What Are My Options As A Graphic Designer To Work In Thailand?

[AnderasGalster]

I would like to work and live in Thailand. I've been talking to graphic designers in Bangkok and it seems like my portfolio is good for Thai standards, which means I'm considered a good graphic designer with excellent work experience and projects. That means my general chances of finding a job are good. They say my best option would be to go to Thailand for 3-6 months and just network in order to find jobs as a freelancer. However, I can't obtain a work permit nor a non-immigrant visa this way? If I am not mistaken the only way to get a work permit and non-immigrant ( visa would be by being employed to a Thai company, right?

[lopburi3]

Right.

[asiasurfer]

Now, do yourself a favor and don't come to Thailand without having sorted out a job before. Coming here as a tourist (or freelancer) means you have to make border runs every two weeks and legally you are not allowed to do ANY job without the correct paperworks.

I also advise you to do some research about Thailand before you decide to move here. There are quite a lot of threads about this on TV...

[lopburi3]

A tourist visa allows up to 90 days stay if extension is used so you do not need to make border runs every 2 weeks.

[Gone]

Now, do yourself a favor and don't come to Thailand without having sorted out a job before. Coming here as a tourist (or freelancer) means you have to make border runs every two weeks and legally you are not allowed to do ANY job without the correct paperworks.

I also advise you to do some research about Thailand before you decide to move here. There are quite a lot of threads about this on TV...

I disagree. I also must say sir that you yourself should do some research on being in Thailand as there are several different options for staying here without doing 15 day "border runs" The fist is your initial 30 day permission to stay on arrival. Then there are Education visas, tourist visas etc. etc.

To the OP I recommend that you do just as you thought, come here and check it out and do some networking first however I must say that getting a WP for your art is not easy as many rules do not allow foreigners to do work that a Thai can do but there are options. Enjoy your stay here.

The mods here have a better understanding and their advice is good.

[asiasurfer]

Now, do yourself a favor and don't come to Thailand without having sorted out a job before. Coming here as a tourist (or freelancer) means you have to make border runs every two weeks and legally you are not allowed to do ANY job without the correct paperworks.

I also advise you to do some research about Thailand before you decide to move here. There are quite a lot of threads about this on TV...

I disagree. I also must say sir that you yourself should do some research on being in Thailand as there are several different options for staying here without doing 15 day "border runs" The fist is your initial 30 day permission to stay on arrival. Then there are Education visas, tourist visas etc. etc.

To the OP I recommend that you do just as you thought, come here and check it out and do some networking first however I must say that getting a WP for your art is not easy as many rules do not allow foreigners to do work that a Thai can do but there are options. Enjoy your stay here.

The mods here have a better understanding and their advice is good.

Yes, you are right. I over-simplified the matter with the visa a bit and the mods in here can give you some good advice on that indeed.

But the point you are missing is that I would not recommend anyone to come to Thailand totally ill-prepared because most of the time they will end up with a "bloody nose". And for that I don't need to do any further research. These are just the hard facts of life here...

By the way, getting a work permit is a pain in the neck (just in case you haven't noticed it)...

[USNret]

I take exception to your opening premise:

"I'm considered a good graphic designer with excellent work experience and projects. That means my general chances of finding a job are good..."

While I do believe you are a talented & truly extraordinary graphic artist, your chances of finding a job in Thailand are slim. That's just the way it is here. Not to say you won't succeed, but don't expect a cake walk.

[asiaexpat]

Thailand, especially Bangkok has many good Thai graphic designers and most employers insist on their graphic designers being fluent in Thai. Your chances of finding a graphic design job with a salary anywhere near that in Europe (unemployed excepted) is not good. Look for an international company that has a Thailand joint venture or operations and work from ask what jobs they might have available in Thailand. Job hunting for work in your field here in Thailand will require much networking. If you want to holiday while job hunting, this is a nice place to do it, but stay realistic.

[Pib]

I've been talking to graphic designers in Bangkok and it seems like my portfolio is good for Thai standards, which means I'm considered a good graphic designer with excellent work experience and projects. That means my general chances of finding a job are good.

Being good at something with excellent work experience does not mean your chances of finding a job in Thailand are good. Many jobs are basically reserved for Thai's and/or companies want individuals who are also fluent in Thai. The best brick layer in the world couldn't get a job in Thailand because such a job is reserved for Thais. I wish you luck in your desire to live and work in Thailand but please don't assume because fellow graphic designers in Bangkok say your work is good equates to being able to get a job in graphic design in Thailand.

[arthurwait]

I think my wifes friend does graphic design and works with several farangs. I'll ask her in a bit.

[kriswillems]

As said Thai graphic designer will work for much less money (20K or less per month, and they often work 60 hours or more per week). Language is an important factor in graphic design - Thai designer know Thai, but they are not good in English. So, you would need to work for a company that puts English text on their designs. Very little companies will be prepared to pay you and do all the paper work for the work permit. The work permit has to be approved. It's unlikely it will be approved if it states "graphic designer" because there are so many unemployed Thai graphic designers. I think the chance you'll find a legal job here in graphic design is close to 0%.

I would try to find a job in your home country and work online while staying in Thailand. Although you probably also need a WP for that, most online workers don't have a WP and the chance you get caught is very, very small.

[Tomtomtom69]

I've been talking to graphic designers in Bangkok and it seems like my portfolio is good for Thai standards, which means I'm considered a good graphic designer with excellent work experience and projects. That means my general chances of finding a job are good.

Being good at something with excellent work experience does not mean your chances of finding a job in Thailand are good. Many jobs are basically reserved for Thai's and/or companies want individuals who are also fluent in Thai. The best brick layer in the world couldn't get a job in Thailand because such a job is reserved for Thais. I wish you luck in your desire to live and work in Thailand but please don't assume because fellow graphic designers in Bangkok say your work is good equates to being able to get a job in graphic design in Thailand.

There are surely many bricklayers from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar in Thailand. So it seems you don't have to be Thai, just from another poor neighboring country.

[AnderasGalster]

First of all, thanks for all the additional input. I didn't see and expect any replies after the first one so I haven't checked back until now.

I'm aware that they don't pay as much as I'd get in Germany but that's no problem for me since Thailand's living expenses are a lot lower.

The networking with the graphic designers paid off and one person approached me in regards of hiring me as the UX lead designer for their company.

We haven't had a chance to talk in detail about his and my expectations but we're going to do this in the upcoming week. So far it sounds very interesting.

I would like to get some information how I should continue approaching this as well as some general information.

What if he wants to employ me and we both say yes? Do I need to do anything in regards of a visa petition, work permit, etc. or will my employer have to handle everything?

How long does it usually take for a non-immigrant visa and work permit petitition to be approved?

Is it possible to have a side job while being employed? If so, what are the requirements/regulations?

If everything works out and I move over there I would need to know what costs I would have to expect in the first few months, for stuff like apartment and advances, car, etc. (shipping container excluded since I won't need one). Is there a general rule of thumb how much money I should be prepared to have available at the beginning?

[AnderasGalster]

Just bumping this thread up .

[candypants]

Now, do yourself a favor and don't come to Thailand without having sorted out a job before. Coming here as a tourist (or freelancer) means you have to make border runs every two weeks and legally you are not allowed to do ANY job without the correct paperworks.

I also advise you to do some research about Thailand before you decide to move here. There are quite a lot of threads about this on TV...

wow, you blew your credibility early.

[innerspace]

Good luck in it all.

I run an international company that employs graphic designers. While it could have benefits we have never even considered a foreign designer since work permits are limited and thais can do just as well (after proof reading and spell checking).

With your offer... a WP can be issued in days if applied for correctly in advance. The visa can be issued in germany with the correct documents. Salary can vary but will be low to western standards...should be ok to live here though. Just dont expect all western luxuries all the time, either some or some of the time.

But beware for empty promises...plenty willing to offer the world and give you nothing. If they dont seem serious about a visa forget that company.

[Khun Watchaporn]

Unfortunately you'll probably be better off doing a TEFL course and becoming a 'teacher'.

[kawaiimomo]

Don't listen to the grumpy old men.

You can get a tourist visa single entry which upon immigration extension will give you 90 days of stay, or double entry which with extensions will give you 90 + 90 days (will need to cross the border to activate second entry).

I am a mobile developer with more than 10 years experience and came with a double entry and found a job here in about 3 months in a small company (don't limit yourself to international ones). At some times you will feel is hard because many of the offers explicitly ask for a Thai national. I don't know if your experience is on traditional design or software oriented, but you will find that most software related companies require English and do all the internal and customer documents in that language, even internal emails are 95% of the time in English. You will also see with your own eyes how in all of those companies 99% of the staff speaks a very decent English (we jus brought 3 trainees from different public universities and they speak better English than me)

It is true that are many decent graphic designers here, but having working closely with some of them I must say that overall is just ok, so if you are as good as you say you shouldn't have problems. Just be patient and keep going to all the interviews you can. About the salaries, don't expect the same you were getting in the west. Most salaries are very low and many offers ask for outstanding experience and abilities. If you start with a low salary because you just can't wait for a good offer, the only way to get a real adjustment is to get a better offer and let your company counter offer it.

Good luck mate

[kawaiimomo]

Oops, didn't read your update :-P

As Inner space says I would clarify asap if they are willing to provide you with a work permit, you would be surprised how many companies want you to break the law and it's a serious offense.

The company should pay for the visa and wp. They should apply for the wp and then send you the receipt and a employment letter and some more documents for you to get the visa in Germany (check about that in the pinned topics, I did it from here so it will be slightly different). You can also come on a tourist or without visa and then go to a neighbouring embassy to get the visa. You will need to bring your diploma and get it translated in Thai, then certify the translation in your embassy (double check in the list of docs).

The work permit is accepted if all the docs are OK, then you will get a extension while they revise them. If you do this from inside the country then you will go to Laos or similar to the Thai embassy and will get the visa, you will get stamped for 3 months on the border. Once the visa is issued, the work permit will be too. You can start working while labour revises the wp docs. If it's a small company or you are the first foreigner, work closely with the employer to verify every single doc according to the list. In my case it took them about 5 visits to labour to get the application accepted and they were telling me to relax while my visa was close to end :S

If you do it from Europe I guess you can get the non b easier and won't need to apply for the wp first, double check that.

The spending depends a lot. You can get a shitty Thai style apartment for as low as 3 or 4 thousand bahts, just a room with a bed, table and chair and a toilet. Standard deposit is 2 months so the first month you will pay 3 months. If you go this way expect to buy a TV, refrigerator, bed sheets etc. If in the future you move to a serviced apartment you will need to sell all this staff for peanuts. In condos and apartments the water and electric pay inflated rates. This is specially important if the air con units are old. You can end up paying around 2000 for just the electricity.

[AnderasGalster]

Thanks kawaiimomo,

your post(s) have been very insightful !