Work in BKK?

[steffi]

You say it's easy to get work in Hong Kong? These days there's a strong anti foreign sentiment by the ruling class there and it's not easy at all to get work there. If anybody knows different please tell me as I'd actually love to work there. Preferably in one of the Banks doing IT work.

 

quote:

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Originally posted by Snake Head:

The problem with finding a job in Thailand is getting the work permit. You have to prove that a Thai cannot do the job you are applying for, and that's quite hard to do except for English teachers of course. Also its a lot of paper work and expense for the company and many don't want to be bothered unless you have exceptional skills.

Its much easier to get work in Hong Kong or Sinapore which have more free market policies than Thailand. Depending on why you want to come to Asia you could try there.

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[Guest]

Steffi,

In HK there is still demand for skilled IT professionals in the Banking/Finance sector. It should be noted that the demand is nowhere near as great as 6 months to 1 year ago.

From my personal experience (6 yrs in HK) I have never known a period where some many friends have been layed off or repatriated to their home country due to the economic cirumstances. It is worse than after the Asian Crisis in 97....I think the current unemployment rate for HK is around 5.6 percent which is the highlest levels for years....

Therefore, now may not be the right time to move but there are still opportunities to be had if you are agressive and in a position where you don't have much too lose.

Sanukboot.

[shamus]

This question has no doubt popped up several times on this board.

But, is there any chance of finding work in BKK?

Well Rumba1, l could say l have successfully done the move, well in a fashion, the success come from a loss in a business venture here (surprise surprise!!)and it ws not a bar.

l had to relocate from samui to BK, with fuck all in my pocket, chased work in many areas and kept away from teaching because of my lack of teaching knowledge.

Found work in a certain Embassy in BK, money was not very good but met many people to benefit my further looking at a later date.

Found a good job with a recreation club and then went from there to a hotel here in Phuket, all above board, work permits and all.

Quite enjoying the life style down here in PK, a bit to busy at times but its ok!! the owner of this place is looking to place me in further plans that he has in business down here, so l suppose you could say l have done it successfully?????? you be the judge!!

Shamus

[Guest]

I'm working and living in Thailand since the beginning of 2000 and I would like to share my opinion about the chanches to find a work here.

I'm a financial manager and I work for a Swiss bank involved in the real estate business in South of Thailand.

I think that the only way to find a good job here is to be sent here by an overseas firm who employs you.

There are some exceptions:

1.To teach English.

2.To speak a very good Thai.

3.To have a lot of money and start your own business (in partnership with some thai people).

BUT:

For the options 1 and 2 the problem is that the money you can earn is not that much and when I say not that much I speak about from 30.000 baht-60.000 baht per month (and I am optimistic).

That the situation here and all the farang residents can confirm this.

Hope all this help

Swissman66

[Bembaman]

Sorry guys, I have to disagree with most of you. It is not impossible at all to get a non-teaching job. You need luck for sure but also the wit to work out how Bangkok works. Very few of the farangs you see around are working for multinationals on massive expat salaries.

Bangkok works on contacts, both for the farang and Thai economies. Nobody gives a shit whether you are any good at your job here. A director of Bangkok Bank actually told me this when I ended up playing golf with him 6 months ago-the tee 'gestapo' insisted we joined groups to make up a four. It is all about getting around the networking places. Golf is a big deal here for that by the way.

My story:

I came her with no job but a good CV and plenty of references and qualifications. I now earn almost B100,000 per month. That is FA compared to what I would earn in the UK but is enough to live well here. It took me 5 weeks.

Most of my friends, all of whom are much less qualified on paper or experience than me, earn a lot more than me. Why? They have been here a couple of years longer than me, that's all. They know more people and have moved up the income ladder every 12-18 months. I reckon I can do the same with a bit of luck.

My advice to the poster wanting to come here is this:

Allow 3 months, come here and network like hell. Go to the chamber of commerce evenings, anything you can, quiz nights everything. Do not be afraid to say you are looking for a job-many of the farangs you speak to (people like me) have been through it and most will go out of their way to help you. Ask for referals, who is likely to be able to help.

It is utter bollocks that you will not get a job if there are Thais who can do the same thing. None of the 3 farangs in my company do anything a Thai couldn't do. Apart from absolute specialist roles there are few work permits that meet the 'requirements'. Most of the people here I know on work permits are doing a job a Thai could do. The fact is that although Thais on paper have the 'skills' they do not have the proactive approach drummed into us in the west and that is why these farangs are employed here. Senior Thais know this as do farang employers. Purachai knows that the Thai education system is absolutely shite and produces obedient clones which is why his and all the rich Thais' kids all go to school abroad.

My advice, give yourself 3 months, find a cheap but comfortable bedsit and go for it. If it doesn't work then at least you tried. Do not even bother applying for jobs in the paper except teaching. I applied for 20 or so and did not get a single acknowledgement, let alone an interview. Has anyone had any different experiences with applying to advertised positions by the way? Box clever. Many of the farangs who come here looking for work do not understand how the city works and are barking up the wrong tree. Your work ethic, experience etc are not the vital factor-know people is the answer.

If nothing else, for 3 months you'll enjoy a career break bonking yourself silly without leaving too much of a gap on the CV.

Good luck. Give it a go.

[ February 08, 2002: Message edited by: Bembaman ]

[Guest]

I have to disagree with the comment Don't apply for jobs in the paper. I applied for one and got it. I actually lost the advert and had to contact the Bangkok Post to try and find out who had posted the ad. I chased like mad to get the details and then phoned the company. They had allready closed the application list, I asked if I could fax them my CV, they said sure. I heard nothing for a few weeks then received a call asking me to go for an interview. I heard nothing for a few weeks after the interview and then received a call offering me the job. I am on more money than I would earn at home with more responsibility. I was lucky maybe in that I was in the right place with the right credentials at the right time, it does happen. I have had a company try to headhunt me since, i think they were just trying to screw my company around, but I decided to stay where I am, with the company that gave me my chance. I am the only one in the country working for my company at some stage in the future it will expand here and I will get the opportunity to advance.

I have since met guys I knew from college, they got much better grades than i did and are jealous as fuck of the position I have.

Was I lucky, you bet I was but if I hadn't been here i couldn't have got the job.

[Guest]

I've been living and working as a teacher here for 2 years now waitnig for my wife to finish a contract at a school she won a scholarship from. We live nowhere near Bangkok or any other major metropolitan area. The only field for a farang in these parts is teacher. We will likeLY move back to the US within a year. The current family situation may make that impossible, however. I would not mind living here on a more permanent basis if I had a decent well-paying job with some sort of future.

I am 28, have a Masters in International Studies with a strong background in analytical writing. I'm not really a business person, though. Is there any hope of landing something in my field?

Could someone just throw out some of the bigger professions open to farang besides teaching?

I'm so Ban Nok now, I don't know what employers are looking for.

[Bembaman]

Rictic,

Absolutely right-if you're not here then it cannot happen for you. I was dismissive about newspaper applications due to my own experiences but deliberately invited comments as to other peoples' experiences as I suspected I might have just been a bit unlucky there.

[Guest]

Perhaps a comment might be useful:

I was head of two major multinational corps. in the 16 years I lived in Asia.

Nine of those years were in the Philippines and I was lucky to find a lot of former military people with significant skills and drive who stayed when the US bases left.

If I could find an expat with the skills I needed locally, I would hire them. One always does background/criminal checks in the host and home country, but the impact on my budget for acquiring expat skills and attitude was significant.

If I need a skill and get them from the home country (USA), I need to pay relocation expenses, housing, utilities, tax equalization, trips on home leave, R&R once a year, schooling if they have kids, and phone expense for periodic contact to friends and relatives at home. My loading factor for an expat was typically 300% of base salary for a single person and 350% for married with 2 kids.

My loaded expenses for a well paid expats I could hire is only approx. 40% of base salary (I furnish medical, dental & bonuses).

The local expats I hired were far more grateful for the chance and were better performers than the foreign expats.

I suggest that multinationals with hdqtrs in your home country might love to get you.

[Guest]

quote:

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Originally posted by Bembaman:

I might have just been a bit unlucky there.

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I think I was incredibly lucky. Don't give up on applying for jobs in the paper. I gained this job 2 months prior to the birth of my first child.Perfect timing, I allways say that my daughter is my good luck charm.

On the issue of expats being sent over, my boss in a discussion we had, has now said he will not employ expats from home again. He had one guy from France who was base manager for 2 year, he then decided he wanted to go back home to France, his family were not happy where they were, his replacement came from the states, he left to go back to the states after 1 year, there was an american in Kuala Lumpur who did the same, the last one was single, so not a family problem just he missed life in the states too much.

If you are away from home long term in a country that gives you an edge. you've proven you can live and come to terms with the host country.

Try multinationals as previously suggested, it is very much cheaper to locally employ someone rather than send them over with all the trimmings that have to be attached.

 

There was a science fiction movie on UBC not long back, it was a bit of a piss take on Star Trek, there was a phrase they kept using "Never Give up, Never Surrender" think of that whenever you feel dis-spirited.