Making an inquiry for life changing move to LOS or Vietnam

[notsosure]

Hello expats... I’m a 55 British single divorced male and finding it hard to get work in the UK that will mellow me out for my next 10 years before retiring. I’m a Chef and work is very hard, waking up in the morning with aching legs, shoulders, stiff fingers and all that. I’m getting old and me muscles/bones are slowing down I’ve got the beginning of arthritis.

I’ve been to LOS a few times and enjoyed my time there but that was over 10 years ago it might have changed like money exchange was very different then. I think I know a bit about Thai culture..... I’m not looking for a wife just some part time female company and a slower way of life and more relaxation without loads of bills on my head like heating costs and petrol as these things have gone velly expensive in the UK..

I could do TEFAL as a job in LOS (I’m a post graduate in the Arts) and live out the next 10-15 years in LOS taking my time, relaxing and not working like a dog in kitchens in the North West of England.

I’m a house owner and could get £650.00 a month renting it out via an estate management company who charge 10% who do a full management and look after the property if things need fixing they charge an extra 10% for sorting it out plus the cost of repairs, they have various contractors to do the appropriate repairs for you.

So do any of you guys own property in the UK and rent it out? If so has things been OK with your property like have you had to get on a plane and get back to the UK to sort out problems?

How many times does one need to come back to the UK and hang around in the UK so as not to lose ones pension? Is it like every 2.5 years and have to be resident in the UK for 6-7 months.

Also does one need to pay NI? If so does one set up an account with the British Gov?

I would fully appreciate a sensible response.

[Kitsune]

Aching, arthritis and stiffness are diet related, some 70/80 years old are pain free on the right food.

[kevvy]

for someone who has only 3 posts you are not going the right way to get any more posts.

[FiftyTwo]

Don't count on making money from working in Thailand.

You are too old.

But living here on 650GBP a month is doable.

Ask your local council if they want to rent your house.

They often will do a 3+ year deal and restore before handing back.

[nong38]

Well, if you aching limbs then the warmer drier climate is going to be a + for you as the UK is damp for 8 months of the year. Pension wise at the moment you need to spend 6 months in the UK for you not lose you annual increases. The exhange rate here at the moment is above 50 so that good but look at the turmoil here and the appartently good UK economy and you hope for the future, might be better to work things out on 45 and anything above is bonus time. Life is cheaper here fo sure but things are not built the same as in the UK so get your head round it.

You should come again and have a look around and see how things now to how you remember them, then make out a pros and cons see where it leads you.

Vietnam, cannot help you there.

Chef wants to work or not? I have not and would not work here, the only sort of business here, especially for non Thais, is no business. You only have to look how many business have closed or are up for sale to give you the answer, come here and retire, enjoy life.

I was told here on my second visit that it was a simple but happy life, what do you want out of life?

[NeverSure]

I don't know anything about renting to the Council, but if you rent through an estate management company you'll only net about 50% of the gross rent. In addition to the 10%, there are the taxes and maintenance, potential damages to repair, and a vacancy factor, etc. If you have a mortgage, subtract that too.

You are not too old to teach English and can get a job. Read a lot in the teaching forum on here to find out that working as a teacher is not all that easy in several ways. The pay should be somewhere around 30,000 baht per month which with a little more coming from your house would allow a modest but OK living.

[Kitsune]

I know it because I have the data and I can see clearly you're missing the point.

You are deluding yourself like many other fools in believing you will pick up a job as an English teacher with a "TEFAL" (like the saucepan hilarious really) and you think you know about diet because you wanted to open a vegan restaurant and worked for BUPA. You have high blood pressure and you know ALL about diet!

Happy long arthritis, heart disease and diabete !

Edited February 16, 2014 by Kitsune

[wym]

So asides from the health advice - well-meaning I'm sure.

If you really want a career change sure you can get work for sure at the low end, 25-35K for regular Thai schools teaching kiddies, but it's pretty soul-destroying work if you want to try to do a good job, really only bearable working for Thais if you don't give a stuff.

If at all possible get work teaching teens and older, either uni or commercial TEFL sector, harder to get full-time work but the latter pays a little better if you do and MUCH better working for relatively sane management.

If you really apply yourself as you gain in experience pick up tutoring clients can get up to 100K + if you hustle, but sounds like you don't really want to hustle.

However I'd really re-think the career change. Depending on your CV, if you put in a lot of time and energy job-hunting from there over the internet, you may well be able to land a job at a hotel or farang-oriented restaurant or even set up your own - risky but potentially a much better lifestyle and maybe even more profitable. Obviously the last takes a lot more research and you could lose a fair bit.

You're very fortunate having the property as well, but IMO don't expect to live off it fully, much better to support yourself while you're still relatively young and continue to bank as much as possble for your real old age, who knows you may well live to 100 even with your health issues, and you'll need it for medical care.

Which reminds me make sure to do the research on a good policy for here, at least covering disastrous stuff, try to get one that can't cut you off later and keep it paid up. . .

[Rooo]

Several posts referring to other forums & argumentive deleted.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Go to Vietnam... we're full-up here in Thailand!

[OMGImInPattaya]

Aching, arthritis and stiffness are diet related, some 70/80 years old are pain free on the right food.

And let me guess...the English "fry-up" breakfast and bangers and mash aren't among them!

[OMGImInPattaya]

Don't count on making money from working in Thailand.

You are too old.

But living here on 650GBP a month is doable.

Ask your local council if they want to rent your house.

They often will do a 3+ year deal and restore before handing back.

But it's not 650 but more like 585 after paying 10% off the top to the agents. Plus there's the repairs that always crop up and the 10% markup on them. I would figure whacking 20-25% off that 650 to start with.

Now we have healthcare to consider as he's already said he's getting old. Can the op deposit 200-300k baht in a bank as a self-insurance fund?

Next is transportation. Does the op have funds to buy a decent used or a new car? How about insuring, gassing, and maintaining it? Or will he be will willing to risk life and limb and join the sceuffy moto-brigades?

Think about making this change. Maybe just better to slog it out there in jolly olé England, after all, you do have the NHS after all.

[Nignoy]

as usual ,the know it all comments and sarcastic remarks, try a holiday in vietnam,mywife and i are big thailand fans,have done the living in thailand bit,but when it started to get realcrowded, we sold up and looked elsewhere, we had emigrated from uk to aus in 96, was easier for us to get back and forth to thailand,in 2001 we had a look round vietnam,standard of living as good if not better than thailand and a lot cheaper!!at first we rented but for thelast 10 years we have leased a private house ,our australian and uk thai families use it when we are in aus, viet authorites are very helpful, locals are great tto, if you keep away from the tourist areas, have look souh of vungtau , bags of scope for getting a private job teaching english, if you are a trained chef ,not just a short order cook, the world is your oyster here in vietnam,the catering manager of a 5star hotelnear us learned to cook at butlins, give vietnam a trymate you wont be disappointed

[notsosure]

Now we have healthcare to consider as he's already said he's getting old. Can the op deposit 200-300k baht in a bank as a self-insurance fund?

Next is transportation. Does the op have funds to buy a decent used or a new car? How about insuring, gassing, and maintaining it? Or will he be will willing to risk life and limb and join the sceuffy moto-brigades?

Now this is the type of stuff I need to know...I did not know this... Thanks...

[notsosure]

Nignoy...The more I look around I think Vietnam might be a preferable place..

As there are just too many silly farangs in LOS.

One can see this by the stupid post I get with a rather stright forward question

However cheffing is very hard and long hour work... There are loads of kitchen mangerial (head chef) jobs in the UK at £25k upwards but one has to work 80 hours a week for it.

[Kitsune]

My language school has courses for people like him.

They take anyone, old fat, black, with drug/drinking problem, disability etc. All totally unemployable.

They pay for a bullshit Celta course (yes TEFL/TEFAL is out) in Phuket with "guarantied job" at the end.

Once the course is finished and to get rid of them, they are sent to Bangkok for an imaginary job.

They wait around at the school for days staring at the wall, without getting the idea they are messed about.

Once the school has enough of them, they shout at them and tell them racist insults so they leave back to their own country.

Sad really.

Yes go to Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia/Thailand, my school has a branch in Vietnam and the world is your oyster mate !

[robertthebruce]

Hi

Just been reading your ''Posting'' on Thai Visa.... , i own properties in the UK (London), and i rent them out, not through an Agency but myself... its easy enough and straight forward.... , i have my own Contracts made up, and its just a matter of signing the dotted line.. and thats it..

Never had any problems, with any of my Tenants, always pay on time, and no damage..

Defnetly would forgot about working here in Thailand, as there is so many ''Future Teachers'' out there, so its a bit of a rat race..

Hope the above is of help..

Cheers

[FiftyTwo]

Don't count on making money from working in Thailand.

You are too old.

But living here on 650GBP a month is doable.

Ask your local council if they want to rent your house.

They often will do a 3+ year deal and restore before handing back.

But it's not 650 but more like 585 after paying 10% off the top to the agents. Plus there's the repairs that always crop up and the 10% markup on them. I would figure whacking 20-25% off that 650 to start with.

Now we have healthcare to consider as he's already said he's getting old. Can the op deposit 200-300k baht in a bank as a self-insurance fund?

Next is transportation. Does the op have funds to buy a decent used or a new car? How about insuring, gassing, and maintaining it? Or will he be will willing to risk life and limb and join the sceuffy moto-brigades?

Think about making this change. Maybe just better to slog it out there in jolly olé England, after all, you do have the NHS after all.

No reductions when renting to the council, they do all repairs, but depends where you live, not every council will do it.

Healthcare, fly back to the UK, it's free if you have made 7 years NI payments..

M/c is perfectly acceptable, 15Kbht and up.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Don't count on making money from working in Thailand.

You are too old.

But living here on 650GBP a month is doable.

Ask your local council if they want to rent your house.

They often will do a 3+ year deal and restore before handing back.

But it's not 650 but more like 585 after paying 10% off the top to the agents. Plus there's the repairs that always crop up and the 10% markup on them. I would figure whacking 20-25% off that 650 to start with.

Now we have healthcare to consider as he's already said he's getting old. Can the op deposit 200-300k baht in a bank as a self-insurance fund?

Next is transportation. Does the op have funds to buy a decent used or a new car? How about insuring, gassing, and maintaining it? Or will he be will willing to risk life and limb and join the sceuffy moto-brigades?

Think about making this change. Maybe just better to slog it out there in jolly olé England, after all, you do have the NHS after all.

No reductions when renting to the council, they do all repairs, but depends where you live, not every council will do it.

Healthcare, fly back to the UK, it's free if you have made 7 years NI payments..

M/c is perfectly acceptable, 15Kbht and up.

All well and good if it's non-emergency or elective care and you can afford the airfare and you have family or friends who are willing to house and feed you during any recovery period. If not, it's some kind of paid food and lodgings.

[swissie]

Nignoy...The more I look around I think Vietnam might be a preferable place..

As there are just too many silly farangs in LOS.

One can see this by the stupid post I get with a rather stright forward question

However cheffing is very hard and long hour work... There are loads of kitchen mangerial (head chef) jobs in the UK at £25k upwards but one has to work 80 hours a week for it.

Be assured, a small army of early-retiree Farangs in Thailand would be very happy to occupy your current job to enable them to go back home. (With or without arthritis).

Early-retiree success story's are few and far between (unless a very solid and substantial financial backing is already in place.)

- If you can, make a deal with your employer: You need a 6 months "time-out", with the option of returning to your job after 6 months. Without it, you will be embarking of the adventure of your life, with odds stacked against you.

Cheers.

[Kitsune]

Nignoy...The more I look around I think Vietnam might be a preferable place..

As there are just too many silly farangs in LOS.

One can see this by the stupid post I get with a rather stright forward question

However cheffing is very hard and long hour work... There are loads of kitchen mangerial (head chef) jobs in the UK at £25k upwards but one has to work 80 hours a week for it.

Be assured, a small army of early-retiree Farangs in Thailand would be very happy to occupy your current job to enable them to go back home. (With or without arthritis).

Early-retiree success story's are few and far between (unless a very solid and substantial financial backing is already in place.)

- If you can, make a deal with your employer: You need a 6 months "time-out", with the option of returning to your job after 6 months. Without it, you will be embarking of the adventure of your life, with odds stacked against you.

Cheers.

Since when does 600 pounds a months with high cholesterol and crawling arthritis at 55 qualifies as success?