Thinking hard about moving back to the US

[Strange]

3 minutes ago, Wake Up said:

Just moved here from Dallas 6 months ago and have many friends and ex in-laws in Tampa area. 

 

Housing and utilities and health insurance much cheaper in Thailand. Go visit Tampa. Don't mean to be disagreeable but no apartment for 1000 dollars in Tampa can compare to what you can get on Sukhumvit the most expensive housing in BKK. Utilities and health insurance also much more expensive. 

 

But live where you are happy. For some it comes down to dollars. I enjoy leaving cheaply in Thailand compared to the USA but money is not everything and time is short. Choose the place that makes you smile when you wake up and let money only be a small side issue. You cannot afford to live anywhere that makes you unhappy.  

 

Take care. Enjoy the Florida seafood. 

 

Im a Florida Resident, and my property is in Tampa. The last couple years I have spent a lot of time there. 2014 I was there with the wife for 6 months. I loved it. Didn't miss thailand at all. Wife was mindblown that people can act and behave in a civil manner and even, god forbid, treat you like an actual person instead of a "foreigner". Wife was concerned that "She is Thai and that is america" but no its not like that. You are not judged in that regard. Its ingrained in their DNA to think that you are either Thai or Foreigner and for her to see that, yes, it is possible to be "just another person" was interesting. 

 

Utilities are not cheaper here than the US. Its only cheaper if you don't run the Air conditioning. You can turn it off in the states as well. I was born in Dallas and lived there until I was 15. 

 

Yes health insurance is cheaper here, but be careful. People come here for treatment of specific, already diagnosed issues. Health care is not better here than in the states. Forget about 911, forget about standardized emergency services. God help you if you have some severe medical emergency. There is NO safety net. Im not hating here. Its just a fact of living here. 

 

Yes you can get a place in BKK for 30k a month but just wait until you get some crazy neighbors. It will happen. ONLY Choice is to move. 

 

Im ranting now but give it more time for the newness to wear off. 

[Agent Sumo]

3 minutes ago, Strange said:

 

 

 

Utilities are not cheaper here than the US. Its only cheaper if you don't run the Air conditioning. You can turn it off in the states as well. I was born in Dallas and lived there until I was 15. 

 

Yes health insurance is cheaper here, but be careful. People come here for treatment of specific, already diagnosed issues. Health care is not better here than in the states. Forget about 911, forget about standardized emergency services. God help you if you have some severe medical emergency. There is NO safety net. Im not hating here. Its just a fact of living here. 

 

Yes you can get a place in BKK for 30k a month but just wait until you get some crazy neighbors. It will happen. ONLY Choice is to move. 

 

Im ranting now but give it more time for the newness to wear off. 

 

Here, you run the air conditioning; in much of the West, you run the heating.

Same same but different 

 

Healthcare here is on a par with the West if you go private. Health insurance covers pretty much all costs. Of course, it's more expensive the older you get but that's the case everywhere

 

Your comments on rent are misguided. If you pay 5k a month, there's a good chance you'll end up living next to or close to local yahoos who want to blast music or rev his souped up scooter at 4am. 

If you're paying 30K, you're less likely to find yourself in that situation as your neighbours will either be other farangs or middle class Thais who have to work for a living.

[gandalf12]

Maybe I am wrong but it seems that you are thinking of the USA as it to was when you left it. Sure the police, medical etc are dependable whilst here in Thailand it tent it tents a bit of a hit and miss affair. The US will andffairlso have changed in the time you have been away. Maybe a trip back for a while to see a doctor then decide.

[Gecko123]

47 minutes ago, Strange said:

Wife was mindblown that people can act and behave in a civil manner and even, god forbid, treat you like an actual person instead of a "foreigner".

 

Sorry, but find it impossible to believe your wife actually said any of this. Your wife thinks Thais are uncivil and can't relate to foreigners as human beings? Give me a break.

 

And while we're on the subject of social acceptance in America, aren't you forgetting about prejudice against non-whites, non-native English speakers, the poorly educated, the 'white-man-with-Thai-girl' hooker stigma, and the general rise of xenophobia in America? Do you think your wife is going to remain oblivious to all of this forever?

 

You predicted to another poster that Thailand's veneer of charm would soon wear off. Maybe so, but the same can no doubt be said about your wife's Utopian first impressions of America.

Edited September 13, 2016 by Gecko123

[ernee1958]

This is my first post after reading for years. Lived in Thailand for 11 hrs. Learned the language, speak, read and write, moved my daughter and Thai wife back to US in 2012, best thing I ever done. I had a car in Thailand and used it mainly for trips and golfing. If I didn't golf Thailand would be like you said, boring as hell, but, driving in Thailand is spending half your life behind the wheel. Living in Thailand is for some, but for me, it was like living in a country filled with adult teenagers. My wife has a bachelors degree and here in US its the education of a 6 grader. Nice things in life are very expensive over there. I'm in the central US and not so expensive around here and life is good. My daughter is 4 now in preschool and schooling is great in smaller towns. Yeah, I pay taxes but it's worth it for me. I can drive down to the local Dairy Queen for a treat in 5 min. Then go for a nice drive on the edge of town with little to no traffic. Play golf n 3 to 4 hrs, Thailand was about 9 to 10 hrs including the driving, showering, traffic jams at toll booths almost everyday. Somebody was trying to cheat me constantly in Thailand. I could go on and on about pluses and minuses but there were very few pluses in Thailand for me, especially with a family. I'll take the US any day.

[bkksteve123]

I think about it all the time. Thailand doesn't have the same appeal to me any longer (after 6 years), mainly because I have changed and I got bored of drinking, the nightlife and thai girls, and let's be honest, after that there's not much left. But, there are still some nice things about living here, I have some very close friends, and I think I have a pretty nice and easy life, so I'm complaining and packing by bags...yet. I certainly also have a lot of frustrations with the local people and culture, but that happens everywhere, just a bit more here...

 

I'm still fairly young and earning more or less the same net income (and save as much) as I would back home, so financially it doesn't make much sense to go home, considering the purchasing power of my income is much higher here. If it weren't for that, I'd probably be gone already. Of course, one concern is that I'm not contributing to any pension scheme at the moment (but let's see how that worked out for my friends in 30 years), so it really is up to myself to save and manage that money wisely, and another future worry will be healthcare.

 

In terms of career opportunities and progress, there's no debating that Thailand has little to offer to foreigners (not to say it's impossible), whereas back home I would most likely be on a clearer path to progress.

 

If I had a thai wife and family (which is unlikely given I'm not into Thai girls for relationships) then of course I would seriously consider moving back home.

 

If I had to guess, I'll stay here another 2-3 years and then head on somewhere else, but not home. I've long been interested in South America.

[richard_smith237]

4 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

My son went to one of those 500,000 baht a year schools and when he got the USA, he was a grade behind in every subject. No matter the price, there is NO school in Thailand that will prepare your kid for a western education. I for one am extremely happy we moved back to the USA and my son is getting a world class education. My friends wife (age 38) has a law degree from Thammasart Uni and cannot even pass the USA written drivers test. That should tell you something right there. 

 

I've spoken to ex-Pattana and ex-Harrow students who have studied at UK universities and returned to Thailand. 

Their experience is that when they arrived in the UK for their Bachelor Degree 1st Year, they were steps ahead of those educated in the UK. 

 

IF you wouldn't mind - Which School was it that your son went to ? 

 

I'd agree that Universities here are worth very little - I've worked with Thai graduates and in comparison with their Asean peers they are found wanting. 

 

 

 

[CaptHaddock]

1 hour ago, AlexRich said:

 

The OP is a US citizen, so you're point makes no sense. But I am not a US citizen. So if I buy a house in Florida do I have different ownership rights to a US citizen? No. 

 

I would if I tried to buy a house in Thailand. I'd discover that I couldn't, I have no right to own.

 

 

If  you are not a US citizen you can only visit your property in the US with permission from the US govt which can be withdrawn at any time for any reason or for no reason.  So, yes, your "ownership rights" are quite different from those of US citizens.

[Berkshire]

24 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

 

Sorry, but find it impossible to believe your wife actually said any of this. Your wife thinks Thais are uncivil and can't relate to foreigners as human beings? Give me a break.

 

And while we're on the subject of social acceptance in America, aren't you forgetting about prejudice against non-whites, non-native English speakers, the poorly educated, the 'white-man-with-Thai-girl' hooker stigma, and the general rise of xenophobia in America? Do you think your wife is going to remain oblivious to all of this forever?

 

You predicted to another poster that Thailand's veneer of charm would soon wear off. Maybe so, but the same can no doubt be said about your wife's Utopian first impressions of America.

 

Agree.  No way his wife said that.  If anything, she's going to hate the USA.  And you're right about the racism in America, it's getting worse and more out in the open with this "Trump phenomenon."  America has always been more racist than Thailand and he's going to find that there are parts of the USA where he and his little brown teeruk will not be welcome.       

[kingstonkid]

My 50 satang

 

Op  you have some valid points

 

If I might make a few suggestions.

 

Before you burn the bridge here may I suggest that you take the wife on an extended (couple of months) holiday to Tampa.  

 

See how you both like it.  Find out what the living conditions and cost of living are going to be like.

 

Can you get a good job there that you will be happy with.

 

Can she get a valid work permit?

 

Do all the grunt work and see if everything its first.

 

From what I read medical situation in the US is as CC driven as it is here.  Yes there is free treatment but at what level.

It is al fine and dandy to say that you can get this and gt that but until you know what your earning income is going to be it could be different and not so nice.

 

[Gecko123]

11 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

 

Agree.  No way his wife said that.  If anything, she's going to hate the USA.  And you're right about the racism in America, it's getting worse and more out in the open with this "Trump phenomenon."  America has always been more racist than Thailand and he's going to find that there are parts of the USA where he and his little brown teeruk will not be welcome.       

 

I wish the OP well wherever he chooses to live. I am sometimes left with the impression that for a lot of guys considering relocation, considering how their Thai wife will socially adjust in the West is an afterthought. They focus on the financial advantages and fail to fully consider the social adjustment challenges the wife and they as a couple will face. 

[AlexRich]

18 minutes ago, CaptHaddock said:

 

If  you are not a US citizen you can only visit your property in the US with permission from the US govt which can be withdrawn at any time for any reason or for no reason.  So, yes, your "ownership rights" are quite different from those of US citizens.

 

And in that, rare case, I would be entitled to rent the property or sell it. My point is that I have ownership rights, the same as my US neighbour. Apart from a condo on a lease - a depreciating asset - you do not have rights of ownership in Thailand. And Thailand can also withdraw rights of residence.

 

 

[AlexRich]

4 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

 

I wish the OP well wherever he chooses to live. I am sometimes left with the impression that for a lot of guys considering relocation, considering how their Thai wife will socially adjust in the West is an afterthought. They focus on the financial advantages and fail to fully consider the social adjustment challenges the wife and they as a couple will face. 

 

You make a good point. My concern also would be that the cost of a divorce is likely to be much more expensive at home if things don't work out. 

[Strange]

2 hours ago, Ulic said:

The grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Go back to the US and you will be

wishing you were back in Thailand in three months. Take the cure. Go back to the US

for three months and make a decision then.

 

Been there multiple times with the wife. Both liked it. 

 

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

 

I am a big rich oil and gas man and we initially chose to live in Udon because it was cheaper; land, houses, basic living, the lot. I have a buddy in the same line of work and he chose to make his home in Phuket. He isn't riding the current industry storm too well for the obvious reasons that Thailand's island paradises are very expensive. Then there's the obscenely well paid big rich oil and gas man who parks his tent in Singapore but even they are hard pushed these days.

 

Even big rich oil and gas men have to save for the future and some save more than others by making the obvious economies.

 

This exactly. Right now I'm just trying to ride out the storm but if by December nothing picks up, then Ill go home and work. I would probably go now, but the income I've made for 2016 will be taxed and I haven't made preparations for it. 

 

44 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

 

Sorry, but find it impossible to believe your wife actually said any of this. Your wife thinks Thais are uncivil and can't relate to foreigners as human beings? Give me a break.

 

And while we're on the subject of social acceptance in America, aren't you forgetting about prejudice against non-whites, non-native English speakers, the poorly educated, the 'white-man-with-Thai-girl' hooker stigma, and the general rise of xenophobia in America? Do you think your wife is going to remain oblivious to all of this forever?

 

You predicted to another poster that Thailand's veneer of charm would soon wear off. Maybe so, but the same can no doubt be said about your wife's Utopian first impressions of America.

 

Yeah she might hate the states after a while who knows. You are right. But to say that thailand is less racist is crazy to me. They have a damn word for us after all. You can not and will not ever be able to own property here. Xenophobia is on a different level here. Flat out just a tourist for all of eternity. 

 

18 minutes ago, CaptHaddock said:

 

If  you are not a US citizen you can only visit your property in the US with permission from the US govt which can be withdrawn at any time for any reason or for no reason.  So, yes, your "ownership rights" are quite different from those of US citizens.

 

While true about the visa, you still wholly own the property, can sell it for a profit, and are protected by local and federal laws including your property and person regardless of your visa status. And the likelihood of that happening is almost zero. 

 

17 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

 

Agree.  No way his wife said that.  If anything, she's going to hate the USA.  And you're right about the racism in America, it's getting worse and more out in the open with this "Trump phenomenon."  America has always been more racist than Thailand and he's going to find that there are parts of the USA where he and his little brown teeruk will not be welcome.       

 

Geez only here can someone say things like that about another mans wife. 

[dansbkk]

6 hours ago, returnofthailand said:

mouhaha cops won't come. the average time for American cops to come is 45 minutes in detroit.
in Mexico it s 5 minutes.

get a clue man. better to relinquish your nationality before you end in a federal jail.

Hilary for prison.!

In Mexico the first cop to arrive gets the bribe  - oops I mean gets to arrest the criminal.  My bad.

[Alive]

Thailand is a different place in my opinion. When I was young, it was quite a lot of fun but now that I am older, I don't take as much interest in it, the culture, food etc. I haven't been back home for 8 years now? I can't even remember the last time. I've almost spent half my life in Thailand and really I don't have a lot to show for it. Anyways, things have changed at my work and I'm pretty sure I will be leaving in a year. I'll become a tourist like so many visiting on occasion. Glad to leave the lies and propaganda here too. Thailand is just one place and there is so much more to this world. Thailand will probably get interesting over the next year with all the changes going on and expected but I don't think it will be a better place for foreigners.

[Scotwight]

19 minutes ago, Strange said:

 

Been there multiple times with the wife. Both liked it. 

 

 

This exactly. Right now I'm just trying to ride out the storm but if by December nothing picks up, then Ill go home and work. I would probably go now, but the income I've made for 2016 will be taxed and I haven't made preparations for it. 

 

 

Yeah she might hate the states after a while who knows. You are right. But to say that thailand is less racist is crazy to me. They have a damn word for us after all. You can not and will not ever be able to own property here. Xenophobia is on a different level here. Flat out just a tourist for all of eternity. 

 

 

While true about the visa, you still wholly own the property, can sell it for a profit, and are protected by local and federal laws including your property and person regardless of your visa status. And the likelihood of that happening is almost zero. 

 

 

Geez only here can someone say things like that about another mans wife. 

Sorry if this has been asked before but did you marry the Thai lady who's family owned the chicken farm?

[Kabula]

Sounds like you need to move back for a wake up call!!

 

After a week you will miss it here and ask yourself, 'what was I thinking?

 

Medical insurance/bills, auto insurance, rents, dinning prices and more will shock you.  Hyperinflation is just around the corner if not already there.

 

Good luck...

[williamgeorgeallen]

13 hours ago, Strange said:

 

Thats another thing, wife wants to have kids & believes that in the next 2 days she will instantly become infertile. We are the same age. 

 

I want a family as well, but we are out here by Surin and ill be damned if I have kids and raise them out here. The kids out here are either brainwashed parrots or sociopaths lol. 

 

The only option is Bangkok and the international schools and then you have Bangkok expenses. 

 

I agree with what you are saying about UK tax. I believe you guys pay more then we do but you get more days per year in the UK before you are taxed in full. I may be wrong but its 180 days and in the US its like 35 days. Im to the point now where even paying US tax is good because while the tax is a big decider, the benefits of living in a first world country are worth it. Plus literally every consumer item in the states including cars is cheaper.

 

Add to that I can finance & mortgage. My property in the states is mortgaged at 3.25% fixed for 30 years. Here its cash only unless the wife has collateral or a government job. Besides, smart money is using other peoples money. Finance what you can afford for a reasonable amount and keep your cash invested. 

 

Also, jobs. The wife can get an actual paying job. Out here its not even worth it for the 15-20k baht she would make. Thats <deleted> $500 a month and she would be working all the time. Worst case in the states she could work at starbucks for 16 hrs a week just for the benefits & retirement funds and I could contribute to it. 

so my son starts primary school next year so i am going back to nz for a year with my thai girl and our 2 year old daughter. for the last 6 months i have been staying in esan and if i did not have some business in nz i would probably stay here for a few more years. the school in the local town is excellent and i think having your kids growing up partly in thailand gives them a good balance. cheap to live up here as well. in your case you dont have kids yet you should go do a trial year in the states or you will be stuck here for ever wondering. i know i am going to miss thailand but i am looking forward to a bit of a change as well. just hope my girl handles it ok.

[Agent Sumo]

Hearing a lot more complaints from long-termers in Thailand bitching about how bad/racist/restrictive it's become but, from what I've seen/heard, it really does all come down to the cost.

They just don't feel like the big shots they once did

 

I think there's a direct correlation between their deteriorating perceptions and the slow, inexorable decline of their home currencies' rate of exchange to the baht.

 

I guess when the exchange rates were high, their bellies were fuller, their testicles emptier and it was so much easier to elevate oneself above it all.

 

Not any more

 

 

Thailand was never a Utopia - it's edges are as rough as old boots but it seems to me that too many people have failed to move with the times and have held on to their over-inflated expectations while the country has moved on regardless.

 

If you're gonna go, then go - don't see why everyone has to post a confessional on a bloody internet forum.

The opinions of the old fogeys, sexpats and social misfits that make up a sizable chunk of the TV forum membership really shouldn't figure in one's deliberations.

 

Their only real use is as something to laugh at when you're bored

Edited September 13, 2016 by Agent Sumo

[pgrahmm]

I've talked to many that have been appalled at what they both saw & experienced after going back.....Many stating, upon their return here, they will never go back again.......

 

Thailand isn't perfect - but the US has had many changes recently & not all are good.....

 

If taking a wife back it's best to be around other Thais/temples.....Such as SF or LA.....When I moved here I gave up a relationship with a beautiful Thai gal because I didn't want to live in LA......

 

I'd dated exclusively Asian women in the US for decades....Many times on trips there were places that they were clearly uncomfortable.....There are places in the states that still exist that are like that.....You'd think they were impervious to this but they weren't - they felt it & it really bothered them.....

 

Didn't bother me - or I didn't notice until it was brought to my attention .....And these were women that had succeeded & done well in life.....

 

Once you get away from some of the areas that do not have other Thais for a support group/shield it's very isolating for them & you, in turn, have to be all that - and more for them - almost to the point of exclusivity.....If not encircled by family that embraces a wife as one of their own or Thai community support it's pretty much doomed to fail from the outset...Maybe quickly, or maybe slowly & painfully but it's not a realistically promising long term move/life......

Edited September 13, 2016 by pgrahmm

[akentryan]

Just spent 7 weeks back in Florida getting a Pacemaker replaced. Could not and would not ever consider moving back. Here I have a nice house and a nice car and a very nice GF who turns 40 later this month. My retirement funds are adequate. Try getting a pretty and young GF back in the USA at my age (77). The last item is the clincher for me.

[oldlakey]

7 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Clean comfortable room versus a large house with a pool at the beach? Being confined to 1 room is not living, it is prison. Thai food 3 times a day is for paupers. If you cannot make money and can only shackle yourself into 1 room in Thailand you failed somewhere along the road in life. If people could get a decent looking, fit woman and had the money to spend to have a real life in their own country, they probably would have stayed there. I can tell you the girls in Florida put any Thai girl to shame. Or course if you are a fat old ugly prune and have to pay for someone that cannot even speak you language, then you might have a point.  With North Korea coming unhinged with the missiles, Thailand might not be the best place when NK hits the red button! 

5555555555555555555

Any suggestions then as regards the best place to be if it ever kicks off for real

[Bob9]

2 hours ago, Strange said:

 

Been there multiple times with the wife. Both liked it. 

 

 

This exactly. Right now I'm just trying to ride out the storm but if by December nothing picks up, then Ill go home and work. I would probably go now, but the income I've made for 2016 will be taxed and I haven't made preparations for it. 

 

 

Yeah she might hate the states after a while who knows. You are right. But to say that thailand is less racist is crazy to me. They have a damn word for us after all. You can not and will not ever be able to own property here. Xenophobia is on a different level here. Flat out just a tourist for all of eternity. 

 

 

While true about the visa, you still wholly own the property, can sell it for a profit, and are protected by local and federal laws including your property and person regardless of your visa status. And the likelihood of that happening is almost zero. 

 

 

Geez only here can someone say things like that about another mans wife. 

 

I hear you - we will be doing that next year and seeing how it goes for 6-9 months. The plan long term is to live between both places - 6-9 months back home, and 3-6 months here. I know a few guys that do that and they seem to like that.  The Wife is keen as she will be able to work and make some 'real' money compared to the pittance she earns here - work already lined up through family member. 

 

There are many pros and cons between both places - but this is the number one negative issue I have with Thailand.  I get 12 months - must report every 90 days - must re-apply every 12 months - not easy re-applying and always getting harder and more complicated - cant work and cant buy property - can never become citizen.  Wife gets 5 years (after 2 years probation) - no 3 month reporting - only reports if she changes address - can work - can buy property - after 2+5 years she can apply for dual citizenship. 

 

I know a guy in Malaysia - he has it so good compared to me over here (he has 5 years), and he reckons the services (hospital malls food etc) are as good as Thailand - and that the police/schools are much much better.  Malaysia makes it easy for the financially comfortable - you cannot get these deals if you are on a pension - meaning not so much of the 'bitter angry' and deadbeat Expats living like backpackers over there (so he says).

 

We will try the 50/50 to 70/30 type arrangement for a few years, and maybe one year we will try Malaysia.  Maybe the wife will love it back home and maybe not - either way we will always visit Thailand/family at least once a year (thats the deal).  Not sure how it will all go, but I do know that if Thailand made it easier for me and offered the same to me as my country offers to her, then this would not be happening.

 

I wish you and the wife all the best - have a go and see how it goes. Give it 2 years and then re-evaluate. And come back at least once a year - she will get homesick - all Thais that leave Thailand get homesick (some get it bad, and some just feel sad about it). Make sure she is happy about it - take your time planning - and never make her feel 'locked in' - always make it clear that you are willing to come back to Thailand. I know of two blokes who took their Thai wife for granted (they are often reluctant to speak about some things), and next thing they knew she was gone (and they were divorced and she took much of their money). Remember: if you live there, the rules/laws of any divorce become that of the US (in all western countries) and the Thai laws of divorce are gone. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2016 by Bob9
spelling

[Bob9]

1 hour ago, Agent Sumo said:

Hearing a lot more complaints from long-termers in Thailand bitching about how bad/racist/restrictive it's become but, from what I've seen/heard, it really does all come down to the cost.

They just don't feel like the big shots they once did

 

I think there's a direct correlation between their deteriorating perceptions and the slow, inexorable decline of their home currencies' rate of exchange to the baht.

 

I guess when the exchange rates were high, their bellies were fuller, their testicles emptier and it was so much easier to elevate oneself above it all.

 

Not any more

 

 

Thailand was never a Utopia - it's edges are as rough as old boots but it seems to me that too many people have failed to move with the times and have held on to their over-inflated expectations while the country has moved on regardless.

 

If you're gonna go, then go - don't see why everyone has to post a confessional on a bloody internet forum.

The opinions of the old fogeys, sexpats and social misfits that make up a sizable chunk of the TV forum membership really shouldn't figure in one's deliberations.

 

Their only real use is as something to laugh at when you're bored

I liked and then unliked your post - hope that does not make you bored.

 

The first part is spot on - too high expectations - too low dollar/pound.

 

The second part is a grumpy whinging Expat complaining on TV.

 

[Agent Sumo]

2 minutes ago, Bob9 said:

I liked and then unliked your post - hope that does not make you bored.

 

The first part is spot on - too high expectations - too low dollar/pound.

 

The second part is a grumpy whinging Expat complaining on TV.

 

 

Complaining??

 

Hahahahaa

[georgemandm]

7 hours ago, Scotwight said:

Not true and you can do your 90 day report by mail or INTERNET.  

Yes ok if it works , but you still have to report like you are a criminal .

That is a joke in it self .

[Agent Sumo]

1 minute ago, georgemandm said:

Yes ok if it works , but you still have to report like you are a criminal .

That is a joke in it self .

 

Might have a lot to do with the hard core of criminals and undesirables pitching tents in Thailand. 

 

Maybe other countries don't have these requirements because there aren't as many of these types of "expats" living in there.

 

Let's see how long it takes Cambodia to introduce tighter criteria once all the losers who marvel at the lax immigration rules there start getting up to the tricks they used to get away with here

[NanLaew]

16 minutes ago, georgemandm said:

Yes ok if it works , but you still have to report like you are a criminal .

That is a joke in it self .

Spoken by someone who obviously hasn't bothered to try postal or online reporting and also truly has absolutely no experience of what the slightest hint of criminality, alleged or adjudicated entails or had to do any sort of court-mandated reporting, probation, etc..

[Deepinthailand]

8 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

My son went to one of those 500,000 baht a year schools and when he got the USA, he was a grade behind in every subject. No matter the price, there is NO school in Thailand that will prepare your kid for a western education. I for one am extremely happy we moved back to the USA and my son is getting a world class education. My friends wife (age 38) has a law degree from Thammasart Uni and cannot even pass the USA written drivers test. That should tell you something right there. 

Lol no not really I know many people with a degree in the UK, they can tell you the square root of an orange but they can't peel the bloody thing. Several of them have failed the highway code computer based exam more than once. It's ok going and getting a degree but untill they live in the real world for a few years there bloody useless. Where as I also know many people with bog standard  gcse's or whatever there called now, and have life experiance and are a hell of a lot more savvy than the degree wallers