Why do young people with better opportunities relocate to Thailand?

[JockPieandBeans]

Maybe, just maybe.

There are some that.

1. Have seen their parents work to death and taxed to the max and said F?ck that.

2. Some are independently wealthy.

3. Who says that their opportunities are better in their home Country.

4. If I had to flip burgers for a living, I wouldn't be doing it in the UK.

5. University gap year, fell in love and stayed.

The list is endless.

[pigeonjake]

Wouldnt really agrre there ...

Socialise:synonyms interact, converse, be sociable, mix, mingle, get together, meet, fraternize, consort;

Dont have to be with peers or in your home country for that.

My English for today has been on ThaiVisa and several other websites including Twitter plus a few email messages. I have not spoken a word of English today -- only Thai with Thai persons who don't speak English, my favorite kind.

mr crab,

i salute you mate,

i would love to be able to do that,

maybe when i retire and stop going to other countries ill give it a good go,

i can talk a little but i should talk more ive been here long enough,

i suppose im just to bloody lazy,

but ive got a dog who understands both,,lol

jake

my hat of to you mate

[lormakmak]

I came back from Thailand after 8 years with more money than I went with.... probably more money than I would have saved had I stayed in the UK and carried on working... all about working smart as well as working hard in my opinion....

the reason I came back is the work I was doing was heavily saturated by chancers and I failed to see a real future there and looked around at those who would never admit they were on the bones of their arse and waiting for some family member to die so they can fritter the inheritance away... so many long timers in Thailand and the world awaiting that inheritance from their dear old relative... very sad in my book!

Teaching out there may not be the answer for some but better to do that than work in a warehouse or factory type job where you can never really climb the ladder... way I see it at least they are working

[pigeonjake]

Maybe, just maybe.

There are some that.

1. Have seen their parents work to death and taxed to the max and said F?ck that.

2. Some are independently wealthy.

3. Who says that their opportunities are better in their home Country.

4. If I had to flip burgers for a living, I wouldn't be doing it in the UK.

5. University gap year, fell in love and stayed.

The list is endless.

i really do understand what your saying,

but you wouldnt be able to flip burgers here, you wouldnt get a work permit as i thai could do that job,

all of us would sooner be here else we would go home,

life here is good im the first to admit it, but it wouldnt be that good having to watch the pennies all day every day

[JockPieandBeans]

Maybe, just maybe.

There are some that.

1. Have seen their parents work to death and taxed to the max and said F?ck that.

2. Some are independently wealthy.

3. Who says that their opportunities are better in their home Country.

4. If I had to flip burgers for a living, I wouldn't be doing it in the UK.

5. University gap year, fell in love and stayed.

The list is endless.

i really do understand what your saying,

but you wouldnt be able to flip burgers here, you wouldnt get a work permit as i thai could do that job,

all of us would sooner be here else we would go home,

life here is good im the first to admit it, but it wouldnt be that good having to watch the pennies all day every day

PJ

The burger flipping was tongue in cheek. I was trying not to be detrimental.

[JLCrab]

Thanks Jake -- I take a different approach to learning an Asian language. For me it is all in the writing and I learned by writing Thai words/sentences in Thai script over-&-over-& etc. Problem with Thai: No space between the words.

[mrtoad]

Because life isn't all about money.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I generally don't agree with much of what you post; however I think you make a very good point.

My previous career in the UK was well paid, I took a sabbatical and ended up here. Initially the money and opportunities were limited and there were some pretty difficult times and was messed around, but I eventually managed to find a job that I have enjoyed and in time this has led to a lot of opportunities for me, to develop my career further - I think that experience has made me appreciate life much more now. Several months back I was approached by a company offering a very substantial and lucrative package - I spent some time weighing it up, and in the end I turned it down. Maybe , in my younger days, I'd have looked at the money - now for me it is the quality of life, friends, and the good work environment that count for me. We all die at some point, but I want to be happy and not dead with a load of money and a headstone saying "Here lies mrtoad, he was a good businessman".

[pinkpanther99]

At 30, I guess I'm one of the 'young' people the OP talks about.

There is more to life than money.

That said, I have a job in Thailand that I really enjoy and which provides a salary for my family and I to live a very comfortable life.

Not sure if I would think the same if I was 'teaching' on 25k per month.

But that's just it, my family and my life are in Thailand now, I have no reason to return to my home country.

People who relocate here to teach and think this is a good career move need their heads checking - a long term career it certainly isn't, unless you're working in a top international school, which is the minority of English 'teachers' here.

[wwest5829]

Why would you ever move here to teach English for a couple of thousand $US a month?

Hey, Mr. Big

"a couple of thousand $US".

This made me laugh. There is a number of English teachers that are happy with 2000.

Would laugh but then a tear came to my eye as I remember my net pay as a certified US teacher being $2400.00 a month. Now that is my retirement income. Hmmm, hamster in a cage?! But happy now!

Edited July 10, 2014 by wwest5829

[FiestyFarang]

Very skilled people , Doctors, lawyers, accountants etc if I am correct cannot practise these professions in Thailand as there are relatively few jobs an "Alien" can do. Therefore they do not come to Thailand when they are young to live as they could not work even if they learn the language and re-trained in law etc. Why would a top Doctor say 35 years old earning 200,000USd plus in NY, London etc come and live in Thailand? Sun, well on that money he/she can go away 4 times a year to any where in the world.

[Neeeko]

I moved here for the happy way of life. My life is about ENJOYING IT, not the money.

[dcpo]

It's not about what you earn, it's about about quality of life and the amount you can save after paying your bills. I can save just as much if not more here than I could in London doing a similar job due to the differences in cost of living. Not to mention that if I wanted to live an equivalent lifestyle in London as my salary gives me here I'd end up in debt. I wouldn't want to send my children to school here but as my job gives me good health insurance my current financial situation is good.

[Suradit69]

Because life isn't all about money.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Yes, maybe for some people the prospect of working yourself to death for 40 years acquiring "whatever fortune you'll ever acquire" so that you can then afford to retire in a pleasant place like Thailand for a few years before you keel over from a heart attack doesn't appeal.

Of course some people are lucky enough to get work they really enjoy and that pays nicely, but let's face it a lot of people, even in America, hate their work , go through the motions like a zombie and the only thing they acquire is credit card debt, college tuition debt, a mortgage greater than the value of their home, etc.

Coming to Thailand to work for low pay may mean they never acquire a fortune and in some cases their ill-conceived "plans" will end up a disaster since many of them may not be gifted with the intelligence to see beyond the next weekend, but on the other hand, think about all those people who worked for years and years in the US, dreaming of their cushy retirement and building up equity in a house and in their IRA's and in market linked pensions, only to have it all evaporate in the Bush-Cheney recession. Poof. No retirement money. Their golden years spent eating cuisine de Alpo and dumpster diving for snacks and to augment their wardrobes.

Always wondered about that. Had a few offers in Thailand, but never even seriously considered it for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was I could always make a lot more money in the West.

Yes, I worked in the Middle East before retiring in Thailand because the money & conditions were great in the UAE and it was easy to fly to Thailand for several month-long holidays each year. Certainly nothing comparable readily on offer for employment in Thailand.

Sometimes planning "sensibly" works out and sometimes doing what you think is the sensible thing can bite you in your puny ass(ets) when the unexpected takes a big dump on you, if you'll excuse the mixed metaphor.

Edited July 10, 2014 by Suradit69

[3NUMBAS]

easy women as you know ,nightclubs and bright lights

but when theyre older its unlikely they would have accrued enough cash for their old age to live on .unlike elderly expats now ,so will suffer for their wild youth

Edited July 10, 2014 by 3NUMBAS

[ggt]

Why would you ever move here to teach English for a couple of thousand $US a month?

Not everyone is driven by status and money...some find what they "think" is paradise and decide to settle down...

[asdecas]

.

Edited July 10, 2014 by asdecas

[Tomtomtom69]

Very skilled people , Doctors, lawyers, accountants etc if I am correct cannot practise these professions in Thailand as there are relatively few jobs an "Alien" can do. Therefore they do not come to Thailand when they are young to live as they could not work even if they learn the language and re-trained in law etc. Why would a top Doctor say 35 years old earning 200,000USd plus in NY, London etc come and live in Thailand? Sun, well on that money he/she can go away 4 times a year to any where in the world.

Umm there are some foreign doctors in Thailand. I was treated by a western doctor at the BNH hospital once and an Indian doctor (he might have had Thai citizenship though, not sure) at the Traveller's vaccination and tropical medicine clinic on Silom road.

[Eric Loh]

Move my business here as I see more opportunties in expanding into under developed Indo-China countries than doing business in developed and developing countries. So far I am right.

[Naam]

I guess I am one of those idiots mentioned above. I moved here full-time at 23. I am presently a very happy 60 year old idiot and still enjoying my life in Thailand. I would have hated living a normal life back home.

please tell us how much money you had at age 23

I don’t like talking about money but I didn’t have very much at the time, I assure you. I had been saving since I was a kid, however. Every Christmas and birthday gift since childhood was put in the bank and not spent. My father passed on to me a finical conservatism which perhaps saved me from the pitfalls of overspending. You could say we were conspicuous under consumers.

For the first twenty years in Thailand I lived on whatever I made locally. I had some interesting jobs but my goal was to not work so I saved and invested, never touching the principle. Watching it grow almost became an obsession.

I never went into debt, didn’t marry until I was 45 and never had children, so I had complete control over my expenses. In my forties it became possible to loosen my self-imposed restrictions and stop working altogether.

After 30 years in Bangkok I finally moved to my little paradise here in Chiang Rai.

if this is the case... hats off!

[mrtoad]

Very skilled people , Doctors, lawyers, accountants etc if I am correct cannot practise these professions in Thailand as there are relatively few jobs an "Alien" can do. Therefore they do not come to Thailand when they are young to live as they could not work even if they learn the language and re-trained in law etc. Why would a top Doctor say 35 years old earning 200,000USd plus in NY, London etc come and live in Thailand? Sun, well on that money he/she can go away 4 times a year to any where in the world.

There are a lot of very skilled people from overseas working in Thailand , earning very good money. As for the salaries - 200,000 US for a top Doctor? Lol, you're having a laugh - they wouldn't get out of bed for that. irrespective, the cost of living here and tax is still less than in many countries, so there is often more in your pocket. Not all western people here, are unskilled, uneducated or working in low paif TEFL jobs.

[anthobkk]

Life here is much more entertaining than Europe ( France for me).

I'm here for 4 years now and I'm 28, I make about 70k per month + bonus and I live wayyyy better than if I was in France. I would make 90k+ there but will be forced to live in Paris and I would pay 40k per month to have a shitty studio...

So for me life in Thailand is a great deal except maybe that I won't have a pension when I get old, but I don't care I can save for that, I have time and I will enjoy my life much more than in France.

Edited July 10, 2014 by anthobkk

[umbanda]

I do not had the experience, but I regret to not move to Thailand a lot earlier. I am retired now, not really look in do any BIG business, but I met a Thai executive woman in her 40's in Bangkok that is making $10,000 US/month and drive a $200,000 car, with an honest export company, and a 65 years old German expat in Prachuap that was an English teacher 20 years ago when he started a factory of refined coconut oil for export. He is retired now, after selling his business for 1 million US and owning a tons of rental properties in Hua Hin. I can see a lot of opportunities in Asia for young smart enterprenours. Look at the owner of ALIBABA in China......I am looking closer of what LAZADA is doing in BK. I will be not surprised in finding out that is part of the same company....or belongs to a big corporations like IKEA or KMART....or is a creation of a new young and smart mind.

[squarethecircle]

I came as a kind of apprenticeship for my chosen career field, and to satisfy wanderlust. Ended up staying partly as escape and partly due to easy life. Trying to work out a way to make a good living online or get the finances straight and on target. The ladyboys err I mean ladies had nothing to do with it.

[Paulzed]

I often pondered this myself, same as the OP. Thailand is a great place for foreigners to spend money; it's not a great place for foreigners to make money. The deck is stacked against you....as it should be. No country in the world would offer more opportunities to foreigners over its own citizens. That I get.

But to be fair, it could be a generational thing. My formative years growing up was in relative poverty, something I remember all to well. So as I was growing up, I was determined to become financially independent by the time I retired. Never wanted to be old, poor, and destitute. I've been so accustomed to this mentality that even now, when I don't even need the income, I'm still working and investing for that rainy day.

Perhaps the young expats in Thailand are not thinking that far ahead. They are living for today. I personally couldn't enjoy my life that way, always worrying about the future. But that's just me, I worry. To be young and just living for the moment, I suppose that could be the path to happiness. For the moment anyways.

No country in the world would offer more opportunities to foreigners over its own citizens.

Australia Does, not only do they hand out work visas like its the end of the world to people from the UK and New Zealand, they allow the big name companies outsource local work such as pay role, drafting, design, manufacturing to places like India referred to as the high value centers.

[haikurd]

I don't think it's so much a generational thing - you think there weren't young people not working in the 60's, 70's, and 80's? A big part is that the new-entry job market has been terrible for young people for the last few years. A lot of younger people I meet here have finished school but were unable to find a decent job (one with prospects of a career or to even learn anything very useful). Spending a year or two abroad where they can travel, not spend so much money and figure out what to do is better than sitting around unemployed at home. For other young people it's a chance to see the world while the cost is relatively low for them (early 20's) before they settle down or go to grad school. A year or two teaching English abroad, especially if you learn the local language, is probably better than working flipping burgers or being unemployed the same length of time at home.

For somewhat older people here for long stints of time (30s-50s), many were either laid off and unable to get another job or taking time off between jobs, or they're completely burned out & taking time off. Many people can do pretty well working online independently. Others are doing seasonal work at home and spending off-season here.

[belg]

when the women in your country look like men and they have a princess attitude, the choice is made rather quickly

[gforsi]

it really is a good question OP, but sometimes things can not be explained logically.. because emotions or whatever are involved

I do not want to show off, but I am in my late twenties, have two university degrees including an MBA in international finance and asset management, besides having 6 years of full-time working experience.

Although I could earn way more money in the west, I chose to migrate to Thailand. Why? Difficult to explain, but long story short: Life is happening now and not in 20 years when I maybe accumulated "enough" money.

Then the question arises: What is enough money... And so on

If you are wealth and safety driven then stay in the west. For anybody else the world is waiting. >D

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I don't think it's so much a generational thing - you think there weren't young people not working in the 60's, 70's, and 80's? A big part is that the new-entry job market has been terrible for young people for the last few years. A lot of younger people I meet here have finished school but were unable to find a decent job (one with prospects of a career or to even learn anything very useful). Spending a year or two abroad where they can travel, not spend so much money and figure out what to do is better than sitting around unemployed at home. For other young people it's a chance to see the world while the cost is relatively low for them (early 20's) before they settle down or go to grad school. A year or two teaching English abroad, especially if you learn the local language, is probably better than working flipping burgers or being unemployed the same length of time at home.

For somewhat older people here for long stints of time (30s-50s), many were either laid off and unable to get another job or taking time off between jobs, or they're completely burned out & taking time off. Many people can do pretty well working online independently. Others are doing seasonal work at home and spending off-season here.

Thai isn't a useful foreign language for anyone to learn.

Living in Thailand for a couple of years is a bit of a career killer on a guy's resume.

Better off in Europe, India or China, where there is no taint involved.

[larsjohnsson]

Personally, I don't work in Thailand. The younger expats I know that do are mostly teachers. They earn a similar salary to that which they did back home, enjoy a much higher standard of living, happier working conditions, and get to live in an awesome country. Nobody seems to see this as a bad option.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I have meet hundreds of teachers in my years here. And I have never meet one that have the same salary here as he/she would have in my home country Edited July 10, 2014 by larsjohnsson

[Crazy chef 1]

can't help you with this: i am on a expat package but it was always my dream to live and work here.about the working part i have to rethink...