How Many Farangs Have A Masters Degree?

[JoeThePoster]

One thing a Ph.D. gives you in Thailand is instant credibility.

I find that Mont Blanc in the shirt pocket and a gold Rolex have almost the same effect.

[Patron]

Gold Rolex, 10baht bracelet, 10baht necklace..........no lines, no cover charge.....priceless.

TIT

[simon43]

I started a new job some weeks ago, software engineer blah blah blah. The company is going for BOI. They hit a big problem with some of the foreign managers who didn't have Bachelor or higher degrees. No degree = no work permit we are told.

I sailed through the process with my BSc First Class Hons and MSc.... Glad I paid attention at university those 23 years ago....

In Thailand, having a degree or higher degree can be very useful

Simon

[bonobo]

I started a new job some weeks ago, software engineer blah blah blah. The company is going for BOI. They hit a big problem with some of the foreign managers who didn't have Bachelor or higher degrees. No degree = no work permit we are told.

I sailed through the process with my BSc First Class Hons and MSc.... Glad I paid attention at university those 23 years ago....

In Thailand, having a degree or higher degree can be very useful

Simon

You've got that right!

I have a doctorate, and with most Thais, this makes them assume I know what I am talking about. I have to screw up very bad to disabuse them of the notion that I might know everything!

On one hand, that is not a bad situaion in which to be.  On the other hand, it gets tiring to be trotted out by my partners to be introduced to people from other companies as the "captive" farang/doctorate.

Edited June 10, 2009 by bonobo

[mrtoad]

No degree = no work permit we are told.

Not true for certain, I know several guys who are working here for MNC's without degrees - one being a country director for a very well known company.

[oldsparrow]

I started a new job some weeks ago, software engineer blah blah blah. The company is going for BOI. They hit a big problem with some of the foreign managers who didn't have Bachelor or higher degrees. No degree = no work permit we are told. I sailed through the process with my BSc First Class Hons and MSc.... Glad I paid attention at university those 23 years ago.... In Thailand, having a degree or higher degree can be very useful Simon

You've got that right! I have a doctorate, and with most Thais, this makes them assume I know what I am talking about. I have to screw up very bad to disabuse them of the notion that I might know everything! On one hand, that is not a bad situaion in which to be. On the other hand, it gets tiring to be trotted out by my partners to be introduced to people from other companies as the "captive" farang/doctorate.

PhD. is very cool in Thailand. They even put ดร. (Dr.) in front of the names in the local phone book.

[oldsparrow]

Degrees are nice when looking for that initial job, but after that, what you do is far more important. I had a volleyball buddy who got his law degree from a school which most people would consider a diploma mill. But he got his degree at nights, then passed the bar. He could not get a job with a decent law firm, so he went to work for the DA and began to rack up some significant conviction stats. After some-odd years, one of the big firms came a-calling, and he was hired at a very nice salary, and he made junior partner in a pretty short time while some lawyers who graduated from very presitgious law schools were still languishing as whatever you call non-partners at a law firm, He seemed to get a kick out of the fact that they had a number of Harvard Law grads who could not seem to make partner. It is what you can do which is imortant, not the paper you hang on the wall.

And it's standard practice fro Thais to state military rank even after service or retirement. Putting your rank infront of Dr. will enhance personal credit here.

Order system for Thais Military/Police rank - Academic position - Dr. degree - Royal status

ie. Colonel Prof Dr. ML ..... .....

[Datsun240Z]

I lost my Master degrees a few years back to a hungry bear.

[bonobo]

 

And it's standard practice fro Thais to state military rank even after service or retirement. Putting your rank infront of Dr. will enhance personal credit here.

Order system for Thais Military/Police rank - Academic position - Dr. degree - Royal status

ie. Colonel Prof Dr. ML ..... .....

Really?  I haven't seen that.  But it is good to know.

In the US, I only have my name on my business cards, but my Thai business cards do have "Dr."  So if I was a professor before and a retired colonel now, I should write "Colonel Professor Dr.  ...?"

Is that uppity or ostentatious, or would that be really accepted and be of some use?  I don't need any sort of ego trip, but anything is fair game if is gives me a leg up in business.  I have hard enough time competing with a division of one of Thailand's biggest and most famous companies, so anything helps.

[Maizefarmer]

How many guys with any degree working here, got their job or are employed with/because of that degree?

Edited June 10, 2009 by Maizefarmer

[oldsparrow]

Yes you can do for business card. ํำIt's the cutting edge and accepted. You just have to answer more personal questions.

"พันเอก ศาสตราจารย์ ดร."

In Thailand we don't put (Retired) behind the name you just print the rank.

Military person who has the academic position always use his.

On official documents it was Pol.Lt.Col.Dr. Thaksin

Also Pol.Capt.Dr. Purachai Peamsomboon

ie. look at the official press release, they used Hon.Pol.Lt.Col.Dr. Thaksin Sin...

http://www.nesdb.go.th/Portals/0/news/annu...t/46/data11.pdf

http://www.mof.go.th/news2003/69.pdf

[oldsparrow]

ie.

There is an ex-police guy who now work as local staff for the Americam Embassy here. He still use Pol.Capt. in his new name card.

It's very common Col. Bonobo.

PS: Unlike the US marine, the Thai marine uses Navy rank. I think this is a good point you can explain that your Col. is not from the Army but US Marine. It gives very tough impression also in Thai language นาวิกโยธิน Navikayothin ! นาวิกฯ Navik ! (in short)

Edited June 10, 2009 by oldsparrow

[PeaceBlondie]

When I was an instructor in a USAF medical school, the flight surgeons were usually addressed as "Doctor" until they reached Lt. Colonel. I met our two-star general one day at the gas station one day, and wondered if he preferred Doctor to General.

If you earn multiple doctorates, like Albert Schweitzer did, are you Dr.Dr.Dr.Dr.?

[Neeranam]

Mine was pretty easy and took just 1 year at Edinburgh Uni. This was 16 years ago.

[bonobo]

ie.

There is an ex-police guy who now work as local staff for the Americam Embassy here. He still use Pol.Capt. in his new name card.

It's very common Col. Bonobo.

PS: Unlike the US marine, the Thai marine uses Navy rank. I think this is a good point you can explain that your Col. is not from the Army but US Marine. It gives very tough impression also in Thai language นาวิกโยธิน Navikayothin ! นาวิกฯ Navik ! (in short)

Yes, the Thai Marines use Navy ranks, as do probably half the Marine Corps in the world.  We were modeled after the Royal Dutch Marines and the British Royal Marines, our senior services, and we generally followed the Royal Marines by using Army ranks for officers.

Well, I can see I should alter my Thai business card.  Learn something new on TV every day!  

Thanks!

(So I wouild be Col. Dr. Bonobo, right?)

[a2396]

I have a Phd in sex. But, I still drink myself under the table every night. Have a shaved head & many tatoos. Wear singlet & shorts, but only have high-so GF's, who always pay for me. So what?

[oldsparrow]

Yes, bonobo, that's sound good.

Col.Dr. / พันเอก ดร.

Col. gives sense of team player/leader in addition to the lone expert feeling of Dr.

Some foreign officers with different ranking system also adjust their namecard position or introduction to the rank system in Thaialnd for better understanding.

Thais can't gauge the Group Supervisor / Chief / SAC etc. but when it is Maj. / Col. / Division Commander / Bureau Commissioner the Thai know how they should be treated.

Edited June 11, 2009 by oldsparrow

[oldsparrow]

When I was an instructor in a USAF medical school, the flight surgeons were usually addressed as "Doctor" until they reached Lt. Colonel. I met our two-star general one day at the gas station one day, and wondered if he preferred Doctor to General. If you earn multiple doctorates, like Albert Schweitzer did, are you Dr.Dr.Dr.Dr.?

In the early 90s, there was a prof at Chula who introduced himself as Dr.Dr. for he got 2 PhD. This is exception and sound funny in local standard but he taugh scientific Psychology so maybe it was his joke. The real subject name was "Man and Nature", a general selection subject. There were 2 lecturers, one was this science-oriented guy another one was the supernatural-oriented guy. The 2 were part of the subject samples..

[JoeThePoster]

I have a Phd in sex.

Doesn't count! Nor does a masters in bating.

[stiggy]

Having spent a morning reading this thread and feeling like I was not one of the brainy gang.

I have since purchased two masters degree from the American Sentinel University ACCIS accredited .

I now hold Masters in Human resources and accounting ,however they also had a special where for 40 dollars I could also become a reverend..I took them up on the offer.

Meaning I am not only smarter than you but holier to......!

Edited June 11, 2009 by stiggy

[caf]

I am hesitant to post and answer your question simply because number one I am new on this forum and number two because there is no way to verify what I say other than you psychically coming to my place of employment and speaking to the head of my department or sending you a copy of my transcripts which I would be very reluctant to do. But since you asked I have an M.D. as my base degree, my specialty degree in medicine is a Psy.D. which is a Doctor of Psychology or professional doctorate in Clinical Psychology if you prefer and a Ph.D. in Eastern Philosophy. Most people ask me what I am doing in Thailand the simple answer is I worked at a level one trauma center for 8 years and I did my internship and residency in a level one trauma center thus I am burned out on the horror people are capable of doing to each other and I had to get out before I needed a psychiatrist

One has to admit though, that it is hard to believe that a psychiatrist would l "physically" as "psychically".

We all make mistakes what can I say, Freudian slip perhaps? One thing that does keep me honest is Freudian slips I tend to make them a lot when trying to be deceitful, which is NOT the case here. One reason I got into the field of psychology is because of my own personal problems and short comings such as I am dyslexic but have learned to function with it, I was also ADHD and OCD with symptoms of personality disorder I have over come them with education rather than medication. I spend half of my day correcting papers written by Thai students that must have had the most horrid English teachers on the face of the planet and one gets to the point where all the words just blend together and start to look correct. I also worked in a level 1 trauma center for 8 years on the trauma team as well as doing my internship and residency in level 1 trauma centers so, if I use an incorrect word from time to time I feel I have earned the right to I'm a little traumatized myself.

On a lighter note before you correct my faux pas check your spelling you misspelled "mispel".

Pirsonially, ied jist lovve et whin da spelin copz hare in toune.....tit mast makem fellez reallie impordant two pic onn pepols hoo maekes juszt a feuw spelin miztakes....

Um,sorry to bother you,but i noticed some errors in your grammer.......

I don't pass myself off as an English teacher.... your point being what? Are you so traumatized that this is the best you can do to make yourself feel better; to pick at a fast typo written post on the web? Maybe you need to talk to me in private because I can see where your inferiority complex is going. I'm a farm boy from Pennsylvania that was fortunate enough to get an education which has taught me being a farm boy from Pennsylvania is good enough... Do you feel that foreigners in Thailand other than yourself are evil and dirty and should not be here? And by the way " grammer" is spelled grammar in English and Bill Gates "American English" as well. So let's pick.

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Don't let them wind you up, they are only playing games. Meet them face to face and they may not come across as being very bright and could probably not hold an intelligent convesation for very long. That is maybe why some of these posters resort to these techniques on the forum. A cover for inadequacy and frustration living in a country where the social rules are not the same as in their homeland. They "cope" by becoming keyboard warriors on forums.

[caf]

I think many people stop using this forum because of the non warranted lambasting. Jungian if your still on line PM me I'll buy you a beer or all you can drink anywhere in the city you choose. Hows my "grammer". (grammar for those of you who can't figure it out).

the lambasting is often related to incorrect english and after a while gets boring and the thread suffers by getting off topic.

some are genuine keyboard mistakes and should just be ignored but people like to score points sometimes to disguise their inability to make a valid reply or contribution. politicians do this a lot too.

some errors are real howlers but should also be ignored particularly if the correct meaning of the post is not compromised.

the problem in thailand is that many expats are teachers and they are not immune from these errors and they lose face when there (sic) errors are shown up. the thai's (sic) get confused because they think they've been properly taught. a good teacher would not only not make such mistakes but also would learn to be more carefull (sic) not to make such slips of the tongue. and correct any that slipped through.

[polecat]

My God, Caf -- you really are screwed up.

[caf]

I am certainly not Ivy tower types, the doctorate, in my case, only means I am stubborn. I had the time, the money and wanted to hold the highest degree possible in my field...

I have found most "Ivy tower types" to be stupid to the point of being mentally challenged about real life and everything other than their particular subject. I can think of nothing worse.

Is it fair to assume that, paraphrasing your post, you mean that you do not have a higher degree?

[wileycoyote]

English & History

Also Years of Experience in chasing Road Runners !

Wiley Coyote

[caf]

When I was an instructor in a USAF medical school, the flight surgeons were usually addressed as "Doctor" until they reached Lt. Colonel. I met our two-star general one day at the gas station one day, and wondered if he preferred Doctor to General.

If you earn multiple doctorates, like Albert Schweitzer did, are you Dr.Dr.Dr.Dr.?

I believe that in Germany if you have two doctorates you can use DR DR

The UK convention was often to list every qualification after the name. A PhD would by convention use Dr before the name but then not include it after. Referring to a professor with a doctorate it was convention to use both professor and Doctor at different times in a formal conversation. Not so common nowadays. I don't put qualifications after my name and most people are not aware of them unless it becomes relevant in a conversation.

[caf]

My God, Caf -- you really are screwed up.

Just read your recent posts and replies to other posters. This isn't really your subject is it?

[ozzydom]

Sitting here at my PC , I am Master of all I survey. Does that count.

[NIB]

I started a new job some weeks ago, software engineer blah blah blah. The company is going for BOI. They hit a big problem with some of the foreign managers who didn't have Bachelor or higher degrees. No degree = no work permit we are told.

Simon

Just not true, tell your boss to get a new law firm if he/she is serious about getting involved with BOI opportunities.

All the best.

[mmushr00m]

No master degree and barely managed to get my BA (Bullshit Artist)