HUA HIN

[Tomtomtom69]

I too have a technical and engineering background, BS mechanical engineering, MS applied math, 25 years in the aerospace industry. But I have not had any success when I look around trying to get hooked up in Thailand. I am pretty sure it is difficult to impossible to get in under Thai sponsorship, but I have to believe there is a way to get in via many of the international companies that of course do business in Thailand, have contracts to build major projects etc. I tried a couple of supposed international websites, and recruiters but didn't find much. I even applied directly to several of the auto manufacturers, Ford, GM. So I pretty much resigned my self to just keep doing my contract engineering work, take about 30 to 60 days off each year and holiday in Thailand. Now mulling the retirement. (57)

Good luck.

If you have a skill set/ experience etc which is in demand in Thailand in the engineering field , jobs are not hard to find in Thailand, recruiters will only respond to the demand of their clients.

I am not suggesting your like this but over the last 14 years in come across many expats who believe they should be given a job just because they are westerners, and get rather upset when you tell them there is nothing you can do for them as there isn't a position for them as they believe its their right to be employed

I understand what you wrote and I completely agree with it. I am an independent contractor here in the USA and I work all over the place. Often the prospective clients and I don't agree on what is needed or what I can do. I have no problem with that. If the stars and planets don't align, I go to Thailand and wait until they do! This has been one of the best things about not having a "permanent" job. I am rarely without work, but when I do get some lapses, great, off to the LOS

Yeah of course; it depends on the industry. In aerospace I would expect there to be very few, if not next to no opportunities in Thailand, particularly for expats. I've heard rumors of one or two "aerospace" related companies in Thailand, but I'm not sure if they really exist or what their operations are here; if they really exist, they must be very, very small and limited in scale. The fact is you have to look at the Thai economy for guidance - automotive is big here (and continues to grow), oil and gas is here, electronics is quite big, so there'll be some opportunities in these sectors but aerospace is a long shot. If you're looking at Asia I'd rather look at China which has some big aerospace manufacturing going on over there, the biggest in Asia by far - you've now got a Boeing and Airbus presence and in Chengdu there's a Chinese military affiliated manufacturer of military aircraft. You also have local Chinese manufacturers of aircraft, including the Chinese built MA-60 turboprop and then there's the C-919 twin engine narrow body project. China has a lot of future potential in aerospace, forget about Thailand though.

On the other hand, mechanical engineering is a broad enough discipline that you may be able to find something here if you are able to offer something, based on your clients needs and your experience, as you say. So in that sense it doesn't matter that your experience is mostly in the aerospace sector - it can probably be applied to another industry but it depends what industry that is. As you are the applicant and you know what experience you have, you should be able to outline that to a prospective employer.