A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand

[Romulus]

It would obviously be good to start a section. I have been living in Thailand for almost 8 years already. Would love to help anyone settle here...

 

[Leongsam]

It would obviously be good to start a section. I have been living in Thailand for almost 8 years already. Would love to help anyone settle here...

Start the ball rolling in this thread and if all goes well, I'll transfer the thread over to a new section in a couple of weeks time.

 

[Romulus]

Cool. There are lots of opportunities here. I remember telling a Singaporean in Bkk ro sell his car in SGP, buy a condo here in Thailand, and he will still have money enough to get a car here. The condo gives you a house registration which you can use to apply for a long-stay visa. As a grad, it's easy to find jobs...

 

[yinyang]

Cool. There are lots of opportunities here. As a grad, it's easy to find jobs...

Don't diasgree on oomph possibilities in LOS. And the purchasing parity on incomes vs Sg. But unsure of your last bit on grads finding easy to get (worthwhile) jobs or career.

Just a straw poll on new grad (local) entrants, thb25-30k tops depending if foreign firm employers. From our JV partner's payroll, our experienced sales exec gets thb45-50k (gross).

if all goes well, I'll transfer the thread over to a new section in a couple of weeks time.

Pity this thread tarnished of late. Let's see if this thread gets a new life of its own

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

Cool. There are lots of opportunities here. I remember telling a Singaporean in Bkk ro sell his car in SGP, buy a condo here in Thailand, and he will still have money enough to get a car here. The condo gives you a house registration which you can use to apply for a long-stay visa. As a grad, it's easy to find jobs...

Bro but when you say grad you mean a thai graduate right? I mean i doubt sinkies can speak thai well enough unless they actually enroll in some school how easy or difficult will it be for such people, foreigners that might not speak thai very well to get jobs.

 

[Romulus]

I mean a graduate from anywhere. The Thais don't really distinguish from where as long as you have your paperwork in order. Singapore education is very well respected. With their drive to promote the ASEAN EC in 2015, they are trying to attract qualified professionals from ASEAN to work in Thailand now to help them prepare before the perceived rush when labour laws are laxed come 2015.

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

I mean a graduate from anywhere. The Thais don't really distinguish from where as long as you have your paperwork in order. Singapore education is very well respected. With their drive to promote the ASEAN EC in 2015, they are trying to attract qualified professionals from ASEAN to work in Thailand now to help them prepare before the perceived rush when labour laws are laxed come 2015.

how would a sinkie professional work in a thai environment where the language would probably be in thai and english probably spoken at a minimal and in a lower perceived standard i would assume. Well the most important thing is the pay package.

 

[yinyang]

how would a sinkie professional work in a thai environment where the language would probably be in thai and english probably spoken at a minimal and in a lower perceived standard i would assume.

I mean a graduate from anywhere. The Thais don't really distinguish from where as long as you have your paperwork in order...they are trying to attract qualified professionals from ASEAN to work in Thailand now to help them prepare before the perceived rush when labour laws are laxed come 2015

No offence, but this logic of sinkie (Asean or elsewhere) grad finding work in LOS beats me.

Thais have their own language, and don't have to use English in day-to-day commerce -unless it's with foreign interface (like regional/international trade or even tourist retail). Just as what Jah's asking. And there are plenty local thai grads, some overseas educated who can step up on the plate.

Unless one's on some expat package, cannot see why a sinkie grad would source Thai employment -given the salary ranges mentioned earlier. Even if one's compensated with lower cost of living there.

Neither can we realistically count on some political accord to bet on freer cross border employment, within or after 2 years window in 2015. There's strong nationalistic interests in Thailand, and cannot see EU model working in forseeable future.

If one's a grad but a veteran or in search of a new (and better) life there, it's a different story. My point is one shd not make gross (and misleading) statements

 

[Narong Wongwan]

Foreign grads or not.....can find work as English teachers....angmos preferred.
Many backpackers do that and stayed put....but dun expect any expat packages.
Best to live and work in Los IMHO is to work for sinkie or foreign company with Thai dealings.
Either based there or not....be an expat or worse come to worst you get to fly in and out regularly.

 

[yinyang]

Foreign grads or not.....can find work as English teachers....angmos preferred.
Many backpackers ..stayed put....but dun expect any expat packages. Best to live and work in Los IMHO is to work for sinkie or foreign company with Thai dealings. ....be an expat or worse come to worst you get to fly in and out regularly.

NW, "astronaut" (drop-in) or combo expat can be a working option as it's only 2hrs away. Not too diff commute wise from way out provinces. Even with regional role in Phnom Penh, Laos or Myanmar.

Yes, many farangs "over stay" their vacation (like 2 weeks become 2 years) do the angrit teach thing. Either on some visa or even moonlight . Truth be told, their angrit is no better than many of us -just local hangup (or misconception) on white meat as mother tongue. I met and know of 1 swiss bloke, who succumbed to charms of a thai puying and resorted to teaching angrit up in CNX. Those days, he could even do visa run across border easy (not sure if that works out now with 60/90 day rule). No expat salary, just to get by and live like local khun thai.

Also, met 3 yanks last Nov in Bkk who are teaching up in some provinces college (not necessarily angrit, but other subjects like technical etc). Kns, they even know how to moonlight on consultancy "projects" with local businessmen. Paid in cold, hard cash (of course) -no trail

 

[Romulus]

Speaking of EL teaching, many schools are looking to Asians because many of the angmos are not as responsible. Also, there have been research papers on Asian EL which is what Thailand is preparing towards hence the need to grow accustomed to Singlish, Malaysian English, and the associated accents, etc. as opposed to American or British English. Still, I guess it is in infancy and many schools would still prefer to hire angmos (it's a lot easier to justify collecting an extra S$100-200 per month to hire a blonde than an Asian)

 

[yinyang]

...been research papers on Asian EL which is what Thailand is preparing towards hence the need to grow accustomed to Singlish, Malaysian English, and the associated accents, etc. ...infancy and many schools would still prefer to hire angmos (it's a lot easier to justify collecting an extra S$100-200 per month to hire a blonde than an Asian)

You can't be that naive to think Singlish or Maglish (Msia english) is paving way in Thailand Thailand already has own Thaglish, if you notice.

You seem to be ignorant of the minimum accreditation ie TESOL (teaching english to speakers of other languages) or TEFL (teaching english as foreign language):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teaching_English_as_a_foreign_language

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TESOL

But you not wrong on white meat, perceived as "native speakers". And that swiss bloke I mentioned, was probably better at either german or french (depending on his provincial proximity back home)

You can read up on this confession by a farang teach here:

http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/teaching.html

And chon (probably lurking here) can put some holes in yours too:p

 

[Romulus]

Actually, as of 2007, the government requires "teaching qualifications" to mean an education degree or diploma in a "recognised" course of study. TESOL or TEFL qualifications don't meet those requirements. This means that without these requirements, it will be impossible for you to get a Work Permit to teach.

However, after protests by schools, the government allows a 2 year grace period to allow unqualified GRADUATE to do a diploma in Teaching at a recognised institution in Thailand on a part-time basis (whilst teaching at a school). With this, schools can apply for a work permit for their graduate but untrained educator.


Yes. There are sadly many angmos that don't really speak English but get paid as native speakers. An HOD at a very big school in Thailand confessed to me that his "farang" teachers were bad... but seeing blonde hair made the parents happy enough to part with an extra $200 a month...


Why would Thai education be interested in ASEAN-English? Because research has pointed out that Thai society needs to be exposed to ASEAN forms of English if it expects to attract labour from these countries. This is quite current and there are lectures on this by linguistics professors in Thailand. However, it would take time to change their mindsets. That being said, universities are actually very open to employing qualified Asians.

And, I am not naive about this. Up in the countryside where angmos fear to tread, many schools have resorted to employing Filipinos. When asked about the prospect of employing Singaporeans, many schools are very excited by this possibility - as this means that the Singaporean can teach a bit of Chinese too... and they have great faith in the quality and work ethic of Singaporeans.

Give it a shot.

 

[OldFart]

Hope this helps - http://www.eslbase.com/advice/thailand

 

[yinyang]

Up, up and away with thai baht. Record high past weeks. Less bang for our buck?

The chart traces the adventures of the baht compared with the US dollar from May, 1997, just before the collapse of the currency, until now. (Chart by TradingEconomics.com, BangkokPost.com





BoT says it won't stem soaring baht
Prasarn doesn't see strength as unusual
Published: 21 Mar 2013 at 00.00 Newspaper section: News

The central bank and Finance Ministry have decided against "special" intervention to curb the soaring baht which hit a 16-year high Wednesday.

The chart traces the adventures of the baht compared with the US dollar from May, 1997, just before the collapse of the currency, until now. (Chart by TradingEconomics.com, BangkokPost.com)

The decision was reached at a meeting of economic agencies to discuss the possible ramifications of the baht's inexorable rise on the economy.

The Bank of Thailand (BoT) admitted the baht appreciation has been "too quick" but does not consider the strengthening, which has been driven by capital inflows, as unusual.

BoT governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul said the baht had been boosted by investors' perception of its value versus major currencies.

"The baht has appreciated too quickly over the past two days. But the strengthening of the baht has not resulted from unusual foreign capital inflows. It reflects its price," Mr Prasarn said.

The governor insisted the majority of the foreign capital inflows had been going into long-term bonds.

Mr Prasarn declined to answer when asked if the BoT would introduce "special measures" to rein in the baht.

The currency strength is simply a reflection of investors' positive sentiment toward the Thai economy, he said.

Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong, however, expressed concern over the BoT's ability to manage short-term capital inflows but said intervention in the currency market will distort the market and result in a long-term negative impact on the economy.

The baht Wednesday stood at 29.14/20 baht to the US dollar, the strongest rate since the currency was floated in July 1997. Since the beginning of the year, the baht has strengthened by about 5%, the most among regional currencies.

Mr Kittiratt, who is deputy prime minister for economic affairs, said the use of unnatural special measures to deal with the baht fluctuations could cause panic and would end up eroding confidence in the country.

Fears that the government might introduce special measures to deal with the influx of capital flows and try to stem the baht's appreciation forced the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index to nosedive 24.58 points, or 1.57%, to 1,543.67 points. Trading was heavy, valued at 83.65 billion baht. On Tuesday, the SET plunged 23 points.

Analysts attributed the SET tumble to investor concerns over possible government intervention to curb the baht and the Cyprus bailout crisis. The sharp drop also reflected a market correction.

Mr Kittiratt said he personally thought that the central bank's key policy rate of 2.75% should be lowered to help improve the situation, even though a rate cut is not the only measure that could effectively stabilise the value of the baht.

"I suggest that the BoT and the Monetary Policy Committee consider my concern about the currency. But the government will not interfere in the committee's decision on the policy interest rate. I have spoken about the issue a lot already in the past," Mr Kittiratt said.

The finance minister said he agreed with an observation by BoT chairman Virabongsa Ramangkura last week that there is a risk of foreign capital inflows causing bubbles in the financial and property sectors. But he said there are no signs of bubbles yet because the BoT has absorbed the liquidity.

Mr Kittiratt told the agencies at the meeting Wednesday to manage the economy in three areas _ stability, income distribution and efficiency improvement.

He insisted the Thai economy rests on solid foundations and that foreign interest in the country is because of the government's 2-trillion-baht infrastructure plan and 350-billion-baht water management programme.

The government's planned megaprojects will use loans raised from domestic financial institutions. The investment will lead to the import of capital goods that will help curb the foreign exchange inflows, he said.

In the meantime, the investment programme would partly help stabilise exchange rates, he added.

The problem is that this would take time to bear fruit because the investment and procurement process could not begin until late this year or early next year. Therefore, a close watch must be kept on foreign direct investment inflows, the minister said.Paul Gambles, managing partner and chief investment officer of MBMG Group, said Thailand's equities market is susceptible to the risk of a heavy correction over the next couple of years due to short-term speculative inflows.

Negative news on the US, EU and China economies could trigger a 30-50% slump in the equities market which could then recover in the short term because of the country's strong economic fundamentals, he said.

 

[Narong Wongwan]

No worries me offsetted by making a tidy sum riding on 19 year high of SET.
Exited at right time and seemed its trending down now liao.

 

[ypres]

Cool. There are lots of opportunities here. I remember telling a Singaporean in Bkk ro sell his car in SGP, buy a condo here in Thailand, and he will still have money enough to get a car here. The condo gives you a house registration which you can use to apply for a long-stay visa. As a grad, it's easy to find jobs...

Sorry Romulus. Is your information on long-stay visa accurate? I have got a condo which is only ready next year in LOS. If yes I would definitely apply for it.

 

[yinyang]

No worries me offsetted by making a tidy sum riding on 19 year high of SET.
Exited at right time

Wah, some more gained on forex (to sgd)? Got spare change to buy beers? :p

 

[tonychat]

Actually, as of 2007, the government requires "teaching qualifications" to mean an education degree or diploma in a "recognised" course of study. TESOL or TEFL qualifications don't meet those requirements. This means that without these requirements, it will be impossible for you to get a Work Permit to teach.

However, after protests by schools, the government allows a 2 year grace period to allow unqualified GRADUATE to do a diploma in Teaching at a recognised institution in Thailand on a part-time basis (whilst teaching at a school). With this, schools can apply for a work permit for their graduate but untrained educator.


Yes. There are sadly many angmos that don't really speak English but get paid as native speakers. An HOD at a very big school in Thailand confessed to me that his "farang" teachers were bad... but seeing blonde hair made the parents happy enough to part with an extra $200 a month...


Why would Thai education be interested in ASEAN-English? Because research has pointed out that Thai society needs to be exposed to ASEAN forms of English if it expects to attract labour from these countries. This is quite current and there are lectures on this by linguistics professors in Thailand. However, it would take time to change their mindsets. That being said, universities are actually very open to employing qualified Asians.

And, I am not naive about this. Up in the countryside where angmos fear to tread, many schools have resorted to employing Filipinos. When asked about the prospect of employing Singaporeans, many schools are very excited by this possibility - as this means that the Singaporean can teach a bit of Chinese too... and they have great faith in the quality and work ethic of Singaporeans.

Give it a shot.

what kind of bullshit is this..

everyone this is a fucking clone.. a shit ass sinkie loser who bullshit here and disturb this forum.

 

[yinyang]

your information on long-stay visa accurate? I have got a condo which is only ready next year in LOS. If yes I would definitely apply for it.

Ypres, suggest you go by 'conventional' means and not get false hopes based on hearsay. I'm not in position to advise you, but you heard from Chonbfc earlier.

Confucius once said, a liitle knowledge can be dangerous