Want To Work In Thailand, How To Proceed?

[NaMah]

I joined ThaiVisa in order to help me move to Thailand. I've been reluctant to ask the necessary questions but I've worked up the courage to ask, finally.

Some are going to wonder why I would ask questions like this on a public forum but I've frittered the last year away trying to figure out how to live and work in Thailand and need a little help on how to proceed.

I'm 51 and live in the USA. I am an electrical engineer and MATLAB author (math software) with a BSEE from the University of Southern California. I'm about to go onto early retirement and will receive a pension.

My pension amounts to about 103k baht per month and I've estimated that I could live on that with in a decent apartment, motorcycle, gym membership and a modest budget for eating/drinking and leaving some left for savings. I know that mentioning a specific number may bring all kinds of angst upon me but I'm giving some details on the chance that I might get a helpful comment or two that I can act on.

So I've decided that I would like to live a bit larger, maybe have a car and a home, perhaps a housekeeper, yearly vacation. That kind of thing. The obvious answer is for me to attempt to work in Thailand. Another factor is that I'm just happier when I'm doing something constructive and am busy.

I will likely spend the first year at a good language school and hope to learn Thai conversationally but also would like to read and write. I was married to a thai women in the USA and already have some ability to speak rudimentary Thai. So just assume that my first year is spent at school on an ED visa.

But after that I would like to work. I need a primary and backup plan.

Plan A: Work as an engineer. I've been searching but I don't think I'm looking in the right places. I've heard of mulitnational corporations bringing engineers to Thailand on a good salary but I could use some help on where to look for these opportunities. My engineering career in the US was in aerospace (satellites, space vehicles, aircraft), specifically communications and I'm world-ranked as a MATLAB author. Any assistance on where to look for engineering work in Thailand would be very much appreciated. Any other comments about my primary plan are welcome. If you need to say something harsh then maybe that is something I must consider, perhaps my outlook is all wrong.

Plan B: Teach or work in Hospitality (hotel, restaraunt, resort). I've also got some skills in web development and SEO. My questons are, What could I do to make myself desirable as a Teacher in Thailand? Is there a certificate for teaching English that I could earn here in the US that would make it *likely* that I could work in Thailand? Could I teach math? Would I be better off to earn some kind of certificate in web development (html, php, e-commerce)? I would like earn some kind of certification that would allow me to fall back onto this secondary plan if I cannot find engineering work in Thailand. Are there any westerners teaching engineering in Thailand? Am I overlooking any obvious professions here?

I know this is personal stuff but I would be sincerly grateful for any advise or referals to schools, job search sites, direct leads.

Thanks,

Na Mah

[CharlieH]

If you have a degree and you are a native English speaker that's a big help for teaching, it wouldnt hurt to obtain a TEFL certificate, (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). There are also courses running for that here in Thailand just Google it.

With your background and qualifications I would have thought the Universities would welcome you, which are generally better paid than Government schools etc. Private International Schools even higher.

Working as an Engineer would I think be extremely difficult work to find and the money paid would be much lower than you are probably used to.

Hotel Restaurant resort, be careful as most jobs in these areas are restricted to Thais unless you are a "consultant".

The money you mention as pension would be more than double what you would probably need as a single guy, unless you have heavy drinking habits and live in the middle of Bangkok.

I would suggest the ED visa route for a start, learn Thai get a feel for how things work and settle in. The ED visa only requires a minimum 4 hrs per week study so you will have time to explore possibilities and research further and get a feel for how life is here before making more final decisions etc.

A Retirement visa is not the way to go at this stage, although you would qualify you cannot work on this type of visa should you choose to do so.

Good luck, come explore, get a feel for it, take it from there.

Edited March 24, 2012 by CharlieH

[Kalbo]

With the figure you've quoted, (and assuming you're moving here alone, and are not a heavy drinking whore monger), you should be able to live a very nice life, with a decent apartment that would include fitness room, swimming pool etc, and still manage to save a nice amount. My suggestion, and it is only a suggestion, would be to carry out your plan of learning Thai for a year, hence gaining a feel for the country, and then decide on where your future lies.

[benbear]

Agree with CharlieH, With your experience and qualifications I'd say Universities would welcome you with open arms and a huge Thai smile.

[Soutpeel]

Working as an Engineer would I think be extremely difficult work to find and the money paid would be much lower than you are probably used to.

Generalisations as normal, There expats are working in Thailand of 2.0, 2.5 times the salary of what they would get in either europe or the US and expat perks and some are "local" hires.....I know this because I am one of those, and have been for the last 10 years

The OP needs to put his CV with local employment agencies who specialise in technical recruitment in Thailand, there are about 3 or 4 major companies who do this, are there jobs about which will pay US/european salaries ?...yes...will you get here and walk straight into a job most likely not...as with most places it takes time

Further the OP doesnt need to become and "English" teacher...how about teaching at university...ie maths or engineering.

If your 51 and qualify financially...get a retirement visa and if you get a job, not a big deal to change over to a Non-imm B and WP....I know guys who do it all the time, of course if you really want to learn Thai the Ed visa could be a route....but you can do your Thai studies on a retirement visa as well

[brit1984]

You could easily be a teacher (with or without a TEFL certificate) or you could probably find an engineering job with some persistence (check the Jobs DB website).

However, as you already have some regular income from abroad (and I assume some savings to tap into for emergencies) I think you don't need rush to find full-time employment.

I recommend you come and get settled first. Learn to live with the 100k/month and use the web development/SEO skills you mentioned to set up some web-based businesses. This will keep your mind occupied and may produce some extra income in the future.

[BrianCR]

Working as an Engineer would I think be extremely difficult work to find and the money paid would be much lower than you are probably used to.

Generalisations as normal, There expats are working in Thailand of 2.0, 2.5 times the salary of what they would get in either europe or the US and expat perks and some are "local" hires.....I know this because I am one of those, and have been for the last 10 years

The OP needs to put his CV with local employment agencies who specialise in technical recruitment in Thailand, there are about 3 or 4 major companies who do this, are there jobs about which will pay US/european salaries ?...yes...will you get here and walk straight into a job most likely not...as with most places it takes time

Further the OP doesnt need to become and "English" teacher...how about teaching at university...ie maths or engineering.

If your 51 and qualify financially...get a retirement visa and if you get a job, not a big deal to change over to a Non-imm B and WP....I know guys who do it all the time, of course if you really want to learn Thai the Ed visa could be a route....but you can do your Thai studies on a retirement visa as well

A few corrections firstly, universities usually employ western lecturers in their facility of humanities where their position involves teaching all aspects of a language, True, you maybe "rented out" to another department but you will only be used to facilitate the use of a given language (in this case English). To teach in Thailand you need a Thai teaching licensee issued by the Teaching Council of Thailand,, who will, allow you up to two years to sit the four examinations you will be required to pass in order to obtain said license - you are allowed to teach during this two year period - however most universities that I know of insist on lecturers holding a teaching license issued by the education department of their own country - in which case the Teachers Council will document you as being a qualified teacher and will issue documents to prove it. followed by the full teaching license within a few months.

Second: Visa rules state that once an applicant has been issued with a retirement visa, that visa CAN NOT be rescinded for the issue of a non -i mm 'B" and a work permit. It can however be cancelled and replaced with a tourist visa

Third: Most expats working here for International Companies are seconded from their home countries where they have worked for that company for numerous years. Thai law says that work permits should only be issued to Westerners who can perform a job that a Thai person can not do - International Companies get around this rule by declaring that the applicant has worked for many years for the same company and is an intricate part of its management system.

Edited March 24, 2012 by BrianCR

[BrianCR]

You could easily be a teacher (with or without a TEFL certificate) or you could probably find an engineering job with some persistence (check the Jobs DB website).

However, as you already have some regular income from abroad (and I assume some savings to tap into for emergencies) I think you don't need rush to find full-time employment.

I recommend you come and get settled first. Learn to live with the 100k/month and use the web development/SEO skills you mentioned to set up some web-based businesses. This will keep your mind occupied and may produce some extra income in the future.

Most sensible suggestion yet!

[starship]

With your finances and considering you are taking early retirement it would not be necessary to work. It is a lot more expensive living in the central and tourist areas of Bangkok than a bit further out - depending what you want of course. As suggested i would check jobsdb for engineering posts although i think you would have to find a senior post in a large company where a translator is available otherwise language would be a barrier and there are thousands of Thai native engineers of course. Teaching should be no problem with a degree - worth getting a TEFL certificate although the pay is poor unless you get to a good international school - check out ajarn. I would suggest pursuing the the software route that you mention, considering you are a specialist. Maybe set up a small e-business or do some IT work.

Good luck.

[Soutpeel]

Second: Visa rules state that once an applicant has been issued with a retirement visa, that visa CAN NOT be rescinded for the issue of a non -i mm 'B" and a work permit. It can however be cancelled and replaced with a tourist visa

Third: Most expats working here for International Companies are seconded from their home countries where they have worked for that company for numerous years. Thai law says that work permits should only be issued to Westerners who can perform a job that a Thai person can not do - International Companies get around this rule by declaring that the applicant has worked for many years for the same company and is an intricate part of its management system.

You do know your talking absolute rubbish...dont you

I have many collegues who are over 50 years of age who frequently flip form being on retirement to working on term contracts in Thailand. the "retirement visa (Non-imm O) is cancelled, they get a Non-imm B and WP, work for the required length of time and then get a new Non-imm O (retirement)....they do not need to get a tourist visa, this is a pretty common practice.

Not all expats here work for international companies and do actually work for wholly based Thai companies and they dont seen to have problems getting WP's....they dont need to "get around" anything and declare anything

Edited March 24, 2012 by Soutpeel

[NaMah]

Thank you for the replies. Not only are they helpful but they really offer some hope to me that I'll be able to live and possibly work in Thailand. All of you have realized the Dream and made it happen.

I hope to do the same.

Na Mah

[samran]

The advice on spending your first year getting your bearings is wise, but that might include doing a bit of networking at various points. There are a few consultiong engineering firms around the traps that may be interested in speaking to you, and AIT (Asian institute of technology) has always stuck me a an institution that has its fair share of foreigners.

All the best with the move.

[BrianCR]

Second: Visa rules state that once an applicant has been issued with a retirement visa, that visa CAN NOT be rescinded for the issue of a non -i mm 'B" and a work permit. It can however be cancelled and replaced with a tourist visa

Third: Most expats working here for International Companies are seconded from their home countries where they have worked for that company for numerous years. Thai law says that work permits should only be issued to Westerners who can perform a job that a Thai person can not do - International Companies get around this rule by declaring that the applicant has worked for many years for the same company and is an intricate part of its management system.

You do know your talking absolute rubbish...dont you

I have many collegues who are over 50 years of age who frequently flip form being on retirement to working on term contracts in Thailand. the "retirement visa (Non-imm O) is cancelled, they get a Non-imm B and WP, work for the required length of time and then get a new Non-imm O (retirement)....they do not need to get a tourist visa, this is a pretty common practice.

Not all expats here work for international companies and do actually work for wholly based Thai companies and they dont seen to have problems getting WP's....they dont need to "get around" anything and declare anything

I think that you put the rubbish out mate! Try reading the Thai visa rules you may find yourself enlightened! Oh, and whilst you are trying to read, try reading my post again you will find that I was referring to International companies NOT THAI COMPANIES. Regarding Wholly based Thai Companies they need to prove that they need foreign experts and that they can not locate a Thai person to carry out the work (if the labour department requires it may also ask the company to produce records proving that they have advertised for a Thai member of staff and achieved no success in recruiting one)

As for your friends they either have help from high places, put Thai banknotes in the right hands or plainly just talk rubbish!

Have a nice day

[Bakseedaa]

If you are thinking of coming to work in Thailand , I think buying a colt 45 , putting the little hole at the front of the barrel against your forehead and pulling the trigger would be a much easier solution.. or perhaps run down and chat with your local head-shrink.. keep taking your medication and perhaps sense will prevail...But if you do come to Thailand, Do not speak to any ladies from Issan, or your 100,000bahts a month pension will soon dissapear before your very eyes... even orphans here have a sick mother back on the farm... Only joking you.. if you do come, have a great time and wish every success in the Land of Smiles...

[NewlyMintedThai]

Second: Visa rules state that once an applicant has been issued with a retirement visa, that visa CAN NOT be rescinded for the issue of a non -i mm 'B" and a work permit. It can however be cancelled and replaced with a tourist visa

Third: Most expats working here for International Companies are seconded from their home countries where they have worked for that company for numerous years. Thai law says that work permits should only be issued to Westerners who can perform a job that a Thai person can not do - International Companies get around this rule by declaring that the applicant has worked for many years for the same company and is an intricate part of its management system.

You do know your talking absolute rubbish...dont you

I have many collegues who are over 50 years of age who frequently flip form being on retirement to working on term contracts in Thailand. the "retirement visa (Non-imm O) is cancelled, they get a Non-imm B and WP, work for the required length of time and then get a new Non-imm O (retirement)....they do not need to get a tourist visa, this is a pretty common practice.

Not all expats here work for international companies and do actually work for wholly based Thai companies and they dont seen to have problems getting WP's....they dont need to "get around" anything and declare anything

I think that you put the rubbish out mate! Try reading the Thai visa rules you may find yourself enlightened! Oh, and whilst you are trying to read, try reading my post again you will find that I was referring to International companies NOT THAI COMPANIES. Regarding Wholly based Thai Companies they need to prove that they need foreign experts and that they can not locate a Thai person to carry out the work (if the labour department requires it may also ask the company to produce records proving that they have advertised for a Thai member of staff and achieved no success in recruiting one)

As for your friends they either have help from high places, put Thai banknotes in the right hands or plainly just talk rubbish!

Have a nice day

I recently hired a gent who was here on retirement visa. No problems whatsoever in canceling it, getting a non-imm B and work permit.

[NaMah]

If you are thinking of coming to work in Thailand , I think buying a colt 45 , putting the little hole at the front of the barrel against your forehead and pulling the trigger would be a much easier solution.. or perhaps run down and chat with your local head-shrink.. keep taking your medication and perhaps sense will prevail...But if you do come to Thailand, Do not speak to any ladies from Issan, or your 100,000bahts a month pension will soon dissapear before your very eyes... even orphans here have a sick mother back on the farm... Only joking you.. if you do come, have a great time and wish every success in the Land of Smiles...

lol.

I married an Issan Princess when I was 18 years old so I've sort of been down that road. Frankly a guy could do much worse than a decent country girl.

I would love to tell you that I will *never* buy a house for a girl or supply money for the sick buffalo or help out a wayward brother-in-law but I've lived long enough to know that there is no such thing as "never". But I will certainly keep your advise in mind and try to hang onto my assets.

[maprao]

100 K Thai Baht is more than enough to live on! That's about $3333 pm. Probably more than some mongers earn who travel to be 2 week millionaires every year.

Get a retirement Visa. Stay in Bangkok. Savor Pattaya. Try Chang Mai. Also give it a go at living somewhere in a large town in the boonies. Once you have experienced all and had a chance to network then decide where to settle.

Try not to fall in love! (PS I can't follow my own advice there....... but it seems to have worked out!)

[RAZZELL]

100,000 baht is about £2+k a month.

You could have a great lifestyle on that - an upper middle class Thai salary.

Take your time, learn the language, enjoy and good luck

RAZZ

[NaMah]

100 K Thai Baht is more than enough to live on! That's about $3333 pm. Probably more than some mongers earn who travel to be 2 week millionaires every year.

Get a retirement Visa. Stay in Bangkok. Savor Pattaya. Try Chang Mai. Also give it a go at living somewhere in a large town in the boonies. Once you have experienced all and had a chance to network then decide where to settle.

Try not to fall in love! (PS I can't follow my own advice there....... but it seems to have worked out!)

100,000 baht is about £2+k a month.

You could have a great lifestyle on that - an upper middle class Thai salary.

Take your time, learn the language, enjoy and good luck

RAZZ

The reasons that I want to continue to work are that I'm still pretty young (51) and my interest in technical subjects is still very strong. Learning Matlab over the last 11 years has reinvigorated my technical abilities and I've been able to conceive and create some new technologies so there is the desire to remain creative, might as well be paid to do that if possible. Another reason is that if I'm working I will have opportunies to meet people outside of just restaraunts, the gym and pubs.

I made a detailed spreadsheet and, by doing alot of reading on ThaiVisa, tried to honestly estimate my expenses. For that purpose I assumed that I would live in Chiang Mai (though I'm thinking more of Bangkok now) and assumed a monthly rent of 16,000 baht, electric power 5000 baht, internet 3500 baht etcetera and assumed expenses for food/drink/entertainment, transportation (motorcycle at first), fuel, and also a mailbox with forwarding service in the USA, storage of some household items in the USA.

I reached the conclusion that I could live on my pension but I would like to be able to vacation at the beach for maybe 1-week per year and also be able to return to the USA to visit friends (my friend has a large yacht and I go up into the San Juan Islands near Seattle each summer). I am also accustomed to doing some skiing and would like to be able to take a short ski trip or two. Other desirements are car ownership, maybe living in a house instead of apartment, perhaps hiring a housekeeper or maybe even having someone cook for me a couple of times per week. I'm not an excessive spender but you can see where I have some additional expenses.

The consensus here is that I should attend language school and figure out what to do once I am in country and that is what I will do. One of the posters supplied me with the names of some technical recruiters in Thailand so I will start talking to them. I'll admit that I don't like getting up very early in the morning but I think that I will continue to work until I am 65 years old or thereabouts. My father still chooses to work and he is nearly 80. I'm not a golfer but I do play tennis and racquetball so if I can find some partners I should be able to fill my days.

Thanks again for the replies.

Edited March 25, 2012 by NaMah

[JMG]

If you decide to live away from the congestion of BKK and seek a more tropical lifestyle perhaps head to Phuket or Samui but you will probably need about $4,500 per month if you want to rent a good condo in an upmarket secure complex with gym, or rent a small pool villa & join a local gym, also rent a car, eat out regularly and have a beer regularly with the local girls. I do all of this and spend between 4-5K per month. And you could probably find work teaching English in one of the international schools.

[NaMah]

If you decide to live away from the congestion of BKK and seek a more tropical lifestyle perhaps head to Phuket or Samui but you will probably need about $4,500 per month if you want to rent a good condo in an upmarket secure complex with gym, or rent a small pool villa & join a local gym, also rent a car, eat out regularly and have a beer regularly with the local girls. I do all of this and spend between 4-5K per month. And you could probably find work teaching English in one of the international schools.

Hmm $5000 is about 154,000 baht per month. I would certainly have to work to live like that and not dip into savings. I've read alot about Phuket and Koh Samui and they sound...great. I have a thai friend from Samui who owns a restaurant in Seattle so I've talked to him alot about life on Samui. He has married a nice young Australian lady and she met him on Samui. Phuket looks very cool too. I constantly read those forums here on ThaiVisa.

Lately I'm thinking about Bangkok as it might be better so far as engineering work. One thing that has always sucked about being an engineer is that you have to live where the work is and it isn't usually on a tropical island lol. I once ran a tracking station for the Japanese National Space Agency on Kiribati Island (Christmas Island) in the south Pacific but it was actually a pretty difficult place to live and the native women were as ugly as you can imagine eheh.

Edited March 25, 2012 by NaMah

[PattayaParent]

The reasons that I want to continue to work are that I'm still pretty young (51) and my interest in technical subjects is still very strong. Learning Matlab over the last 11 years has reinvigorated my technical abilities and I've been able to conceive and create some new technologies so there is the desire to remain creative, might as well be paid to do that if possible. Another reason is that if I'm working I will have opportunies to meet people outside of just restaraunts, the gym and pubs.

Could you still do your MATLAB authoring for companies / contacts you have in USA from Thailand? That would seem like a good way to continue to use your skills to earn money while you are here and looking for a job in the enginseering field.

Alternatively before you leave USA get yourself qualified as a teacher and you should have better opportunities to teach engineering in university or science in international schools here.

Good luck.

[kawaiimomo]

A little bit off topic but I cannot resist: People here seems to have expensive tastes saying 100k THB should be enough is you are not a heavy drinker (I wonder how you could spent all that money drinking) and talking about a USD 5000 condo (man, the floor must be pure gold).

My current salary is just 50k THB and I usually spent around 20k per month. I live in a standard 7k THB room and it is pretty decent although I want to move because it doesn't have a kitchen. I live just 5 minutes away from Phra ram 9 MRT station by the way. I really wonder what do you spent your money on (I am not the party type although sometimes I do go party).

Most local people have a salary around 10k THB and have a decent life. So don't worry a bit about having a extremely good life here. Good luck!

[4evermaat]

Thank you for the replies. Not only are they helpful but they really offer some hope to me that I'll be able to live and possibly work in Thailand. All of you have realized the Dream and made it happen.

I hope to do the same.

Na Mah

Freelancing seems to be a good way to make money, especially with your technical background.

Get a multiple entry non-imm visa right before coming here. Much easiet to get from home country than here.

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

[NaMah]

Could you still do your MATLAB authoring for companies / contacts you have in USA from Thailand? That would seem like a good way to continue to use your skills to earn money while you are here and looking for a job in the enginseering field.

Alternatively before you leave USA get yourself qualified as a teacher and you should have better opportunities to teach engineering in university or science in international schools here.

Good luck.

I've written Matlab for my employers at the engineering firms were I've worked and also for a large hedge fund that I worked for in Chicago but I haven't had any luck finding freelance Matlab work. I've got a website but I wrote the HTML myself and did the SEO myself as well. I've got the top organic link in Google for the keywords I was after but something about the site isn't attracting clients, not a single contact lol. www.matlabdevelopment.com Maybe it is just too home-made looking. Some of my friends say that it just hasn't been up long enough but its been about 6 months without any interest.

Your question about preparing to teach is excellent. That is one thing I was hoping to get some input on here but I might need to inquire in the teaching forum. I've been looking at Ajarn site but that seems primarily aimed at English teaching. I've got some time here in the USA and was wondering what I could do to earn some kind of certificate that would help me in Thailand. One poster mentioned TEFL and I've been thinking of doing that just so I would have something to fall back on if I can't find engineering work and also can't find a math or science teaching job at one of the universities in Thailand. One of the replies says that he thought I might be able to teach math or engineering at university without any certification, another says I need some kind of certification so I am a little confused. I honestly enjoyed my english courses at school when I was growing up and took quite a bit of literature courses during engineering school so maybe getting a TEFL certification would be a good insurance policy in case everything else failed. I think I'll be here through the end of 2012 so I may have adequate time to complete something, I just need to settle on exactly how to spend that time and which course to take.

Again, I know all of this is a bit personal but I've realized that I need the counsel of some Thailand veterans if I'm ever going to get out of here and get to the LOS. I wish I'd gone there 25 years ago.

[JMG]

Thailand priority to meet ASEAN community membership requirments by 2015 mean ENGLISH is number Thai student subject. The Thai Government will hire 2,000 new English teachers starting now so it's agood part time gig for part retirement. Get qualified and then take a holiday in Phuket and Samui. Then contact the Thai Education Ministers Department for part time teaching gigs.

2,000 native English teachers to boost Thai students’ language skills

BANGKOK, 14 March 2012 (NNT) - Education Minister Dr. Suchart Thadathamrongvech said 2,000 English speaking teachers will be hired to teach English language in schools overseen by the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC).

Dr. Suchart said the move is in line with the government’s policy which supports language learning with native speakers. According to the report, the Education Minister has met with Mr. Martin Davidson, the Chief Executive of the British Council, for a discussion over the establishment of English classes in OBEC schools.

The British Council, Dr. Suchart said, will be responsible for recruiting 2,000 native speakers of the English language to teach at the schools. However, they will only be hired on a part-time basis. Each school is expected to pay a partial sum of money to these teachers in addition to the financial support from the Education Ministry if needed.

The British Council will provide electronic course materials which the Education Ministry will then convert to tablet-compatible files. The new teachers are expected to undergo 4 hours of training each day for a period of 10 weeks.

[NaMah]

A little bit off topic but I cannot resist: People here seems to have expensive tastes saying 100k THB should be enough is you are not a heavy drinker (I wonder how you could spent all that money drinking) and talking about a USD 5000 condo (man, the floor must be pure gold).

My current salary is just 50k THB and I usually spent around 20k per month. I live in a standard 7k THB room and it is pretty decent although I want to move because it doesn't have a kitchen. I live just 5 minutes away from Phra ram 9 MRT station by the way. I really wonder what do you spent your money on (I am not the party type although sometimes I do go party).

Most local people have a salary around 10k THB and have a decent life. So don't worry a bit about having a extremely good life here. Good luck!

Freelancing seems to be a good way to make money, especially with your technical background.

Get a multiple entry non-imm visa right before coming here. Much easiet to get from home country than here.

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

Kawaiimomo, My estimates for Chiang Mai show me having about 63k baht per month expenses. I'm probably going to come over whether I've arranged a job or not because it appears that my pension would be adequate. I've stated a few reasons I would like to continue to work so I'll go to Thai language school and look for a job with no real financial pressure. If I can find a job I might be able to do some skiing and maybe some flying (I'm a pilot), take a vacation on some nice Thai beach etc. If I can't find a job I'm sure I'll be perfectly happy with an apartment and motorcycle. I'm not too picky.

4evermaat, In the post above I discussed my failure to find freelance work. Its possible that my website simply sucks lol. I'm working to improve it and starting to register with E-Lance and LinkedIn and other sites for that purpose. I would love to freelance because I would have mobility and might be able to move around to different parts of Thailand. I have friends in Udon Thani and Samui and I would like to try Chiang Mai and possibly Phuket. I'll probably end up living in Bangkok because that is likely where the engineering work is.

Na Mah

Edited March 26, 2012 by NaMah

[JMG]

Hi Kawaiimomo and some clarification on the AUD$5K Phuket monthly overhead.

> Honda Jazz THB17,000 Electricity THB1,400

> Villa (1 b/room / sep kitchen & lounge/veranda) in small 7 villa complex with community pool THB18,000

> Gym membership THB2,400

> Live in Thai girlfriend allowance THB10,000

> Gasoline, food, drink (for myself and girlfriend) THB90,000

> Misc expenses THB15,000

MONTHLY EXPENSES TOTAL THB154,000

And that doesn't include buying clothing or a quick trip to somewhere. After 12 month reconciliation of expenses the monthly overhead is probaly more like THB200,000

[emsfeld]

I've written Matlab for my employers at the engineering firms were I've worked and also for a large hedge fund that I worked for in Chicago but I haven't had any luck finding freelance Matlab work.

Though in principle a good idea - knowing the financial modelling industry reasonably well both from a risk consulting and a hedge fund/ prop trading perspective I'd be very surprised if you had any luck acquiring Matlab based projects as a freelancer. Firstly, knowing your way around Matlab is no longer a skill really, but assumed for someone with a technical career/ academic degree. It's really become a toy to quickly build/ verify models and then they're put into prod by an experienced dev. I don't know if it's the same in engineering based roles.

Secondly, firms would prefer to build anything slightly related to IP in-house as the chances of you walking away with it is much lower and it's easier to control when done by an in-house permanent employee. That is unless you're good buddies with people (who have a say) in the industry.

The best option IMO (from a finance perspective) would be to build solutions/ Matlab scripts for real world problems in this area and then put them up for sale.

Edited March 26, 2012 by emsfeld

[PattayaParent]

Could you still do your MATLAB authoring for companies / contacts you have in USA from Thailand? That would seem like a good way to continue to use your skills to earn money while you are here and looking for a job in the enginseering field.

Alternatively before you leave USA get yourself qualified as a teacher and you should have better opportunities to teach engineering in university or science in international schools here.

Good luck.

I've written Matlab for my employers at the engineering firms were I've worked and also for a large hedge fund that I worked for in Chicago but I haven't had any luck finding freelance Matlab work. I've got a website but I wrote the HTML myself and did the SEO myself as well. I've got the top organic link in Google for the keywords I was after but something about the site isn't attracting clients, not a single contact lol. www.matlabdevelopment.com Maybe it is just too home-made looking. Some of my friends say that it just hasn't been up long enough but its been about 6 months without any interest.

Your question about preparing to teach is excellent. That is one thing I was hoping to get some input on here but I might need to inquire in the teaching forum. I've been looking at Ajarn site but that seems primarily aimed at English teaching. I've got some time here in the USA and was wondering what I could do to earn some kind of certificate that would help me in Thailand. One poster mentioned TEFL and I've been thinking of doing that just so I would have something to fall back on if I can't find engineering work and also can't find a math or science teaching job at one of the universities in Thailand. One of the replies says that he thought I might be able to teach math or engineering at university without any certification, another says I need some kind of certification so I am a little confused. I honestly enjoyed my english courses at school when I was growing up and took quite a bit of literature courses during engineering school so maybe getting a TEFL certification would be a good insurance policy in case everything else failed. I think I'll be here through the end of 2012 so I may have adequate time to complete something, I just need to settle on exactly how to spend that time and which course to take.

Again, I know all of this is a bit personal but I've realized that I need the counsel of some Thailand veterans if I'm ever going to get out of here and get to the LOS. I wish I'd gone there 25 years ago.

I'd consider the TEFL English teaching option as the really last resort.

I was more thinking of finding out what qualifications you would need to teach maths / engineering in a school or university in USA and working towards that so you have a much better qualification that is not so widely available here.

Then you would get a much better paid position and possibly a much more interesting job also.

Edited March 26, 2012 by PattayaParent