The Secret To Making Money Legally And Successfully In Thailand

[MegaRanter]

So many ways to make money in Thailand or rather Bangkok specifically. I no longer live in Bangkok, but I still make about 30 k in commissions every year.

Find an item to export somewhere. You might not have the capital, but when you get an ideal item that is needed somewhere, the buyer will front the cash.

When I opened my business, I had virtually no capital, but I go lucky with a particular jewelry, which was so much in demand that customers had to wait a month or more after paying. My jewelry is not what you can buy in any shop, I made them without owning a factory. I made them in 4 steps in 4 different factories.

Well it was so good, then people discovered china and Chinese factories started making them at a fifth of the price.

Export something. Innovate, there are so many OEM outlets in Bangkok waiting to make your ideas a reality.

[mccw]

State teacher still get something like 3 weeks at Xmas , 2 at Easter and 6 over summer. Finish at 3:30 or 4pm.

All get a week off for half term x3 each year as well don't forget.

[BuffaloRescue]

Why are you limiting yourself to these occupations?

Thailand is up-and-coming there are just heaps of opportunities in Bangkok. Have a look around, there are many jobs being advertised that foreigners can apply for. There are so many companies selling products and services to the West with very poor marketing knowledge. Why not approach some of those? Get on Linkedin, start going to conferences, start meeting the right people and networking etc.

Also there are heaps of opportunities for starting companies in Thailand. Yes there are restrictions but there are many areas you are fully welcome and dare i say invited to open businesses in Thailand and yes you can own 100% you just need to go through the right channels.

All the jobs you mentioned are terrible.. might be ok for an 18yr old backpacker to do for a year or so.

All this "foreigners arent welcome to work in thailand" .."foreigners cant own businesses in thailand" is rubbish!

Edited May 20, 2013 by BuffaloRescue

[yoshiwara]

You know nothing obviously Yoshi.

The state schools (the ones you'd probably consider rubbish) have shorter holidays (but finish at 3:30pm) ; many private schools still have long holidays like this, his is no exception. Often it works out that the posher the school the longer the holidays are. Hours per day are often a bit longer for the higher up academic staff but not for him.

Teaching hours are just part of the job. All teachers know that and the other stuff is a lot.

Edited May 20, 2013 by yoshiwara

[mccw]

State teacher still get something like 3 weeks at Xmas , 2 at Easter and 6 over summer. Finish at 3:30 or 4pm.

All get a week off for half term x3 each year as well don't forget.

[mccw]

Another idea- Graphic & Web design for foreign companies but you can base your operations in Thailand, easily undercutting prices of UK or Aus for example.

[mccw]

You know nothing obviously Yoshi.

The state schools (the ones you'd probably consider rubbish) have shorter holidays (but finish at 3:30pm) ; many private schools still have long holidays like this, his is no exception. Often it works out that the posher the school the longer the holidays are. Hours per day are often a bit longer for the higher up academic staff but not for him.

Teaching hours are just part of the job. All teachers know that and the other stuff is a lot.

Depends.

PE and primary is not much prep work or long marking.

[ajarnpot]

@ Yoshi

Some people love Thailand ; some people love thier woman and want to find a way to stay together; some people put life style and surroundings before riches. Why not.?

Dive instructor; TEFL are two easily doable options, not going to make a fortune but can live a decent life. Business can follow if worked out properly. Drive instructor of many years comes to be dive shop or school owner, teacher starts an institute or moves in to management or something similar. Another thing not mentioned is project management- there are often adverts for paid positions at charities if you have correct qualifications. Hospitality is another option with a bit of training.

My friend school pal went to Thailand traveling with 8,000 great British pounds in his pocket 12 years ago and turned that in to today's x2 restaurants, a bar and a club. Pretty good goin for an uneducated council estate boy out of Kent. By your dumb logic everybody should not bother trying and just stay home doing what ever Menial work that happen to be qualified for; or go back to study for oil and gas or accounting as if big bucks are the only ones worth casing. I've seen this again and again with you, you must have some issues with your youth being spent knuckled down and missing out and now you try to advocate that that is the only way possible to make yourself feel better

@ Yoshi

Some people love Thailand ; some people love thier woman and want to find a way to stay together; some people put life style and surroundings before riches. Why not.?

Dive instructor; TEFL are two easily doable options, not going to make a fortune but can live a decent life. Business can follow if worked out properly. Drive instructor of many years comes to be dive shop or school owner, teacher starts an institute or moves in to management or something similar. Another thing not mentioned is project management- there are often adverts for paid positions at charities if you have correct qualifications. Hospitality is another option with a bit of training.

My friend school pal went to Thailand traveling with 8,000 great British pounds in his pocket 12 years ago and turned that in to today's x2 restaurants, a bar and a club. Pretty good goin for an uneducated council estate boy out of Kent. By your dumb logic everybody should not bother trying and just stay home doing what ever Menial work that happen to be qualified for; or go back to study for oil and gas or accounting as if big bucks are the only ones worth casing. I've seen this again and again with you, you must have some issues with your youth being spent knuckled down and missing out and now you try to advocate that that is the only way possible to make yourself feel better

Rare as hen's teeth. Follow the money and qualifications every time. Most of the lifestyle baloney is just self indulgent nonsense. The young guys wasting their youth slowly and surely and nothing to show for it at the end except luurve.

sounds like the voice of experience yoshi. Which is what you are saying from the tone. I guess there are many things you did not try hence the regret and waste of youth..

.... what you make of it

[yoshiwara]

You know nothing obviously Yoshi.

The state schools (the ones you'd probably consider rubbish) have shorter holidays (but finish at 3:30pm) ; many private schools still have long holidays like this, his is no exception. Often it works out that the posher the school the longer the holidays are. Hours per day are often a bit longer for the higher up academic staff but not for him.

Teaching hours are just part of the job. All teachers know that and the other stuff is a lot.

Depends.

PE and primary is not much prep work or long marking.

You have little pedagogical understanding.

[yoshiwara]

@ Yoshi

Some people love Thailand ; some people love thier woman and want to find a way to stay together; some people put life style and surroundings before riches. Why not.?

Dive instructor; TEFL are two easily doable options, not going to make a fortune but can live a decent life. Business can follow if worked out properly. Drive instructor of many years comes to be dive shop or school owner, teacher starts an institute or moves in to management or something similar. Another thing not mentioned is project management- there are often adverts for paid positions at charities if you have correct qualifications. Hospitality is another option with a bit of training.

My friend school pal went to Thailand traveling with 8,000 great British pounds in his pocket 12 years ago and turned that in to today's x2 restaurants, a bar and a club. Pretty good goin for an uneducated council estate boy out of Kent. By your dumb logic everybody should not bother trying and just stay home doing what ever Menial work that happen to be qualified for; or go back to study for oil and gas or accounting as if big bucks are the only ones worth casing. I've seen this again and again with you, you must have some issues with your youth being spent knuckled down and missing out and now you try to advocate that that is the only way possible to make yourself feel better

@ Yoshi

Some people love Thailand ; some people love thier woman and want to find a way to stay together; some people put life style and surroundings before riches. Why not.?

Dive instructor; TEFL are two easily doable options, not going to make a fortune but can live a decent life. Business can follow if worked out properly. Drive instructor of many years comes to be dive shop or school owner, teacher starts an institute or moves in to management or something similar. Another thing not mentioned is project management- there are often adverts for paid positions at charities if you have correct qualifications. Hospitality is another option with a bit of training.

My friend school pal went to Thailand traveling with 8,000 great British pounds in his pocket 12 years ago and turned that in to today's x2 restaurants, a bar and a club. Pretty good goin for an uneducated council estate boy out of Kent. By your dumb logic everybody should not bother trying and just stay home doing what ever Menial work that happen to be qualified for; or go back to study for oil and gas or accounting as if big bucks are the only ones worth casing. I've seen this again and again with you, you must have some issues with your youth being spent knuckled down and missing out and now you try to advocate that that is the only way possible to make yourself feel better

Rare as hen's teeth. Follow the money and qualifications every time. Most of the lifestyle baloney is just self indulgent nonsense. The young guys wasting their youth slowly and surely and nothing to show for it at the end except luurve.

sounds like the voice of experience yoshi. Which is what you are saying from the tone. I guess there are many things you did not try hence the regret and waste of youth..

.... what you make of it

I see and saw enough self-indulgent nonsense to recognise it for what it is and was and no extent of life-style affectations can cover for dead-ends even though Thailand may provide a pleasant enough place to do it.

[mccw]

Life need never be at a "dead end" at any stage really, and certainly not in the late 20s or 30s; so long as you have the drive to try new things and not give up on yourself.

The TEFL or EBay suggestions could be good things for older people to try who maybe need to top up their pensions income due to bht appreciation or whatever. If I were a school I would prefer to employ the older person since I'd think they would be more likely to stick around for longer and be less inclined to turn up late or hung over than a 20 something maybe.

[yoshiwara]

Life need never be at a "dead end" at any stage really, and certainly not in the late 20s or 30s; so long as you have the drive to try new things and not give up on yourself.

The TEFL or EBay suggestions could be good things for older people to try who maybe need to top up their pensions income due to bht appreciation or whatever. If I were a school I would prefer to employ the older person since I'd think they would be more likely to stick around for longer and be less inclined to turn up late or hung over than a 20 something maybe.

If you look at the OP you will see that we are talking about people who are pre-retirement. Now the ebay pathway I regard as a dead-end full stop. Its one of those what can I do if I can't think of anything else in the bar solutions. The other one is TEFL. OK for passing through and sticking on your CV when younger but as an objective in itself for making money? Noooo! As for the older set, listening to some of the grammar-free individuals discussing with a straight face doing some TEFL I just hold my head in my hands. PS the better school principal prefers younger teachers because they have more energy, can empathise better with younger students and are more flexible than older gits who can't be told. Old dogs, new tricks and all that.

[BKK Blues Brother]

Interesting thread! Does anyone play poker on-line to make money here?

[Malise]

Right, so clearly the best strategy is to go straight to the nearest bar and get so hammered that we wont feel a thing when we leap from the balcony of our Pattaya condo, right ? Whew - finally a clear and concise roadmap for the future.

Thailand is stuffed full of washed up graduates with irrelevant degrees and 6 months TEFL experience drifting around going nowhere. And endlessly whining on and on about 'what can I do?' A bit like jumping of that balcony in slow-mo. Nice girlfriend though.

Ha you have astute powers of observation Yoshiwara. I'm glad at least you saw perhaps the only advantage of being here.. the girlfriend has its drawbacks also.

[Gutenberg]

Interesting thread! Does anyone play poker on-line to make money here?

Yeah, mostly I make money for the opponents

[BKKdreaming]

Invent something while sitting on the beach with your feet up ,

have it made in China and shipped to the USA and then to amazon

Now spend your days pimping your product all over the internet with a link to amazon,

Amazon wherehouses it , ships it and sends you whats left

sounds easy , until someone copies your product.....

[MAJIC]

Right, so clearly the best strategy is to go straight to the nearest bar and get so hammered that we wont feel a thing when we leap from the balcony of our Pattaya condo, right ? Whew - finally a clear and concise roadmap for the future.

Who's we?

[Nomyai]

I have known many guys make a small fortune here in Thailand..... of course they came here with a large one first!

All ops suggestions are PROVEN ways not to make money...................hahahahaha! Hilarious!

[topt]

Right, so clearly the best strategy is to go straight to the nearest bar and get so hammered that we wont feel a thing when we leap from the balcony of our Pattaya condo, right ? Whew - finally a clear and concise roadmap for the future.

Thailand is stuffed full of washed up graduates with irrelevant degrees and 6 months TEFL experience drifting around going nowhere. And endlessly whining on and on about 'what can I do?' A bit like jumping of that balcony in slow-mo. Nice girlfriend though.

Ha you have astute powers of observation Yoshiwara. I'm glad at least you saw perhaps the only advantage of being here.. the girlfriend has its drawbacks also.

Why would you resurrect an eighteen month old thread........oh wait, low post count............

[maisodni]

The "secret" to making money in Thailand is the same as the "secret" to making money anywhere else in the world: identify an unfulfilled need that is frustrating a lot of people, and come up with a solution that fills that unmet need, at a price that the frustrated will be willing to pay.

Thus were born the overland visa run companies, the Western food delivery businsses, the recently emerging craft beer venues, and many other businesses

What is true is that the low-hanging fruit has generally been picked long ago - and you often need significanty capital to fund a new entry into the market.

15 years ago, I thought that an idea would work - and it probably would still work:

Find a key central location - such as near the Asoke intersection, or the Dusit Hotel area (both are locations where the BTS and MRT intersect). Lease a space - similar, perhaps, to the currenty Hemmingway'sand create a lounge area - air conditioned, with a number of TV screens, maybe with various natonal and international newspapers available. Serve coffee, tea, cold drinks, maybe some beer. Offer a small menu. That's all just to occupy a visitor's time. The key function of the location is personal effercts maintenance. The central lounge area should be surrounded by a set of inward-facing windows - each window handling a separate function:

Key duplication

Shoe repair and shoe shining

Clothing (zipper/button) repair

Air ticket confirmation

Light bulb replacement

Watch/camera/smart phone battery replacement

Scanning, photocopying, printing station

Notary public service

90-day Immigration reporting

Eyeglasses repair

Pharmacy/chemist

Contact lens replacement

Passport/work permit photos

Work permit medical exam

Currency exchange

DHL/UPS/EMS/postal mailing

Business card production

Laundry, ironing, and drycleanig

Etc, etc, etc.

They key would be to have sharp Thai staff who would each manage a set of three or four inward facing windows - giving out claim checks, and collecting payments.

For most inward-facing stations, there would also be an outward facing station - opening to the outside of the building. The building operator could contract with a nearby and DEPENDABLE "best in class" provider of each type of service - who would send a motorcycle courier to pick up and deliver back work items - quickly.

Ther business model would be to collect on the "spread" between what you charge the indoor customer, aand what you pay thre external vendor (plus the courier).

The "pull" that would attract vistors would be that they now have a "one-stop" shop to go to - centrally-located and comfortable - to which they can bring all their annoying small tasks and problems, and have them all handled in one go, without having to wander around in the heat, rain, and confusion of Bangkok. Once you managed to get a market foothold, you could puruse any number of additional activities - toi further occupy a somewhat "captive" aufdience:

Barber shop

Massage

Bookstore

Pool hall

Donut shop

Tattoo parlor

Gift shop

Flower shop

Minimart

Redtsursnt reservation service

Limo service

If there was one central place that i could go, to get all my little annoying problems sorted - I could live with slightly higher prices than usual, just for the convenience. And - it would probably be pretty easy to "upsell" me on some sort of unplanned purchase.

Cheers!
MS

[BKKdreaming]

......15 years ago, I thought that an idea would work - and it probably would still work:......

Sounds like a great idea but getting it to work would be hard in the West and in Thailand maybe impossible,

Have you seen something like this in another part of the world ?

[blackcab]

Maisodni

Great idea. The biggest problem would be recruiting decent staff (and retaining them) and also finding reliable Thai businesses to support the idea.

[i claudius]

I find the best way to make money legally in Thailand is to let the wife work ,she makes quite a lot selling real estate , works for me