Does anyone have the figures on how many farang's actually live in Thailand, and a breakdown of how many have retirement visa's, work visa's etc.

What I really, really would love to also know, is how easy is it for a company, either Thai or international, to take on a farang.  I can't see them just giving away a work permit.  How likely or possible is this in reality, especially during the dire market conditions at the moment?

Could we have more practical advice on the stage before the visa's?  How likely and practical is it that a Thai or international company would actually take a farang onboard.

Presumably, they have a special screening programme or set of standard questions, how about "ways of dealing with these".

Is there research here or hard fact in terms of figures?  Afterall, the entire dream of working in Thailand depends upon negotiating a position with them.

Do they use western work practises such as advertising a role and looking for a person with specific skills by comparing each candidate to their unrealistic list, or are they more likely to take on talented people and mould the company with the workforce.

I've asked myself this question time and again, and kinda just get lost.  I would think there are also a number of people who are also considering a similar relocation, but it's a gamble into the unknown.

Does anyone have any regrets having gone through this process?  I've not heard of anyone really complaining with their decision.

Thanks for listening :-)

A potential solution could be charity work in Thailand to obtain the "permit".

Any recommendations of where to start looking?

Thanks