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Job Offer Working In Bangkok.....Go for it?


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Hey guys,

 

I have been going to Bkk for years and always have a good time. I have been doing biz there also for years and have a pretty good idea of what Thailand is like. My company asked me to live in Bkk for a period of 18 months. The pay would be greatly increased, they would provide good condo, car, driver, etc.

 

My question is does anyone have any experience working on a contract overseas? What is a typical "bonus" or premium for working overseas from USA? What are the tax laws regarding income while working outside of the usa if no foreign taxes are paid? What part of Bkk is best to live if on generous housing allowance?

 

Thanks for any info.

 

0Cool

 

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Not sure how your company is going to be able to get you a work permit and not either pay the Thai Tax for you or have you pay. USA has a foreign income exclusion of $78K (I think). Also, if you pay the foreign tax you get dollar for dollar tax credit. There is also a housing allowance exlcusion. I don't pay a lot of attention to this part. Have someone else worry about it for me.

 

My company gives 25% uplift from US pay to work in Thailand. You get 80K-110K baht per month housing, including utilities. You get a trip home once a year.

 

My preference for living in Bangkok is the Sathorn area. There are several really nice service apt (my preference) and condos in that area. Others prefer Soi 11 area. You will have no problem getting very nice housing. I pay 70K for 135 sq m. 2-bedroom service apt.

TH

 

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All--

 

For me when considering a move to another country (Thailand or not), there are a lot of things to look at.. Pay and perks is one thing.. This is a very numerical thing. Either it works for you or it doesn't. It's very unlikely you'll take a pay "hit" to go overseas, but is the comp pacakge worth the trade-offs for you? Other issues are more personal.

 

Examples, being away from close friends and family. You may not think this is a big deal at first, but after you've missed a few birthdays and holidays you'll come to miss them. Another issues to think about is your ability to adapt to your new environment.. can you read/speak/write the local language. Your world will become really small in a very short amount of time if you can't read/write/speak the language. You can't really watch local tv (unless it's one of the few english channels) you only read the english newspspers and it's hard for you to engage in meaningful conversation, unless in your language. If you have a family (spouse/kids) then these whole issues are multiplied out.

 

Then there are your personal career issues to think about. Is this what you really want to do? Will this help your career? In some cases (like mine) failure to fulfill an overseas assignment will literally kill your upward career movement.

 

Don't get me wrong, an overseas assignment can be very rewarding, both finicially, professionally and personally. It's just that you need to really think about all the issues involved not just the obvious ones. I spent months thinking it out and decided to "go for it"... I don't have a single day of regret.

 

--UPSer

 

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[color:"red"] Maybe he's been "probing" a bit too much at PP, NEP, and Cowboy, and needs a rest every so often? I know the feeling! [/color]

 

You misunderstood, I have lived in the West for over 30 years. Neither of us had ever seen the Bangkok night life. There are people whose pleasure does not depend on night life. Many more things to do in Thailand.

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