Recent Graduate, Where To Look For A Job

[DRoseMJD]

I will be graduating in May from University of Purdue in the USA after which I will be moving to Thailand. My degree is a bachelors of science in management. I am just curious if anyone has any ideas on where I could look for employment so that I have a job when I get to Thailand. I have applied for many positions found here and on a few other job listing sites, but they are mostly for experienced people or for telesales positions. I would be best suited for an entry level position anywhere within the financial industry, but I am not too sure where to find firms who are looking for recent college graduates that have offices in Thailand. If anyone has any ideas I would greatly appreciate it, thank you.

[CMSteve]

Are you a Thai national? If not, you may be better served by finding a job in the finance sector in the US. You can then consider getting a transfer to Thailand or if you can specialize in something, maybe drum up a demand here. Otherwise, you may have a hard time getting anything suitable.

If you are Thai, I would still suggest the same route. Starting off your career in Thailand will greatly hamper your salary and its growth rate. You may end up starting a job for 15K-20KB/month. Whereas, an entry level financial position in the US would be more around $40k-$50k/year.

Basic rule of thumb, people that transfer here with experience or are recruited here will always make a huge amount more money than the people that start here.

Good luck

[fstarbkk]

I run an offshore subsidiary for a European group here in Thailand. We recruit/ transfer foreigners exclusively to bring in experience and expertise that we couldn't find locally. For "entry level" positions we only recruit locally and train people internally to meet the international standards we operate on. It just wouldn't make sense to go through all the expense and hassle to obtain permits and visas unless absolutely necessary. I believe you will find most companies follow a similiar policy.

My advice: Invest a couple of years on the S/E Asia desk of a major financial institution and make yourself a highly attractive target for transfer or recruitment.

[ExpatJ]

I agree with what others have said- you will not find an entry level finance job in Bangkok as a farang. Work back in the US for a financial company, spend a few years there focused on Asia, then request/apply for a transfer.

I did the same thing and it took me 8 years of working outside of Thailand before I was able to get transfered here on a full expat package.

[DRoseMJD]

I'm American, sorry should have mentioned that in op. Thanks for the advice, but my gf is Thai, and we won't be moving back to the US until after we get married at the earliest so I am pretty much capped at having to look for a job in Thailand, long distance thing is wearing on me quite a bit. I guess I am somewhat relegated to sales work then? I have also been looking at some English teaching positions although I have no experience in that field. I would prefer something at least 50k baht/month and would probably take 30k because I have some other work with which I can supplement my income. Any suggestions?

[impulse]

I'd say 1 guy in 100 is cut out for telesales, and a foreign country is not a good place to figure out you're broke with no prospects, no permission to live and/or an expensive visa trip to budget for every few months.

You may also want to search forums for "Thai girlfriend" to get a good estimate of what chances you have of a successful long term relationship. I'm not saying it won't happen for you, but you'd be risking a lot for some probability and you should probably understand what that probability is.

I'd suggest an EBay based business in your GF's name. You can probably make more on EBay than you can as a foreigner coming to Thailand with no experience- if you choose the right products and strategy.

Good luck whatever you choose.

[CMSteve]

This is advice that I would probably not heed if I were in your shoes, but here it is anyway....

For every day, month. year, you are in Thailand working in "sales" or "teaching" will put you 2 days, 2 months, 2 years behind. You will effectively gain 0 experience while here.

I assume your ultimate goal is to live the storybook long and happy life with you wife, you should make the investment now to stay in the US , gain some real experience, and come back when you can command a real expat package. Otherwise, you may wake up one morning as a 30 something with no money and very few prospects at an entry level position back home, and still making < 50K baht/month. BTW, at this point you may not have a wife either.

Edited February 20, 2012 by CMSteve

[ScouseTommy]

I'll be honest, teaching is the thing many Grads get into in Thailand, as long as you have a degree, what it is in is relatively unimportant. I would try for any other sector using your qualifications first. If not, and you are going to teach, then stay in the U.S. and get a qualified teacher status. This would allow you to work in the top international schools and earn a proper wage. They will often recruit you direct from the U.S. and pay your flights e.t.c. However if you are all set on moving and have exhausted the other options, then try the jobs and teaching websites and forums over here. I cant post links on here unfortunately!!

[ExpatJ]

I'd say 1 guy in 100 is cut out for telesales, and a foreign country is not a good place to figure out you're broke with no prospects, no permission to live and/or an expensive visa trip to budget for every few months.

You may also want to search forums for "Thai girlfriend" to get a good estimate of what chances you have of a successful long term relationship. I'm not saying it won't happen for you, but you'd be risking a lot for some probability and you should probably understand what that probability is.

I'd suggest an EBay based business in your GF's name. You can probably make more on EBay than you can as a foreigner coming to Thailand with no experience- if you choose the right products and strategy.

Good luck whatever you choose.

Have to agree re: thai gf aspect, i'd bet serious, good money your thai gf has thai/farang guys on the side here in thailand while you are over there in the US. Cynical? Perhaps. True? 90% chance yes.

[KamnanT]

I have to back up majority of opinions above - I know more than a couple of bright, well-educated guys (they are all guys, no surprises there) who have fallen for the Thailand story, thrown away perfectly decent career options in the "real" world and moved to Thailand with the expectation that well-paid, stimulating employment opportunities are readily available in their chosen field. For the vast majority, this simply isn't the case and particularly for someone straight out of school.

Entry-level positions at established Thai companies are highly competitive and more often than not the selected candidate is not only well-qualified but also "well-connected" inside the hiring firm. If you haven't attended high school and university in Thailand (or amongst Thais overseas), you are unlikely to have the network required to secure one of these roles. Foreign firms may have a more egalitarian recruitment process but you will still be competing with 100 local applicants who excelled at school, are native Thai speakers and whose salary expectations are half of yours.

The advice above is good - start your career in the US and get some experience (and money) under your belt.

[up-country_sinclair]

I will be graduating in May from University of Purdue

I assume you mean "Purdue University". Strange that you would make this type of error about a school you will be graduating from soon.

[DRoseMJD]

I will be graduating in May from University of Purdue

I assume you mean "Purdue University". Strange that you would make this type of error about a school you will be graduating from soon.

lol why would I lie about this? Yes, I meant Purdue University, I am extremely used to saying University of Massachusetts because that is where I transferred from originally. I'd be happy to pm you my Purdue email with which you can send me an email and I will reply if you really want proof.

[DRoseMJD]

I'd say 1 guy in 100 is cut out for telesales, and a foreign country is not a good place to figure out you're broke with no prospects, no permission to live and/or an expensive visa trip to budget for every few months.

You may also want to search forums for "Thai girlfriend" to get a good estimate of what chances you have of a successful long term relationship. I'm not saying it won't happen for you, but you'd be risking a lot for some probability and you should probably understand what that probability is.

I'd suggest an EBay based business in your GF's name. You can probably make more on EBay than you can as a foreigner coming to Thailand with no experience- if you choose the right products and strategy.

Good luck whatever you choose.

Have to agree re: thai gf aspect, i'd bet serious, good money your thai gf has thai/farang guys on the side here in thailand while you are over there in the US. Cynical? Perhaps. True? 90% chance yes.

My relationship has nothing to do with the question, I am not asking for relationship advice. I know where my gf sleeps at night, can leave it at that.

[DRoseMJD]

Thank you for the helpful replies; I assure you I have exhausted many resources to see what chance our relationship has of working out, and it is something I am willing to take a chance on. If that means I will be well behind when making it back to the US then so be it. This is my only life, and I believe it is a chance worth taking.

That's my Purdue ID if anyone doubts me, I blotted out the PUID # for obvious reasons

Edited February 20, 2012 by Tywais
Removed for for privacy reasons. No need to prove anything to members.

[Tywais]

I removed the photo ID from your post DRoseMJD for privacy reasons. Not a good idea to put too much personal information up on the Internet. Also, not necessary to justify yourself to members so don't let them bait you.

[kmj]

I'd say 1 guy in 100 is cut out for telesales, and a foreign country is not a good place to figure out you're broke with no prospects, no permission to live and/or an expensive visa trip to budget for every few months.

You may also want to search forums for "Thai girlfriend" to get a good estimate of what chances you have of a successful long term relationship. I'm not saying it won't happen for you, but you'd be risking a lot for some probability and you should probably understand what that probability is.

I'd suggest an EBay based business in your GF's name. You can probably make more on EBay than you can as a foreigner coming to Thailand with no experience- if you choose the right products and strategy.

Good luck whatever you choose.

Have to agree re: thai gf aspect, i'd bet serious, good money your thai gf has thai/farang guys on the side here in thailand while you are over there in the US. Cynical? Perhaps. True? 90% chance yes.

ExpatJ, Just because you've been f!*&ed over, stop finding your gf in bars is my advice... 555

[ExpatJ]

I'd say 1 guy in 100 is cut out for telesales, and a foreign country is not a good place to figure out you're broke with no prospects, no permission to live and/or an expensive visa trip to budget for every few months.

You may also want to search forums for "Thai girlfriend" to get a good estimate of what chances you have of a successful long term relationship. I'm not saying it won't happen for you, but you'd be risking a lot for some probability and you should probably understand what that probability is.

I'd suggest an EBay based business in your GF's name. You can probably make more on EBay than you can as a foreigner coming to Thailand with no experience- if you choose the right products and strategy.

Good luck whatever you choose.

Have to agree re: thai gf aspect, i'd bet serious, good money your thai gf has thai/farang guys on the side here in thailand while you are over there in the US. Cynical? Perhaps. True? 90% chance yes.

ExpatJ, Just because you've been f!*&ed over, stop finding your gf in bars is my advice... 555

I have an American wife. My assessment is based on what I see happening to my friends and acquaintances.

[samran]

I think you are also overlooking a couple more facts:

- your likely salary will barely get you over the line in terms of getting a long stay visa

- Thailand, especially BKK is chock full of bilingual and (in many cases) dual national Thai's educated at the top US, UK and Australian universities. You'll be up against them, and then following them, Thai grads from Chula and Thammasat.

[Rama]

Look for a job in Australia. Many jobs there paying western wages and they are in need of workers. Easy for Thais to relocate there also. Not the same as trying to get a visa for the US. You can find a job there easily and have your girl friend there in a few months. Easy to visit Thailand also.

[Berkshire]

I think you are also overlooking a couple more facts:

- your likely salary will barely get you over the line in terms of getting a long stay visa

- Thailand, especially BKK is chock full of bilingual and (in many cases) dual national Thai's educated at the top US, UK and Australian universities. You'll be up against them, and then following them, Thai grads from Chula and Thammasat.

This is true, along with many of the other comments. Let's face it, you don't have any marketable skills. There are many westerners with Master's degrees and work experience looking for jobs. If you had specific skills, e.g., IT, you might be more marketable. As it is, teaching English is about all you've got going for you. And the pay ain't much.

[jaysg]

I have an ACCA qualification, will the Thai Big Four recruit me?

[makescents]

I'm in a similar situation as you.

I'm due to graduate in less than 6 months with a BSc in Computer Science. My girlfriend will graduate 2 years later here in Thailand.

I've tried to find decent employment as a graduate level software engineer in Thailand or surrounding countries (Singapore, Hong Kong, Darwin). But as people say above they often require you to speak 2 languages and have prior experience.

I'd like to stay on in the UK but the strain on the relationship means I will probably live in Thailand until she graduates.

[DRoseMJD]

I'm in a similar situation as you.

I'm due to graduate in less than 6 months with a BSc in Computer Science. My girlfriend will graduate 2 years later here in Thailand.

I've tried to find decent employment as a graduate level software engineer in Thailand or surrounding countries (Singapore, Hong Kong, Darwin). But as people say above they often require you to speak 2 languages and have prior experience.

I'd like to stay on in the UK but the strain on the relationship means I will probably live in Thailand until she graduates.

Glad to hear someone else is in the same boat, good luck!

[makescents]

Glad to hear someone else is in the same boat, good luck!

You too mate.

It's a difficult situation.

[mogandave]

Interested in managing a manufacturing facility?

[wordchild]

fstarbkk, expatj , cmsteve, samran and many others have given you good advice here. If you are going to come to Thailand purely for "lifestyle reasons" at your (presumed) age you are making a very distinct choice; a choice that could well leave you financially in difficult circumstances in years to come, and also, put you in a complete career backwater, which you may find it difficult ever to get out of.

For all sorts of reasons,some mentioned above, Thailand is just not a place to start a career in finance (or much else for that matter) for an inexperienced non-Thai. For your own sake , as well as posting on boards, i hope you are also seeking direct advice from people who you know and trust and may also have some perspective.

Edited February 29, 2012 by wordchild

[emsfeld]

Your best chance is to get into entry level positions in HK or Sing and even that will be very tough. Even though APAC economies are doing better than the West at the moment, no one in finance is really hiring (7+ yrs experienced is an exception). Most APAC countries have very strong local talent to recruit from so there is no point at all to consider your application. I'd say getting into an entry level role in TH was tough before GFC (but could be done) - now close to impossible.

Better option (apart from finding a job in the US) is to enrol in a Master's program (Mahidol U should have international postgrad science programs) and to get to know people and network. That MAY work.

Edited March 2, 2012 by emsfeld

[4evermaat]

Have either of you considered military options? rotc may not be a possibility (you've probably completed too much school already) but officer candidate school (OCS) should pick you up if you prove yourself. your network will be quite large when you are ready to separate. Not to mention other statuatory benefits (gi bill, immediate state unemployment benefits, free/discounted services) And saving money wouldnt be a problem if you stay away from alcohol and avoid keeping up with jonses.

You could also enlist, but please exhaust all officer/commissioning channels first.

The advice that the majority are giving you: get experience where you are first OR save up a few stacks before coming over OR have an alternative stream of income (a couple hundred usd can go a long way here) is solid advice, particularly if you are inflexible with your career path/sources of income.

"2nd best time to plant a tree is today." Sent from TV android app.