(How M)Any Expats In Their 30S Or 40S?

[Huey]

Why not go to Singapore, get a real job for real money?

It is first world, serious culture, and the chicks have education and can speak English.

As a young man in TH, you are wasting your time.

Wasting his time????

Get a real job???

Whatever man, how bout come out here and LIVE , for you, and enjoy a experience that few ever know and most of those men only taste when the almond tree has blossomed.

Why not come here and think about how you can CREATE a few jobs with your own business, work for you, and live life too the fullest while your young.

Yeah you may fall on your face, but even if you do it won't be a waste because the experience will show you the true mettle your made of.

[DMC1]

I first came here when I was 19 and spent a couple of months here each year until I was 26 and then I moved here permanently. I am 36 and work in O&G industry over here. I consider myself fortunate to have a good job and to be able to live here as I have no intention of ever moving back home. I dont see so many guys around my own age who live here permanently but there are many in their 30-40's who spend up to 6 months of the year in Thailand and then return home to work.

[BeardedDragon]

Good discussion...

I myself am also still thinking about going back to Thailand. I am 28 years old and from the Netherlands, and graduated last september for my bachelors degree IBL.

During my study, I worked two times for half a year on internships in Thailand.

Back here in the Netherlands the economic climate is a disaster. There are not as much jobs as before, and if there is a vacancy, a company gets almost 80 applications for it. Since I finished my school I had some interviews, but never got the job, since they were all looking for people with working-experience in simillar positions prior to the job. I have fulltime working experience for four years, but only in administrative, financial and customer service jobs.

Another thing that feds me up, is that it is not able to rent a place here on my own. Tenants always ask a contract or an income statement that you need to show that you are receiving money. I have savings, but that does not count for them. Therefore I am still living with one of my parents right now.

I think moving to Thailand will be a sort of gambling for me. It can work out, but it can also not work out. I can speak the language very descent, but am also aware of the Thai labour law, the (probably) lower salary, and the total of vacant positions for foreigners (or even Dutch people) at the moment.

Edited December 24, 2010 by BeardedDragon

[dmax]

im 43 im usually in los for 6 mths every year, though money is getting tight, dont imagine too many under 65 unless they got a big stash

[inthepink]

Where there's a will there's a way is the key phrase from the original post.

It is quite possible to settle here in your 30s or 40s but you might need to be a little creative when it comes to earning a decent living.

Contrary to what GreenSnapper said there are plenty of well educated, English speaking women if that is a concern. I certainly wouldn't move to Singapore instead, what a dull place to live.

Having said that, I don't think anybody should move to a foreign country with the expectation that the natives should all speak English - rather an ignorant attitude.

Edited December 25, 2010 by inthepink

[floridaguy]

Where there's a will there's a way is the key phrase from the original post.

It is quite possible to settle here in your 30s or 40s but you might need to be a little creative when it comes to earning a decent living.

Contrary to what GreenSnapper said there are plenty of well educated, English speaking women if that is a concern. I certainly wouldn't move to Singapore instead, what a dull place to live.

Having said that, I don't think anybody should move to a foreign country with the expectation that the natives should all speak English - rather an ignorant attitude.

Completely agree. If you live in a country, why would you expect everyone to conform to you? Should millions conform to one? No matter where you live, learn the language, and be thankful when you find someone who can speak your native language.

If you live in Bangkok, there are literally millions of people who speak English. If you live in the countryside, then you better learn Thai.

[jdinasia]

Where there's a will there's a way is the key phrase from the original post.

It is quite possible to settle here in your 30s or 40s but you might need to be a little creative when it comes to earning a decent living.

Contrary to what GreenSnapper said there are plenty of well educated, English speaking women if that is a concern. I certainly wouldn't move to Singapore instead, what a dull place to live.

Having said that, I don't think anybody should move to a foreign country with the expectation that the natives should all speak English - rather an ignorant attitude.

Completely agree. If you live in a country, why would you expect everyone to conform to you? Should millions conform to one? No matter where you live, learn the language, and be thankful when you find someone who can speak your native language.

If you live in Bangkok, there are literally millions of people who speak English. If you live in the countryside, then you better learn Thai.

Millions of people speak English in BKK? Amazing!

I moved to Thailand at 39. Didn't work for the first 6+ years. 46 now and a director of a Thai company (not based in BKK

So yes, there are some 30's-40's foreigners in Thailand

[floridaguy]

Where there's a will there's a way is the key phrase from the original post.

It is quite possible to settle here in your 30s or 40s but you might need to be a little creative when it comes to earning a decent living.

Contrary to what GreenSnapper said there are plenty of well educated, English speaking women if that is a concern. I certainly wouldn't move to Singapore instead, what a dull place to live.

Having said that, I don't think anybody should move to a foreign country with the expectation that the natives should all speak English - rather an ignorant attitude.

Completely agree. If you live in a country, why would you expect everyone to conform to you? Should millions conform to one? No matter where you live, learn the language, and be thankful when you find someone who can speak your native language.

If you live in Bangkok, there are literally millions of people who speak English. If you live in the countryside, then you better learn Thai.

Millions of people speak English in BKK? Amazing!

I moved to Thailand at 39. Didn't work for the first 6+ years. 46 now and a director of a Thai company (not based in BKK

So yes, there are some 30's-40's foreigners in Thailand

I didn't say fluently, but certainly enough for an English only speaker to function on a daily basis. I couldn't tell you how many foreigners here claim to speak Thai, only to have a 100 word vocabulary. Do they speak Thai? Yes. Fluently? No.

[MSingh]

I'm 31, i have been here since i was 24.

Only reason i am still living here is for the sake of my Daughter as there is no way in the World i would leave her & her future in the hands, family or not, of Thai people.

I can't see myself or my Daughter being here for much longer though ( 5 Years i mean, not next week ) as, although for her i believe growing up here is better growing up in London, that still doesn't mean that growing up & learning life's value's etc in Thailand, is that great..

It actually says more about how dreadful a place the UK & inner London specifically, is now..

Edited December 25, 2010 by MSingh

[soundman]

Moved to Thailand aged 33. Now 40.

[smokie36]

I'm 31, i have been here since i was 24.

Only reason i am still living here is for the sake of my Daughter as there is no way in the World i would leave her & her future in the hands, family or not, of Thai people.

I can't see myself or my Daughter being here for much longer though ( 5 Years i mean, not next week ) as, although for her i believe growing up here is better growing up in London, that still doesn't mean that growing up & learning life's value's etc in Thailand, is that great..

It actually says more about how dreadful a place the UK & inner London specifically, is now..

Bit off topic....but if you were to move back to the UK doing so before your daughter reaches high school age would make sense. I would recommend moving to one of the islands.....Jersey...Guernsey....Isle of Man.....but stand out in terms of education and the place I'd want to raise any future kids (if in the UK) is Shetland....the opportunities are first class in every regard....mainly due to a strong community and oil money aplenty creating great schools with very small classes.

Thinking way in advance but uni fees are still free to Scottish students.....not sure on the minimum residence requirements on that though.

Take a parka if you visit.

I'm off to investigate oz next year......

[StreetCowboy]

I'm 31, i have been here since i was 24.

Only reason i am still living here is for the sake of my Daughter as there is no way in the World i would leave her & her future in the hands, family or not, of Thai people.

I can't see myself or my Daughter being here for much longer though ( 5 Years i mean, not next week ) as, although for her i believe growing up here is better growing up in London, that still doesn't mean that growing up & learning life's value's etc in Thailand, is that great..

It actually says more about how dreadful a place the UK & inner London specifically, is now..

Bit off topic....but if you were to move back to the UK doing so before your daughter reaches high school age would make sense. I would recommend moving to one of the islands.....Jersey...Guernsey....Isle of Man.....but stand out in terms of education and the place I'd want to raise any future kids (if in the UK) is Shetland....the opportunities are first class in every regard....mainly due to a strong community and oil money aplenty creating great schools with very small classes.

Thinking way in advance but uni fees are still free to Scottish students.....not sure on the minimum residence requirements on that though.

Take a parka if you visit.

I'm off to investigate oz next year......

Shetland? Seriously?

Not sure how long university fees will be paid by the (Region? Scottish state?)...

If you're going to rule the Shetlands in, then maybe have a look at the Falklands as well...

To be fair, I know a lady from Shetland who looks back wistfully on the community spirit there, and I understand they don't get a lot of snow...you'd need to pay a snow flake to land there...

Closest railway station - Bergen. I expect.

Mind, to be fair, its almost forty years since I was there... so that was before the oil money came in, and I don't remember the cold but it was bleak, and it was far away...

And being so far away wouldn''t help with the football - stuck with a choice of the Faroes or Scotland...when you reflect on it, its a surprise there are no famous Shetland comedians...

End of (is there a word for prejudice against Shetlanders?) Shetland rant.

QUOTE

I can't see myself or my Daughter being here for much longer though ( 5 Years i mean, not next week ) as, although for her i believe growing up here is better growing up in London, that still doesn't mean that growing up & learning life's value's etc in Thailand, is that great..

UNQUOTE

I think bringing up children is quite specific to the parent, the child and the school. If you have the money to send your daughter to the best international schools in THailand, she will get an education equal to any in the world, although perhaps she won't get the opportunity to mix with future prime ministers (sorry, for 'although' read 'and', depending on your opinion of the integrity of poiticians), and a child can get led astray anywhere - remember, she's unlikely to go to university in Shetland! But it is a fair point, and one that I am concerned with myself. I am lucky to have a wife who devotes her life to the bairns, and a job that lets me pay for the best of schools; I'm hoping its a better investment than a pension,,.,

SC

[Crushdepth]

What do most of the under 50s do here?

What do you think? We bloody work. It's the over 60's that sit around in bars all day. 20 years to go...

[StreetCowboy]

What do most of the under 50s do here?

What do you think? We bloody work. It's the over 60's that sit around in bars all day. 20 years to go...

To be fair, I think a lot of blokes here work 'off-shore' - particularly in the Middle East, or presumably, international waters; and I know several over-60s that work for one reason or another...

I spent several years waiting for a turnaround in the Bangkok economy, which apparently, will take place next year - same as always! But your experience may differ...

I would recommend anyone planning to move here to have a very clear contingency for each of their expectations not materialising.

SC

[inthepink]

Only reason i am still living here is for the sake of my Daughter as there is no way in the World i would leave her & her future in the hands, family or not, of Thai people.

I guess you mean you would not leave your daughter's upbringing in the hands of the particular Thai people that happen to make up her family, rather than any Thai people, otherwise it is a rather strange statement?

[smokie36]

Shetland? Seriously?

Not sure how long university fees will be paid by the (Region? Scottish state?)...

If you're going to rule the Shetlands in, then maybe have a look at the Falklands as well...

To be fair, I know a lady from Shetland who looks back wistfully on the community spirit there, and I understand they don't get a lot of snow...you'd need to pay a snow flake to land there...

Closest railway station - Bergen. I expect.

Mind, to be fair, its almost forty years since I was there... so that was before the oil money came in, and I don't remember the cold but it was bleak, and it was far away...

And being so far away wouldn''t help with the football - stuck with a choice of the Faroes or Scotland...when you reflect on it, its a surprise there are no famous Shetland comedians...

End of (is there a word for prejudice against Shetlanders?) Shetland rant.

SC

Well I recently attended an end of year school concert in Lerwick and it was astonishing to see kids fighting it out for best composer who performed their own music....often with the help of their school mates....the winner of the 5-12 stage was a 9 year old for example.

Believe me the quality was superb.

The island has a few drawbacks re the weather...remoteness and lack of handbag shopping but strictly in terms of raising kids as the prime concern is up there with most of the public schools.

If money was no object I'd say Jersey.....any of the islands offer a more relaxed and normal upbringing though was the point I wanted to make.

[Berkshire]

Only reason i am still living here is for the sake of my Daughter as there is no way in the World i would leave her & her future in the hands, family or not, of Thai people.

I guess you mean you would not leave your daughter's upbringing in the hands of the particular Thai people that happen to make up her family, rather than any Thai people, otherwise it is a rather strange statement?

Yes, I noticed that too. A rather ignorant, stupid comment for MSingh to make. His wife/the girl's mother is Thai, the girl is Thai, i.e., he chose to have a relationship with a Thai and has a Thai daughter from that relationship. I would imagine the daughter in MSingh's hands would be much worse off than the "Thai people" that he's referring to.

[smokie36]

Only reason i am still living here is for the sake of my Daughter as there is no way in the World i would leave her & her future in the hands, family or not, of Thai people.

I guess you mean you would not leave your daughter's upbringing in the hands of the particular Thai people that happen to make up her family, rather than any Thai people, otherwise it is a rather strange statement?

Yes, I noticed that too. A rather ignorant, stupid comment for MSingh to make. His wife/the girl's mother is Thai, the girl is Thai, i.e., he chose to have a relationship with a Thai and has a Thai daughter from that relationship. I would imagine the daughter in MSingh's hands would be much worse off than the "Thai people" that he's referring to.

Far better for a child to have a positive role model for a father than the more common disappearing type.

Also as the child's father he's entitled to take whatever viewpoint he likes no matter how much it upsets the PC approach some like to take here.

[joorakee]

Thank you for all the replies. All of them are of great worth for me.:jap:

My only advise is to make sure you have enough to live on. I can't imagine having to go back to work in 10 years because I didn't have enough money to live on....

Your best bet is to make 80k per month domestically so you can qualify for PR in a few years. Then you'll be ready without the concern of being expelled from the country for insufficient funds when you reach the age of retirement.

Well, at the moment I don't intend to spend all my life in Thailand even if I move over there for some time (but maybe I'll change my mind in the future, who knows).

You will have to give up some aspects of Western culture if you want to live here.

I'm prepared for it.

[joorakee]

That said, it is sure 70 K will not allow you to eat inrestaurant every evening + spend quality time with the NANA' hostess, while saving something for when you will be old. So you can call it modesty (PC word for poor life style) but ...

To the OP, if you do come here at this age, try to find something to do other than chasing the next skirt and the next beer. It will be great for a couple of years, but then it gets a little old. I don't even hear the calls of "handsome man" and "where you go?" anymore. Find a hobby, find a business to run, get a job, find something to get you up in the morning, keep your mind working. Otherwise, you may find yourself 40 and bored and looking for the next thing to amuse you.

Well, I don't need to party every day/night, especially when I'm not on my holidays. Once or twice a week is enough. And I don't drink as much as in my student years; I prefer other types of entertainment (not that I don't like Singha beer).

And I can't imagine myself without any occupation for a longer period of time. It doesn't have to be a steady job, it can be learning Thai at a language school or something like that. Something that winds me up (a Polish expression).

[joorakee]

I can barely comprehend the idea of snow anymore. When I speak to someone back in the US and they mention the cold, I can't resist rubbing in their face that it is as hot now as their summer is.

To be honest, the thing that I hate the most about Europe is the horrible weather in the winter.

It doesn't have to be 30 °C in February. I have spent some time on Kyushu island in southern Japan and about 10 °C (and hardly any snow) in the winter months was enough for me.

[joorakee]

More and more people will come to Thailand because they can't find jobs.

If I hadn't a job that I really liked in my home country, I would probably head for Thailand as soon as possible without hesitating or undertake some part-time jobs not demanding high qualifications in the EU and try to spend the bigger part of the year in the LOS (I know that many people will consider this idea unreasonable).

I don't know about you personally but WORKING here for someone may probably not be your best bet. Especially being Polish. You may score a low paying English teaching job because of the colour of your skin, however they will likely wanna pay you pennies because of the colour of your Passport.

I know that if I end up teaching a language (not necessarily English) for little money, I will probably need some additional income. And I know that it won't be as easy as back home where I can also work as a lecturer (for relatively little money) but running a language-related business at the same time enables me to live a quite comfortable life.

[joorakee]

As a young man in TH, you are wasting your time.

Wasting his time????

Get a real job???

Whatever man, how bout come out here and LIVE , for you, and enjoy a experience that few ever know and most of those men only taste when the almond tree has blossomed.

The question is when to enjoy Thailand. In our best years, with maybe less stabilization, or after having retired (I don't mean "retiring" at the age of 50), with no guarantee that we will have the strength to enjoy life to the fullest?

P.S. I have no intention to raise a family, no matter in Europe or Asia (for many people it might be an important factor when considering moving to another country).

P.S.2 I have been learning Thai for about 3 years and I'm sure that spending a year or a couple of years in the LOS would help me improve my language skills and learn more about the culture.

(It seemed impossible to paste all the quotations in one post, so I had to divide the text into small parts.)

[Genericnic]

Joorakee

I would only give you this advice, by way of a quote which has been said my many people smarter than I:

"Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did." H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

or, as Lucille Ball said,

"I'd rather regret the things I have done than the things that I haven't ."

Good luck from one that has a few less regrets than his peers.

David

[Bizz]

me I have been here since 1998 left after 7 months being a hippy and returned in 2003 worked for 10 months as a teacher and left, returned in 2005 with help from Thai visa,thanks George,retired part time in 2005 with a little help as I said from Thai visa,from there I helped my Thai family with as much love an devotion as I could cope with, no there was no need to push me for money I truly found a heaven on earth free from harm free from conflict safe for me to be who I am,

unfortunately I lost over half my income in 2008 with desired consequences. there is a special quality of life here that at times can be challenging for a farang but for me it is my own personal heaven, my life long ambition lived in harmony with life with out conflict or hurt. this came to an end in 2008 ,so off to work again and with previous offshore experience off to Angola ,lobeto to be precise.3 months on six weeks off, now what iv got to worry about is kids school, what a life is this heaven for me yes be happy Thai visa friends and thanks again George, an Ian

[saorsa]

unfortunately I lost over half my income in 2008 with desired consequences. there is a special quality of life here that at times can be challenging for a farang but for me it is my own personal heaven, my life long ambition lived in harmony with life with out conflict or hurt. this came to an end in 2008 ,so off to work again and with previous offshore experience off to Angola ,lobeto to be precise.3 months on six weeks off, now what iv got to worry about is kids school, what a life is this heaven for me yes be happy Thai visa friends and thanks again George, an Ian

3 months on, 6 weeks off? Thats a bit long for me. Im in Luanda working just now working, not been to Lobito, but know a bumch of lads that did work for Acergy up there. Cant wait to get home to Bangkok. After this, I got a 4/4 rotation in Kazahkstan which im looking forward to so I get more time in thailand.

[wolf5370]

I turned 40 this year. I did the teaching gig at a college here for a while (although that was intended to be for experience and interest rather than as a source of income) and some language school teaching too ... and then went back to my old work - IT - which I tried to do around the teaching, but found hard fitting in both. Right now my Thai wife is working in the UK (returning soon hopefully) and supporting us as I have recently started home schooling my kids. We also own a cafe that my Sister In Law works. I have some investments and some other irons in fires. The Mrs owns a 30 Rai plot of building land in a fairly good (though not tourist) position that we want to make something of in a year or so.

I went to work straight from school at 18 (A Levels) and got my qualifications whilst at work through the OU (BSc) and Canterbury Uni (MSc) - spent all my adult life working for large corporations - always had a plan to retire at 35 and move abroad (destinations varied as I grew up). Run my own consultancy for last 12 years of "employment". Though happy to run a business again, I don't want to work for a company directly (or pseudo-directly - i.e. contract).

Once the kids are settled into the home schooling (and they already are) then I will start picking up IT projects again for income (more time without travelling and my curriculum is already built, so lesson plans are fairly easy - and marking for 2, not 150!) - probably early in the new year - Jan - IT is quiet over xmas and new year anyway.

PS: I meet plenty of 30-40 y/o males here and females too. Most seem to come and go (when farang couples) or their Thai partner does the main work and they either own/manage/do the accounts for his/her Thai partner's business or teach or dos. Personally I have known some NGO people - they tend to come ad go too, but over longer periods - but not any I know work for internationals (or even large Thai firms), but that is more to do with my location (in BKK etc this is going to be more common as that's where nthe big boys company wise are situated en masse). I see plenty of short term Muay fighter/trainees here - but only one long term in that age bracket (some are recurring though). I also see plenty of missionaries, but I'm too busy hiding from them to find out if they are long term or not.

[nocturn]

My question is:

What do most of the under 50s do here?

what a silly question. what do people under 50 do anywhere?

[nocturn]

this post does an excellent job of pointing out how out of touch many of the retirees who post on this site are. To a greater extent it also explains the general tenor of the posts here and why my own interest in this site has been steadily waning.

I know very few people over 45 in Thailand, but have a large and varied group of friends and acquaintances across the country.

Very few of theem spend time in a rural backwater drinking Chang in front of a computer though.

TV has become, to its detriment a retirement community.

[neverdie]

^One liners? 9500 of them, yeah thats sounds about right.

Of course by constantly "changing name & avatar" I guess nobody would be able to follow such a posting history.

ps: I'm too young to have memory problem s