Peter is a great content writer as well as a founder of a famous webiste- he lives in the country long enough to know this “Land of smile” pretty well – offering very useful information for those who are planning to move or travel to Thailand.
Here, we gather good from his observcation for several years and his point of view. advices about jobs and opportunities in Thailand for foreigners/expats
Potential Jobs for Foreigners in Thailand
In the last few years, the amount of 20-30s something relocating to Thailand has increased considerably, and the stereotype of only retirees settling in the LOS is fading amidst a new generation of guys and gals who’d rather live on this side of the world – where at least for now the grass looks greener…
I have met a hell of a lot of people in the last 7 years: from the birth lottery blessed, who don’t need to work, through to those selling suits on eBay, teachers, lecturers, Internet Marketers, restaurant owners, condo flippers, NGO workers and more!
The fact is: if you really want to work in Thailand, you can!
1. Teach in Thailand
Let’s start with the obvious. There’s pretty much always teaching opportunities in Thailand. You won’t make a fortune, but you will make enough to get by to begin with.
Jobs at state level provide a salary of around 30-35k per month, while in the private sector jobs pay between 45-80k per month, depending on experience.
Bear in mind that you can always earn extra money on the side teaching privately, and by getting weekend spots at language schools. Language schools are also worth contacting regarding work. Staff turnover is fairly fast, so leaving your CV for future reference is a good idea.
Language schools tend to provide an environment more conducive to teaching, too. Speak to most teachers teaching in state-run schools and they’ll tell you it isn’t easy to make progress with the kids given the limited resources and ability to influence school curriculum and decision making.
Remember though that first you’ll need a TEFL certificate.
2. Real Estate Jobs
Due to the booming condo market in Thailand, there’s an increasing number of openings in the real estate market. Companies like CBRE and Absolute employ many foreigners to take care of developments and sell timeshares.
Jobs can range from riding about on a motorbike in Samui or Phuket trying to recruit would be purchasers, right up to business development and operational management positions.
3. Work as a Diving Instructor
If you’re PADI qualified, you might consider becoming a diving instructor at one of the popular diving spots like Koh Tao, Phi-Phi Island or Krabi.
Instructors earn around 30- 40k per month. You can also take lessons and train to become an instructor on location.
4. Become a Freelance Writer
If you’re handy with words, there’s money to made as a freelance writer penning articles and various other documents for businesses like Essayplus.com.
There’s always writing opportunities on sites like Upwork.com and if you’re prepared to earn your reputation, it could bag you a lot more than being a teacher in Thailand. Work will probably average out at $10 per hour, netting you a salary of approximately $1,600 per month.
If you’re travelling around and need cash, then why not share your experiences and get paid. Of course, you need to be adept at penning magazine-worthy articles, and you’ll need to submit work on spec to get your name out there.
If you’re good enough, and get in with a couple of travel websites, in-flight magazines and Thai newspaper supplements, you could very well make a career for yourself.
5. Sell a Gig On Fiver.com
You’ll be very surprised at just how much some Fiver sellers earn. Popular gigs bag over $100 a day, easily.
Sure, you have to pay $1 of the fee to Fiver, but if your gig takes just 30 minutes or less to complete, and has upsell packages that can earn up to $100 or more on one job, you can make good money in a short time.
This is also work you can do from at any time, from anywhere.
6. Working for a Multinational Company
People often forget that there are heaps of multinationals operating out of Thailand, so if you’ve got solid managerial experience, do well do put a CV together and speculate. You can even do research on home turf before you make your final move.
Jump on LinkedIn to find companies with offices in Thailand and contact them about possible openings. Perhaps the company you work for presently has a branch here and you can negotiate a transfer.
7. Get a Job at an Embassy or with The UN
Occasionally job openings come up with foreign embassies and the United Nations. These openings have very specific requirements, and the application process can be laborious.
You will need to check the websites regularly to keep abreast of openings. The downside of these job openings is that by law they have to be advertised externally, but are usually awarded to internal applicants as part of career progression.
8. Become an International Development Worker
If you’ve got social/aid development qualifications then there may be openings with NGOs, GOs and other aid projects. These positions are usually term-funded, meaning they run for a term of say 1-2 years until the position is renewed, or not, as the case may be.
9. Do Movie/Extra Work
At the lower end, a movie extra can make about the same as an expat teacher (state school), and at the higher end of cameo appearances and modelling, earnings can soar past 100k a month.
The downsides are that work can be inconsistent. You will need to go to lots of castings that will often lead to nothing, and on set there can be lots of waiting around.
Extra work starts at approximately 1,500 Baht per day. Cameo appearances range from 5-20k, and modelling work can fetch anything from 5-150k per job.
10. Manage a Bar, Restaurant or Hotel
Quite often you’ll see a foreigner running a bar or restaurant in Thailand, particularly on islands like Samui and Phuket, and in downtown Bangkok. These jobs are usually handed to relocating friends/ family of the owner, but if you’ve got good experience then it’s worth going in and making face-to-face contact.
Similarly, if you’ve got career experience in hotel management, you’d do well to contact the higher-end hotels in Bangkok. The larger hotel chains do often fill high-level management positions with foreign nationals.
11. Become a Thailand-Based Entrepreneur
Thailand is booming, and as a result there’s plenty of room for entrepreneurship. From exporting goods to marketing consultancy, if you’ve got the credentials and the drive in a particular niche, there’s no reason why you can’t start your own business instead of working for someone else.
The great thing about starting a business in Thailand is that you’re able to keep living costs low while you set up, relieving financial strain and giving you time to find your feet.
I personally have attended Meet-Up Groupsz for Internet Marketing here. These meets are a great way to connect with like-minded individuals with whom you can mutually open doors. You’ll also make friends with the same interests.
12. Check Out the TTL Jobs Board
Jobs do come up regularly in Thailand in a variety of positions; you’ve just got to be quick to react and get your resume in. And you don’t need to look very far either! There’s a job board right here on TTL, with new jobs in Thailand added every day.
A Final Word on Working in Thailand
As you can see, there really is an abundance of opportunity in Thailand, and the common perception that “the only work is teaching” simply isn’t true – at least not anymore.
In fact, unless you’re really passionate about teaching and contributing to better the Thai education system, I would look elsewhere for something you’re really interested in. Otherwise life will just become the same as the life you wanted to escape back home; a boring, uninspiring 9-to-5.
If you’re serious about making a life in Thailand, it’s entirely possible to do so and earn decent money. There are thousands of expats living and working in Thailand. Information on what they do is scarce though, because most are too busy to be writing about it online; but I bet a few quid they fall into one of the categories listed above.
I hope this information helps you in your search for work in Thailand and, if you’re already working here, it would be great if you leave a comment detailing your job and how you got into it so that we can make this page a jobs in Thailand resource for new expats.
Remember though: it’s illegal to work in Thailand without a permit, so be sure you apply for one before hand!
Source: www.thethailandlife.com
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