think_too_mut Posted July 1, 2003 Report Share Posted July 1, 2003 >Sounds like a rather lame excuse to me. Certainly when it is being used to instantly toss a resume without even bothering to read it. Can't stop thinking that this is discrimination. Yes, it is. However, there is no EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) policy in Thai, neither multinationals operating there are obliged to stick to it although they do that at home. It's all about somebody being suspicious or not liking you. Or, plainly, "I don't want more people like me in the office, who's gonna do the work?" attitude. But, they are in power and you can't change it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted July 1, 2003 Report Share Posted July 1, 2003 Hi, "But, they are in power and you can't change it." Yeah, guess so. This also makes a strong case for networking I suppose, which would makes sense since that is how I got both my previous and current job. Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
think_too_mut Posted July 1, 2003 Report Share Posted July 1, 2003 >Yeah, guess so. This also makes a strong case for networking I suppose, which would makes sense since that is how I got both my previous and current job. That's how I got my job in Japan. Without networking, I would not have attempted. Had a look into BKK Post many times but have never applied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SingaporeSteve Posted July 1, 2003 Report Share Posted July 1, 2003 This is an interesting thread in that I proposed to our senior management team that we relocated an expensive dept in Singapore to Thailand. Our Australian based regional CFO, who is a frequent visitor to thailand said in his opinion it would never work and it basically bit the dust. I think he plays around here as much as many of the visiting expats and he was fearful of what he saw in the gogo bars. Ironically he is in Thailand more than in Singapore which is a far larger business for us at least. The role I am refering to is issuing complex 100 page + proposals to Multinational corporations and we need proposal writers who can use English very effectively. As it is we could I believe have built a stronger team in Thailand at a considerably lower cost than in Singapore. I was moved here to save on airfare expenses, and my employer saved about US$50,000 per annum based on Singapore airfares to the prices charged here and also to become an expat in a newly acquired Thai business which was developing some teething troubles. As it is I hardly ever stay in Thailand for more than a few days at a time. In a nutshell therefore, most will not employ farang because of PERCEIVED problems with character, reliability etc. many people are actually doing a good job but dont forget that the regional perception is that your not taken really seriously if your living in Thailand. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pom Michael Posted July 1, 2003 Report Share Posted July 1, 2003 Wow, I'm the exception to Stonesoups Rule. I know of about 20 others, in my industry alone, and most of my direct customers are also local hired foreigners, so there are plenty around. Cheers! :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneSoup Posted July 1, 2003 Report Share Posted July 1, 2003 PM - I'd be interested to know what industry you speak of. I can't think of a reputable multi-national corporation here (a publicly traded corporation with offices in many counties, and a headquarters in a farang country) that has significant enough interest in non-Thais living in Thailand to invest in a sales staff to just pursue that element. Boiler rooms (investment advisers) yes. Multi-national corporations - no. But - I can easily believe that I might be overlooking some legitimate niche. So - please enlighten us/me. Thanks, SS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgianBoy Posted July 1, 2003 Report Share Posted July 1, 2003 Says BelgianBoy: StoneSoup, Thanks for the info...... As a matter of fact, I have my own business plan ready for execution in the next few months, but I'll keep that private for the moment Now then, are there any figures at all on the amount of farang living in LOS ? Can that total amount also be split up in backpackers, retired and family of working farang. Bottomline, what is the total farang workforce in LOS ? Just curious Cheers ! StoneSoup, I think you forgot about me but I really would like to know your stats, if any available Cheers ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gummigut Posted July 1, 2003 Report Share Posted July 1, 2003 SS: I think you are taking an unusually harsh stance on this. I can't believe all the expats at Unilever were all hired overseas. There were quite alot of them. Not sure what you call the UN, but they do hire expats locally. I think all the really good local expat job hires are completed through networking. "that has significant enough interest in non-Thais living in Thailand to invest in a sales staff to just pursue that element." I really don't understand this statement. I thought we were just talking about local hires for large corporations. <<burp>> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SingaporeSteve Posted July 1, 2003 Report Share Posted July 1, 2003 two industries where I suspect locally based farang are hired are in Hotels (so long as they have extensive background and knowledge) which like to have a number of farang in "leadership positions" and also in the PR/journalism industry given that many of the regions journalists operate from Thailand because of its low costs. I have often heard Jonathon Head reporting for the BBC in Singapore, despite having read in Big Chilli or similar an interview saying he lives somewhere around Hua Hin. Must be cheaper to fly him to cover a story than keep him there. However in terms of true multi-nationals, most of the ones I have dealt with are all posted to Thailand. There are 2 people I now who have been locally hired for Multinationals but one works in PR and the other is a technical video effects guy from the US that got the job when he arrived here. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneSoup Posted July 2, 2003 Report Share Posted July 2, 2003 Well, let's see. I've only worked once with Unilever in Thailand - working on a paid market research study that involved their Walls Ice Cream business. That does not make me an expert on the employment background of their farang employees, but I would be VERY surprised if they have any significant number of farang working here who were plucked off the streets of Bangkok. I would expect that they would have a number of Europeans with past work experience elsewhere in Asia, and that they would hire UNDER CONTRACT, AS CONSULTANTS any local farang who had a specific piece of knowledge that they needed. But - I may be wrong. You make it sound like Unilever Thailand has dozens of farang that got hired locally. I just do not believe it. I've been into about 70 or 80 multi-national companies here. And I've known a couple of people who moved from company A to company B (in the disk drive components industry). But its rare. Most farang came here from home country, or from elsewhere in Asia. Personally, I can count on my fingers all the folks I have met who got their jobs here from a position of being an unemployed ex-pat in Thailand. I know a LOT of people here - including you personally - who would normally not have too much trouble getting a good job. But it isn't so easy here. Bluntly - when big companies DO hire off the streets here, they are generally paying a reduced salary package from what an "imported" farang would be offered. Most non-desperate farang are not interested in a "local Thai plus 50%" salary package. So maybe the situation is self-propagating. SS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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