Living in Thailand without a Uni Degree, can it be done ?

[starky]

5 hours ago, Slip said:

Invest in your future- get the degree.  Doors will open to you.

Yes many doors will open you can get a job at mc Donald's or your local bar with all the rest of the degree holders.

[ScotBkk]

 
Really? Because I have many friends, and myself, who are married to Thais and I assure you, none of us have money.
 
Perhaps one should look beyond the end of the bar for a mate.

Why are you so quick to defend yourself?

Why reference bars my friend ? My days of bars are well gone. I was merrily trying to suggest that a young guy if only 25 years of age doesn't have a hope in hell of surviving here in Thailand supporting a would be wife (more so her family) with no job.

Okay, I agree there are jobs in teaching however I can see this opening eventually closing up without the relative qualifications.

I'm not a party pooper mate. Just being realistic and suggest as others have already he has a better chance in other countries adjacent to Thailand.

Relax


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kleelof]

4 hours ago, Bonobojt said:

http://www.accessenglish.org/teaching-english-in-thailand-without-a-degree/

 

apparently 80% of English Teachers in Thailand are teaching without a degree , if the thai government tried to get rid of them all it would cause problems, according to this link..... 

Firstly, that is a horrible article.

 

Secondly, the number is NOWHERE NEAR 80%. Especially now that the government has become more strict about these things.

[Slip]

7 minutes ago, starky said:

Yes many doors will open you can get a job at mc Donald's or your local bar with all the rest of the degree holders.

  That seems a massive shame to me.  Do you have a degree yourself?  Do you work in McDonalds or a bar?  As an undergraduate I did, but as a graduate I got a job that paid well and stretched my skills.  Then I became a manager.

[kleelof]

1 minute ago, Slip said:

  That seems a massive shame to me.  Do you have a degree yourself?  Do you work in McDonalds or a bar?  As an undergraduate I did, but as a graduate I got a job that paid well and stretched my skills.  Then I became a manager.

 

Perhaps he is American. Because here, you do see LOTS of college grads in jobs that shouldn't need a degree.

 

Personally, I think it is because these companies know you probably have a huge student debt and will take any job you can get and will stick with it because you need the money.

 

It's really sad to see.

[swissie]

Scary !
OP reads like a recipe for guaranteed failure.
- Vocational background is slim ( somehow 20 to 30 % of the Thai populace seem to be working in some kind of "kitchen" already. = No work permit for non-Thai's.) I use the word "Kitchen" in  a broader sense of the word.

- English Teaching. Was quoted at 20 to 30'000 Bht in this thread. That's what they earned some 15 years ago !!!! Now, we are are in 2016.
And worst of all: There is already an "online acquaintance" waiting in the wings.

- Some good advice has already been given to the OP. But, since an "online acquaintance" has already entered the stage, an other  "Shakespearian-Drama", may well be unfolding.
Cheers.

[HampiK]

You not need a degree, but you need qualifications. And you need qualifications in areas where you are able to become a job.

So it's possible but as many before already wrote it will be difficult.

 

For myself I like thailand very much, but never would want to work in Thailand for money... Work in your home country (Europe, US,...) and enjoy Thailand without working.

[Bonobojt]

Thanks for the replies, yeah I know, I've got a very low chance of working and living in Thailand, which is fine, its not like I was extremely desperate to live in Thailand, but it would be nice. I know I'm lucky to live in a country like England also, what has put me off about getting a degree in the UK is the large debt you get afterwards, plus I am most likely not 'smart' enough to get a degree, I've had a simple job for 7 year's so my brain has got lazy a bit, but I also know that if I want something badly I'll work hard to get it. There are many other countries around the world to see and possibly work in,  Thailand will always be special to me though as it changed my life and changed me as a person and I've made great friends. But I guess you have to move on in life. 

[Kaalle]

Why be so negative towards the guy?

 

He is a native speaker and can get a tefl or whatever its called. So what if the wage is only like 30 if he gets a teaching job? He can save up for a couple of months in England before going so he has some extra money to spend every month and then live a fairly good life here. Not every one requires fine wines and imported cheese and a house with a maid and two cars etc etc. And the uni girl might just be an indepedent and "nice" girl who wont hassle him for a new iphone and a weekly allowance etc. He can stay here in Thailand and enjoy life for a couple of years and then go home and go to school. Let him be young...

[kleelof]

2 hours ago, swissie said:

- English Teaching. Was quoted at 20 to 30'000 Bht in this thread. That's what they earned some 15 years ago !!!! Now, we are are in 2016.

 

Pay is still in this range for most teaching positions. Especially outside of BKK.

[starky]

4 hours ago, Slip said:

  That seems a massive shame to me.  Do you have a degree yourself?  Do you work in McDonalds or a bar?  As an undergraduate I did, but as a graduate I got a job that paid well and stretched my skills.  Then I became a manager.

No. I just think a uni degree is no guarantee of anything. Seems to be to much emphasis on telling kids that they have to get to a good school and into a good uni. There is a heavy push in Australia now back towards trades and away from this idea that uni is for everyone. Currently about 40% of people under 30 in Australia have a degree and apparently only about 8% of those are actually employed in a job that is related to that degree yet they have massive HECS debt and are competing against the thousands that get churned through the system every year with similar degrees. Me, Nah I left school at 16 worked construction. Now I am an offshore crane driver have been for nearly 20 years clear my 150 000 a year and get 6 months off. All my tradie mates back home make comparable and better wages (little less leave) and are very successful all without ever setting foot in a uni. So horses for courses is all I am saying. Where are all those uni degrees getting Thai kids?

[pigeonjake]

im the same starky,

welder by trade

welding supervision

now welding inspector,

never set foot in a uni,

and ive worked in thailand twice,

[retoohs]

As my Thai partner would say "wake up"

[kannot]

1 hour ago, starky said:

No. I just think a uni degree is no guarantee of anything. Seems to be to much emphasis on telling kids that they have to get to a good school and into a good uni. There is a heavy push in Australia now back towards trades and away from this idea that uni is for everyone. Currently about 40% of people under 30 in Australia have a degree and apparently only about 8% of those are actually employed in a job that is related to that degree yet they have massive HECS debt and are competing against the thousands that get churned through the system every year with similar degrees. Me, Nah I left school at 16 worked construction. Now I am an offshore crane driver have been for nearly 20 years clear my 150 000 a year and get 6 months off. All my tradie mates back home make comparable and better wages (little less leave) and are very successful all without ever setting foot in a uni. So horses for courses is all I am saying. Where are all those uni degrees getting Thai kids?

spent  about 30 years in construction too ,no degree, always thought  it was way more useful than many of the folk who had a  degree  and that many of the degrees today seem worthless especially  when "everyone" has  one.

The world needs  all sorts not all geniuses which many of the uni eds  really arent anyway.

Go and learn to lay bricks or something like that then  look for a job anywhere in the world with a  skill that people will need. Saved hard, worked hard, many a 12hour+ day, retired at 46, got 7 o level passes in the Uk when they were really O  levels started doing A's  but dropped out to make  money in the very early 1980's................ didnt get married until 42 to my one and  only Thai Wife

You can get  lucky but the odds are  small and in Thailand any attempt to make good  money or be seen will draw  attention from the many jealous lazy  buggers  you can find here

[KarenBravo]

5 hours ago, Bonobojt said:

Thanks for the replies, yeah I know, I've got a very low chance of working and living in Thailand, which is fine, its not like I was extremely desperate to live in Thailand, but it would be nice. I know I'm lucky to live in a country like England also, what has put me off about getting a degree in the UK is the large debt you get afterwards, plus I am most likely not 'smart' enough to get a degree, I've had a simple job for 7 year's so my brain has got lazy a bit, but I also know that if I want something badly I'll work hard to get it. There are many other countries around the world to see and possibly work in,  Thailand will always be special to me though as it changed my life and changed me as a person and I've made great friends. But I guess you have to move on in life. 

 

Firstly, I agree with the others. If you don't have money, Thailand isn't very nice.

Six months ago, I would have told you that you have 27 other countries where you can legally live and work. So many opportunities, so many possibilities for a young fella like you.

Unfortunately, seems like your fellow compatriots have screwed that up.

[wprime]

Are you good looking? Try actor/model type work, you don't need a degree for that. Failing that you can find a rich girlfriend.

[YeahSiam]

1 hour ago, kannot said:

Go and learn to lay bricks or something like that then  look for a job anywhere in the world with a  skill that people will need. Saved hard, worked hard, many a 12hour+ day, retired at 46, got 7 o level passes in the Uk when they were really O  levels started doing A's  but dropped out to make  money in the very early 1980's................ didnt get married until 42 to my one and  only Thai Wife

You can get  lucky but the odds are  small and in Thailand any attempt to make good  money or be seen will draw  attention from the many jealous lazy  buggers  you can find here

 

While I don't have a degree and have got along fine in work without one, the world is a different place now.

Jobs for life are a thing of the past.

It's all very well telling the OP to learn a trade but it's worth remembering that there are millions of jobless people with manufacturing, plumbing, building etc backgrounds who are in serious trouble in Europe and the US because their earning power is being undermined by immigrants who work for much less or edged out by technology or efficiency improvements.

Many are now at stages of life where the prospect of retraining for new skills seems particularly daunting so it's silly to bet one's future on professions that can  easily become redundant.

Technological progress and globalization is making millions redundant - just ask the poor sods at Tata Steel or the car assembly workers at Ford who face the prospect of heading back into the employment market with obsolete skills that no one wants.

A degree isn't the be all and end all but it has the benefit of showing a prospective employer that the holder is flexible and has an ability to learn new things.

Edited October 5, 2016 by YeahSiam

[hellohello123]

im a 30s guy that has been to thailand about 8 times,

I like thailand, its people (for the most part) the food, the culture, and many aspects of the lifestyle

The bar scene doesnt interest me,

 

its a great place for a holiday but I have no real interest living there, its still 3rd world for the most part

 a lot of people mistake the holiday lifestyle as what everyday lifestle would be

 

I wouldnt recommend seeking another life by running away,

 

chances are youre current lifestyle/position in society etc etc arent going to change signficnatly by running to a different country

[Metapod]

Plenty of jobs available without a degree. The key detail (which you likely miss) is having a useful skill.

 

For example, if you are a very good chef, you can definitely get work over here. Likewise if you are a shit hot programmer. 

 

Develop an extremely useful skill and excel at it and then you have a shot. A bit of random work experience and being a native English speaker just isn't enough. 

[siam2007]

being 100% fluent in Thai (speaking, writing and reading) could easily get you a Job as well

[tonray]

9 minutes ago, siam2007 said:

being 100% fluent in Thai (speaking, writing and reading) could easily get you a Job as well

Not really. Fluency in Thai is worthless without a skill in demand that cannot be satisfied locally.

[Bonobojt]

5 hours ago, wprime said:

Are you good looking? Try actor/model type work, you don't need a degree for that. Failing that you can find a rich girlfriend.

 

I doubt I have the 'model' looks ...

 

 

 

[hellohello123]

3 minutes ago, tonray said:

Not really. Fluency in Thai is worthless without a skill in demand that cannot be satisfied locally.

Wouldnt that make you like every other thai?

 

[tonray]

If you want a teaching job...the facial hair has got to go. 

[Anders W Ferslev]

yes you can, im living and working here, and im "Only" a Baker :) i come to Thailand in 2009, when i was 29 years old

[SoiBiker]

57 minutes ago, tonray said:

If you want a teaching job...the facial hair has got to go. 

 

A teacher can't have a beard?

[Bonobojt]

what about creating a website ? I know its possible to earn money from websites and blogs etc ,, but not sure if its enough to live/work in Thailand, what about the people/person who created this website ? I'm guessing he or she earns money from  this  

[bark]

21 hours ago, nikmar said:

I dont have a degree but i do have a work permit. 

it's doable but it's not easy and i got really lucky.

You can get a degree for 250 baht.  600 if you want it framed.

[SoiBiker]

3 minutes ago, Bonobojt said:

what about creating a website ? I know its possible to earn money from websites and blogs etc ,, but not sure if its enough to live/work in Thailand, what about the people/person who created this website ? I'm guessing he or she earns money from  this  

 

I'd say for every one person who makes money from a website, there are a large number who do not. The internet certainly doesn't need yet another travel blog. 

[nikmar]

2 minutes ago, bark said:

You can get a degree for 250 baht.  600 if you want it framed.

 

good way to get locked up.