What are my chances of getting a job?

[Gimbo]

I spent 3 years in Asia form 2005 to 2008. One of those years was spent in Thailand on back to back tourist visas, living in an Isaan village and I loved it!

I am married to a wonderfull Thai woman who is now supporting me while I go back to university here in a Scandinavian country. <3

We got married in 2007 in Thailand. And the reson we are here and not there is that I did not have the finances to stay there, and I wanted to provide her kids with an education. The oldest is starting University level education next year. And As I said, I am back to school too.

I study emergency management, and will complete a BA in 3 years time. I used to work with telecoms for NGO's in the middle east, south Asia and Africa, for many years and before that I did some army service, including deployment to the Middle East and the Balkans...

Would I ever have a chance at finding some kind of employment in Thailand with a fresh BA, a few years of experience in Europe and a background like that?

The dream is to go back once both the kids are sorted with an education....lets say in 5-6 years time?

It's nice to have dreams :-)

Edited September 15, 2014 by Gimbo

[bkksteve123]

It's important to have dreams. You can always find some job, but most likely it will not be in your field of education. As you might be aware, most foreign people working in Thailand are teachers and sales reps, these jobs are open to more or less everyone, that includes you. But you will not be required a B.Sc. for that. There are of course professionals working in different well-paid positions (in banking and financial services, consulting, management etc,) but they are typically sent here by their employer, and were never looking for a job in specifically in Thailand. It just happened.

People that really want to get transfered to a high-paying expat job in Thailand do not get sent to Thailand. People that dream of living in Thailand tend not to be the "career-focused" people, and thus unlikely to ever be in the position to be sent to Thailand to begin with.

So if the emphasis of the dream is to live and work in Thailand, and not so much to have a successful career in xxxx, a better choice might be to start working immediately in Scandinavia with a decent salary, and save as much money as you can for 5-6 years. Meanwhile, take courses in teaching (get the required certificates) and perhaps learn some specific skills that you think could be useful as an online freelance worker: design, SEM/SEO, etc. I believe there will be significant growth in online freelance work in years to come.

When you decide to make the move with your family perhaps you will have saved up enough so that you could start a small business that generates income, and teach English / work freelance for extra money.

[fstarbkk]

It's important to have dreams. You can always find some job, but most likely it will not be in your field of education. As you might be aware, most foreign people working in Thailand are teachers and sales reps, these jobs are open to more or less everyone, that includes you. But you will not be required a B.Sc. for that. There are of course professionals working in different well-paid positions (in banking and financial services, consulting, management etc,) but they are typically sent here by their employer, and were never looking for a job in specifically in Thailand. It just happened.

People that really want to get transfered to a high-paying expat job in Thailand do not get sent to Thailand. People that dream of living in Thailand tend not to be the "career-focused" people, and thus unlikely to ever be in the position to be sent to Thailand to begin with.

So if the emphasis of the dream is to live and work in Thailand, and not so much to have a successful career in xxxx, a better choice might be to start working immediately in Scandinavia with a decent salary, and save as much money as you can for 5-6 years. Meanwhile, take courses in teaching (get the required certificates) and perhaps learn some specific skills that you think could be useful as an online freelance worker: design, SEM/SEO, etc. I believe there will be significant growth in online freelance work in years to come.

When you decide to make the move with your family perhaps you will have saved up enough so that you could start a small business that generates income, and teach English / work freelance for extra money.

I think your reply is overly negative, given that the OP is willing to plan ahead and work on his dream, unlike a lot of losers who just show up and expect Thailand to roll out the red carpet for them.

My advice is to start learning about the potential employers (e.g. government agencies, NGO's...) in his chosen field as early as possible and trying to tailor his school and work experience as closely to the demands as possible.

It took me a few more years to find a way to live, work and prosper in Thailand than I would have liked, but eventually my stubbornness paid off and some doors started opening up for me. No reason this couldn't be done by someone else who's sufficiently motivated.

Also there are some pieces of erroneous/ misleading information here. I will point out a couple of them:

Only a tiny minority of all legally employed foreigners in Thailand are teachers. Those usually do need a bachelors degree or better to qualify for employment in an legitimate educational institutions. Of course there are hordes of people who eek out a meager living under the radar, working at commercial English mills and doing their border runs for as long as they can.

Unless you are a fortune teller you cannot possibly predict whether there are any professional opportunities in the SEM/SEO field in the future. I happen to know a number of people in that area and most of them wouldn't predict what that business will be like in two years, let alone in 5 or 6.

To our OP I only want to say: Keep your eyes on the ball. Learn as much as you can about conditions in Thailand as it relates to your chosen career and start networking early. You will find a way to make it happen if you really want to and are willing to work for/ toward it. Fortune favors the brave (and stubborn)!

Edited September 15, 2014 by fstarbkk

[Gimbo]

Well, well, 5-6 years is a long time in Thailand terms. Things change fast there. The oldest kids dream is to get his education done, then start to work for a Scandinavian company in Thailand. That could well happen for him, as he was 14 when he arrived here, so he has his Thai languange (actually he speaks Thai, Khmer and Lao + Norwegian and his Englsih grades are not bad either. With a university degree I guess someone like that could be usefull for a Scandinavian company operating in Thailand :-)

But that leaves me :-)

Just don't want to wait until my pension comes allong in 25 years. So we'II come up with something, once the kids are taken care of. Meanwhile it does not hurt starting to orient myself, and perhaps getting a few reality checks, ha ha

Anyway, with my background in NGO's and that bachelors degree + maybe a master later on, it would not surprise me if I could scrounge up some odd jobs in the less fortunate countries around Thailand, and set up home base in Thailand for the R&R in between...but I t would be nice to avoid that....

[bkksteve123]

It's important to have dreams. You can always find some job, but most likely it will not be in your field of education. As you might be aware, most foreign people working in Thailand are teachers and sales reps, these jobs are open to more or less everyone, that includes you. But you will not be required a B.Sc. for that. There are of course professionals working in different well-paid positions (in banking and financial services, consulting, management etc,) but they are typically sent here by their employer, and were never looking for a job in specifically in Thailand. It just happened.

People that really want to get transfered to a high-paying expat job in Thailand do not get sent to Thailand. People that dream of living in Thailand tend not to be the "career-focused" people, and thus unlikely to ever be in the position to be sent to Thailand to begin with.

So if the emphasis of the dream is to live and work in Thailand, and not so much to have a successful career in xxxx, a better choice might be to start working immediately in Scandinavia with a decent salary, and save as much money as you can for 5-6 years. Meanwhile, take courses in teaching (get the required certificates) and perhaps learn some specific skills that you think could be useful as an online freelance worker: design, SEM/SEO, etc. I believe there will be significant growth in online freelance work in years to come.

When you decide to make the move with your family perhaps you will have saved up enough so that you could start a small business that generates income, and teach English / work freelance for extra money.

I think your reply is overly negative, given that the OP is willing to plan ahead and work on his dream, unlike a lot of losers who just show up and expect Thailand to roll out the red carpet for them.

My advice is to start learning about the potential employers (e.g. government agencies, NGO's...) in his chosen field as early as possible and trying to tailor his school and work experience as closely to the demands as possible.

It took me a few more years to find a way to live, work and prosper in Thailand than I would have liked, but eventually my stubbornness paid off and some doors started opening up for me. No reason this couldn't be done by someone else who's sufficiently motivated.

Also there are some pieces of erroneous/ misleading information here. I will point out a couple of them:

Only a tiny minority of all legally employed foreigners in Thailand are teachers. Those usually do need a bachelors degree or better to qualify for employment in an legitimate educational institutions. Of course there are hordes of people who eek out a meager living under the radar, working at commercial English mills and doing their border runs for as long as they can.

Unless you are a fortune teller you cannot possibly predict whether there are any professional opportunities in the SEM/SEO field in the future. I happen to know a number of people in that area and most of them wouldn't predict what that business will be like in two years, let alone in 5 or 6.

To our OP I only want to say: Keep your eyes on the ball. Learn as much as you can about conditions in Thailand as it relates to your chosen career and start networking early. You will find a way to make it happen if you really want to and are willing to work for/ toward it. Fortune favors the brave (and stubborn)!

Yes, perhaps you're right, it was overly negative.

To set the tone right, obviously it's not a matter of "chance", it's about determination. I simply wanted to point out that there might be some sacrifices in terms of a career, but not necessarily. I fully agree with what you said "You will find a way to make it happen if you really want to and are willing to work for/ toward it. Fortune favors the brave (and stubborn)!"

And just to clarify, I did not mean growth in SEO/SEM specifically, I meant growth in companies using online freelance workers through various freelancer-websites, opposed to using local freelancers OR hiring a person to their office for a short simple task only needed once/occasionally OR using a more expensive local service provider for translations, SEO research, design, coding or data-entry etc etc.

Best of luck to OP!

[burgdawg]

..OP do your best. Keep in mind your pension will have evaporated along with everyone else's by the time it comes to collect

a satang you have salted away. If I was in your shoes, look into jobs in China. You bet it will be tough, but German-Chinese and Scandanavian-Chinese job prospects will be growing.

[Expat Girl]

Hi OP

Firstly i think it is great that you are putting the kids education first, they will no doubt have some great opportunities ahead of them. As for finding a job here, i would expect it comes down to your determination and flexibility, which reading your post i think you have, given you are actual back studying, so you are heading in the right direction. I do think 'chance' or maybe 'unforeseen opportunities' come into it, more so you never know what is around the corner and you may have to seize the opportunity, no matter how big or small.

There are still opportunities here, most of the large overseas owned organisations still have a fair amount of foreign workers here, although i was speaking to my HR Manager here in Bangkok and she said there was a trend to offer lower expat packages, as currently the cost of maintaining overseas staff is horrendous, but she also added that such resources will always be needed. especially in the senior management levels.

I wish you the best of luck, and i am sure it will all work out for you.

[thhMan]

Sounds like you took on the task of ruining 2 lives... yours and hers...

You would kind of expect someone with a BA would have more sense! I guess not!

[AyG]

Have you considered, rather than working for someone else, setting up your own business in Thailand?

[scorecard]

Send me a PM and I'll share some other thoughts.

[12DrinkMore]

Send me a PM and I'll share some other thoughts.

That is a little mean.

There are lots of people around here who might be interested in your thoughts.

If you want to engage in a private conversation, why do you not PM the OP directly?

[Baerboxer]

It's important to have dreams. You can always find some job, but most likely it will not be in your field of education. As you might be aware, most foreign people working in Thailand are teachers and sales reps, these jobs are open to more or less everyone, that includes you. But you will not be required a B.Sc. for that. There are of course professionals working in different well-paid positions (in banking and financial services, consulting, management etc,) but they are typically sent here by their employer, and were never looking for a job in specifically in Thailand. It just happened.

People that really want to get transfered to a high-paying expat job in Thailand do not get sent to Thailand. People that dream of living in Thailand tend not to be the "career-focused" people, and thus unlikely to ever be in the position to be sent to Thailand to begin with.

So if the emphasis of the dream is to live and work in Thailand, and not so much to have a successful career in xxxx, a better choice might be to start working immediately in Scandinavia with a decent salary, and save as much money as you can for 5-6 years. Meanwhile, take courses in teaching (get the required certificates) and perhaps learn some specific skills that you think could be useful as an online freelance worker: design, SEM/SEO, etc. I believe there will be significant growth in online freelance work in years to come.

When you decide to make the move with your family perhaps you will have saved up enough so that you could start a small business that generates income, and teach English / work freelance for extra money.

He is studying a BA (not BSc). He is not an native English speaker, has no previous experience teaching, no teaching qualification and doesn't mention it as something he has considered as a career.

Your advice - teach English for extra money. Priceless!

[Strangebrew]

Dude want you dream sooner ? There is a US based company called Black waters If you got a pair of brass ones I suggest you look them up. Bonus pay alone per year is a !00,000 USD per year.In 5 years you can setup your own company in Thailand. But with the money comes great risks. I did 6 years Saved the cash Opened business in states then years later sold at nice profit. and here I'am in Thighland chasing tat.

[AyG]

There is a US based company called Black waters

Not any more there isn't. (And anyway it was Blackwater, which the defines as "wastewater containing fecal matter and urine". Quite appropriately, really.) It changed its name to Xe Services, and then to Academi in an attempt to escape the foul stench associated with its business.

[Sampradaya]

Sounds like you took on the task of ruining 2 lives... yours and hers...

You would kind of expect someone with a BA would have more sense! I guess not!

Why do you have to be so horrible???

[Expat Girl]

Sounds like you took on the task of ruining 2 lives... yours and hers...

You would kind of expect someone with a BA would have more sense! I guess not!

Why do you have to be so horrible???

My thoughts exactly !!

[ATF]

You should start by contacting the various Scandinavian Chambers of Commerce for lists of companies operating in Thailand, but don't hold your breath.

If you want to live here you have to think like an employer not an employee and running your own biz is probably the only way you will succeed and I don't mean opening a bar. Living in Issan is tough don't even think about it unless you are financially independent.

Maybe import/export products, Real Estate. Whatever can make money.

[iancnx]

You mentioned you already did some NGO work? Which organisations? It is incredibly difficult to break into the INGO world, and the pay is paltry! There are some highly reputable scandinavian organisations such as DRC, NRC etc. are these similar to your aspirations? To get a work permit in Thailand with any INGO or UN you will need to be hired internationally, not as a local.

I admire you for working towards a degree. Are you sure the Emergency Management course you have embarked on fits your INGO aspirations? SE Asia is inundated with INGOs and UN, so the opportunities are there. I really think you should seek some up to date career counselling at your university if possible. PM me if you want further guidance; I have been working in the sector at a senior level since Tsunami.

[Gimbo]

It's important to have dreams. You can always find some job, but most likely it will not be in your field of education. As you might be aware, most foreign people working in Thailand are teachers and sales reps, these jobs are open to more or less everyone, that includes you. But you will not be required a B.Sc. for that. There are of course professionals working in different well-paid positions (in banking and financial services, consulting, management etc,) but they are typically sent here by their employer, and were never looking for a job in specifically in Thailand. It just happened.

People that really want to get transfered to a high-paying expat job in Thailand do not get sent to Thailand. People that dream of living in Thailand tend not to be the "career-focused" people, and thus unlikely to ever be in the position to be sent to Thailand to begin with.

So if the emphasis of the dream is to live and work in Thailand, and not so much to have a successful career in xxxx, a better choice might be to start working immediately in Scandinavia with a decent salary, and save as much money as you can for 5-6 years. Meanwhile, take courses in teaching (get the required certificates) and perhaps learn some specific skills that you think could be useful as an online freelance worker: design, SEM/SEO, etc. I believe there will be significant growth in online freelance work in years to come.

When you decide to make the move with your family perhaps you will have saved up enough so that you could start a small business that generates income, and teach English / work freelance for extra money.

He is studying a BA (not BSc). He is not an native English speaker, has no previous experience teaching, no teaching qualification and doesn't mention it as something he has considered as a career.

Your advice - teach English for extra money. Priceless!

Actually my degree will be a B.E.M Bachelor of Emergency management. I thought BA was the general abreviation for a bachelors degree. Probably becouse English is not my first language.

And becouse of that I probably won't get any jobs teaching Engllish in Thailand, thats for people who have English as a first language I think.

...although I did help a local school as that for a weekend when they arranged weekend "English camp" for the 6th graders. :-)

[Gimbo]

Have you considered, rather than working for someone else, setting up your own business in Thailand?

Seems like a good way to lose my money fast!

[Gimbo]

Dude want you dream sooner ? There is a US based company called Black waters If you got a pair of brass ones I suggest you look them up. Bonus pay alone per year is a !00,000 USD per year.In 5 years you can setup your own company in Thailand. But with the money comes great risks. I did 6 years Saved the cash Opened business in states then years later sold at nice profit. and here I'am in Thighland chasing tat.

My days of doing stuff like that are over...

[belg]

how much does a job pay in your western country + no visa stuff + no workpermit hassel + no 90 days report + you work whatever job you want or they hire you + no double / triple pricing + people speak the same language as you ...

i rest my case

[Gimbo]

You mentioned you already did some NGO work? Which organisations? It is incredibly difficult to break into the INGO world, and the pay is paltry! There are some highly reputable scandinavian organisations such as DRC, NRC etc. are these similar to your aspirations? To get a work permit in Thailand with any INGO or UN you will need to be hired internationally, not as a local.

I admire you for working towards a degree. Are you sure the Emergency Management course you have embarked on fits your INGO aspirations? SE Asia is inundated with INGOs and UN, so the opportunities are there. I really think you should seek some up to date career counselling at your university if possible. PM me if you want further guidance; I have been working in the sector at a senior level since Tsunami.

I worked for a well known scandi NGO as secondee to UN orgs. As internationa staff , and the sallary was very comfortable...But jobs dried up as I lacked a formal education...and it was always s short term, on 3 month contracts. Fine for someone with no strings attached, but when I got a family it became to uncertain. Better to take the familly to Norway, make less money, in an expensive country but have a sallary coming in every month. And get an education for the kids, and myself :-)

Anyway, still got some contacts in the trade...so it should not be impossible to get back in once a degree or two is landed.

It would jsut be nice if I coyuld work in Thailand, instead of farting about over half the world...

[Gimbo]

how much does a job pay in your western country + no visa stuff + no workpermit hassel + no 90 days report + you work whatever job you want or they hire you + no double / triple pricing + people speak the same language as you ...

i rest my case

My wife has a cleaning job for the council. It pays her 1,7 million baht a year.

But a beer cost 350-500 bath a pint at the pub. A McD burger and a small coke costs 750 baht, We just purchased a 10 year old VW touran for 550 000 K baht and considered ourselves lucky to get sucjh a new car at such a low price.

The rent is around 500K baht a year for a very modest 3 room apartment, the snow covers the goround from October to Late may, and between the end of November and End of february there is no sunrise...that is the sun never rises above the horizon. ANd the summer just rains away, and it is seldom more than 10-15 degrees celcius even in mid summer...

And I love to be in asia...

Edited September 16, 2014 by Gimbo

[eeeya]

could look at Oil and Gas......in health and safety

[iancnx]

You mentioned you already did some NGO work? Which organisations? It is incredibly difficult to break into the INGO world, and the pay is paltry! There are some highly reputable scandinavian organisations such as DRC, NRC etc. are these similar to your aspirations? To get a work permit in Thailand with any INGO or UN you will need to be hired internationally, not as a local.

I admire you for working towards a degree. Are you sure the Emergency Management course you have embarked on fits your INGO aspirations? SE Asia is inundated with INGOs and UN, so the opportunities are there. I really think you should seek some up to date career counselling at your university if possible. PM me if you want further guidance; I have been working in the sector at a senior level since Tsunami.

I worked for a well known scandi NGO as secondee to UN orgs. As internationa staff , and the sallary was very comfortable...But jobs dried up as I lacked a formal education...and it was always s short term, on 3 month contracts. Fine for someone with no strings attached, but when I got a family it became to uncertain. Better to take the familly to Norway, make less money, in an expensive country but have a sallary coming in every month. And get an education for the kids, and myself :-)

Anyway, still got some contacts in the trade...so it should not be impossible to get back in once a degree or two is landed.

It would jsut be nice if I coyuld work in Thailand, instead of farting about over half the world...

The degree is essential to formalise whatever experience you have in the sector, but I suspect the limitations of the short term stuff you have done to date will not enable you to go in at a mid-level. You'll probably have to be prepared to go in at the country office level I suspect, and be prepared to get an assignment anywhere, most likely in a hotspot to get the grass roots experience. Farting about over half of the world as you so aptly describe goes with humanitarian territory I am afraid. Need to look inwardly to make sure all that travel and undoubted separation in emergency response (ER) scenarios is what you really want. You are after all taking an Emergency Management degree, ER is becoming increasingly important in the sector and this is where the big donor money is directed too. Go for an internship at NRC or DRC or one of the others to learn more about how the sector is developing. INGO's are a totally different ball game to the UN. If the UN is an aspiration your degree will need to be specific and well recognised for you to even get through the CV filter.

[Aussieroaming]

Well without dreams you have got zero, so keep the dream alive.

As for having an excellent thai wife....keep living that life.

From what I read you are a great bloke.

Good luck with the future

[Gimbo]

You mentioned you already did some NGO work? Which organisations? It is incredibly difficult to break into the INGO world, and the pay is paltry! There are some highly reputable scandinavian organisations such as DRC, NRC etc. are these similar to your aspirations? To get a work permit in Thailand with any INGO or UN you will need to be hired internationally, not as a local.

I admire you for working towards a degree. Are you sure the Emergency Management course you have embarked on fits your INGO aspirations? SE Asia is inundated with INGOs and UN, so the opportunities are there. I really think you should seek some up to date career counselling at your university if possible. PM me if you want further guidance; I have been working in the sector at a senior level since Tsunami.

I worked for a well known scandi NGO as secondee to UN orgs. As internationa staff , and the sallary was very comfortable...But jobs dried up as I lacked a formal education...and it was always s short term, on 3 month contracts. Fine for someone with no strings attached, but when I got a family it became to uncertain. Better to take the familly to Norway, make less money, in an expensive country but have a sallary coming in every month. And get an education for the kids, and myself :-)

Anyway, still got some contacts in the trade...so it should not be impossible to get back in once a degree or two is landed.

It would jsut be nice if I coyuld work in Thailand, instead of farting about over half the world...

The degree is essential to formalise whatever experience you have in the sector, but I suspect the limitations of the short term stuff you have done to date will not enable you to go in at a mid-level. You'll probably have to be prepared to go in at the country office level I suspect, and be prepared to get an assignment anywhere, most likely in a hotspot to get the grass roots experience. Farting about over half of the world as you so aptly describe goes with humanitarian territory I am afraid. Need to look inwardly to make sure all that travel and undoubted separation in emergency response (ER) scenarios is what you really want. You are after all taking an Emergency Management degree, ER is becoming increasingly important in the sector and this is where the big donor money is directed too. Go for an internship at NRC or DRC or one of the others to learn more about how the sector is developing. INGO's are a totally different ball game to the UN. If the UN is an aspiration your degree will need to be specific and well recognised for you to even get through the CV filter.

I am pretty much aware what the options are. I do not mind working in a some reomote corner out in the sticks somewhere. What will be difficult is the separation from the family.

When I worked as a secondee, I was lucky and landed myself in the country office every time, doing a low level management job that I was hardly qualified for. But with some travel out in the sticks...sp pretty much aware what working conditions will be facing me.

The short term nature of it was because the NGO that paid my sallary only offered 3 month contracts, renewable 3 times to each mission. That was for them to have a way of getting rid of us if we were total iodiots, or for us to get out, honor intact if we got in, way over our heads and wanted out, and also they belived that staying to long in the field was not good for us...better to get us home for a few months then rotate us to other missions.

With no formal education I had no hope in hell of advancing or getting a more steady position, even if I managed my job well under the circumstances. And then there was increasing demands for formal education...they simply could not find any missions I was qualified for, even if I had some experience.

Anyway, I have some years to orient myself, and will come up with something. Got a standing agreement with the head of the HR office in the NRC that I'll give them a call once my bachelor is secured :-)

Edited September 16, 2014 by Gimbo

[LiorW]

Are you a Norwegian?

I just came across this http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/760932-native-norwegian-speaker-for-office-in-hua-hin/