I am a twenty year old that is planning to visit Thailand for 3 months from December 2009. My visit is to experience the culture and country and to decide whether I will move to Thailand permanently at a later date. I would like advice on whether my proposals are feasible, I realise December is a while away but I need to ensure I can obtain some kind of work before I can start planning.

Currently I have two jobs in England, and have also recently applied to do voluntary work as a School Governor.

My main job is 35 hours a week working in Financial Management for a local authority. I have completed all the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) exams and am waiting for my final project to be marked in order to gain the full qualification. I am currently studying Chartered Association of Public Sector Accountancy (CIPFA) which is best known as a public sector version of ACCA. I have four years experience in this field and currently earn £30,000 per annum.

My other job is a consultancy role for a local authority in the field of Children's Social Care. My role involves consulting young people in the care of the authority in order to determine whether the local authority is abiding by relevant legislation. I meet the councillors of the authority every two months in order report my findings, and to represent young people in order to make changes to improve their standard of living. I work around 4 hours a week in this role and am paid an hourly rate of £14. I started this role in November 2008, it was a new role that resulted from the Care Matters Legislation in the UK.

Other qualifications I have consist of 9 A-C GCSE's, including an A in Mathematics, B and C in English and a B in IT. I have also acquired PRINCE 2 Foundation (Project Management).

The job would need to last only three months, I will return to Thailand if the experience turns out to be a good one. I would like to either teach English or work in the Accountancy field, I would not want to work for more than twenty hours a week.

At this stage I'm really unsure about what qualifications I need to teach english or work in accountancy, in Thailand. I also have no idea about the sort of wages I should expect or whether I can find work for less than 20 hours a week.

Please help!

You'll have to read write and speak Thai.

Forget it if a Thai can do it you can't. You're not allowed to.

You need to ask yourself the question, which employer is going to go through the hassle of organising a work permit for you so you can work a maximum of 20 hours a week for a maximum of three months?

There is an abundance of information online about (1) the work permit process (2) visa options (3) teaching in Thailand (incl. salaries, qualifications, current vacancies). You need to spend a few hours now going through that material (starting with what's here in Thaivisa) and then re-assess how realistic your plans are.

Lucy, nobody blames you for dreaming. we all had dreams when we were your age. unfortunately the chance that your dream will come true is equivalent to the survival chance of a snowball in hel_l.

Mind you, Thailand being predominantly Buddhist the snowball could end up in a cold Naraka, Buddhist version of hel_l.

Arbuda – the "blister" Naraka. This is a dark, frozen plain surrounded by icy mountains and continually swept by blizzards. Inhabitants of this world arise fully grown and abide life-long naked and alone, while the cold raises blisters upon their bodies. The length of life in this
Naraka is said to be the time it would take to empty a barrel of sesame seed if one only took out a single seed every hundred years.

Nirarbuda – the "burst blister" Naraka. This Naraka is even colder than the one above, and here the blisters burst open, leaving the beings' bodies covered with frozen blood and pus.

Aṭaṭa – the Naraka of shivering. Here the beings shiver in the cold, making an aṭ-aṭ-aṭ sound with their mouths.

Hahava – the Naraka of lamentation. Here the beings lament in the cold, going ha, ho in pain.

Huhuva – the Naraka of chattering teeth. Here the beings shiver as their teeth chatter, making the sound hu, hu.

Utpala – the "blue lotus" Naraka. Here the intense cold makes the skin turn blue like the color of an utpala waterlily.

Padma – the "lotus" Naraka. In this Naraka the blizzard cracks open the frozen skin leaving one raw and bloody.

Mahāpadma – the "great lotus" Naraka. Here the whole body cracks into pieces and the internal organs are exposed to the cold and they also crack.

in which it would survive a very long time....

But anyway back to Lucy, apart from the obvious question why would you want to drop a well paid job with a future and inflation proofed government pension for a low paid part time teacher's job in Thailand, why not save up say three thousand quid and travel around for three months?

If you want to have a "teaching experience" then just about any school in Thailand will be very happy for you to go in and talk to the kids in English for a couple of hours a week. Unpaid, of course...

I think you've got very little chance of getting paid work due to age, language, qualifications, work permit issues.

English teachers should have a degree.

Google volunteering in Thailand.

Good luck


RAZZ

EDIT- save up the money. £30k for a 20 year old on a 35 hour week ain't bad!

This post has been edited by RAZZELL: 2009-07-05 20:08:18

Thanks everyone,

Just to note I will not being giving my job up, I'm applying for a career break - so I won't be getting paid while I'm travelling - that's why I need to work - plus I want some more epxerience working with young people.

I've managed to get some offers thankfully - to anyone that thinks it is impossible - it is not. Research every forum and group and you will find it.

That can be true, but real life turns out different than forums

With work permit?


RAZZ

Yeah I doubt they are giving you a work permit. they might say that and than when you are here they will not get it especially if its for 3 months! I too have been offered work permits and than the excuses start ("We need to get a licence for this before we can get you a permit". 5 months later nothing...." Oh we are working on it " 3 month later nothing) I know. Im 22 and I work as a chef here in bangkok but I work 6 days a week on a full time job, at a management position. It is very doubt ful that you will be getting a work permit with no qualifications what so ever. It is a minimum to be at management position or english teacher (For more than 3 month)
WHen I first got here it took me ages to find a job. Really you need to know someone that knows someone especially because you are so young and THai companies will bring in there cousins or friends or people that the staff know already. Here age = experience. If they want to get someone farang and go through the work permit trouble they would rather get an older more qualified person (I hate this). This is why its very difficult here. After I had my first job with good reviews from my employers than it has been easier as they see I have already had experienced working here.
I might be an exception but I ve been here 13 years now and TIT (THIS IS THAILAND). good luck with your search especially now. I ve been looking for a new employment for 2 months now. JObs are scarce and thai people are cheaper

I always thought it was "a cat in hells chance"?

I would be very very careful I know a few people been "offered" work here and when they arrive the job vanished or was nothing like they said it would be, or work permits never arrived.

I wish you the best, but as many have pointed out it will be difficult to find an accounting position for 3 months 20 hrs a week. Even more difficult will be one that will give sponsor a work permit for the same...

If you are looking for an English teaching job then you may be able to find something, although the chances will be significantly less if they know ahead of time that you will only be here for less than 3 months.

Also, it may take you close to three months to get a work permit (if they get you one at all). So it is very likely that you may end up working illegally even if you do find something.

That's a big problem!

I really wish to you all the best.

The "Hope" is free of charge.