I've been denied entry to Thailand - Now What ! ?

[jji23]

Hi everybody,

I'm very tired of being an English Teacher here, at lower level anyway. I'm going to go back to the UK to study. I'm married to a Thai and like living in Thailand, however salary, future prospects and Thai management in my current job/sector have become too much to take. I've just turned 25 and feel like this is the time to get a qualification before it is too late.

So, I believe my options to be;

Train to become a fully qualified teacher with school experience in the UK (4-5 years) then return to a decent paying International School.

Do a degree in International Business, International Financial Services, International Economics and Finance etc, and apply for jobs in the investment banking sector in BKK.

I was wondering if any of the Thai Visa members work in that sector? What normally happens for foreigners to be hired? Perhaps its more a case of working for that company (HSBC for example) in the UK and then being transferred, if so I believe it would be pretty difficult.

What would you recommend to gain employment in BKK with one of the investment or regular (foreign) banks?

Cheers

[fletchsmile]

As a foreigner in Thailand your chances of getting an entry level position in an investment bank in Thailand are very close to zero. You need experience from elsewhere. A hub like Singapore, London, HK, Sydney etc is a better start, then you might have a chance of a Thailand posting.

Even with a very good CV and years of experience in your field behind you, banks prefer to hire locals where possible for permanent positions. More likely as a foreigner with experience you will get to do say 3 years at a time with any bank in Thailand and then be expected to either move countries or just "move". There are a few exceptions to staying in Thailand though not many.

Banking is also a heavily regulated industry, and Bank of Thailand restricts the number of foreigners allowed. This can be as low as 3 automatic positions for a bank with over a thousand employees. Any appointments above that needs to be justified to Bank of Thailand.

So my advice would be if you really want to do banking, be prepared to move around as an expat, and start outside Thailand. Going the route of a fully qualified international school teacher is a much more stable proposition. Better working hours and holidays too

[brit1984]

The banking idea isn't going to fly

The teaching idea is feasible

There are many other options too

[WilliaminBKK]

I have a few family members who have many degrees and trade accreditation (mutual funds, mortgage, forex) and have worked in London, Dubai, Toronto & Singapore and honestly they are burnt out and have aged. The positions are difficult to obtain and the burn & churn factor is high- frankly they spend as much as they make as their peers are highly driven and party super hard.

I'd stick to education as a career we know it isn't going anywhere-you don't hear about teachers being laid off.

Good luck

[samran]

From what i've seen you are going to need an MBA plus a CFA level 3 qualification to be competitive. Probel remains is that you are going to be closer to 30 by the time you are done competing with Thai national Oxbridge/LSE/ Ivy league trained grads who are fluent in Thai and English who also have a couple of internships under their belt.

I'd go the teaching route.

[wordchild]

As others have said above forget about direct entry (as a farang) into investment banking/ fund management in Thailand. For all sorts of reasons it just doesnt happen that way. 15+ years ago there were hundreds of farang investment bankers/stockbrokers working in bangkok. Aside from those who work in the bucket shops i would say there is a fraction of that now. Those jobs have either gone to locals (who are now much better qualified) or been relocated back to Hong Kong, Singapore or London. If you are serious about a job in the area you would be better to focus outside Thailand.

[AyG]

I'm an ex-director of an investment bank and have worked both in London and Tokyo (not Bangkok). When recruiting a degree in Finance or Business really wasn't considered important. I (along with my colleagues) would be much more interested in people with PhDs and first degrees from a good university (meaning Cambridge, Oxford, and others of that ilk). However, excellent interpersonal skills trumped any degree for most roles. In short, it's much more than the degree that helps you get an entry level position in any country.

I'd also like to point out that you're rather too old. By the time you've finished a degree you'll be almost 30 and (in the eyes of the investment banking community) virtually past it. There's no point in training a 30 year old who (in all probability) will be out of the business by the time he's 40.

[fletchsmile]

As others have said above forget about direct entry (as a farang) into investment banking/ fund management in Thailand. For all sorts of reasons it just doesnt happen that way. 15+ years ago there were hundreds of farang investment bankers/stockbrokers working in bangkok. Aside from those who work in the bucket shops i would say there is a fraction of that now. Those jobs have either gone to locals (who are now much better qualified) or been relocated back to Hong Kong, Singapore or London. If you are serious about a job in the area you would be better to focus outside Thailand.

A lot of truth in that. I'd add the jobs often go to locals whether better qualified or not. There's a preference to hire locals even if sometimes less qualified than an incoming expat