Yet Another Person Asking For Job Advice!

[london-matt]

Hi,

Having found this forum last week it's taken until now to be able to post. I'm really sorry if this is yet another boring rhetorical post saying "I really want to work in BKK, how do I do it?" but I'd be greatful for any info really.

Okay, I have visited Bangkok a few times now and love it. Was interested in finding work out there until I read a few posts which dampened the dream a bit!

But I have a few questions that may decide whether I continue to chase this dream or not.

What is the SAP employment opportunities like in Bangkok?

What is the best way to look for jobs in Bangkok? I'm tempted to save and go to

Bangkok for 4 months and just try to find something.

If I do go to Bangkok then it's about networking, right? Would anyone here have any advice or maybe, if I'm being cheeky, contacts they could put my way?

I've seen some adverts for getting work permits. ie "For £200 you too can have a permit to work in Thailand!" Are these as much of a scam as they sound?

I guess for any advice to be good advice you'd need to know a little about me. Well I am SAP certified in BW (Business Warehouse) and have worked in SAP for nearly 5 years now (2 years implementing and using BW). Also have other skills such as Business Objects (SQL) although not certified in this. Oh and I am learning Thai (have been since I last visited my brother in the summer).

Basically I realise the fact that it is amazingly difficult to find work out there and even if I did I would be working for peanuts compared to back here but that's fine.

Any suggestions, thoughts, ideas would be really appreciated.

Thanks,

Matt

[~G~]

I've seen some adverts for getting work permits. ie "For £200 you too can have a permit to work in Thailand!" Are these as much of a scam as they sound?

200 pounds are just the beginning. Getting the physical WP might cost something like that (including a cheap company set-up and WP processing) but keeping that WP will involve all the overhead expenses of keeping a Thai company, including capitalization, accounting, business address, etc etc.

Basically I realise the fact that it is amazingly difficult to find work out there and even if I did I would be working for peanuts compared to back here but that's fine.

Which part is fine? The part about the peanuts or the part about not being able to find work? Really, the best way you can go financially is to make the money back home and use it here. Trying to make it here, even 20% than what you're doing back home... hmmm.... Not impossible but don't count on it.

[london-matt]

~G~ thanks for the reply.

Thanks for the advice about the WP. Having not ever worked outside the EU and never having needed to deal with a WP, it's very useful to find out what's involved, especially costs.

With regards to the 'peanuts' comment. I could have explained myself better so apologies. What I meant was that if I was to look for work in Bangkok then I would be expecting to receive the local going rate. Just seems some people posting about trying to work in BKK on here don't seem as realistic as perhaps they should be when talking about wage demands.

Maybe the best bet is to work hard here consulting, save my pennies and either spend a good few months looking in BKK or work hard enough to set something up back here that will generate funds?

What would be useful to newbie's like me is if people who work in Bangkok already could share how they got a job there?

[Fried Rice]

~G~  thanks for the reply.

Thanks for the advice about the WP. Having not ever worked outside the EU and never having needed to deal with a WP, it's very useful to find out what's involved, especially costs.

With regards to the 'peanuts' comment. I could have explained myself better so apologies. What I meant was that if I was to look for work in Bangkok then I would be expecting to receive the local going rate. Just seems some people posting about trying to work in BKK on here don't seem as realistic as perhaps they should be when talking about wage demands.

Maybe the best bet is to work hard here consulting, save my pennies and either spend a good few months looking in BKK or work hard enough to set something up back here that will generate funds?

What would be useful to newbie's like me is if people who work in Bangkok already could share how they got a job there?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Matt, If you are capable of doing Programming, Support, report writing and changes in SAP you might be able to telecommute. SAP consultants I am sure outsource some of their work to workers living in cheaper areas and can live off a much a smaller wage. With the ability to bill clients In the upwards of 200 USD and hour for programming there is plenty of money to be made for compnaies that outsource like this. I work with Microsoft Navision similar to SAP and know people that can make decent money writing reports and doing program changes, all done over the internet. Allot of companies outsource large amounts of tasks to India where sometimes results are not so good.

See if you can find a London based company and talk with them, it might be easier than trying to get in with a Thai based company.

Anyway best of luck.

[london-matt]

Thanks Fried Rice,

I never looked at it that way but what a great idea. Thank you. I'll start talking to colleagues and agencies and see what they say.

Thanks again.

Matt

[Hikage]

Yes, you can telecommute, and be aware that there are plenty of SAP projects around here locally. See them all the time on jobsdb.