I Want To Emigrate To Thailand - Advice Needed

[wiggy221]

Hello all

I have just returned to the UK from beautifull Thailand after a 5 week holiday with my Wife (Thai) and our young son.

I really have the itch to make it more of a permanent switch out to Thailand but i have the usual things holding me back here in the UK.....

I have a pretty good job, pays pretty well, unfortunatly at present we do not have much in our savings, and do not own a property in Thailand just yet.

What i would like to know is, can we get a loan from a Thai bank to start up or buy a business in Thailand, something to help us tick over and keep us occupied out there?

I know the best way would be to just hang on in the UK and save save save but i am feeling in one of those moods where if i dont do this now i never will....have to bite the bullet sooner rather than later.

Can anyone else share their experiences of moving to the Land of Smiles, if you work there, how easy was it to get employment etc, if you have a business, how did you go about setting up etc.

Thanks :-)

[robblok]

I can only say its real hard and as a foreigner you cant just start working you need a work permit. If you start your own business you still cant work in it until you have 5 thais who work for you. Then you can get a workpermit.

The accountants will shaft you (they are real expensive believe me i know im one myself and the ones i encountered here were crazy). My company closed at least 2 years back and still the accountant says things have to be done and he is still charging us. How long have you been married to your wife ? If you buy a house here it cant be on your name because you cant own land.

Most people i know have a hard time finding a job here, some are lucky some are not. I would be really careful and look before you leap.

[NanLaew]

The OP should consider if it's possible for a non- Brit to walk into a bank in the UK and take out a loan to 'get them started.' Not really feasible.

Biting the bullet and 'going for it' is good if you have some savings to fall back on. The OP doesn't mention his age or his profession so it's really hard to say if there's anything work available over here. Admittedly, you could live here quite cheaply if you can eat the local food and don't need too many of your creature comforts.

I know, you had 5 wonderful weeks holiday, cool weather, hardly any rain and maybe caught Loy Krathong while you were here. Then back to snow, student protests and the 9-5 routine. Makes one want to break free but without a guaranteed work option in Thailand or the neighbouring countries, I reckon stick in and save while you can.

The world economy isn't close to being out of the toilet yet so if you have roof over your head there, and your wife and son have the same over here, be patient.

[Xircal]

See Starting a business in Thailand The document is in PDF format.

A number of occupations are also forbidden for foreigners, details as follows:

Restricted occupations

A Royal Decree in 1973 listed 39 occupations that were then closed to aliens. This list has been amended on several occasions by subsequent Royal Decrees, the latest one in 1979. Prohibited occupations are:

• Labour

• Work in agriculture, animal breeding, forestry, fishery or general farm supervision

• Masonry, carpentry, or other construction work

• Wood carving

• Driving motor vehicles or non-motorised carriers, except for piloting international aircraft

• Shop attendant

• Auctioning

• Supervising, auditing or giving services in accounting, except occasional international auditing

• Gem cutting and polishing

• Hair cutting, hair dressing and beautician work

• Hand weaving

• Mat weaving or making of wares from reed, rattan, kenaf, straw or bamboo pulp

• Manufacture of manual fibrous paper

• Manufacture of lacquerware

• Thai musical instrument production

• Manufacture of nielloware

• Goldsmith, silversmith and other precious metal work

• Manufacture of bronzeware

• Thai doll making

• Manufacture of mattresses and padded blankets

• Alms bowl making

• Manual silk product making

• Buddha image making

• Manufacture of knives

• Paper and cloth umbrella fabrication

• Shoemaking

• Hat making

• Brokerage or agency work, except in international business

• Dressmaking

• Pottery or ceramics

• Manual cigarette rolling

• Legal or litigation service

• Clerical or secretarial work

• Manual silk reeling and weaving

• Thai character type-setting

• Hawking business

• Tourist guide or tour organising agency

• Architectural work

• Civil engineering work

[ableguy]

See Starting a business in Thailand The document is in PDF format.

A number of occupations are also forbidden for foreigners, details as follows:

Restricted occupations

A Royal Decree in 1973 listed 39 occupations that were then closed to aliens. This list has been amended on several occasions by subsequent Royal Decrees, the latest one in 1979. Prohibited occupations are:

• Labour

• Work in agriculture, animal breeding, forestry, fishery or general farm supervision

• Masonry, carpentry, or other construction work

• Wood carving

• Driving motor vehicles or non-motorised carriers, except for piloting international aircraft

• Shop attendant

• Auctioning

• Supervising, auditing or giving services in accounting, except occasional international auditing

• Gem cutting and polishing

• Hair cutting, hair dressing and beautician work

• Hand weaving

• Mat weaving or making of wares from reed, rattan, kenaf, straw or bamboo pulp

• Manufacture of manual fibrous paper

• Manufacture of lacquerware

• Thai musical instrument production

• Manufacture of nielloware

• Goldsmith, silversmith and other precious metal work

• Manufacture of bronzeware

• Thai doll making

• Manufacture of mattresses and padded blankets

• Alms bowl making

• Manual silk product making

• Buddha image making

• Manufacture of knives

• Paper and cloth umbrella fabrication

• Shoemaking

• Hat making

• Brokerage or agency work, except in international business

• Dressmaking

• Pottery or ceramics

• Manual cigarette rolling

• Legal or litigation service

• Clerical or secretarial work

• Manual silk reeling and weaving

• Thai character type-setting

• Hawking business

• Tourist guide or tour organising agency

• Architectural work

• Civil engineering work

Understand where you are coming from wanting to live here, however if you have no funds and no house to sell on in the uk one must suspect you do not have wanted and needed proffesional qualifications, so forget your dream for now, not what you want to hear bur solid advice.

[NALAK]

no chance of you getting a loan, best thing is remember it was a holiday, you had money in your pocket, save up and do it again. job prospects are virtually 0. getting a visa ni on impossible. there are thousands of of us here thinking the same as you and really there is not anything you could do to tick over. every thing is done to death already. i have a small business on the net, well wife does pays for the house,car and her family and thats it. since the baht went from mid 70's to mid 40's and stock market crashed many expats are looking how to make a few extra bob. i have been here 9 years speak reasonable Thai, have worked here and i would stuggle to find work now. then theres the education side, do you really want your child educated in the state system here? good education here is expensive some over £1000 per month.

stay put save save save, only my advice dont try and buy house over here in the mean time.

[DP25]

What kind of business are you thinking off? Small businesses in tourist areas don't seem have a very good success rate. A lot seem to change hands every year with a loss for the business owner and profit for the property owner who rents to you.

[siamamerican]

Fun to dream but reality sucks. Yes it is possible to find a job here and save for retirement but the odds are not much better than the lottery back in England. My advice would be to play the lottery while saving as as much as possible and if your lucky someday you might be able to make the move. That's what I did anyhow and after 6 years of "HARD" work, at 42 yo, I had enough to make the move. I doubt I could repeat my high earnings those 6 years but luck was on my side.

I also was married to a Thai lady and had the same dreams. The sooner you get a grasp on reality, the sooner you can live in England happily. Life can be dream like but in most cases it is journey that includes hard work and suffering. Use your desire to motivate but not at the expense of enjoying what you have today.

[steve187]

Seems like a good idea to come here, but in all reality its hard to earn a living here,as posters have said before its all been done to death here.

My advise would be to form some sort of a plan for the future, and make as much as you can over in the UK, to enable that plan to work.

Not what you wanted to hear, but better to hear it now, than to give up everything in the UK, come here and have to return to the UK at a later date to make a fresh start,

Does your wife have UK citizenship? because if on ILR, a return to the UK, after a failed attempt to live here in excess of 14 months, would cause problems.

[afarang]

The only real job option here , is as an English teacher.If you have a degree, yes you can earn enough to live on ,quite comfortably.Forget about businesses until you have lived here for some time ,and sussed out any opportunities that take your fancy.I really do think ,you need to save and come here with some Capital behind you.

[Forethat]

In this case, everything is down to education or money. If you have money, you can make more of it. If you don't have the money you need a job to get started, and that won't happen in Thailand unless you're extremely lucky.

So my best advice if you have an education: look to the south, to Singapore. Much better job opportunities if you have an education, and much better salaries. Much better schools. Easier to save money there. Spend a couple of years in Singapore, visit Thailand for holidays, and save money and buy a house in Thailand somewhere which you use as a holiday resort. When the kids are grown up you can retire in Thailand.

But as I said, it's all down to education OR money.

Another happy customer...

Edited December 10, 2010 by Forethat

[RudieTheFoodie]

Save up 10k (500k baht)

If you have a good job paying well this should take 6 months.

Come over here and start a business which you are good at and understand (hint: probably what your doing now and getting paid well for )

make sure you have a thai speaking/native person on your side that can help you negotiate deals.

job done.

while many comments here are wise and cautious, its really not that difficult to do what you want to do and so long as you have half a brain about you AND WORK HARD, its easily done.

good luck!

[Beetlejuice]

You can`t emigrate to Thailand. You can only move here at the most on a one year at a time non immigrant visa and become an ex-pat or do the visa extension trips.

My advice is; consider well before you jump in at the deep end or wait another 20 years until you are established enough to support yourself and family in Thailand.

[TAWP]

I have a pretty good job, pays pretty well, unfortunatly at present we do not have much in our savings, and do not own a property in Thailand just yet.

So either you are not earning well or you guys are spending it...well. Make sure you have a decent amount [or more] in savings before you move. You will not be making any decent amounts over here legally - unless you had a decent amount to build something up for yourself.

[DP25]

You can`t emigrate to Thailand.

Yeah you can

[Hawaiian]

You seriously need to consider the future of your son. If a private school or tutoring is not in your budget then his options may be limited as an adult. Listen to the poster that

recommend you stay put and consider or plan for retirement in Thailand.

Although you had a pleasant 5 week vacation you probably did not have any experiences

dealing with the "real" Thailand. If you think times are hard in the UK (bad economy, rioting

in the streets) they are not any better in Thailand.

I had planned to retire in Thailand with my Thai wife until I realized how politically unstable the country is. I had hoped that things would get better, but even the wife is sadly disappointed with the latest violence. Some of it took place within a mile of her house in Bangkok. I have no regrets that we stayed put. She feels the same.

[RAZZELL]

It all depends on what you want to do.

It might be hard to get a job...but it can be done.

I also know people who've set up their own businesses doing what they did in the West.

RAZZ

[Mossfinn]

It is attributed to Whoopi Goldberg that she once said that if she listened to 'received wisdom' she should forget her dreams of being an actor and be a waitress or something.

If you think you can achieve it, go for it or you will always regret it, but if you have doubts, then seriously weigh up your options.

[Forethat]

It should also be noted that you're in a completely different situation if you have senior management or executive level experiences. If that is the case, then the options are unlimited.

[stander]

My company hires expat engineering staff; however even with a degree they must have some sort of speciality which is not readily available in Thailand.

I would recommend that the OP puts together a savings plan with realistic targets and don't considering moving until you have at least 3,000,000Baht.

[onnut]

What kind of business are you thinking off? Small businesses in tourist areas don't seem have a very good success rate. A lot seem to change hands every year with a loss for the business owner and profit for the property owner who rents to you.

Yep! I can vouch for that.

[jdinasia]

The only real job option here , is as an English teacher.If you have a degree, yes you can earn enough to live on ,quite comfortably.Forget about businesses until you have lived here for some time ,and sussed out any opportunities that take your fancy.I really do think ,you need to save and come here with some Capital behind you.

While I do agree ... don't come here fully funded. There are other job options for people IF they have a needed skill set.

My advice to the OP ....

Save Save Save ... then save some more. Have your retirement fully funded before you step off a plane to live here, and never invest more in a foreign country than you can afford to walk away from as a total loss.

[slapout]

Cabin fever is a term that comes to mind. Hunker down at you living/work until springtime and see if you look at things differently. There have been numerous discussions on this same topic from residents of various countries and the common background of those seeking info/advice seems to be they have winters where they reside.

[thailandbluegrass]

Been here 0ver 10 years, had a great business making jeans and employes 20 Thai workers, Taught English etc etc etc NOW I'M POOR.

Try your next vacation in Laos or Cambodia, the new and upcomming future place to live and MUCH cheaper and nicer now.

[PoorSucker]

An old phrase comes to mind.

"Everybody can make a small fortune in Thailand, you just have to start with a big one."