Foreign workers say Thailand is tops

[Benmart]

Thailand is an awesome place to live. If you haven't figured out that yet, there is probally no helping you.

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I've been coming to Thailand for the last 20 years and now live here. While not perfect (whatever that means), I accept the LOS for what it is and live life on life's terms.

Some may never find happiness regardless if it is the LOS, Europe, the USA or elsewhere. Their unhappiness, pain and anguish is best viewed from a distance. Peace All.

[Benmart]

Thailand is an awesome place to live. If you haven't figured out that yet, there is probally no helping you.

Don't worry, the second day of your holiday will be great too. Enjoy!

Perhaps try the Grand Palace and Wat Arun.

Doccalamity's positive and optimistic outlook is refreshing. Quite a difference from the pessimistic and negative comments that overflow with unhappiness.

Doc, keep the faith and don't let the negative nabobs of negativism change your bright outlook.

[duanebigsby]

If they are paid like many expats whereby there is no income tax and you are on a full expatriate deal, the place is heaven.

No place safer and clean than Tokyo with unbelievable variety. if you're on an expat package with rent and perqs then you can't beat Japan. If you need to cheap it up, the US now beats Thailand. Try comparing buying a car with Thailand and the US?

Unfair to pick one thing and suggest Thailand is more expensive than US.

Sure a car here is as or more expensive than the US, but in Vancouver I paid $1200 a month for a basement suite. Here $100 all in for a 2 bed 2 bath townhouse. My life here is a fifth the price. Japan is expensive as hell and they really despise foreigners.

[Thai at Heart]

If they are paid like many expats whereby there is no income tax and you are on a full expatriate deal, the place is heaven.

No place safer and clean than Tokyo with unbelievable variety. if you're on an expat package with rent and perqs then you can't beat Japan. If you need to cheap it up, the US now beats Thailand. Try comparing buying a car with Thailand and the US?

Unfair to pick one thing and suggest Thailand is more expensive than US.

Sure a car here is as or more expensive than the US, but in Vancouver I paid $1200 a month for a basement suite. Here $100 all in for a 2 bed 2 bath townhouse. My life here is a fifth the price. Japan is expensive as hell and they really despise foreigners.

Expats in this survey aren't paying their 150k rent themselves

[Loles]

Top in WHAT ?

[thailiketoo]

Top in WHAT ?

The Southeast Asian country (Thailand) topped the latest HSBC Expat survey for best overall expat experience.

[FarangTalk]

If they are paid like many expats whereby there is no income tax and you are on a full expatriate deal, the place is heaven.

No place safer and clean than Tokyo with unbelievable variety. if you're on an expat package with rent and perqs then you can't beat Japan. If you need to cheap it up, the US now beats Thailand. Try comparing buying a car with Thailand and the US?

Unfair to pick one thing and suggest Thailand is more expensive than US.

Sure a car here is as or more expensive than the US, but in Vancouver I paid $1200 a month for a basement suite. Here $100 all in for a 2 bed 2 bath townhouse. My life here is a fifth the price. Japan is expensive as hell and they really despise foreigners.

$100 for a townhouse?

I'm calling nonsense on that one.

[FarangTalk]

Some may never find happiness regardless if it is the LOS, Europe, the USA or elsewhere. Their unhappiness, pain and anguish is best viewed from a distance. Peace All.

Yes, I too pity those Burmese, Cambodians and Laos workers that are abused and mistreated by the Thais.

It's unfortunate we didn't get to find out what the vast majority of foreign workers actually think about Thailand and the Thais. I suspect the result would be too unpalatable for some of the rose tinted glasses brigade let alone the Thais themselves.

What would the Burmese have to say about the apartheid style curfews imposed on them in Phuket? Or what would the Cambodians enslaved on Thai fishing vessels say?

Western expats are only a very small minority, and let's be honest, far removed from the realities of life in their Sukhumvit ivory towers.

[yingyo]

If they are paid like many expats whereby there is no income tax and you are on a full expatriate deal, the place is heaven.

No place safer and clean than Tokyo with unbelievable variety. if you're on an expat package with rent and perqs then you can't beat Japan. If you need to cheap it up, the US now beats Thailand. Try comparing buying a car with Thailand and the US?

Unfair to pick one thing and suggest Thailand is more expensive than US.

Sure a car here is as or more expensive than the US, but in Vancouver I paid $1200 a month for a basement suite. Here $100 all in for a 2 bed 2 bath townhouse. My life here is a fifth the price. Japan is expensive as hell and they really despise foreigners.

$100 for a townhouse?

I'm calling nonsense on that one.

Know a guy living in an Isahn capital renting a 4 b/r townhouse with big yard for 4k p/m. So a smaller 2 b/r one for 3k in a provincial city isn't out of the question.

The question though would be, who on Earth would want to live in one on some run down dank soi full of poor, undomesticated families.

[thailiketoo]

Some may never find happiness regardless if it is the LOS, Europe, the USA or elsewhere. Their unhappiness, pain and anguish is best viewed from a distance. Peace All.

Yes, I too pity those Burmese, Cambodians and Laos workers that are abused and mistreated by the Thais.

It's unfortunate we didn't get to find out what the vast majority of foreign workers actually think about Thailand and the Thais. I suspect the result would be too unpalatable for some of the rose tinted glasses brigade let alone the Thais themselves.

What would the Burmese have to say about the apartheid style curfews imposed on them in Phuket? Or what would the Cambodians enslaved on Thai fishing vessels say?

Western expats are only a very small minority, and let's be honest, far removed from the realities of life in their Sukhumvit ivory towers.

You may also be a bit removed from reality as for many foreign workers have a better deal than Thai workers. For example they are paid for housing and transportation and Thai workers doing the same job at the same pay are not. Talk to any employer using foreign help in Thailand and they can acquaint you with the rules.

[FarangTalk]

Some may never find happiness regardless if it is the LOS, Europe, the USA or elsewhere. Their unhappiness, pain and anguish is best viewed from a distance. Peace All.

Yes, I too pity those Burmese, Cambodians and Laos workers that are abused and mistreated by the Thais.

It's unfortunate we didn't get to find out what the vast majority of foreign workers actually think about Thailand and the Thais. I suspect the result would be too unpalatable for some of the rose tinted glasses brigade let alone the Thais themselves.

What would the Burmese have to say about the apartheid style curfews imposed on them in Phuket? Or what would the Cambodians enslaved on Thai fishing vessels say?

Western expats are only a very small minority, and let's be honest, far removed from the realities of life in their Sukhumvit ivory towers.

You may also be a bit removed from reality as for many foreign workers have a better deal than Thai workers. For example they are paid for housing and transportation and Thai workers doing the same job at the same pay are not. Talk to any employer using foreign help in Thailand and they can acquaint you with the rules.

Very few Burmese, Cambodian and Laos workers have anything near like the deal Thai workers receive and they make up the vast majority of the millions of foreign workers here. You will rarely find a Thai doing the sorts of jobs those nationalities do, and for less than minimum wage and in terrible conditions.

As I said those on expat packages are few and far between especially Westerners. Those that are paid in excess of their Thai colleagues or have a 'better deal' are usually worth the extra and/or indispensable.

I recall when the global economic slowdown started there was a mass exodus of Western expats from Bangkok, and the numbers of Westerners employed on packages has not returned to anywhere near the same levels, and never will IMO.

It is all semantics anyway as we are talking about minuscule numbers in comparison to Thailand's massive legal and illegal foreign workforce of exploited Burmese Cambodians and Laos nationals.

[thailiketoo]

You are buying the NGO propaganda. Check with the large Thai employers in the industrial centers who use large numbers of foreign workers. Thais do factory work and so do people from Cambodia. The maids that work in large hotels are from both Thailand and Burma. Same work. If there are any large employers reading Thai Visa they can tell you. My small company only has 70 employees and my Thai workers are upset I am paying new Cambodian workers more because they get free housing. But I can only speak for my one small company and the 20 or 30 companies close to mine. Perhaps you have a better source of information.

[FarangTalk]

You are buying the NGO propaganda. Check with the large Thai employers in the industrial centers who use large numbers of foreign workers. Thais do factory work and so do people from Cambodia. The maids that work in large hotels are from both Thailand and Burma. Same work. If there are any large employers reading Thai Visa they can tell you. My small company only has 70 employees and my Thai workers are upset I am paying new Cambodian workers more because they get free housing. But I can only speak for my one small company and the 20 or 30 companies close to mine. Perhaps you have a better source of information.

I am not buying any propaganda. I am basing my observations on my experience of living in Thailand for 15+ years and running several successful businesses.

[thailiketoo]

You are buying the NGO propaganda. Check with the large Thai employers in the industrial centers who use large numbers of foreign workers. Thais do factory work and so do people from Cambodia. The maids that work in large hotels are from both Thailand and Burma. Same work. If there are any large employers reading Thai Visa they can tell you. My small company only has 70 employees and my Thai workers are upset I am paying new Cambodian workers more because they get free housing. But I can only speak for my one small company and the 20 or 30 companies close to mine. Perhaps you have a better source of information.

I am not buying any propaganda. I am basing my observations on my experience of living in Thailand for 15+ years and running several successful businesses.

Are you speaking in the past tense? These are new rules and this is the first year we needed to hire from Cambodia. Maybe things change. Did operate boats?

[BarryM]

Thailand is a very expensive place to live if you like high quality food as virtually all of it needs to be imported.

If you are happy to eat the local food and like a night out with guaranteed happy ending, then sure its cheap.

[willyumiii]

Interesting..

The list of work foreigners can not do in Thailand is a mile long!

Just where does a farang find one of the jobs?

Oh! That's right, I remember now!

It's good work...If you can get it! lol

[thailiketoo]

Thailand is a very expensive place to live if you like high quality food as virtually all of it needs to be imported.

If you are happy to eat the local food and like a night out with guaranteed happy ending, then sure its cheap.

London had 4 Thai restaurants in 1970 and 300 today. No one likes Thai food.

Until last year Thailand was the number one exporter of rice. Not importer, exporter. Thai chicken, local, Thai pork local, vegetables local. Virtually all good Thai food is grown in Thailand. One survey held in 2003 by the Kellogg School of Management and Sasin Institute showed that Thai cuisine ranked 4th when people were asked to name an ethnic cuisine, after Italian, French and Chinese cuisine.

Two restaurants specialising in Thai cuisine have received Michelin stars: "Nahm" in London, run by David Thompson received its star in 2002, and "Kiin Kiin" in Copenhagen, run by chef Henrik Yde-Andersen and Lertchai Treetawatchaiwong, received its in 2009. Currently, "Kiin Kiin" is the only Thai restaurant with a Michelin star.