Bangkok for ex-pats
Bangkok, not surprisingly, is the city where the overwhelming majority of ex-pats in Thailand are based. The many job opportunities available, the buzzing energy about the city, and the underlying Thai culture and its people are just a few of the reasons why so many ex-pats are in Bangkok. Of course, there are also many who have come for the cheaper cost of living (although Bangkok is now rated as one of the most expensive cities in Asia), the change in culture and of course the uninhibited naughtier side of evening entertainment.
As you walk around Bangkok, look out for the many ex-pats going about their business in the city: usually looking harried and dressed in immaculate suits and ties, seemingly oblivious to the heat, noise and pollution that surrounds them. It may be a tourist city but it also has by far the largest population of ex-pats, and perhaps the greatest concentration if you stick to areas like Sukhumvit.
Living here
Bangkok is a huge place and can be a little disorientating when you first arrive, even daunting, but luckily you do have an advantage as a foreigner because it’s relatively cheap and despite the foreign language and culture, easy to get yourself sorted out with accommodation and facilities.
Plenty of foreigners have arrived before you and many Thais in Bangkok are familiar with your typical needs; there are loads of professional companies that can meet your expectations and requests for finding an acceptable place to stay, set up a business and so on. Many are even foreign-managed, and the Thais you will deal with are very competent and fluent in English, which may not be the case in the smaller regional towns.
As an ex-pat in Bangkok it does help to be patient and keep your expectations in check, as levels of service are lower here than you would be familiar with back home. Everything takes longer and sometimes isn’t completed satisfactorily. Getting irate is the wrong thing to do in Thailand, you simply have to learn to check the quality or be specific in your requirements. At the end of a frustrating day however, you will be able to relax in one of the many ex-pat bars in Bangkok and enjoy a cheap cold beer from a lovely friendly waitress, eat out every evening on your favourites when spicy food becomes too much and retire for a massage, sometimes even private services in your comfortable apartment!
Ex-pats are concentrated in the Sukhumvit area, but Bangkok is an international city with plenty of businesses across town that have at least one foreign consultant in the building. The Thai are such agreeable people to be with generally that many ex-pats have integrated themselves well into the local environment and you might find it quite interesting to live entirely among a wholly Thai community. If not, then there are complete ex-pat environments for you, but it isn’t quite as separate as you might find in Singapore.
There are many more aspects to living in Bangkok – we have provided a whole living here section which has all the tips and advice you need for expatriating to Bangkok.
Work for expats in Bangkok
Most ex-pats in Bangkok are teachers, usually English teachers. It is the one job for which you can simply turn up in Bangkok and be almost guaranteed of getting, as long as you have the right attitude and qualifications. Those who are passionate and conscientious teachers can make a good and rewarding career out of it; conversely, there are many farrangs (westerners) who are simply looking for any way to hang around in Thailand and will never get off the bottom rung of the teaching ladder. These will generally be the scruffier looking ex-pats you’ll see!
But teaching is not the only profession that a Westerner can undertake in Bangkok – there are many other jobs available; although the key to finding these jobs is by networking, and there are a few organisations and clubs geared towards helping ex-pats do just that. Believe us, unless you really find teaching a rewarding and enjoyable career, you will eventually move out of this and into a corporate job as many others do. Once you’ve been here a while, learnt the language and culture, you’ll find it more realistic to join the professional ranks with a multi-national that needs people with Western business skills.
The European Young Professionals society organises regular networking evenings, although you don’t necessarily have to be European, young or indeed professional to attend these events! The parties are a great way to meet other ex-pats from a social as well as a business perspective. Usually they are held in a posh restaurant or hotel, are free to enter and have vast quantities of free food and drinks. You must book your place in advance though via the web site.
Networking for Success arranges informal networking breakfasts every Thursday at 07:30 in the Siam Novotel which, alongside the casual networking, regularly have guest speakers.
Many countries’ Chamber of Commerce can also point you in the right direction to make business contacts – in particular, the American Chamber (AmCham) and the Australian Chamber (AustCham) host particularly good networking events, and you usually don’t need to be a member or nationality of the chamber to attend, although having membership will often grant you a reduced entry fee.
Of course, probably the best way to get involved in the ex-pat scene is by hanging out in the many ex-pat bars and pubs around the city, particularly The Bulls Head on Sukkumvit Soi 33/1 or The Barbican on Thaniya Road, Silom (near Sala Daeng BTS). Any given night in these places is kind of like an informal networking evening, with many ex-pats willing to talk business as well as pleasure over a pint or two of Guinness.
The best place to hunt for jobs is in the Bangkok Post and although the majority of these positions are for Thai nationals (since there are all sorts of strict conditions for hiring a foreigner), teaching positions and others that aren’t suited to Thai people are advertised too.
Networking is perhaps the best bet for getting in with a company that might favour hiring a foreigner for their better intiative skills or ability to communicate with international clients, but rarely are such openings advertised. There are some agencies, even foreign run, that will accept your CV but generally they have far more foreign candidates than jobs.
Of course the internet is also a good place to look and forums such as www.ajarn.com and www.Thaivisa.com are popular and useful.
