Bkk or pattaya?

[dthomasss]

am in the delightful position of making a tough choice. On my most recent trip to LOS I did some serious job interviewing and I have been offered two job beginning in July... one in Bangkok and the other Pattaya. I am looking for some feedback here.

The Bangkok job is a better position, 80,000 baht per month plus health insurance. It is the standard 2-3 weeks vacation per year.

The Pattaya job is 40,000 per month plus health insurance, which meands I would need to subsidize from my savings to have a decent lifestyle, but it would provide about 12 weeks vacation plus every Thai holiday.

I prefer the slower pace of Pattaya and I love the beach so this is a bit of a tough choice. Do I dip into my savings (I have about $120k in assets) or do I stick it out in Bangkok and use the weekends to get away.

By the way I am 53 and searching for the meaning of life as are we all!

Or maybe I am just looking for the enjoyment of life!

[dazdaz]

I think you should ask yourself, why are you moving to Thailand, for career or for adventure/lifestyle?  Which is your priority?  Are you a work person, looking to slow down the pace of life, or are you a workaholic, who'se very identity is based upon work?  I've thought about this one quite a lot, time to decide.

With $120,000 you should be able to earn a fair bit of interest, which could supplement your income, anyone want to do some calculations, any finance wizards?  Remember that's $ interest, which should go a fair way to BHT.

From a personal perspective, may I ask you how you went about job hunting, if possible what sort of procedures you used to obtain interviews.  Did you just turn up for a month, and turn up at companies, what sort of plan did you go by?

By better position, do you judge better to be more money?  Because I no longer see it that way, at least for me.  Better now means to me that it follows my heart more than my mind, so I can sleep better at night  

That seems to be your dilemma.

Good luck in your new life.

[Rinrada]

Assuming you leave your $120,000 in a decent offshore bank A/C you should be able to pick up at least 5% interest tax free if not more.

At the present R.o.Exc. $1=@ Bt.43.means a yearly sum of $6K= Bt 258,000. give or take the odd satang while your savings remain intact for those little emergencies we all encounter in LOS.  

With $40,000 Salary in Pat plus $6 k from interest that would work out at approx =1,978,000 Bt.to live on (minus Thai I.Tax)but what the heck lets call it @ Bt164,833 and 33 satang a month.

I get the impression that you would prefere Pat.and with the extra hols you have time to enjoy/find the meaning of life etc.

On the other hand Bangers pays more but as they say

UP 2 YOU..live to work or work to live...

Sanuk and Chok Dee Na Krup.

P.S.. Whats the Job ?

[craig]

I wish I had this dilemma.  I am 57 and will retire in June from a short career as a public school teacher.  I am going to try to make it in Thailand working as a teacher until social security kicks in.   As to your "problem", I agree with the observation of dazdaz...what is your purpose?  I'd grab the Pattaya job without hesitation...You live once then you rot away.

[jayenram]

I think Rinrada is a bit out with those calcs. Bht 40,000 per month is 480,000 p.a. plus the interest of Bht 258,000 totals Bht 738,000 p.a. That would then result in Bht 61,500 per month to live. Although I don't live in Pattaya, I would think that this is sufficient to live reasonably well anywhere in LOS.

[Rinrada]

OK -sorry everyone I got the figures wrong.

Now I realise why my brother is a bank manager and not me.Anyway I am sure dthomasss deserves $40,000 a year for initative in getting the offers in the first place.

Jayenram who got the figures right should be in the government ministry of finance.

I recon the battery in my calculator was low...honest

O well back to that old bottle of San-tip.

[dthomasss]

If it was $40,000 a year do you think I would even hesitate to take the Pattaya job??? hel_l I would probably buy a condo at each end of the beach in case I got super lazy!

As for off shore accounts, are they really that reliable and how do you set one up?

[Rinrada]

Point I was making was that in the Lottery of Life you are already half way up the pole.

Just think of all the poor sods at home who would give their eye teeth to be in your position.(mm suppose at 53 you should ignore the teeth comment)and are still standing around with their safe 9-5s thinking about it.

I am in a slightly similar position (same age-own teeth) but not ready for full Beechcomber commitment-yet....

Spoke to a mate of mine in the my local pub the other night whos just had a heart attack (49 with a BIG -BIG Mortgage)and is now on shandies.(half/half)

The Meaning of Life....is it £-$-Bangkok--Pattaya -sanuk:p