. As far as the lady is concerned though, some lines will have to be learnt and drawn. I could see her costing me more than me.

This move is not all going to be plain sailing. I would be a fool to think i will not to encounter problems along the way. But if you dont do it you'll never know. It will take a few years to get on my feet, build a decent social network ect. It's a process of building from the ground up but once the structure is in place i think the lifestyle will be rewarding.

[henryalleman]

I used voipcheap for 5 years, but there is a new player on the market who is even cheaper.

http://www.12voip.com/en/index.html

[torrenova]

I came here when I was a similar age to the OP and started some small businesses. That was fine and things grew but things change over the years. What was important then is no longer so and it is not so easy to change tack here. I would advise you never to involve any of your friends or family in any business you take on or create as they detract from the flexibility.

What you will have to come to terms with over time is the utter bullshit the Thai people give you day in day out and the way they wrap it up as not being bad and not being lies (which it is) and they wrap it up all very neat in this way of non confrontation. It does build up I assure you and you have to find your way to deal with it. Eventually you have to confront it.

What seems like a minor inconvenience can become a major annoyance. You can't change anything but you have to find a way to deal with it. It will drive you mad if you let it.

Although I have reversed my view over the last couple of years, I strongly suggest that you consider bringing your girl and baby to the UK rather than you chasing the dream there. I always disagreed with that idea, thinking it better t be in LOS but I completely about faced and think that you have a much better life and better relationship if you are not in LOS. Now if you are retired then it is different but if you still have to work then it is no easy street in LOS. Better to get the Thai out of Thailand and let them see that the way they do things in LOS is not right just because it is Thailand. PLan for holidays there and potential retirement but easier to work and live outside.