RIP Wayne Guest

[Bliggs]

Greetings.

I'm a photographer in Durban, South Africa. My girlfriend and I are moving to Bangkok in May. She is a teacher, with a Masters Degree in english. So she will not have a problem finding a job as a teacher.

I, on the other hand, do not have a masters degree in anything. While she might earn enough for me to sit at home all day, I don't think that will be very fair, so I'm looking to find work as well.

I have been running my own photography business (brbphoto,com) here in SA for a little over a year, and I am hoping to be able to do the same over there at some point.

First port of call, is to get a work permit.

I do have a Diploma in Video Technology, and have worked as a video editor and cameraman, as well as a photographer.

I am looking for agencies that deal with creative, visual media jobs if any-one has any leads. Or companies that might be require a person with my skill set, which is large and varied.

I hope some-one can help, I am super excited to visit a new part of the world, and look forward to photographing what looks to be a beautiful country.

Brett

Follow me on Twitter: @@BRBphoto

[Guest]

I've got a Thai friend with a similar background to yours and he's having a seriously hard time getting a job, even with a good degree.

Don't under estimate the difficulties of getting work and a work permit. Only an employer can apply for a work permit. English teaching jobs are often amongst the most poorly paid for expats, and some occupations are closed to foreigners.

Edited February 12, 2013 by Guest

[moe666]

your girlfriennd needs to look at the internationl schools for work and most of these are filled thru school fairs. She needs to do a bit of reserach into this as the international schools pay the best. A friend of mine makes around 120,000baht a month at his school one of the best in Bangkok.

[richardt1808]

Hi Brett,

I hope I'm not bursting too many bubbles here, but it is a fact that walk-in jobs are notoriously difficult to come by here and most of them would be in the teaching or hospitality industry.

The above post is absolutely right on the teaching angle. Teaching jobs are relatively easy to come by here, but as mentioned, they don't normally pay well and I know teachers at smaller schools who take home less than 35,000 per month.

On the creative side, the big agencies do employ foreigners but the positions are likely to be fairly senior and most would expect you to have previous agency experience for working at that level. Photography per-se would be a restricted occupation as there are plenty of talented locals available who would be prepared to work for a lot less than you. For video work, there are a few large production houses that you could try, but the work would be high-end and you would need proven ability on whatever platform they kay be using. At any lower level, such as a medium or small production company, you would need a good grasp of Thai language in order to interface with producers, fellow creatives and most customers here as most programs and material is produced in Thai. Don't underestimate the language gap here: while many senior managers in large companies are fluent in English, their lower level staff are not. Particularly in the video field, there is is almost no skill in english at all and without being able to speak Thai you won't be able to function. The last option would be freelance work; and yes, English jobs may be available via the foreign news channels here, but you would be competing againzt other freelancers who have worked here for a considerable time and who know their way around things, so it's not going to be easy.

Best of luck to you guys. At the very least, you will have fun.

Edited February 12, 2013 by lopburi3
correct font

[isawasnake]

I kind of agree in a way in that I do think it will be hard to find work, or clients here. But I also think anything worth doing will probably be very challenging. You sound like you are set on coming, so just stay focused and positive I would say. It can work no doubt.

On the very very bright side, everything is so photogenic here. Everything. It really is amazing. The new Vogue adverts capture the atmosphere very well. Such cool ads. Although Bangkokonians are not even close to being that hip, yet, it is worth a look for sure. I just cant get over how good an ad campaign it is. It's WAY too sophisticated for Thais in my opinion, but I like that... who knows, maybe i'm wrong, maybe Thais will eat it up. I surely hope so.

Edited February 12, 2013 by isawasnake

[THAIPHUKET]

The most serious limitation is= photography is a profession reserved to Thais. And looking at ads and video shots they are good at that. Freelancing carries the risk of deportation.

[Bliggs]

your girlfriennd needs to look at the internationl schools for work and most of these are filled thru school fairs. She needs to do a bit of reserach into this as the international schools pay the best. A friend of mine makes around 120,000baht a month at his school one of the best in Bangkok.

Thanks for the tip Moe. Any idea as to where I can point her to start doing some research?

[Bliggs]

Hi Brett,

I hope I'm not bursting too many bubbles here, but it is a fact that walk-in jobs are notoriously difficult to come by here and most of them would be in the teaching or hospitality industry.

The above post is absolutely right on the teaching angle. Teaching jobs are relatively easy to come by here, but as mentioned, they don't normally pay well and I know teachers at smaller schools who take home less than 35,000 per month.

On the creative side, the big agencies do employ foreigners but the positions are likely to be fairly senior and most would expect you to have previous agency experience for working at that level. Photography per-se would be a restricted occupation as there are plenty of talented locals available who would be prepared to work for a lot less than you. For video work, there are a few large production houses that you could try, but the work would be high-end and you would need proven ability on whatever platform they kay be using. At any lower level, such as a medium or small production company, you would need a good grasp of Thai language in order to interface with producers, fellow creatives and most customers here as most programs and material is produced in Thai. Don't underestimate the language gap here: while many senior managers in large companies are fluent in English, their lower level staff are not. Particularly in the video field, there is is almost no skill in english at all and without being able to speak Thai you won't be able to function. The last option would be freelance work; and yes, English jobs may be available via the foreign news channels here, but you would be competing againzt other freelancers who have worked here for a considerable time and who know their way around things, so it's not going to be easy.

Best of luck to you guys. At the very least, you will have fun.

Thanks Richardt

I'm not looking to make my fortune in Thailand Just want to make enough to be able to support myself, and do a bit of travelling in and around Thailand. Would you say that the jobs being difficult to get is mainly in Bangkok, or in Thailand in general. The only reason we are starting in Bangkok is because my girlfriend's brother is there already. I've been told that Chiang Mai is a good place to be for the creative industry, as well as Phuket (largely due to the number of foreigners in Phuket, and many of them are lazy and don't work properly)

Any truth to this?