Job Discussion Forums

[gt8595b]

Hey everyone.
Long time lurker, first time poster.
Thanks in advance to those who read this long and rambling post, and my apologies if it feels like this should be stuck under Japan instead of Thailand.

Oh, and before I get inot the thick of it, is anyone else going to be at ECC for the November 8 session?

OK, here's my plan:

I've signed up for the CELTA November 8th to December 3rd session at ECC in Bangkok, Thailand.

I've also ordered a couple of lonely planets books (uh oh, he looks like a backpacker; I hate him all ready) on Thailand, Japan, and South East Asia.

My goal is to teach in Japan but just for a couple of years. I've graduated college and currently have a good job in my career, but I want to do something big before I buy a house, new car, etc. Yes, I know it will be hard. I know the streets are NOT lined with gold. I know I will be unwanted by many people. I know I will go though minor (more or less) depression and culture shock. But I'm doing it for the experience of living and working in a country outside my home (the USA). Perhaps I'm being a bit over dramatic. Anyway....

The course ends at the beginning of December, which is the worst time to go to Japan and find a job. You probably want to tell me to wait and not go untill after the new year, but I thought about that. I've been looking at this and saying I want to do if for a year now, and I'm just now getting courage to do it. I can always find some reason to keep putting this off: their's several projects heating up at work, its a bad season for job hunting, I just met this beautiful girl at a bar last night, etc. My point is that I can find any reason not to go, and what will end up happening is me just talking myself out of going.

So to make a long story short (TOO LATE!!)
I want to hang around Thailland for two to three weeks before flying over to japan.

My question is: Do ya'll have any recomendations for cheap and beautiful areas of Thailand to vist/ stay at. I would like to spend less then 1500 USD over the three week period, Is that possible? Any help would be appreciated.

P.S.
I don't plan to go to Japan cold. I'm going to begin sending out Resumes and Cover Letters to potential employers in Japan to warn them that I'll be on the ground at the end of December.
Oh yeah, I would like to stay in towns that have internet cafe's so that I can keep in touch with my email. Is that only possible in Bangkok?

P.P.S.
Is anyone else going to the November 8 session?
Thanks for reading this far. And, uh, ... "cheers"

-mike

[sigmoid]

[gt8595b]

sigmoid,
thanks for the reply.
It looks like a good location. Do you think its possible just to show up and get a room for a few days, or should I try to reserve rooms?

mike

[sigmoid]

No problem mike.

In my opinion most every destination in Thailand has more than enough rooms available. But the time you'll be there [Nov. - Jan] is high season, so I could be wrong.

[AsiaTraveller]

For very good discounted hotel rates, see:

http://www.asiahotels.com/hl/Hua_Hin_Cha-Am-Thailand.asp

The lowest-rate hotel in Hua Hin is about US$23 per night. There are lots of hotels in the less-than-US$50 range.

You'll see that you can link to any other place in Thailand (and to any other Asian country) on this discount hotel site.

[mak30fl]

As far as Hua-Hin is concerned, When I went over there in Sep. 2001 I stayed at the Ta-Kiab beach hotel. The hotel is about 6KM outside of the town itself, which made it alot more peaceful, but still close enough to get to towm with no problem. It was about 1 or 2 blocks away from a very quiet beach. During the week, I was the ONLY person at the hotel. The weekend brought a few Thai families in.
After 2 days there, I worked out a rate with the hotel owners son who ran the place, a very nice guy--about 17 USD per night-including breakfast, not sure what there rates are now, but I expect that there not much higher. I rented a scooter in town for about 3.50 a day and went to a few of the national parks in the area.
If your looking to stay away from the hustle and bustle on BKK or Pataya, I would highly reccomend going there. I went for 3 days and ended up staying 2 weeks. I believe their website is www.ta-kiabbeachhotel.com but not exactly sure. Have fun!!

[gt8595b]

Thanks for all the replies.
mak30fl,
That was close to the correct adress, just take out the dash.

asiantraveller,
Thanks for that link; I'll be looking at it closesly.

Sigmoid, et. al.,
I don't know anymore. I'll still go to the CELTA class, but I'm sweating the decesion to do nothing for a month. The more I think about it the more it sounds like an a$$h$le of an idea. Not that I think 'doing nothing for a month' is bad; it's just I shouldn't do something where I'm only losing money. At the very least I should be making money enough to offset my cost of living. All my external epenses (loan, credit, etc.) will just have to be a loss to me, but that's how it would have been anyway plus my daily living expenses.
OK, I have a new question (I'm just full of them you know). I just did a search on "6 month" and only found one entry refering to how long 'till that person would go to Thailand. My question is: Do schools offer 6 month contracts? I hear Thailand is a trap, so I just want something to pay for my food and housing 'till the job market picks up in J. Or is it a trap that once you sign on the dotted line you're stuck there, forever making endless visa runs.
So to recap:
Do schools in Thailand offer 6 month contracts?
Should 'contract' and 'schools in Thailand' even be spoken in the same sentence?
I'm not even going to broach the subject of visas and wp's due to no one knowing what's going on right now.

Thanks again to eveyone who responded.
mike

[AsiaTraveller]

I think you're going to have fun -- and an adventure!

Good luck, and do keep us all posted.

[gt8595b]

[AsiaTraveller]

Far from being "screwed," you're about to have an experience that you'll remember for the rest of your life.

We can never know everything that might happen to us when embarking on a new job, career, or travel adventure. But you've made a head start by doing some careful planning and thinking.

Trust me: You'll be fine!

[mak30fl]

I went with $1700 and a Frommer's travel guide for a 3 week vacation/ mild adventure. I had never been to SE Asia, nor did I speak the language or know much about the culture.
There was a time my second night in BKK when I was walking back from the 'strip'at 3 AM. Not being able to remember the exact name or location of my hotel. I couldn't find a taxi or Tuk-Tuk that knew where I was going either. There were a few groups of fairly undesireable looking people just hanging on the occasional corner. I was on some really dimly lit streets and there wasn't a cop to be found. The fear of getting jumped or mugged crossed my mind on more than one occasion. I found that the Thais' are very peaceful people, and nothing bad happened, and I did make it back eventually.
Then there was the airport when I was leaving and 'accidentally' got to the airport bar 7 hours before my flight left......but that's something out of Funniest Home Videos.
Just go with the flow, and make the best of it. It's a decent sized country. If you don't like where you are at, throw a dart at the map and go to another location. I truly beleive that there is a place in Thailand for everyone, you'll find yours. If you have a negative experience, just remember where you're at, and why you are there. I warn you, Thailand will last forever in your heart and keep calling you back once you leave.
"fear is the first natural enemy that man has to face"..Carlos Casteneda..

[sigmoid]

Just relax. Do your course, catch the train down to Hua Hin and sit on the beach for awhile. You won't spend much money and you'll have a good experience. As this guy above mentions, if for some reason you're not digging there you can go somewhere else. You might prefer a small village on the Mekong River instead.

As for working for 6 months in Thailand, you could probably do it without a contract. You're right: most contracts are for one year. But I don't know if it would be worth the trouble.

[gt8595b]

You guys are right. I need to not think about it too much in one sitting; it leads to 'analysis paralysis'. Thanks for the encouragment.
-mike

[Sheep-Goats]

1500 for three weeks? You'll live like a king unless you're a fool. When I first came to Thailand about a year ago I was leaving behind the worst US economy since the great depression and, as such, had about 800 dollars and no return ticket in my pocket when I touched down at Don Muang. It lasted me for two months, and I drew two month's rental deposit out of that.

The best way to spend your money depends on what you're looking for. Everywhere is beautiful (and crowded) in December in Thailand -- once you arrive pick up a copy of FARANG magazine (which has little summaries of each major location in Thailand and is cheaper and more up to date than LP, http://www.farangonline.com/ ).

If you're middle aged and want to escape from hookers, noise, and corrupt police, and spend a (relative) bundle doing it, Hua Hin is perfect. If you're in your mid twenties and want to get wasted, live cheap, and hound girls, Ko Pangan is probably the best option. If you want something less mainstream, Ko Chang is a good bet. If you want what not everyone else gets out of Thailand, head North and then East until you hit Laos, then head back.

If I had three weeks and 1500 bucks I'd probably spend one week on/in Krabi and two on Ko Pangan. Krabi's natural beauty is hard to beat, Ko Pangan is perfectly quiet during the day and there's plenty to do at night (and Pangan is proabably the most for your money of any Thai island).

Also consider that it may be cheaper to vacation for a few weeks in Thailand than to head to Japan when there are no jobs.

[gt8595b]

Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely check out that magazine. I checked out the website, and all I can say is that I better watch myself; Thailand looks like a slippery slope. I think I've convinced a friend to spend my first week of freedom with me. Are there any big traps (not tourist but phisically dangerous), scams, or obvious signs to watch out for when travelling through the region. I know one should use their common sense but I've know myself to come up short in that area from time to time. As an example of what I mean: don't use the tuk tuk (duk duk ?) taxis because those guys will really try to scam you.