Thinking about relocating overseas, looking for advice.

Dragonranger

Hey all i've been thinking a lot lately and was hoping for some advice. Brief background. I have an Associate degree, A+, net+ and Iam trying like crazy to get through the Sec + book so i can get Sec + certified by april.

I went to Thailand last year and loved it. I want to go back. So Im considering a move out of the county, maybe in mid 2017, for a few months. I've been thinking a lot and while I'm still relatively young I'd like to try traveling there for a short time. Maybe living in Bangkok.

I am afraid of this. Afraid of losing everything I struggled to attain here. I have a decent paying job thanks to my A+ and Net+, I have a newer car, roof over my head and awesome friends.

That being said I have the following questions. Would leaving for 2 or 3 months affect my job prospects very badly? Theres a list of jobs you cant do in Thailand as a foreigner but Im not sure computer work is on there. Where could I potentially look for remote work? If anyone has experience working remotely/online from Thailand I would love some advice.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you everyone for your time.

networker050184

Traveling abroad for a few months isn't going to hurt your career chances. No idea about working in Thailand though.

Mide

Yeah travel and take chances while you're young. The older you get the more settled you'll become and becomes much more challenging to pull off.

UncleB

Just do it if you can afford it - you will regret shelving the idea later on.

As for working there, unless you know the language to read/write fluently then you are going to be in for a tough time even getting a manual job in a kitchen without moving to a place full of tourists and that is not the best way to experience the country.

Take some time for practical planning such as:
1 - will I have a job to come back to? If not, make allowance to have cash enough to survive for a few months while you get a job
2 - what are you going to do with your car / apartment / possessions while away? Unless you live with your parents you are going to have to put stuff in storage for safekeeping or risk having friends look after them.
3 - can you afford decent insurance while you travel? Thailand has some very dangerous areas and of course plenty of nasty illnesses so you need insurance that can keep you at a sensible level of care if you fall ill, get shot or beaten up for not sleeping with a ladyboy etc

There will be load of other related considerations so you can see that a lot of effort should go into planning and covering your options to make sure you can relax and enjoy the trip knowing you have few things that can really spoil the trip.

Good luck and enjoy the experience when it arrives.
Iain

routergods

Ok as someone who has done this... here's some advice.

First, it's a completely different ballgame from visiting thailand and living there. The stuff that makes Thailand awesome for short-term can wear you down in the long term.

Customer service, language, lack of emergency medical (there's no such thing as a legit ambulance service), chaos, pollution, etc etc etc

You will need either a single or multi-entry visa, not a big deal since you're in San Diego, just go to the LA consulate. Depending on your stay, you may need to do the Chaeng Wattana or border run tap dance... it's sorta fun the first time, but you'll find it's an utterly stupid waste of time.

1. Won't affect your job prospects, in fact it might help. I was hired by a hosting provider when I came back to the USA, the owner say a sticker on the laptop from Thailand and liked it
2. Sell your stuff or throw it in storage/parents/friends/etc
3. Get to know Bumrumgrad hospital, it's a badass private hospital that can patch you up if you get hurt or sick.

Unless you want to teach english, the chances of finding work in country are pretty bad. You can do remote work, just don't tell anyone.

The digital nomads group is your friend for this type of stuff.

Finally, find a group of expats who have their **** together and get into their circle of friends. It's too easy to fall into a group of cynical, lazy bums who are running away from the USA. Having a good group of friends will save your sanity.... trust me, you'll need it at the 60 day mark.

whiteskies

First and foremost I was in Thailand for 3 months. Mainly because I just left a Contract in (Insert Hazardous Country Here) and had not done the required 330 days out of country.

Now the facts, unless something has changed within the past few years you'll have to leave the country every 30 days. Yes, that is right that Visa you get at the Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok) is only good for 30 days. Yes, you can stay in Thailand longer than 30 days, you'll just pay a fine when you leave. If you stay an extremely large amount of days, weeks, or months you'll possibly go to jail..But, since it's Thailand you can slide someone several thousand Baht and go on about your business. So, what I did was at my 30 day mark paid around 250 bucks and went to the Phillippines for a few days and came back. BAM another 30 day visa. At the next 30 day mark i spend about the same and went to Cambodia for a day (left early flies were attacking me (even in the hotel)like a pile of sh#$ in the driveway Malaria is HUGE in Cambodia so get some pills or risk dying).

Now to the iddy gritty. I am going to speak the truth. I have a passport with Thailand stamps (if you want to see it) if someone doesn't believe me or is from that country, so don't take offense.

Thailand is big on prostitution. I am not going to categorize and stereotype the women at all. If you go to Pattaya or to Walking Street ( 9 times out of 10 you go to Pattaya for Walking Street) probably 80% will go with you home for the right price. If you are African American they may go home with you for free (or a discounted price). Bangkok has traffic (everyday) like Washington DC at 4pm on a Friday. So, I wouldn't suggest living in Bangkok (even though I did visit a few days). I had an apartment outside of Pattaya for about 600 bucks a month (not including electric). That was a nice American approved apartment. If you're cheap and low on funds you can definitely get a (hole in the wall) apartment for half or less than half of that price.

I rented a motor bike I forgot how much it cost at the time but it was fairly cheap. The first month I was tired of waiting on taxis or getting into the back of a pickup truck with 10 other people jammed in it stopping every 15 minutes(forgot the name of it). The motor bike was the best decision I ever made!. You're "supposed" to get a license to drive in Thailand but nobody ever does. I mean nobody. I was once (the entire time I was in the country) stopped by Thai police at a traffic stop with about 20 other cops at various corners. I offered to pay him off if he let me go he paused looked around and said he couldn't. Long story short I paid like 2000 Baht (they took my bike) or whatever low price it was at the Police Station and got my happy as back on that bike (after retuning and showing them I paid the fine) unlicensed and never got stopped again.

A lot of expats live in Thailand. You'll see Americans and a great number of people from other countries especially UK. A lot of them are retired or/and rich and some of them own apartments and villas. People go to Thailand for the wrong reasons as well. To do things that are illegal in the US and be with the same gender.

Moral of the story. I am sure you'll get a job. I looked at it once. But, you're better off not going for work pleasure will be more enjoyable. I know how much the Thailand people get paid a month max. Do you really think they are going to pay a foreigner MORE than they pay the Thai people???Probably not. UNLESS you get with the government or a US Based company. I am going to the gym....enough wiring for today.

P.S. It's more places to live besides for Bangkok and Pattaya. But some places I assume you wouldn't want to live at. like the Country and the places with the sparkling clear water that you probably would look at the price for an apartment and realize quick it's more on the expensive side

P.S.S I added images of the Thailand and Cambodia passport stamps/Visa. Just because I don't believe everything people post on this website and I wanted to guarantee any doubters that my initial post was indeed factual based on my experiences.

routergods

You don't have to leave the country every 30 days. When you get close to the 30 or 60 day mark (depending on how you entered), you take a trip to the immigration office, sit for several hours (bring a book!), pay some money and they'll stamp you for another 30 days. You can do this once per cycle of visa-exempt or visa-entry.

So a 30 day can turn into 60 days or a 60 day can turn into a 90 day, then you exit and come back to reset everything. You can do this for as long as the immigration agent tolerates.

For thailand visa information, thaivisa is your best bet. It's not a big deal to stay three months, you just have to do some preparation.

Dragonranger

Thank you everyone for the responses. Im finding it to be very informative. I'm definitely going to need to look into the 30, 60, 90 days visa.

I would be traveling there with my fiance/ by that time wife. We are both ready for a change in life. We are thinking about saving as much as we can before trying this. We have spoken a little and we are considering going there for 30-60 days. It seems like it would be easier to save for a 30 day trip and handle bills in the States.

Bangkok is appealing as we can see a ton of things. I have family in Northern Thailand so it is an option to visit their area as well. Ive seen Pattaya Beach, to much shadyness there, honestly I'd prefer going to see Ko Tao it looks gorgeous.

Im nervous about the whole job thing because Im positive my current employer would not allow me to do this, so i'd essentially end up leaving my job and exiting the county for a month or more. The goal will definitely be to have enough money saved to handle at least 2 months worth of my bills here. Its gonna be hard to save so much but we are both willing to try and we are not planning to do this until mid to late 2017 so we still have some time. Between now and then though Im also gonna try to pick up Security + and if possible another cert as I am firm believer that getting my A+ and Net + opened the door to more interviews when I was previously job hunting.

Im still thinking about remote work options. I understand finding a job in thailand with a thai company would probably not be my best option as the wages are significantly lower than here. Some of my family there only make $18 USD a month. So remote work is kinda appealing but thats something I would really consider more if Im out there longer than a month.

Anyway seriously guys thanks for all the advice I love it and am really looking forward to that chapter of my life.

routergods

So how do you know that your company won't allow you to take 1-2 months off? Have you asked them?

If you have good relations with the company, you may want to take a leave of absence or "quit" and come back as a contractor. My previous company let me take 4-5 months a year as a contractor. They loved it because they didn't have to pay me benefits and many of the projects clustered around a certain time (towards the end of the year).

Dragonranger

Sorry for the delay in response. Im positive that my company will not give me a month or two away. There have been some instances of people needing less than a month off and those people being shown the door.
The more and more i look into it the more attractive doing remote work is looking. Ive been reading alot on digital nomad lifestyle and have read about a few places that offer remote jobs from anywhere. Im hopeful that next year will see big and awesome changes for me.