Getting A Non-teaching Job In Bangkok?

[HalfSquat]

Hello,

I am currently in Bangkok and have not worked in Thailand before. I know it is very hard, almost impossible (so I hear) for a foreigner to get a non-teaching job out here.

In England I worked in IT and worked on Prince2-managed IT projects installing/deploying new IT systems and supporting them once they were up and running. I was only above entry level on about £30k per year so not really highly-skilled.

I look at the job ads in the papers but do not see anything I could apply for.

Are there any other ways to find a job in Bangkok in an office environment? I'm not expecting a wage anything near like I was getting back home.

Any advice most welcome.

Thanks.

[nakachalet]

halfsquat

if you still can not find what you want in bkk, would you like to come and help me out for a few weeks?

free room and free thai restaurant grade food.... lol

plus availability of sun, seas and surfing.... lol

also there are only a few gwai-lows and farangs around here....

pm me, if you wish

good luck

Edited October 29, 2009 by nakachalet

[HalfSquat]

Care to elaborate on what I'd be helping you out with?

[THX1140]

It is possible for a farang to get a non-teaching job in Bangkok, but not easy. You have two major hurdles to deal with.

1. You need to offer something that a Thai national cannot do; typically this will be native language skills or knowledge of foreign markets, or a technical skill that isn't common in Thailand. In your case working in I.T., you have a better chance than foreigners working in other industries IMHO, but you'll need to bear in mind that standard positions such as network engineers can be done by Thai nationals and so you have little chance there. You'll need to think about what combination of skills you can offer that they cannot get from a Thai.

2. You'll need to prove that you are reliable. There are stories of 'newbies' starting work for companies in Bangkok only to lose the plot three months later to booze or bar girls and get fired for turning up late and drunk. Employers are aware of this risk and some companies have a policy of not taking on foreigners who have never worked in Bangkok before, so you are faced with a catch 22 situation where you can't get a job without experience and you can't get experience without a job. If you look like you only want a job to prolong a vacation no-one will give you a look in.

But if you are smart and persistent you CAN find a job here. First of all, smarten up your resume – you'd be amazed at the poor standard of some of the resumes some farang send in. Secondly, smarten up yourself – in Thailand appearances are very important. Thirdly, you need to do your research on the companies that are a ) likely to need your skills and b ) will employ foreigners. Fourthly, register yourself on jobs sites such as jobsdb and spend time every day looking for opportunities. Fifthly, go along to Chamber of commerce events and try to meet people from the industries relevant to your experience.

Like I say, it ain't easy, but if you're smart and proactive you have a chance.

Good luck

[Lite Beer]

Off topic post deleted.

[JimsKnight]

Hello,

I am currently in Bangkok and have not worked in Thailand before. I know it is very hard, almost impossible (so I hear) for a foreigner to get a non-teaching job out here.

In England I worked in IT and worked on Prince2-managed IT projects installing/deploying new IT systems and supporting them once they were up and running. I was only above entry level on about £30k per year so not really highly-skilled.

I look at the job ads in the papers but do not see anything I could apply for.

Are there any other ways to find a job in Bangkok in an office environment? I'm not expecting a wage anything near like I was getting back home.

Any advice most welcome.

Thanks.

Roll the dice and see if there's any tele-sales jobs?

[rixalex]

Roll the dice and see if there's any tele-sales jobs?

Rolling the dice suggests you might get lucky. Can't think of anything lucky about working in tele-sales. If that's your only option i'd start packing your bags. Thailand is good but not that good!