Chiang Mai Job Market

[Steveyf]

Hi all,

looking for some advice as i have done all the thinking I can but without any on the ground information i am finding myself at a loose end.

background

I met my girlfriend 4 years ago when she had just finished university and started nursing and i have stayed in the UK and mainly me travelling over there to see her 4/5 times a year and she comes over usually around Christmas period unfortunately this is the first year she has been unable to come over due to financial reasons.

now the time has come and she is asking about starting a family and i am now in the confusion of my own morals, as much as I really do want to start a family I don’t think I could handle being a part time father.

now the considerations i have got is that I try and gain employment on a rota basis in Africa/middle east 28/28 pattern, whilst I would only be there 6 months of the year the money I would earn would both give me and her a good life and a good chance for and siblings to go to a good school.

the second is that I make a few less trips this year save all my money and get my feet on the ground and try find a job that way whilst i am prepared for the complete cut in salary and i am not too concerned about it id be there all the time to take share of the responsibilities and watch a child grow up my only concern is saving money for the future and being able to fund a trip back home should anything happen to my family.

which would come down too how fast I could walk into a job and any money I made from the UK I will just keep in a bank

most of my skills aren’t really in the Chiang Mai area as i am a grease monkey by trade (mech engineer) but i have got two hands two feet and willing to give most things a try but would rather exhaust all my other options before going for the teaching English route, I give credit to those who do it and do it successfully but I don’t believe I have the skills to keep a class room of children entertained.

also I do not have a degree probably what has killed of many opportunities for international work, my current employer only has bases in the west of Europe no assets to live off,

so anyone able to offer some solid advice and a cold slap to the face

I apologise for the lengthy post but id rather give some background information and a bit more detail rather than post a give me a job,

thank you for your time

Steve

[onthedarkside]

Ok, I'll chip in my 2 cents worth, Take the rotation job, make the good money, and be home half the year. lots of guys work that way, I myself worked like that for many years. Save money for a good few years, look about during your time off, figure out your opportunities, and once you have some ground knowledge invest in a business in Thailand. Quite honestly starting a business in Thailand has many risks, so chose a business where your skills can be used. Might be wise to keep your rotation job and see how the business pans out.

[uptoyoumyfriend]

the other thing is that the kids here are generally brought up by the grandparents -you might overestimate your involvement

[mccw]

Have you considered living your life together where your current employment is and just going Thailand for holidays? After u have baby it's still 4-5 years till school ties things down a bit. Why not just do one trip Thai per year as fam and save plenty money rest time to invest in a property to give for rent in uk for example, then move to Thailand with a decent income to live off which u can both top up with local work or biz once the kids are in school. That's basically what I'm doing anyway; although now I'm pondering a move to Spain instead of Thai as so much closer uk for continuing my business + see rest of family. (Personally I couldnt miss out on half my family life, 4 days is enough for me let alone a month at a time; but I guess people gotta do what they gotta do.)

Chock dee with what ever u decide

[Steveyf]

we have discussed about the bringing up of the child and we would like to try raise the little one ourselves as we(i) dont really see eye to eye with her mother. but that would be dependant on a number of factors but im sure we will talk about that if and when the time comes.

thank you for the replies, i agree that in my mind the best outcome would be a rotational job not only for the money but not having to do visa runs/reporting to immigration takes out a bit of stress and at 25 ive still got plenty of time for saving up.

i have very little understanding of how a business is started and how it is operated in thailand, and a joint business adventure between her and myself would be out of the question, things might be roses and rainbows at the moment but 10-15 years down the line everything can change, and personally i dont think i could handle the stress of being my own boss. would rather go in do the job go home get paid.

once again thanks for the replies

steve