Moving to BKK with family

[kojis]

Here's a question about how sensible a move you think it would be to move to BKK with a family. I guess several posters here went through this experience.

 

We might leave a posh Parisian area, extremely well serviced in terms of education, health care and entertainment within walking distance of our place, for BKK, which is a bigger market in our trade, where we will obviously be able to afford education, healthcare and even better housing but wonder if the quality of life there is worth it.

 

I've already lived several years in BKK and still go there many times a year but never had to deal with family issues there.

 

Anyone has experience to share?

 

My wife is pretty happy about the move as she also sees greater opportunities there for us and liked how most of the business owners she met while visiting the country with me where Chao Zhou, like her. She also likes obviously the easiness to enjoy a lot of staff, who are much cheaper than in France - although we can also afford domestic help in Paris as well. She definitely is very keen on getting closer to her family in Shenzhen, with only 3 hours flights and no visa issues separating us. Her English is very poor and her Thai nil though. If we move itâ??s for her to take care of part of the business, hopefully expanding it on the far eastern side, but it will take some time for her to pick up on language issues and improving her market knowledge. Sheâ??s only 24 though, so giving her time is reasonable but in Paris sheâ??s already working full time and efficiently with me.

 

She also enjoys our easy life in Paris. So do I, especially that we're living fairly well on a quite simple business model. Things will get more complex if we move to BKK, with me flying a tad more than I wished at the beginning at least. If things in BKK are below our expectations going back to Paris in the same conditions wonâ??t be easy because of lodging issues there. Itâ??s a serious headache to find a nice apartment although the office will keep on running so we could just switch back to our former business model. We could also move further east to China, but thatâ??s again something different.

 

Basically itâ??s about leaving an already comfortable situation out of ambition. Pretty sure many well off expats have been through the same process. How do you judge the move I retrospect? And how are you enjoying family life in BKK?

 

Thanks for all input

Kojis

 

[elef]

Why not consider to move to East Pattaya instead, there you'll find something that looks like some of the nicer cities outside Paris. Everything is better than in BKK IMO for a family. Many international schools - at least one french - in the area, less pollution, better traffic (even if Sukhumvit is a problem), many shopping centres (Carrefour for example), but most important all in a limited area. If you want find an equal place near BKK you're almost 1 hour away from the international schools - most in Sukhumvit area.

 

 

[kojis]

Elef

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm a bit anticipating on the schooling issue as our first child is only expected in October. We might relocate in a different area of BKK when he grows up.

 

First we're moving to BKK for business. I'll need to be daily in the Silom/Suriwong area and I'd rather reduce the commuting time as much as possible.

 

Plus, to be fair, one of the most frustrating aspect of our Paris life is the lack of view from our otherwise nice downtown apartment.

 

I do love high rise buildings and have always wanted to live in a high floor of a skyscraper in a very modern city. Hence if we move to BKK it will most likely be in a central modern apartment with a wide view over the city - to begin with, as when a dream is fulfilled, it's often time to pass to next one.

[Nervous_Dog]

$y$ou are aware there is a french school in Bangkok?

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[kojis]

Sure, it used to be located with l'Alliance Francaise in Sathorn a few hundred meters away from where we might live in a decent compound but heard it was moved quite far from there. Not sure about schools for younger children though.

 

Otherwise as I consider speaking english one of the most important social skills, even if we stay in France our kid might go to an english speaking school, so we're rather open when it comes to education language.

 

 

 

[kojis]

Any first hand accounts on the move? Where has Samak gone? It seemed like he was a rather affluent expat in thailand and familiar with downtown Paris as well. How does life compare here and back home for those who made asimilar move? I tend to consider Bangkok as a huge ugly hot and moist urban sprawl compared to Paris - which is the most visited city in the World for a few good reasons- but there's more to it when living in a city, and in some aspects BKK wins hands down.

 

Dunno... but watched again Layer Cake this afternoon, and this movie sure makes lot of sense to me...

[shygye]

The air pollution in Bangkok will certainly adversely affect the health of your family.

[kojis]

hhmm... that's indirectly one of the worst parts. the atmosphere in BKK is pretty nasty, due to pollution and weather. The streets are charmless IMO with most shopping in malls. Strolling in Paris - if only to work- is a daily pleasure whereas in BKK life is much more indoors - far less attractive although to compensate it's very easy to sit at a large table in a posh bar/restaurant or by a large pool and catch a taxi to go to those same ocations, whereas in Paris restaurants and clubs offer very cramped space despite the high prices and it's regulary a headache to catch a cab - hence the longer strolls.

 

That's an important part for me but difficult to ask other forum members, I guess if someone comes from HKG or New York the issue might not be that important to him.

[torrenova]

Left London for Tokyo some years ago with my then wife. Didn't speak much Japanese at all and to be truthful, never really learned much either. I engineered the move and was employed thus a security blanket was available.

 

I think you have to assess the reasons why you want to move. Are the reasons valid now or are you doing it to fulfill future ambitions ? Do you need to move, it sounds not. What family and friend network will your wife have in bangkok compared to Paris ? Who is the driving force behind the move ?

 

Sometimes you have to move forward to avoid slipping back because standing still is not an option.

[Fiery Jack]

Sometimes you have to move forward to avoid slipping back because standing still is not an option.

 

That is very true, very wise. I'd go even further and, without wishing to sound like T. S. Eliot, propose that, sometimes, you even have to move knowingly backwards awhile in order to be able thereafter to move eventually forward to the place you really want to be.

 

Er, if you see what I mean. What I mean is that I took a shit posting in a shit place for a year (here in Japan) because I knew that having the experience on my CV would ease me into a better job in a better place in the future when one came up. And it did. The alternative was a year out of work, like. That would not have looked good on the old resume.

 

As long as you keep moving, don't stagnate.

 

Good luck.

 

jack