Considering Living In Phuket But Not For Awhile.

[djpriest]

Hi. Just got an account so this is my first post, hoping you could fill me in on some vital info.

I am a single 24 year old male living in Australia and just visited Phuket for the first time. Basically it's my kind country, i love it. I currently work as a security officer at the WA Casino and I am completely debt free as I have no house or car and am renting a place very close to work so I just walk there. I have around $10,000 in a separate account building interest, albeit slowly. I always have a few thousand in my regular savings account so I'm somewhat well off as far as just renting and living goes.

So..

If I had intensions to move to Thailand permanently what should I be aiming for in way of living there and buying a bar or restaurant. What about jobs as a security officer? Of course this won't be happening for years if I do decide to go through with it but I'm thinking of saving up a lot of Aussic dollars to initially establish myself there. Was talking to a workmate and he said he could of lived there (single) comfortably off $120,000 AUD but he has a wife and kids so It couldn't be done. He mentioned people in Thailand who can speak English being able to help me set up over there, though I would endeavor to learn Thai myself but it ain't exactly easy learning another language.

Any advice would be great thanks.

[barney42bb]

If your friend cannot live in Thailand on $120 k Aussie...he must be doing something seriously wrong.

Do not even contemplate starting a business here,trying to buy land property etc etc.....you WILL get ripped of.

People think you can own stuff here...YOU CAN'T...NEVER FORGET THAT>

Just come here live rent and Invest your money in a safe western style Investment.Just spend to enjoy and keep a bolthole in OZ.

Do that and you will not suffer the demise of any foreigner that's gone that road before you.

Best wishes

[WOOHOO]

What about jobs as a security officer?

All jobs that can be done by Thais are forbidden for Farangs, which leaves very little. Teaching English, diving, hotel management are a few of the common jobs people have here. If you try to run before you can walk you are in great danger of ending up with no money, and having to start all over from the beginning again. Why not start by having a long holiday, 3-6 months and then go back home, earn more money and come back again. That way each time you are here you can learn more about what options you have work wise, more about how much you need to live on, etc etc. If you come with a big wad of money and no real plan you could find yourself getting nowhere. For me it has always been more enjoyable to earn my money in England and then be a man of leisure when I'm in Phuket. Being in a place as great as this and then have to count pennies every day wouldn't be any fun for me. Good luck mate whatever you do, you obviously love the place so you'll find a way.

[ScubaBuddha]

What about jobs as a security officer?

Maybe a personal bodygaurd as there are plenty of farang (thats you and I) business men that keep getting whacked down here. Some have bodygaurds already, and I can think of others that should. But then your boss may be a criminal, and you would have to carry a gun, which is illegal for farang to do in Thailand (unless you are part of the police officer exchange program.)

To most of us, 120K AUD a year is a shit load of money here. That's 292k baht a month. By comparison, Thai minimum wage is 6 to 8k baht a month and Farang need to legally show earnings of 35k to 50k a month depending on where your from in order to be allowed to live here on a work visa and work permit. And i woudl say of the farang I know, 60-70k baht a month is probably the average. Some much more, some much less. I know plenty of farang families that live on less than 50k a month. It's how you want to live. Do a search, there was a recent thread on this issue here. If I recall correctly, putting 2 or 3 kids through private schools and living in Hi-So Bankok neighborhoods, it was determined that someone with an income not much less than 292k baht a month might not be enough, but that is living a very luxurious lifestyle by Thai standards. It was also mentioned in that thread that certain things can actually much more expensive in Thailand that back home.

Good luck.

Edited September 6, 2009 by Scubabuddha

[hkt83100]

This reminds of

Q: "How can you make a small fortune in Thailand?"

A: "Bring in a big one."

[JetsetBkk]

This reminds of

Q: "How can you make a small fortune in Thailand?"

A: "Bring in a big one."

Oi! That's my joke!

As for the OP... forget it.

[WOOHOO]

As for the OP... forget it.

Although JetsetBkk is not being very helpful I think he's probably right when it comes to owning bars or a restaurant, however forgetting about a plan, where you get to spend as much time in Phuket as possible, is a stupid thing to say. Like I said before just don't throw yourself in at the deep end, or you will probably get fleeced. The way to look at it, is if you only get to spend a few months a year here for the next few years, until a more permanent option materialises, then that's better than most people, who never even leave there back yards, get to do.

[steelepulse]

Only thing I could think of with your CV would be to open a security company.  There are some already here, but not that many.

I'm thinking the 120K AUD was the amount of savings OP's friend had, not his monthly income of 2.9 million THB

[geriatrickid]

I sympathize, but here'a few of the nuggets of experience I have gained from old salts in TV;

1. Never ever buy until you have rented for a year or more and have driven around exploring. The towns you think are awesome (e.g. Patong) when you arrive turn out to be hel_l holes and the places you would never would have considered worthwhile turn out to be hidden gems.

2. Learn the concept of moderation. Moderation in behaviour so you don't clock some idiot that frustrates or tries to cheat you. Moderation so that you don't pickle your liver by the time you are 30 or have a coronary from eating too much food.

3. Understand that Phuket is not Australia. What we think is commonsense, is not for the locals.

4. Always have decent medical insurance and invest in a good motorcycle helmet. You may be in great health and be the safest driver in the world. Unfortunately, you will be surrounded by locals and farangs alike that have no problem running you down and then taking off. Medical care is not free here. If you get seriously ill and do not have health insurance, you are screwed.

5. If you want to live like you do back home with AC, a flush toilet, decent appliances etc. you will have to pay for it. If you live like a rural Thai, then you can get by on next to nothing. You can get the same food as back home, but you will pay more for it at the supermarket.

6. Do not fall in love with the first girl you meet and never ever believe the tales of woe you will hear. Farangs are just customers. The girls may be genuinely decent and kind hearted, but they work in bars to support a family and they will do whatever it takes to get that money. In the event that you meet a lady, be sure to check that she's a lady. Some of the ladies here are very pretty boys.

7. Do not buy a small beer bar or restaurant. Unless you have years of hospitality trade experience and a trustworthy Thai partner you will be broke in 3 months.

8. Be careful of farangs suggesting investments or asking to borrow money, no matter how nice they seem.

9. You cannot work at any trade that brings in a good salary. Only independent entrepreurs or expats for an MNE can sometimes make money. Iny your case, if you move to Thailand, you most likely will have to cut your standard of living. Can you deal with that?

10. Always have an emergency fund stashed away so that you can get out. Have a living will and a final will. Consider giving a power of attorney to a trusted parent so that he/she can act on your behalf in an emergency.

MY personal advice is to just vacation visit for the next few years. The glow will dim somewhat once you see the reality and you may wish to reconsider the move. It's a hard place to live if you don't have a girlfriend or wife or friends that speak the language. And under no circumstances make babies unloess you are planning to support them.

[britmaveric]

Teach english most likely your only option.

[LivinLOS]

If your friend cannot live in Thailand on $120 k Aussie...he must be doing something seriously wrong.

Come live here with assets of 120k aussie ?? And you think thats insanely high !!!!

That generates what ?? 6 or 7k a year safely ?? Well thats the first 2 months covered, what do you eat the other 10 ??

[TheAceFace]

Visit long term first.....Not all dreams come true here. Test the water so to speak.

[JetsetBkk]

I sympathize, but here'a few of the nuggets of experience I have gained from old salts in TV... <snip>

Excellent post, kid, and should be made mandatory reading for all newbies.

One change, though - I would change:

3. Understand that Phuket is not Australia. What we think is commonsense, is not for the locals.

to:

3. Understand that Phuket is not Thailand.

But since the OP has disappeared, he was probably just a troll.

[nicholasmerwood]

I'm 24 and live in WA as well. Got married earlier on in the year to a beautiful Thai lady.

I think there is a lot of places you could go wrong, but not impossible.

Don't buy real-estate in Thailand, just rent.

Go on a couple of extended holidays (several months) before you make any big decision.

If your going to buy a business, you need to target farangs, cause that's where the $ is, no good getting Thai money -unless you want to live like a Thai.

Don't trust anyone, especially young Thai women who need to borrow money for there sick family etc.

What I also realised, is places that first seem great, like Patong, aren't so great after all. It's good to keep some distance from those areas, and trek in every now and then for some action.

I think I pretty much repeated what everyone else has already mentioned, however Thailand is a great country and everyone on here agrees otherwise they wouldn't be members. I personally would much prefer to live in Thailand than Oz, but I would keep some solid cash flow coming from Oz.