Koh Tao Diving Internship

[Stevetheeagle]

Am new to here so please bear with me.

My 21 year old son is planning on doing a 7 month diving internship to become a padi instructor with Simplelife diving in koh Tao in December .Can anybody give me some first hand experience of dealing with the company....it's just over £5000 and I don't want him to waste his money...typical parents worries,,,lol....also wondering how much he would expect to need to live on per week(accommodation is included in koh Tao),

Is the visa process straightforward....and when should he apply if he is coming over in December.

He is going over with a friend and they want to spend th Xmas in koh Samui before they start in koh Tao 1st week jan....any recommendations for accommodation in koh Samui would be appreciated.

Lastly he wants to take his iphone 5 with him...can he get a contract over there with good Internet access.

Hope to hear from someone soon

[rucus7]

Personally I would not use my money for a dive internship anywhere. Are you aware how many dive instructors are certified by PADI annually? If you son enjoys diving. Just keep diving. For me teaching, took much of the enjoyment out of diving. PADI is an entirely different issue as well. You are basically buying your certificate. It is nearly impossible to fail. Koh Tao is a lot of fun for young people. And the diving is relatively good for Thailand. If your son is serious about becoming an instructor I would suggest using any certifying agency other than PADI. They are much more about money than diving.

[stevenl]

Personally I would not use my money for a dive internship anywhere. Are you aware how many dive instructors are certified by PADI annually? If you son enjoys diving. Just keep diving. For me teaching, took much of the enjoyment out of diving. PADI is an entirely different issue as well. You are basically buying your certificate. It is nearly impossible to fail. Koh Tao is a lot of fun for young people. And the diving is relatively good for Thailand. If your son is serious about becoming an instructor I would suggest using any certifying agency other than PADI. They are much more about money than diving.

Nonsense, PADI is by far the biggest certifying agency in the world. If he wants to become an instructor and make a living of it he has to be a PADI instructor.

Agree with you regarding the internships, if you look at the money spent and what you buy for that it is far, far better to find a regular job and pay for the diving courses. Plus people having done an internship have very limited experience, and that makes things much more difficult in finding a job afterwards.

[candypants]

I dont know, this guys' internship worked out fine:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2280933/British-22-year-old-Tom-Armstrong-ALIVE-going-missing-Thailand-month.html

[rucus7]

PADI certainly is the largest certifying agency. No dispute there. So what. Twenty five years ago I was certified by the YMCA, that program is no longer in existence. Partially because their concern with fitness and safety put people off. PADI is about money. The first thing they do in an open-water class is try to sell you an advanced class. There are "speciality"classes too numerous to to mention. Good marketing does not automatically make for educated safe divers. Twenty years ago the the requirements for YMCA dive master were the same as a PADI assistant instructor. Lowering standards to fill classes is not what diving is about for me.

[stevenl]

PADI certainly is the largest certifying agency. No dispute there. So what.

Well, the guy wants to become an instructor, that's what.

[impulse]

I found it difficult to rent or fill a tank in the USA without a PADI certificate. Maybe you can, but it would lock you out of a lot of dives shops I've frequented.

I don't know how it is any more since I have not been diving in many years, but the PADI card made everything real smooth. I also can't imagine applying for a job as a recreational dive instructor at most resorts or dive shops with certificate other than PADI. Please chime in if there are reasonable alternates today. I got certified in 1979 so a lot has changed..

With their Initials, (Put Another Dollar In), I'm not sure it's highest value way to spend that much money, but whether the training is great or mediocre, you get a very widely accepted certificate, with the ability to get liability insurance as an instructor.

I do like stevenl's idea of taking a regular job to pay for the classes, then deciding whether diving instructor is an appropriate field. I used to love diving, but I can't see myself being a happy instructor. A few years and more wrinkles has taught me that for every gorgeous blonde in the class, there's going to be 3 smartasses that take the joy out of it for me (and they'd end up with the gorgeous blonde anyway, doubling the misery). For me, better to make bigger bucks elsewhere and pursue other hobbies as well.

Edited March 5, 2013 by impulse

[scubadawgs]

Hi, I own a divecentre on Koh Chang Thailand . Here is my 2 pence worth.
Realistically Padi is the best certification to get. There are more oppurtunities for Padi instructors than any other.
Ko Tao is a party Island and hasnt got the best reputation for diving certifications but that said literally 1000s of people
become instructors there annually so it can't be that bad.
The price of 5000pounds seems about right to take someone from zer0 to instructor and 7 months is about right.
Does this price include equipment also? A good set of divegear can cost around 1200pound
Most people just get a multiple entry visa from the uk and do a few visa runs every 3 months or so.
Living costs on ko Tao depend on how you live. If not too many parties etc then 10 pounds a day is easily doable
but if party every night then then this figure could multply 4fold.
Make sure your son staggers his payments in case he drops out, and then he wont lose big money.
Getting a job after this course is not easy in Thailand unless you have multiple languages to offer an employer
or computer/web skills or similar.Smaller schools might offer a job placement at the end.
My company offers internships like that on Ko Tao and if your son came to Ko Chang he would be less likely to go off the rails.
PM me if you want further information or i can help you more.

Edited March 6, 2013 by angiud
Canged font size

[stevenl]

Hi, I own a divecentre on Koh Chang Thailand . Here is my 2 pence worth.

Realistically Padi is the best certification to get. There are more oppurtunities for Padi instructors than any other.

Ko Tao is a party Island and hasnt got the best reputation for diving certifications but that said literally 1000s of people

become instructors there annually so it can't be that bad.

The price of 5000pounds seems about right to take someone from zer0 to instructor and 7 months is about right.

Does this price include equipment also? A good set of divegear can cost around 1200pound

Most people just get a multiple entry visa from the uk and do a few visa runs every 3 months or so.

Living costs on ko Tao depend on how you live. If not too many parties etc then 10 pounds a day is easily doable

but if party every night then then this figure could multply 4fold.

Make sure your son staggers his payments in case he drops out, and then he wont lose big money.

Getting a job after this course is not easy in Thailand unless you have multiple languages to offer an employer

or computer/web skills or similar.Smaller schools might offer a job placement at the end.

My company offers internships like that on Ko Tao and if your son came to Ko Chang he would be less likely to go off the rails.

PM me if you want further information or i can help you more.

I may hope equipment rental is not included. A pro without his own equipment?

[angiud]

Hi, I own a divecentre on Koh Chang Thailand . Here is my 2 pence worth.

Realistically Padi is the best certification to get. There are more oppurtunities for Padi instructors than any other.

Ko Tao is a party Island and hasnt got the best reputation for diving certifications but that said literally 1000s of people

become instructors there annually so it can't be that bad.

The price of 5000pounds seems about right to take someone from zer0 to instructor and 7 months is about right.

Does this price include equipment also? A good set of divegear can cost around 1200pound

Most people just get a multiple entry visa from the uk and do a few visa runs every 3 months or so.

Living costs on ko Tao depend on how you live. If not too many parties etc then 10 pounds a day is easily doable

but if party every night then then this figure could multply 4fold.

Make sure your son staggers his payments in case he drops out, and then he wont lose big money.

Getting a job after this course is not easy in Thailand unless you have multiple languages to offer an employer

or computer/web skills or similar.Smaller schools might offer a job placement at the end.

My company offers internships like that on Ko Tao and if your son came to Ko Chang he would be less likely to go off the rails.

PM me if you want further information or i can help you more.

Actually Koh Tao definitely is not a party island, but probably the most famous and popular diving site in Thailand.

May be a bit of confusion with the neighbor island of Koh Phangan. Anyway a definition a bit reductive IMHO.

[stevenl]

On another board somebody posted an excellent post about Internships yesterday. Hereby a copy and paste:

"Hope you enjoy your planned change, and Thailand really is a great place to spend an extended break.

Having said that I would question the wisdom of doing an internship at one location, it all depends on what you want to achieve, if you want a few months diving and the qualification is incidental, maybe an internship is ok, but all too often internships produce second rate 'dive professionals' with limited experience. If you are planning a career in diving, personally I would recommend that you split your training with different shops, locations and instructors in order to learn from a more broad base of experiences.

Either way if you are planning to spend an extended time in Thailand, no need to commit yourself or pre book anything, far better to get here and look around try some shops out and find one that particularly suits you, talk to the staff and instructors and get first hand feedback. Nothing worse than commiting your time and a considerable sum of money only to find you dont like the location selected, dont get on with the instructors, or simply find an internship course is really not for you.

Most that do such courses on gap years etc will recommend the shop that they trained with, yes they may have had a great time doing their course. But the simple fact is that many are really not best placed to offer a worthwhile recommendation because they have limited or no knowledge of any other dive operation to use as a comparison with their own experiences. Also many do such courses and then go back to a 'normal' life back at home and never or seldom dive again. Far better to judge yourself based on your own experience and requirements.

Also beware of shops that 'promise' paid employment on completion of your course, there are so many that complete internships, simple numbers dictate that there will not be employment within Thailand for most. Also paid employment as a DM is virtually unheard of in Thailand unless done illegally as it is almost impossible to obtain a work permit for such employment, and shops that do internships use their intern's as divemasters whilst they are themselves training. May sound rediculous but I actually met two guys in Pattaya who paid to work for a dive operator as divemasters!!

What ever you decide good luck and enjoy."

[scubadawgs]

Hi, I own a divecentre on Koh Chang Thailand . Here is my 2 pence worth.

Realistically Padi is the best certification to get. There are more oppurtunities for Padi instructors than any other.

Ko Tao is a party Island and hasnt got the best reputation for diving certifications but that said literally 1000s of people

become instructors there annually so it can't be that bad.

The price of 5000pounds seems about right to take someone from zer0 to instructor and 7 months is about right.

Does this price include equipment also? A good set of divegear can cost around 1200pound

Most people just get a multiple entry visa from the uk and do a few visa runs every 3 months or so.

Living costs on ko Tao depend on how you live. If not too many parties etc then 10 pounds a day is easily doable

but if party every night then then this figure could multply 4fold.

Make sure your son staggers his payments in case he drops out, and then he wont lose big money.

Getting a job after this course is not easy in Thailand unless you have multiple languages to offer an employer

or computer/web skills or similar.Smaller schools might offer a job placement at the end.

My company offers internships like that on Ko Tao and if your son came to Ko Chang he would be less likely to go off the rails.

PM me if you want further information or i can help you more.

I may hope equipment rental is not included. A pro without his own equipment?

You might be surprised but most divecentres will allow interns to borrow equipment right the way up until they are certified. I currently have 5 Divemaster Trainees with my company and only 2 have all their own gear already. I actively encourage our trainees to get their own gear asap by offering really big discounts to them.

Once certified though you are quite correct, he will need all his own gear. A good set of gear can cost as follows:

Regs set...........anywhere from 18,000baht to 50,000b mine cost 25kbaht

Fins and boots From 5000b to 8,000b

BCD from 12,000b to 30,000b

Wetsuit from 2,500b to 6,000b

Knife 1,000b to 3,000b

torch 2,000b

safety sausage 600b

MASK 1,000 to 4,000b

Bag 1,000b to 3,000b

So you can see an average set of gear might cost over 60,000baht

So going

[stevenl]

Hi, I own a divecentre on Koh Chang Thailand . Here is my 2 pence worth.

Realistically Padi is the best certification to get. There are more oppurtunities for Padi instructors than any other.

Ko Tao is a party Island and hasnt got the best reputation for diving certifications but that said literally 1000s of people

become instructors there annually so it can't be that bad.

The price of 5000pounds seems about right to take someone from zer0 to instructor and 7 months is about right.

Does this price include equipment also? A good set of divegear can cost around 1200pound

Most people just get a multiple entry visa from the uk and do a few visa runs every 3 months or so.

Living costs on ko Tao depend on how you live. If not too many parties etc then 10 pounds a day is easily doable

but if party every night then then this figure could multply 4fold.

Make sure your son staggers his payments in case he drops out, and then he wont lose big money.

Getting a job after this course is not easy in Thailand unless you have multiple languages to offer an employer

or computer/web skills or similar.Smaller schools might offer a job placement at the end.

My company offers internships like that on Ko Tao and if your son came to Ko Chang he would be less likely to go off the rails.

PM me if you want further information or i can help you more.

I may hope equipment rental is not included. A pro without his own equipment?

You might be surprised but most divecentres will allow interns to borrow equipment right the way up until they are certified. I currently have 5 Divemaster Trainees with my company and only 2 have all their own gear already. I actively encourage our trainees to get their own gear asap by offering really big discounts to them.

Once certified though you are quite correct, he will need all his own gear. A good set of gear can cost as follows:

Regs set...........anywhere from 18,000baht to 50,000b mine cost 25kbaht

Fins and boots From 5000b to 8,000b

BCD from 12,000b to 30,000b

Wetsuit from 2,500b to 6,000b

Knife 1,000b to 3,000b

torch 2,000b

safety sausage 600b

MASK 1,000 to 4,000b

Bag 1,000b to 3,000b

So you can see an average set of gear might cost over 60,000baht

So going

No, I'm not surprised, I know what's going on.

The solution is easy though: we require DMT's to have their own equipment. They can bring it themselves, buy it from us at a discount or buy second hand from us. But own equipment is required, period.

[TommoPhysicist]

As a former PADI instructor let me just say, its great fun but its not a career. Zero money to be made but a nice way to bum your way round the world. He really shouldnt do it all in one go, gets a bit boring. Better to take a series of trips. Start off somewhere simple. If from the uk, why not do the open water and advanced open water some where like Malta.

[stevenl]

Just noticed the link to another website in the OP about the iphone. Is this post real or is it only spamming for that site?

[candypants]

no link on this end, aree you sure it is not a google ad?

[stevenl]

no link on this end, aree you sure it is not a google ad?

See the text from the OP "Lastly he wants to take his iphone 5 with him...can he get a contract over there with good Internet access."

Edited March 6, 2013 by stevenl

[Phronesis]

I suspect the real reason he wants to STUDY in Thailand is booze, perhaps drugs, girls and parties.

If he is serious about a career in diving he would be much better off staying in the UK and completing certification to work as a saturation diver.

He would then have a real qualification and career path. I know of some sat divers (hyperbaric welders) who earn USD3K5 PER DAY...

If you want to provide parental guidance with some substance. Advise your kid to enrol in a commercial diving program in the UK and do not let him come to Thailand.

He is 21 and at the perfect age to make something of his life. He is also at the perfect age to ruin his life forever with a few bad decisions in Thailand.

Good luck...

Edited March 6, 2013 by Phronesis

[Stevetheeagle]

Many thanks for all your replies....to be honest I can see both negative and positive sides of the comments.My son is a bright kid...but stuck in a rut at work....green keeper at a big golf club.He wants to see the world and is serious about the diving....I guess he wants to combine the 2.Am a bit worried about the party side of things in koh Tao if that is true...but I guess you can't wrap them in cotton wool all the time.If at the end of the 7 months he moves on somewhere else then hopefully he would have gained a good qualification that he can use anywhere in the world.As regards the smartphone....I didn't mean it to be a plug...just wondered about how he would go about having an Internet available phone over there...pay as you go or contract.Thanks once again for your input...I shall pass them onto him so it can give him some extra info on his trip.

[stoffel45]

Hi Steve, I must agree with Phronesis above. Getting a proper and FULL diving certification, in the UK or even the USA (where it is warmer) will set your son up with a career. (just remember that there are few "oldish" divers.

PADI is wonderful for "Recreational" diving. It does not really offer a career - but does offer a lot of fun. Your son's a greenkeeper now - hmmm - I am wondering, as a parent, who serious he views work at all.

If your eyes are open, as Paymaster, and his as a prospective student - then heading to Koh Tao is heading for FUN, FUN, FUN and only a little bit of education, which I suspect is not your son's primary motivation.

Koh Tao - in contrast to an earlier post, Koh Tao really IS a party island. It is a young divers' paradise. Lovely weather, nice dive sites, a few wrecks, not too dangerous currents. A party a night, 365 days a year.

Koh Phangan by comparison has its Full Moon Party - which your son would visit - though it is greatly overrated and bloody dangerous. (drugs and bent cops).

Cost of living. Dive accommodation - very very basic, no aircon, a lot of wildlife - about 600 - 900 baht per night.

Eating. Eat Thai - 140 baht per day - good. Eat foreign - 400 - 500 baht per day.

Booze - depends. Drugs. If you even suspect your son is inclined - don't let him go anywhere near Thailand.

Iphones and Galaxy tabs et al - plenty of Internet - good mobile phone connections. Call rates about half of the UK. So no worries about comms.

Medical care. My wife is a doctor and we have been called out to hotels in Koh Tao. There IS a Sort of a doctor on the island. And a very expensive pharmacy. Nearest, semi-competent hospital is on Samui - 2 - 3 hours by boat/ferry depends on weather conditions.

If your son has health issues - avoid Koh Tao.

In closing - we love Koh Tao - some really lovely bays and dive sites. I think the average age of tourists is under 23 years. A LOT of them are there to dive or learn to dive. Dive instructors are paid peanuts and most do it for the diving and the lifestyle.

Simple Life, Ban's, Coral Grand, Seashell - Easy Divers - all good - much of a muchness.

Be careful - it is a den of wonderful iniquity. Maybe best you suss it out first.

[stiggy]

Tell your son to go to Tao first and shop around, Simple life are fine but so are many others there.

Within a cple of weeks to a month he will find out where he's comfortable at, then you can take it from there. He will still get the same deal I assure you.

Check out Big Blue, Roctopus, Master divers, Phoenix Bans etc etc there is over 40 stores there.

As for phone contracts no hope, its pay as you go and internet cafes everywhere plus Wi fi is readily available.

Make sure he has suitable insurance for both diving and healthcare, apart from that relax he will have a great time.

As for the whole PADI SSI, YMCA argument don't get hung up on it, diving is diving both Padi and SSI have there plus and minus points.Go where your comfortable.

Edited April 8, 2013 by stiggy

[sometimewoodworker]

Having done several courses on KohTao, including some with the choice to do over 30 dives a week, the island is what you make of it. I wanted to dive and was far too tired to party often. Also I was very aware of the dangers of dehydration linked with drinking, little sleep, and diving the next morning to make the mistake more than once.

Many of the OWSI (Open Water Scuba Instructor) and MSDT (Master Scuba Diver Trainer) PADI instructors worked on KohTao for a while or got jobs in other locations, like Bali, Fiji, the Phillipines, South Africa etc.

Most did it for the life style and travel opportunities. Some made it a job. A few saved money from working.

All the equipment shops offer very good discount on dive gear to people doing professional courses. This means you can buy your gear if you find it's the life for you. Most of the schools will provide gear through out your time with them. However the divers who are paying by the dive will get priority so you will get bumped off a dive if there is an equipment shortage. This means that most people will be buying equipment as they go.

The advice to spend some time on the island befor committing to any one school is a good one. Take a few corses and see which school suits you. I chose second one because it was a short walk to the dive boats and I had friends working there. I chose my first because of the great BBQ food.

You can find good cheep accommodation if you are not in a hurry. Mine was ฿5,000 per month £120

PADI MSDT-474441

Edited April 22, 2013 by sometimewoodworker

[IrishIvan]

Hi, I own a divecentre on Koh Chang Thailand . Here is my 2 pence worth.

Realistically Padi is the best certification to get. There are more oppurtunities for Padi instructors than any other.

Ko Tao is a party Island and hasnt got the best reputation for diving certifications but that said literally 1000s of people

become instructors there annually so it can't be that bad.

The price of 5000pounds seems about right to take someone from zer0 to instructor and 7 months is about right.

Does this price include equipment also? A good set of divegear can cost around 1200pound

Most people just get a multiple entry visa from the uk and do a few visa runs every 3 months or so.

Living costs on ko Tao depend on how you live. If not too many parties etc then 10 pounds a day is easily doable

but if party every night then then this figure could multply 4fold.

Make sure your son staggers his payments in case he drops out, and then he wont lose big money.

Getting a job after this course is not easy in Thailand unless you have multiple languages to offer an employer

or computer/web skills or similar.Smaller schools might offer a job placement at the end.

My company offers internships like that on Ko Tao and if your son came to Ko Chang he would be less likely to go off the rails.

PM me if you want further information or i can help you more.

I may hope equipment rental is not included. A pro without his own equipment?

You might be surprised but most divecentres will allow interns to borrow equipment right the way up until they are certified. I currently have 5 Divemaster Trainees with my company and only 2 have all their own gear already. I actively encourage our trainees to get their own gear asap by offering really big discounts to them.

Once certified though you are quite correct, he will need all his own gear. A good set of gear can cost as follows:

Regs set...........anywhere from 18,000baht to 50,000b mine cost 25kbaht

Fins and boots From 5000b to 8,000b

BCD from 12,000b to 30,000b

Wetsuit from 2,500b to 6,000b

Knife 1,000b to 3,000b

torch 2,000b

safety sausage 600b

MASK 1,000 to 4,000b

Bag 1,000b to 3,000b

So you can see an average set of gear might cost over 60,000baht

So going

No, I'm not surprised, I know what's going on.

The solution is easy though: we require DMT's to have their own equipment. They can bring it themselves, buy it from us at a discount or buy second hand from us. But own equipment is required, period.

I would stay well away from second hand gear. You dont know the history of it. Its a potential death trap. And you have to ask yourself why is this person selling the gear? If its good gear wouldbt they want to hang on to it?

[Stevetheeagle]

N

[Stevetheeagle]

Hi this is Jamie I will be doing the PADI open water course. I agree with what people are saying about going over and shopping about first but really can't afford it, I want to get away as soon as possible and for a long period of time so every penny has to go into the 7 month course. Simple life was recommended to me by a lady who had done the same course that I am doing and after looking at reviews (pretty much all where excellent) I decided to go for it. The course includes accommodation and brand new scuba gear to keep for life so my aim is to maybe work for a bit in koh Tao then move on around the world. How easy is getting a job once qualified? And I've seen comments about koh Tao being fun fun fun and not much education, well obviously I want to have fun and party but away from the diving, I'm taking the course 100% serious and want to knuckle down.

Where would you say the best diving destinations are in the world? Once I am a full open water instructor and gave gained a bit of extra experience, how much could I potentially earn? I know I will never be rich but is It enough to live and travel around a bit?

Many thanks

[sometimewoodworker]

Jamie, if you read through the thread you will find most of your questions answered.

As for the best destinations. That is personal choice. I would never want to dive in the UK, but many do. You will get good information from the dive professionals you will work and train with.

If you concentrate on making money you can save a bit over the cost of travel, equipment (I know you are getting some kit but it won't be all you're going to use or want) food and accommodation. If you are a good salesman and enjoy selling you will make more money. A nick name for one dive organisation relates to money.

The dive operators are the ones who make money (if they stay in business) and then it's usually not enough to make them rich.

You can have a lot of fun as well.

This KohTao

And just for fun

And more fun and a relaxing dive

Edited June 28, 2013 by sometimewoodworker

[Basil B]

I think even if someone is serious about becoming a Diving Instructor anywhere in SEA, it has far too many distractions, better off try somewhere like a quiet mediterranean resort with less distractions.

Some questions I would recommend any prospective intern should ask any dive centre offering internship:

• How many full time instructors?
• How many interns passed through their doors last 12 months or last year, divide by 12 and multiply by months duration of the Internship, (asking how many interns they have now wont give you a mean average, probable at this time the have only a few as it is low season).
• How many completed the course? and how many qualified as full Dive Instructors?
• What is the average number of trainees (open water, advanced, rescue, speciality) in on any day, excluding interns?
• What is the average number of paying day trip divers on any day?

Quite simply if there are 50+ interns, 5 full time instructors, average 6 open water and 4 other trainee divers, maybe 3 discover scuba divers plus and another 5 "day trip", what is he likely to be doing most days? probability is many days they will be expected to study on their own.

Some other things to factor in is; food, accommodation, Dive gear, course books, Insurance, are they included?

Even if dive gear is included it will be subject to a high wear and tear that will need servicing or replacing, and also some gear will be lost, almost certainly any intern will have to cover these costs.

He will need specialist diver insurance, most annual travel insurance will not cover for periods of more than 3 months out of the UK, and anything over than recreational diving.

I recall visiting a Dive Show here in the UK a few years ago, passed by a stand of a dive centre which was probably the biggest competitor of the dive centre I used, talking to them him, (it was a one man stand) for a while, obviously he wanted me to try them out next time and was questioning me as to why I was not feed up with the number of interns floating about the dive centre I used, a little later on I passed by the stand again when he was in heavy sell mode trying to sign up a prospective intern, talk about kettle calling pot black.

I am not trying to be negative as many do pass out as Dive Instructor, or at least Dive Master or Assistant Instructors, far too many than there are jobs for.

Edit in:

Also working without a work permit is illegal and highly unlikely he will be able to get one, so subsidising his income by doing a side job is a "No-No".

Edited July 2, 2013 by Basil B

[PhuketdashScuba]

I agree with most of what you have said, but:

1) don't agree with you that SEA is not suitable because of too many distractions;

2) on Koh Tao everybody but the managers of the big DC's work without a workpermit, so I would not say it is no-no there. I wish it were otherwise though and work there was done legally.