Job Discussion Forums

[maximmm]

Hmm... there seem to be quite a few topics of this kind, huh?
Perhaps there should be a special forum for country comparisons:)
Anyway, after reading so many positive things about Thailand, I figured that I'd go to Thailand. However, it doesn't seem that I'll be able to get a good job in Thailand over internet.
When it comes to job criteries.... Money is not a major concern. I need to find a job in a lively city, and to have a job which doesn't require me to spend 8 hours at the work place (office hours). 5 hours per day would be fine though.
I find that such jobs are readily available in China and accomodation as well as travel expenses are covered by the employer. In Thailand though, not only is it difficult to find a good job over internet, but the extras (accomodation/travel expenses) are not covered by the employer.
I'm currently teaching in South Korea and my contract will end in the beginning of March. (By the way, there seem to be lots of school advertisements for the 4th of March in China.)
Anyway, in the beginning of March I'm planning to leave Korea for another country. While I want to go to Thailand, I wonder how easy it will be to find a job? I have a BA and TESL Canada certificate. I have 1 year and a half of teaching experience in South Korea. The problem is.... I also have 3 big luggage bags:) If I were to find a job prior to landing in Thailand, I'm certain that someone would meet me there, but otherwise it would be very difficult to get around the city/country.
I do not speak Thai and I'm a foreigner.... so I'll be ripped off at every step in Thailand? If I stay in a hotel, it may cost me well over a thousand dollars for a month? In other words.... it doesn't seem very promising.
How did you guys manage your way around Thailand? How did you cope with luggage bags? And again... the big question is, given the complications of finding a job, high hotel costs and difficulties with navigating around Thailand due to excessive luggage, do you suppose it may be better to go to China?
Perhaps the work hours in China are better?
Perhaps the people are just as friendly as in Thailand? If China and Thailand have only slight differences, would it not be more logical to go to China given that it's by far easier to find jobs over internet.

Well... I don't think that there's any particular order to the questions posted above... still, if you can answer some of them, i'd appreciate it:)

[Veganette]

If I end up going, I will have to put all my things in storage, make arrangements for them to be sent later, fly over, find a job, and then send for my things. I have too much stuff to even consider using bags.

Anyway, perhaps Thailand has storage lockers in airports or bus terminals where you could lock away the majority or the heavier bit of your stuff? That could be something worth looking into. And as for the hotel part, I'm sure that you could find cheaper accomadation once there. I don't imagine the little cheap places are finanacially able to advertise on the internet, which is why you don't know about them. I'm in Korea, too. When I travel within Korea, I don't mess with hotels--I wait till I get where I'm going and then scope the place for yogwans.

[maximmm]

Aye, bags are the main obstacle when it comes to exploring the city and trying to find a cheap place to live in. Also, bags are an obstacle because if i do find a cheap place.... there's a good chance that it would not be a place where bags would be... safe.

[Veganette]

Do you have anyone in Korea with whom you could leave the bags? Except, not in bags, but in boxes ready to be mailed? that's the only thing I can think of right now.

[wix]

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Speaking of budget accommodation in Bangkok; here are

a few options reposted from The Master Index Thailand.

Many of them have been personally recommended

by individual forum members here at Dave's:


http://www.bigjohnsworld.com/ (Big John's)

http://www.pinnaclehotels.com/ (Pinnacle Hotels)

http://www.newworldlodge.com/ (New World Lodge)

http://www.khaosanroad.com/ (Khao San Road Hotels)

http://www.hostelsweb.com/cities/bangkok.html (Hostels)

http://www.sawasdee-hotels.com/ (Sawasdee Hotels)

http://www.kritthaimansion.com/ (Krit Thai Mansion)

http://www.nasavegashotel.com/ (Nasa Vegas)

http://www.woraburi.com/ (Woraburi Hotels)

http://www.dynastyinn.com/ (Dynasty Inn)

http://www.suk11.com/ (Suk 11 Hostel)

http://www.aoneinn.com/ (A One Inn)


In terms of China vs. Thailand -


I think the present demand for teachers is still stronger in China -

and people can't just 'hang out in China as tourists' the way they do here in Thailand.

Consequently, the overall job packages in China tend to be a little better,

and often include those additional perks you mentioned.

I've been tempted to try China myself.


On the downside, you have less personal freedom in China,

and a government that monitors its foreigners closely.

They also block access to certain websites,

which really bugs me.


It also gets cold in winter.


In the end, don't let your 3 big bags be the deciding factor.

There are plenty of cheap places to crash in Bangkok

& all of them have safe & proper storage facilities.

Don't forget; this is Backpacker's Paradise!


re: the Thai job market


Getting around Bangkok is much easier now with the BTS Skytrain and the

brand new MRT underground subway http://www.bts.co.th/en/index.asp

& there are plenty of jobs for people with a BA, TEFL cert

and some hands-on experience teaching!

[wix]

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hello wix


I'll agree that things have loosened up a good bit in China

for people not considered to be a threat by the government.


re: internet censorship


I was aware that certain Thai ISPs attempt to block

websites that contain porn, but I was not aware

that the Thai government was involved.


Can you be more specific?

[wix]

Kent, maybe it is the ISPs that are responsible for the blocking. I am not sure, but in any case the government would be involved indirectly. There have been media sites that are critical of the government blocked or shut down. Again I don't know of the exact details. The government might just shut them down with threats of legal action or other kinds of intimidation rather than actually blocking the site.

[Sgt Killjoy]

Back in 2001, the then new Prime Minister Thaksin came to power in Thailand. One of the first actions of the new year for the Communications Authority of Thailand(CAT) was enforce their monopoly on international communications. This meant that not only were voice calls subject to their monopoly but also data transmissions.

All of a sudden, all ISP's were REQUIRED to purchase their internet access from the CAT at a markup. Since all internet access now passed through CAT, internet filtering began. Whenever the Thai Police felt that a website was counter to morals or laws of the Kingdom, they would give the website address to the CAT and the CAT would not allow for connections to be made to it and instead display a police notice.

This kind of filtering was imposssible before 2001 because each individual ISP had to be contacted and they had to block the sites, but with only one ISP to deal with, CAT, it is very easy.

That is important to note, there is only 1 International ISP in Thailand, CAT, all others merely resell and repackage CAT access.

[T_Lanc]

I worked in Thailand, Bangkok & Bang Saen, for 5 years and I have been working here in China for 2 years. I was content in Thailand for 4 � years; I felt restless and in need of a change during my final 6 months. I am content here in China.

For me, the most important factor when considering living & working in China is location. China is a very large, very diverse country. Life can be heaven or hell depending on your chosen location.

Generally speaking, I think it is much better to live in most, but not all, provincial capitals (in China). The novelty of experiencing the �real China� was overtaken by boredom and frustration after 4 months into my first (6 month term) posting; no English language TV, internet access only via the school�s network (very slow, monitored and frequent down-times), 10:00 pm curfew (the time at which the gates to the school�s compound were locked) and deprivation of day-to-day groceries and the like (mouthwash, dental floss, cheese, butter, margarine, beef, to name a few).

Here in Guangzhou I am teaching at a university. I teach 20 X 45 minute periods per week; Monday to Friday mornings and Tuesday afternoons. I am not required to be on-campus except to teach my classes. I earn (the equivalent of) 35,000 baht per month. I receive 40,000 per year airfare allowance and 2 months paid holidays. The school provides full medical insurance.

I have a nice off-campus apartment paid for by my employer. I smoke a lot, drink a little and live a comfortable lifestyle for 12,500 baht per month. I have a cable TV service for 200 baht per month and an unlimited use, 100.0 Mbps ADSL line for 650 baht per month.

I�ve had two work permits (called Foreigner Residence Permits) but I�ve never seen the inside of a police station or �work permit� office; my employers have taken care of everything. The �work permit� situation is a province-to-province thing. If you change provinces you must get a new work permit.

Apart from the blocking of many websites, which I circumvent using proxy servers and a neat little trick manipulating urls, I cannot honestly identify any aspect of my daily life that reminds me I am living in a communist country. I travel locally, and inter-provincially, without any restrictions (or even a slight hint of restriction). I�ve been in and out of China 5 times (holidays to my home country and Thailand) and never once had my luggage checked by Chinese customs.

Banks and post offices are a nightmare; you really need a Chinese person to accompany you. But after you have set up a bank account with an ATM card there is almost no need to actually go inside a bank; except, of course, for changing RMB to foreign currency.

Here in Guangzhou there are many Lotus, Carrefour and similar stores.

I have �befriended� X number of Chinese women, i.e. an accountant, a teacher and a dentist; professional women with whom I had no avenue of contact in Thailand. Money has NEVER been an issue with my female �friends�, but cultural incompatibility (borne out of limited willingness to comprise by both me and them) has prevented relationships from progressing.

[sigmoid]

Well-said T_Lanc!! All the smart folks are headed to China thesedays which as you point out holds numerous advantages over Thailand. Many teachers are leaving Thailand to teach in China or just avoiding going there altogether.

[wix]

Another good point to add is that if you are in China and devote time to learning Mandarin this is a skill that you will find useful, not just in China, but anywhere in the world. The same cannot be said of the Thai language.

[maximmm]

Well, guys, thanks for your responses. I've decided to come to Thailand after all. I'll either book a cheap hotel, or an apartment for a month or two.
Given that I've never been to Thailand before, I'm not sure what to expect. I'll say this much though, if I find it not to my liking, I'll go to China.
Still, I do appreciate your responses, they will make my first couple of weeks or months much easier, and they did help me in making the final decision.

I do have several more questions though...
I'm currently in South Korea. My employer is willing to pay for my ticket to Thailand, but... only one way. Will Thai immigration give me permission to enter the country with only one way ticket?
Another question is, will a cell phone bought in South Korea work in Thailand? It's motorola, works with STK.