Making the move

[Guest]

HI all.

I need advice.

I have decidet to try my luck in bkk.

I am 38 yo.Sound designer,musician,composer.

I plan to work in bkk on a freelance basis.

I will still have an income from home,enough to get by anyway.

But in the long run,i want to be able to earn a living only in in bkk.

I am really doubtfull if this is even possible,with all the immigration rules.

And i don't have the finances to setup a company on my own.

I do have some friends in bkk,that will help me get settled,find a suitable place to stay,as well as a few contacts in the business,and i am told that it should be more that possible to get some work.

Is there anybody out there doing the same thing,or have any suggestions.

It will be much appreciated.

Actually,all info would be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

Nick

Copenhagen.

[Guest]

Actually Nick, you are one of the few that I would say has a more than reasonable chance of working in LOS. I have had several friends with the same talents as yourself that have done well in LOS and also toured in China.

 

Major hotels, restaurants (My friend and his band played Riverview in CM for mant months) and even Beer companies hire foreign Musicians on a regular basis. Real jobs, real work permits (make sure you GET one if hired) and decent money. Not Euro bucks, but decent.

 

Your ability to compose, and do sound work opens up lots of avenues as well. If you are using a keyboard or specialized computer stuff for composing ........... make sure to bring it with you. It's here but hard to locate.

 

You'll have a blast....I envy you. If you are in Bkk around the AGM, I'd be glad to share a beer, and chat. All the best.

 

LaoHuli

[Guest]

Thanks LaoHuli

 

Makes my doubts vanish.Appreciate it:-)

Do your friends have any contacts you could pass on.

How did they get this job in CM.

I'll be in bkk around march,to visit studios,production companys and stuff.And if all goes well,get a contract,but i am not counting on that one.

Work permits seems very hard to get by...

But i guess my best chance is to get a contract somewhere,with a work permit.

Is anybody here making money,with out a work permit?!?

If so,how do you do it?

I understand that you are able to make a thai bank account,with your passport only.Which i guess you need to get paid.

Still lots of questions here.

But i just want to do things right.

 

I am bringing my own stuff,or as much as i can.

Computer,programs,keys,bass and guitars.

So i am able to work as fast as i get settled.

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

[color:"blue"] How did they get this job in CM.

[/color]

 

His band had been contracted in Bkk by a big hotel, and plyed there 18 months. But as often the case in the music business and in LOS....it screwed up, WHole band was 18 months ...no work permits..........bad kaka. The rest of them went back to the states and came back later. He went to CM, where i met him and helped him straighten out his work permit shit...and that was before the days of 20k max fine,,,,,,,

 

Later I brought him to Kunming where I was managing a hotel.

Must say you musicians are seriously chased by the ladies...

 

Try making some contacts where you are with the major hotel chains, play some gigs there if you can. Here they are the steady work places. If you have Thai music contacts here, you might get some studio work, but tricky to get awork permit with. If you can do solo stuff, lots of Western oriented Hotel lounges looking for house playeers. Mostly Philipinos here. Work cheap, easy visas for them I'm told.

 

Like everywhere, once you are in the scene, you'll make contacts, get leads........just watch the visa thing..they are MUCH more aggressive about it then years back. Try to get a steady gig with a major group and spend some time feeling it out.

 

Best of luck

LaoHuLi

[Guest]

you should never forget that 99% of the people who come here will return after a few years not being able to make it here (but may still make some valuable experiences).

nevertheless, that should not stop you, because some do make it.

don't expect anything, especially not a contract which could give you a workpermit. and if one is offered be very careful that you don't slide into something which can turn to your disadvantage. there are a lot of bad decisions you will make before you know your way around - it is better to make them in situatiuons you can get out fast. take your time to look around, and with that i mean not just a few weeks but at least a year or two.

you can without too many problems in your line work without workpermit, but if you really need one for your own mental security than better go for some kind of teaching job in your line in a university or cultural institution.

 

do not forget - this industry here works very differently from the west. it is very insular, and intellectual theft is more or less accepted (and nothing you can do about), especially when a new arrival is involved. it is very difficult to get a break in the local industry. very often people will lead you on, and only after some time you will realise that you have lost out big time. i have seen that happening numerous times. it will take years until you will get a real foothold.

if you want to get into the local industry it is of utmost importance that you learn thai. every single foreigner i know who is part of that industry here successfully does speak excellent thai (of course if you stay in the hotel circuit you won't need thai skills).

 

my advice would be to take it very slow, and to expect to make some very bad experiences. i don't know if you have ever worked here for some extended time. if not, consider that you might find out after some time that this place here is just not for you. working here and holidaying are two completely different things. so, don't just break up everything back home - you are already 38 years old which is an age where it is not that easy for many to adapt to a completely different cultural and social environment. don't put yourself under the pressure that things have to work out, because overwhelming chances are that they won't.

[Flashermac]

<< Is anybody here making money,with out a work permit?!?

If so,how do you do it? >>

 

 

Well, lots of folks are working illegally! No problems, until you get caught.

 

p.s. Hotels seem to like Filipino musicians, since they work for peanuts. Nightclubs hire almost only Thais. Music isn't going to be an easy business to break into here. Might be best to contact some of the major hotel chains first and ask what they have to offer. Now if you're composing, you can do that anywhere. But as Fly says, laws tend to get ignored here. I'd try selling your intellectual property ONLY in the west.

 

Good luck!

 

 

[StoneSoup]

I don't know much about what a "sound designer" is, but one tip I would suggest is to pay a late afternoon call on the folks at the Ministry of Sound on Sukhumvit Soi 12. I knew a very young British chap who gota job running their lighting system, and that venue is probably a good one for making networking contacts. As has already been mentioned, most venues operate under Thai management, and have little use for a high-salaried westerner. MOS is run by westerners.

 

Good luck!

SS

 

For Flasher:

 

Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre?

 

Nihil est--in vita priore ego imperator Romanus fui .

 

Recedite, plebes! Gero rem imperialem!

[Pom Michael]

SS,

 

A bit late with that advice, as MOS has closed. Now it is called 'Dbl O' (OO) and by the looks of it, it also won't last too long.

 

Soi 12 is just not a good location for a standalone nightclub especially one with no parking.

 

Cheers!

[Guest]

Thanks for that reply,fly.

It was something like this i was looking for.

I know things will be tough in the start.

But,since i will still have some money coming from my old work,i will be able to get by.

I do have some good contacts in the industry,and learning thai is my top priority.Maybe even read and write,in due time.

I am not a solo performer,i play guitar and bass,and i think bkk is in need of a good bassplayer,however,i do not intend to live of playing bass,this is merely a hobbey,and maybe another way to expose myself a bit.I rely on my talents as composer of western music.

 

Now,the easiest thing would be to call it all off,and stay home in my good secure job,but then again,naah---boooring.For me it's now or never.So i am giving it a good shot.

 

One question,how do you get paid when working without a work permit.

 

Thanks everyone else also,every reply is a help,of some sorts.

 

Cheers

 

Nick

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

>>>One question,how do you get paid when working without a work permit<<<

 

 

that is not much of a problem.

either in cash, or into your bankaccount (no problem to open), or into a bankaccount of a thai friend who can give it to you in cash. all depending on the people who pay you.

 

 

>>>I rely on my talents as composer of western music.<<<

 

the most ideal situation is living here, and making money from the west, taking money which you make here locally just as an additional income. that way you don't need to deal with all the shit here, and can take it slow.

 

 

 

>>>Now,the easiest thing would be to call it all off,and stay home in my good secure job,but then again,naah---boooring.For me it's now or never.So i am giving it a good shot.<<<

 

and if you think you have to try it, you should also do it. otherwise you will ask yourself for the rest of your life that 'what if...' question.

just be aware of the pitfalls, and that it might go wrong. a good thing is setting yourself two year goals: if you did not accieve a certain realistic minimum goal until that time, go and pack. don't burn all bridges yet.

that worked for me, and i am still here after more than ten years.