My Dream Of Becoming A Thai

[TommoPhysicist]

What makes you think Thailand is any different from China? There are opportunities everywhere - even Thailand - for people who have the ability. Maybe you don't, and thankfully the people that can never listen to people who always say can not.

In China Visas are easier, wages are much higher and you can own a property.

That's three good reasons for thinking China is better as a work place.

None of which are important for success.

Every little helps.

[samran]

Geez, with a couple of exceptions, this thread has drawn out some miserable old gits.

Truth is, you are young enough to come here for a couple of years and make a go of it without risking your future.

Probably one lesson you can learn from these guys - don't shack up with a BG who drags you back up country and sucks the life out of you. Otherwise I dare say you'll end up as cynical as some of these fellows.

I dare say, if you can do China then Thailand will be a breeze. And that isn't just me speaking. Plenty of multi-nationals tell me the same.

[MrRed]

What makes you think Thailand is any different from China? There are opportunities everywhere - even Thailand - for people who have the ability. Maybe you don't, and thankfully the people that can never listen to people who always say can not.

In China Visas are easier, wages are much higher and you can own a property.

That's three good reasons for thinking China is better as a work place.

None of which are important for success.

So if these are not important for success........how Einstein is the OP going to be successful in Thailand without these three unimportant essentials

[Soutpeel]

Seems to be we have an OP who is asking for opinions and advice, and when he receives opinions and advice which contradict his view pouint he start arguing with people, so to make him feel better...

OP yes...follow your dream come to Thailand, its wonderful, you will find a loving wife and a very well paying job easy...far easier than China..

This is what you want to hear dont you ?

[NewlyMintedThai]

If you want to be a Thai citizen, it can be done and dusted in ten years.

Take it from someone who knows.

BUT...you'll need to get on a decent job with work permit to get the ball rolling. And then stay employed throughout the process.

Yes, self-employment will work as long as you set up a legal company entity, get a work permit for yourself, and pay yourself a decent salary.

Don't listen to the nay-sayers. I arrived in Thailand in my twenties with nothing to my name. Today, twenty-some years later, several million dollars in assets and a Thai passport.

PS: like you, I have spent considerable time in China. It is an awful place.

[NewlyMintedThai]

PPS: don't expect any miracles. If you were a loser back home, you'll be a loser in Thailand, too (see the many sad posters above).

If you were a go-getter back home, you'll do fine in Thailand.

Edited September 12, 2012 by NewlyMintedThai

[NewlyMintedThai]

PPPS: you can greatly shorten the time required to become a citizen by marrying a Thai citizen.

[Gone]

Find your self a Thai Language School and start with an Education visa. That will give you enough spare time to investigate other avenues.

So many negative replies for this guy but this one is your best bet.

Yes the road can be bumpy but yes you can do it. I do wonder why all the people with their negative replies are still here?

Welcom to Thailand and good luck in your ventures dude.

[sbk]

Off topic unhelpful posts removed. If you don't have anything to contribute other than one liner troll posts that smack of racism then don't post anything at all.

[Colabamumbai]

Remember visiting and living in a country are two different things. Thailand is no Shangrila. I do agree with some of the statements of other posters, but try to be more positive. The whole world is open to you young man. Why do you want to come to Thailand? What is the real reason? What did you see or do or experience that makes you think you want to come back? Only you know.

The grass is always greener on the other side, but I have found that generally it is the VIEW.

[Asiantravel]

OP you didn't say if you've learnt Mandarin?

Anyway you are only a young person and in my humble opinion you are in the right place already.

if I was your age I would be where you are doing what you are now

Whatever it is that attracts you to Thailand don't forget the grass always looks greener etc

[Time Traveller]

What makes you think Thailand is any different from China? There are opportunities everywhere - even Thailand - for people who have the ability. Maybe you don't, and thankfully the people that can never listen to people who always say can not.

In China Visas are easier, wages are much higher and you can own a property.

That's three good reasons for thinking China is better as a work place.

None of which are important for success.

So if these are not important for success........how Einstein is the OP going to be successful in Thailand without these three unimportant essentials

Well, it's depends what your idea of success is. If you are expecting a high salary, a "free" visa pass and the rights to own a property, well, Thailand might not be for you.

My definition of success is different and many of the people I know that have become successful in Thailand, started their own business. The didn't need more favorable visa laws, high wages, or to own property. They did it through their own entrepreneurial skills and business management, not expecting some employer to pay them high wages.

[NewlyMintedThai]

Where did you hear that China's property laws were less restrictive than Thailand's? Foreigners can only one a single condo, and they must inhabit it themselves. That's it -- no land, no multiple condo's as investment. And you can't buy at all until you've lived there for at least a year.

There are also strict currency exchange rules in place. Foreigners without work visas are restricted to exchanging USD 50,000.00 into local currency...likely not even enough to make a downpayment.

Let's not forget about the Great Firewall (no YouTube, Facebook, etc.), the fact that corruption in the PRC is worse even than in Thailand and that the government is one of the most evil in the world.

Finally, the environment...pollution in Shanghai and Beijing is far, far, worse than in Bangkok. You will go weeks without seeing the sky. Respiratory ailments (and worse) or common. Drink or eat local food products at your own peril.

[jeantremblay83]

OP you didn't say if you've learnt Mandarin?

Anyway you are only a young person and in my humble opinion you are in the right place already.

if I was your age I would be where you are doing what you are now

Whatever it is that attracts you to Thailand don't forget the grass always looks greener etc

I can communicate in English, French and some Mandarin. The Mandarin level I have doesn't let me have friends that speaks only Mandarin but it is good enough to impress a Chinese.

My dad said the same thing when I was going to China. "The grass is always greener elsewhere". I replied, well I don't know yet what is the color of the grass in China, if it's purple I might like it.

Lots of people would like to be at my place. I'm open for trading

[Naam]

My Dream Of Becoming A Thai

chances are very good that you will keep on dreaming for a veeeeeery long time.

[PattayaBeachBum]

"A 1 day job in western countries can take 3 weeks here because of the regulations."

pretty sure it is much worst here....continue reading thaivisa

yes everything here is just impossibly hard and slow

[bbbbooboo]

Call me cynical perhaps, but at your age haven't you other things to drea

m about?

[NewlyMintedThai]

Call me cynical perhaps, but at your age haven't you other things to drea

m about?

He's dreaming of his future. What do you reckon he should be dreaming about?

[Naam]

Call me cynical perhaps, but at your age haven't you other things to drea

m about?

He's dreaming of his future. What do you reckon he should be dreaming about?

hmmm... i'd know a few things but i won't tell

[TommoPhysicist]

Where did you hear that China's property laws were less restrictive than Thailand's? Foreigners can only one a single condo, and they must inhabit it themselves. That's it -- no land, no multiple condo's as investment. And you can't buy at all until you've lived there for at least a year.

I have an English friend (age 68) with a Chinese wife (age 31), he lives in China and tells me he owns a house by the beach, his wife owns a condo in the nearest big city. He says they are each allowed to own one property.

His wife also tells me that as I am still a young man (late 50s) if I ever get tired of my Thai wife, I could come over to China and have the pick of her single friends (early 30s) for a wife ......... sounds a little like Thailand, but she also says there would be serious consequences for fooling around on a Chinese wife as they believe in fidelity and monogamy.

I have no reason to disbelieve what they both say.

If I were single ..........

Edited September 12, 2012 by TommoPhysicist

[NewlyMintedThai]

I think you need to do a bit more research, Tommo.

[Albacore]

I'm a young man (24) living in Thailand, and I'd highly recommend that you pay attention to what some of the others here have to say. I'll give you the best advice that I can here, and share with you some of my experiences. Please remember that this forum, even with all the bitter and spiteful postings, is an incredibly valuable resource!

Before I move on to things that you may not like reading as much, I must first say that I think you should definitely give it a try!

I would also recommend that you start by enrolling in a language school. I live in Bangkok, and most people in my neighborhood can't communicate with even the most basic of English. Luckily it's pretty affordable, and fun (in my opinion, anyway) to attend a Thai language school. The prices are considerably cheap (I pay 6,000 baht for 60 hours) and the visa is quite easy to get, depending mostly upon which Thai foreign embassy you decide to visit. You may want to first come to Thailand on a 30 day entry stamp in order to find a language school to your liking, then head to Laos (easy, cheap, and quick) and apply for your visa. After you get the visa, you'll need to get school paperwork and head to the immigration office every 90 days to extend your visa, pay a fee, and otherwise deal with a number of minor inconveniences. My language school has been more than just a great place to learn the language: it's a great place to meet people. Most of my few friends in Thailand were once my classmates at the language school I attend.

First, a little background on my situation, to give you some perspective of where I'm coming from and things you may expect (much of it copied from a post I made earlier on the 'Farming in Thailand' forum.)

I moved to Thailand about a year and a half ago. I completed my degree in international agribusiness management from a college and program of considerable acclaim. When I was studying I enthusiastically did all my projects on aquaculture, the world shrimp economy, the economics of the frozen seafood export business, etc. The majority of my research focused on things that directly or exclusively pertained to Thailand. I moved to Bangkok soon after graduating in order to try to find work in aquaculture, seafood exports, or a related field. Needless to say, I was extremely naive and overconfident about finding work! I still believe that the projects and research that I did put me in a unique position to actually be someone that could contribute in a way that a Thai wouldn't have been able to, and in a very large and profitable industry for this country. However, hundreds of resumes (and countless office visits and phone calls later), I'm still very much unemployed. I've learned to speak, read, and write the Thai language, but in all honesty that hasn't made a bit of difference in my job hunt. A lot of success here can be directly attributed to luck and knowing the right people. Unless you have the right connections, or transfer to Thailand with a foreign company, trying to find work is extremely difficult! I've had maybe 10 replies out of the hundreds of resumes I've sent out. Half of those were confused Thais who didn't read the English correctly, and then tried to save face by pretending to be interested. The other half were employers who pretended to be interested, but really just wanted to completely screw me over and never had any true intention of ever hiring me in the first place (I was very naive and let a Thai company take advantage of me shortly after arrival).

Unless you're a native English speaker with light skin and a degree who's willing to teach long hours for a meager salary, Thailand is not an easy place for young foreigners to find work! A degree is not absolutely necessary, but please note that it is of considerable importance, especially to Thais. Keep in mind that a lot of fantastic English teachers lost their jobs, with all their skill and experience, because they didn't have college degrees...and then many of these positions were filled by unqualified and inexperienced people who did have degrees in some irrelevant field of

study.

If you want to live in Chiang Mai, this can add additional difficulty. I know many foreigners and Thais who would love to live in Chiang Mai, but simply can't because the working opportunities and wages are not available there. Essentially everything is centered around Bangkok, which has a great many drawbacks in addition to some decent aspects.

Now, about adapting to culture. I definitely believe that the few months you've spent in Thailand were not enough to get acquainted with the way life is here. Before I moved to Thailand, I never knew what it was like to have no friends or experience betrayal. I've had some very rough times here, and my first experiences with depression. Others have covered the paperwork and legal aspects of it, but "becoming a Thai" is not going to be easy. I hope to be proven wrong, but I honestly believe that even if you get citizenship, become fluent in the language, get married, build a house, etc....you'll never "become a Thai", especially in the eyes of most other Thais. I don't want to get into this too much, but I wouldn't anticipate on ever being treated as an equal. However, by no means does this mean you won't end up living a fantastic life full of loving family and friends. Fortunately you're from Canada, and Canadians are generally held in high regard in Thailand. Things you may consider to be incredibly bigoted and shallow, like skin color or nation of origin, can be very important in Thailand.

I wouldn't say that the state of "Thai culture" is much different from what you see in China. The level of greed and materialism can be seemingly unfathomable, and I don't think an extended holiday in the northern region of this country was long enough for you to see this. Although not as bad as China, Thailand has its share of human rights violations, especially regarding censorship and freedom of speech. Corruption is rampant and usually not even thinly veiled. A lot of things here are wrong, unjust, and rotten to the very core.

Thais are not bad people. However, they are no less driven by greed and other vices than anyone else. Although they're the subject of never ending gripes and complaints, there are many amazing Thai women, and many people on this forum are very happily married. For me, the hardest part about getting along here is not being able to relate with anyone. I've essentially had to completely focus on new interests and hobbies in order to enjoy myself more. I have virtually nothing in common with 99% of Thai people, which also makes things difficult. In my particular area, it's very hard to find guys my age who have any interest or hobby other than playing computer games.

You're definitely in for an uphill battle, but it is possible to succeed. I feel like I've started rambling now, but the attitude of your original post really got me to thinking. Feel free to private message me if you'd like any other advice, or if you plan to move to Bangkok and want some good Thai language school recommendations. I am, after all, still unemployed...but I'll fight to the end!

Edited September 12, 2012 by Albacore

[Time Traveller]

The post by Albacore is reasonable, but perhaps some of the advice (by others elsewhere on TV) to people such as OP is a little misguided.

Firstly, a relevent degree does not guarantee employment anywhere - even some of the best Thai graduates have difficulty finding work in their field upon graduation. So foreigners coming to Thailand with no experience are at an even bigger disadvantage to getting suitable employment. The same also for people with minimal experience.

The biggest asset is not your "skills" - everyone especially the college grads think they are wiser than everyone else - it is your contacts. This applies not just to Thailand but every country. For example, my experience is that in the 7 jobs I've held across 3 different continents - (including 3 different employers in Thailand) - 5 of these were because I knew someone that the employer also knew.

Employers want someone they can trust. References especially personal are held in much higher esteem than some inexperienced outsider from a big shot university.

Advice to the OP: Moving to some rural location in a new country and having no work related contacts means that your work opportunities are close to zero unless you have something like internet business sideline opportunities. If you don't and you don't have family there then ask yourself why?

Edited September 12, 2012 by Time Traveller

[noob7]

"Already spent about 4 months total in Thailand"

You know nothing about Thailand, trust me.

learning Thai, with an ED -Visa, will be the best option. Like mentioned already, it may show you, that your 'wish' has more or less nothing to do, with known reality. 'Cause as soon you understand Thai, and are clever enough, to hide it, most of the time, you will lerarn about 'The Land of Smile'.

Good luck!

[Albacore]

The biggest asset is not your "skills" - everyone especially the college grads think they are wiser than everyone else - it is your contacts. This applies not just to Thailand but every country. For example, my experience is that in the 7 jobs I've held across 3 different continents - (including 3 different employers in Thailand) - 5 of these were because I knew someone that the employer also knew.

Employers want someone they can trust. References especially personal are held in much higher esteem than some inexperienced outsider from a big shot university.

This couldn't be more true, be you need to be sure that your contacts are people you can trust as well. When I first came to Thailand, I wanted to make it on my own. However, there were also two family "friends" who had more or less bragged about how they could get me a position just about anywhere in the world. I thought this a good fall back, for unless you're truly genius, or at least superbly industrious and innovative, having the right contacts is always the number one advantage for finding employment. Unfortunately, when it came time for me to call upon those who'd before been so confident in their abilities to assist me, all their words and promises turned out to be unfounded. One gentleman tried, who'd made a considerable fortune in Hong Kong many years before, put forth a little effort to introduce me to a man he used to work with who's currently the director of a logistics and relocations company in Thailand. I made three attempts to meet with this gentleman, called a few times, and wrote an e-mail. I was never allowed to meet with him, nor were my phone calls or e-mails returned. I reported my experience to the man who referred me and had before acted so confident in his ability to assist me, but he too failed to return my e-mails or phone calls.

The point of this story is this: Be confident that your contacts will actually follow through with what they say they're capable of doing, or are themselves in a direct position to assist you. Many people love to brag about who they know and how much influence they have, but in the end can't follow through.

[jak2002003]

You really need to master the language well, both speaking and reading/writing. You need to make lots of Thai friends and get involved in Thai life: go to people houses for meals, go out together for day trips, go the the temple, help out will local events, use the local shops and food stalls, etc etc.

This is the only real way you will get confident with the language and also the attitudes and behaviours of the Thai people. If you don't do this you will never feel you quite fit in.

As for learning the language you should really push yourself if you are serious about it, otherwise it will drag on for years and you won't get far. I would suggest you check out several schools in your area and try some trial lessons first. The more hours you can spend each week the better, even though it might seem a bit like hard work at the start.

Check out the forums for well known school. Make sure you select a good one, with properly qualified teachers and lots of happy students! I can only speak for the school I am attending at the moment. It called Pro Language. I find it very good and have now complaints. But this in by no means the only good school.

Hope you are still enjoying you time in Thailand. Really 4 months is not a long time. I think you will only really know if you want to live here the rest of you life after you have been here a good few years, after the 'honeymoon' period has worn off, and things seem more normal and less exciting as you get used to them.

[dutchsamui]

I am 34 years old guy from the Netherlands and living in Thailand 8 years now.

If I can do it, so can you....

Good luck.

Edited September 13, 2012 by Mario2008
moderation comment deleted

[rics21]

This dude needs to read on the posts on farang going back to farangland after running down on cash.

Sent from my XT910 using Thaivisa Connect App

[Tomtomtom69]

What's with you? Why would u ever dream about living in thailand?

I worked in suzhou, shanghai about 10 years ago. Its a paradise.

Why don't u want to be in China?

Anyway, Thailand is a good place if u have a job, investment, lots of savings or pension.

Without income/ money, Thailand can be hell.

Sent from my XT910 using Thaivisa Connect App

Thailand changed my life. I used to be a materialistic boy that just lives like the others back in Montreal. No other goals then just live like the others did. One day, I went to a Chinese restaurant with my parents and brother. I was talking about the money I saved so I could buy all those great things for my first apartment. My brother then said to me : "Instead of buying all those stuff, why don't you come with me to Thailand.". I then stopped talking, thought for a moment, and said let's do it ! I left my job and went there. After spending 1 month there, I completely changed.

I didn't know back then how different the way of living could be from a country to another. I felt in love with the Thai culture and I needed to go back. So I did but for a longer period of time. When I came back I was convinced that I would like to live there. I even made a girlfriend from there and we kept a long distance relationship. It was great and I was saving my money as much as I can to go and live with her. Then something happened and we we're no longer together.

I changed my plans and decided to make documentaries about traveling to show the culture of each country I would visit. Why not start with China ? After a month of collecting films and doing montage I ended up in Shanghai. I planned to stay only 3 day's and then go on. I really hated this city at first and really want to get my material and go out.

Then I met someone who gave me an opportunity to work for 1 month. Which I did. The company enjoyed the work I did for them so much that they asked me to stay for a couple of more months. Then I never left. I was never able to love this city. Nor other cities here and even Suzhou. Of course it's not bad to live here, I have everything that I need but money is not something that rules me. It is a result of my actions. It's not hell to live here but it's not where I want to live. I could establish a business or continue work here and be very successful. But, there is other things in life than this and people can wish for other things in life than being successful at work.

I'm confused. What made you think Thailand is a good place to come and live especially after a 4-month holiday? You are lucky that you were even able to get a residence permit valid for work in China, given that you don't have a degree. Keep at it. There is nothing wrong with China, especially not Shanghai, even if the current political climate isn't the best but trust me, if you're legal there they're not going to kick you out.

I have lived in both Thailand and China so I can analyze both countries quite well and make some good comparisons. I speak, read and write Thai fluently. I also speak, read and write Chinese at a lower intermediate level, but am learning fast. One tip: even if you managed to speak some Thai, the locals will only take you seriously and want to speak with you in Thai if you speak in a near native accent and in a confident manner making few mistakes. If not, they'll quickly switch to English, even if their English isn't very good. Or if they don't speak English, you just won't be understood and they might not even talk to you. OK on the other hand if you do speak the language well enough, people will respect you for it, but you have to possess more than just language skills these days to impress. In China, so few people speak English that even if your Mandarin is horrible, it's generally the only way of communicating. Just a thought given you mentioned your interest in learning the language.

Working in China is still a lot easier than Thailand. If you are to ever work here, you will quickly find that as soon as you do even a small thing wrong (i.e. it might be something small that you inadvertedly said), your fellow Thai co-workers won't forgive or forget. Ever. They can be very helpful when they need to be, but very vendictive when something goes wrong. Try improving efficiency. You won't get anywhere. The Chinese workplace is far more efficient than the Thai workplace. From my observations, Chinese workers average about 8-9 hours a day at work doing what they need to do efficiently. While there are always exceptions to this rule, most Chinese workers can safely leave their office around 5pm after starting work at say 8 or 9 and then go home. In Thailand, workers are supposed to work for about 8 hours a day but many end up spending 10 or 11 hours a day at work without much gained. Basically, keeping "face" is more important than getting the job done in Thailand. "Face" certainly exists in China too, but it works a little bit differently there. Basically, Thais will respect you and are willing to learn from you, but you also have to take things down to their level, otherwise you won't be happy here.

I don't know why you think Thailand would be the place for you. Yeah sure, despite what I've written above it's still a good place to live and has some very nice locals, but if you think you're going to get "the rock star treatment" think again. For starters, almost no one in Thailand will say "hello" and start giggling at you, or snap pictures of you or anything like that no matter how good looking you think you are - there are simply so many foreigners here already that that doesn't make sense. You might get a few smiles and "handsome" comments in rural areas like in Isarn or so, but in Bangkok you're nothing special. In China, many people won't have even seen a westerner before, but in Thailand virtually everyone has and many locals couldn't care less about "your dream". I don't want to discourage you completely, because Thailand is a very welcoming place, but I don't think you should get some kind of romantic notions about the place. The romantic ideals associated with Thailand were probably true back in the 60s or 70s, but not relevant anymore these days.

Also, as someone has pointed out already, given your lack of qualifications, you aren't going to easily find work here. There are plenty of well qualified Thais who will work for less money and they know the language, the culture and workplace culture. They are also easier to hire because the company does not need to submit a boatload of paperwork. Try searching for positions here in Thailand and the only type of work you'll easily be able to find that doesn't state "applicants must be Thai citizens" is English teaching work. Thailand is also not known for attracting the best foreigners - there are a lot of questionable "expats" out there. Sure, there are also a good deal of respectable expats working in management and other high end positions, but clearly that wouldn't be an option for you at this time.

Finally, if you think Thailand isn't materialistic, think again. Thais (especially in Bangkok and larger cities) are every bit as status conscious and materialistic as their Chinese counterparts. They will judge you on this too. They do like their cars, motorcycles, the latest gadgets etc.

Edited September 13, 2012 by Tomtomtom69

[Tomtomtom69]

I'm a young man (24) living in Thailand, and I'd highly recommend that you pay attention to what some of the others here have to say. I'll give you the best advice that I can here, and share with you some of my experiences. Please remember that this forum, even with all the bitter and spiteful postings, is an incredibly valuable resource!

Before I move on to things that you may not like reading as much, I must first say that I think you should definitely give it a try!

I would also recommend that you start by enrolling in a language school. I live in Bangkok, and most people in my neighborhood can't communicate with even the most basic of English. Luckily it's pretty affordable, and fun (in my opinion, anyway) to attend a Thai language school. The prices are considerably cheap (I pay 6,000 baht for 60 hours) and the visa is quite easy to get, depending mostly upon which Thai foreign embassy you decide to visit. You may want to first come to Thailand on a 30 day entry stamp in order to find a language school to your liking, then head to Laos (easy, cheap, and quick) and apply for your visa. After you get the visa, you'll need to get school paperwork and head to the immigration office every 90 days to extend your visa, pay a fee, and otherwise deal with a number of minor inconveniences. My language school has been more than just a great place to learn the language: it's a great place to meet people. Most of my few friends in Thailand were once my classmates at the language school I attend.

First, a little background on my situation, to give you some perspective of where I'm coming from and things you may expect (much of it copied from a post I made earlier on the 'Farming in Thailand' forum.)

I moved to Thailand about a year and a half ago. I completed my degree in international agribusiness management from a college and program of considerable acclaim. When I was studying I enthusiastically did all my projects on aquaculture, the world shrimp economy, the economics of the frozen seafood export business, etc. The majority of my research focused on things that directly or exclusively pertained to Thailand. I moved to Bangkok soon after graduating in order to try to find work in aquaculture, seafood exports, or a related field. Needless to say, I was extremely naive and overconfident about finding work! I still believe that the projects and research that I did put me in a unique position to actually be someone that could contribute in a way that a Thai wouldn't have been able to, and in a very large and profitable industry for this country. However, hundreds of resumes (and countless office visits and phone calls later), I'm still very much unemployed. I've learned to speak, read, and write the Thai language, but in all honesty that hasn't made a bit of difference in my job hunt. A lot of success here can be directly attributed to luck and knowing the right people. Unless you have the right connections, or transfer to Thailand with a foreign company, trying to find work is extremely difficult! I've had maybe 10 replies out of the hundreds of resumes I've sent out. Half of those were confused Thais who didn't read the English correctly, and then tried to save face by pretending to be interested. The other half were employers who pretended to be interested, but really just wanted to completely screw me over and never had any true intention of ever hiring me in the first place (I was very naive and let a Thai company take advantage of me shortly after arrival).

Unless you're a native English speaker with light skin and a degree who's willing to teach long hours for a meager salary, Thailand is not an easy place for young foreigners to find work! A degree is not absolutely necessary, but please note that it is of considerable importance, especially to Thais. Keep in mind that a lot of fantastic English teachers lost their jobs, with all their skill and experience, because they didn't have college degrees...and then many of these positions were filled by unqualified and inexperienced people who did have degrees in some irrelevant field of

study.

If you want to live in Chiang Mai, this can add additional difficulty. I know many foreigners and Thais who would love to live in Chiang Mai, but simply can't because the working opportunities and wages are not available there. Essentially everything is centered around Bangkok, which has a great many drawbacks in addition to some decent aspects.

Now, about adapting to culture. I definitely believe that the few months you've spent in Thailand were not enough to get acquainted with the way life is here. Before I moved to Thailand, I never knew what it was like to have no friends or experience betrayal. I've had some very rough times here, and my first experiences with depression. Others have covered the paperwork and legal aspects of it, but "becoming a Thai" is not going to be easy. I hope to be proven wrong, but I honestly believe that even if you get citizenship, become fluent in the language, get married, build a house, etc....you'll never "become a Thai", especially in the eyes of most other Thais. I don't want to get into this too much, but I wouldn't anticipate on ever being treated as an equal. However, by no means does this mean you won't end up living a fantastic life full of loving family and friends. Fortunately you're from Canada, and Canadians are generally held in high regard in Thailand. Things you may consider to be incredibly bigoted and shallow, like skin color or nation of origin, can be very important in Thailand.

I wouldn't say that the state of "Thai culture" is much different from what you see in China. The level of greed and materialism can be seemingly unfathomable, and I don't think an extended holiday in the northern region of this country was long enough for you to see this. Although not as bad as China, Thailand has its share of human rights violations, especially regarding censorship and freedom of speech. Corruption is rampant and usually not even thinly veiled. A lot of things here are wrong, unjust, and rotten to the very core.

Thais are not bad people. However, they are no less driven by greed and other vices than anyone else. Although they're the subject of never ending gripes and complaints, there are many amazing Thai women, and many people on this forum are very happily married. For me, the hardest part about getting along here is not being able to relate with anyone. I've essentially had to completely focus on new interests and hobbies in order to enjoy myself more. I have virtually nothing in common with 99% of Thai people, which also makes things difficult. In my particular area, it's very hard to find guys my age who have any interest or hobby other than playing computer games.

You're definitely in for an uphill battle, but it is possible to succeed. I feel like I've started rambling now, but the attitude of your original post really got me to thinking. Feel free to private message me if you'd like any other advice, or if you plan to move to Bangkok and want some good Thai language school recommendations. I am, after all, still unemployed...but I'll fight to the end!

I think this guy's post is as good as any. He still strives to find something, but will probably eventually either give up and leave or try a different approach.

I think the OP should carefully read this post and realize that if this poster has trouble making it despite his can-do attitude, degree and willingness to learn, then the OP will have even greater difficulty. The fact that he is "OK" with living in China but for some reason all of a sudden just wants to come and "make it" in Thailand is just unfathomable for most posters here. The fact is, Thailand just doesn't have the opportunities some other places do, such as China. Or put simply, the Thais aren't waiting for you to arrive. Great, if you can contribute something, but I don't see what you can contribute to Thailand at this point given you are actually doing quite well in China. What is it that makes you want to leave Shanghai, the city of opportunity? Is it the weather?, the people? (you mentioned materialism, but that exists in Thailand to the same extent as in China too).

Edited September 13, 2012 by Tomtomtom69