Job Discussion Forums

[JFK]

Hi-
I am enrolled in a TESOL certification program for August in Beijing. Afterwards, I plan on finding a job in Thailand asap. I have two major questions that I have been researching exhaustively and would love some feedback on from people that are in the situation I will soon be in:

1. Are there companies that offer health care that will work internationally? Is health care usually offered by institutions that you have worked for, or do you pay for it yourself?

2. I am wondering the best way to handle my money while I am overseas. I have never been out of the United States for a longer length of time than a couple weeks vacation, and usually just charge everything and pay the credit card bill when I return home. If you had savings from your native country, did you set up a bank account in the country you worked in and convert your savings to the new currency?

If these question sound stupid, I apologize, but I'm really just looking for some feedback on how others have dealt with the issues above. I really love this site and find it a great resource. Thank you very much for your time.

-Jared

[Pauleddy]

If you work for a state school or uni on a full time basis, u will get some kind of social welfare but it isn't what u would like.

If you are in a part-time job in a lousy language school u get nothing.

Most private or international schools will have a private scheme like BUPA.

I buy a separate health cover from Thaihealth which covers me for most sh== and costs about 800-1000 dollars a year. If u want the agent details then pm me.

There are some top hospitals here but u will pay or need insurance. Luckily, basic stuff at a regular paying hospital is not expensive. To see a doctor in a clinic for 10 minutes costs around 20 dollars, but u will pay for any extras like pills or Xrays, per item.

For cash, there are regular banks with many many ATMs here, even in the boonies. I'm a brit and I draw from my home bank..except the fees are quite high.

The dollar is very poor now so you need to consider what to do and work out the costs of yr actions.

Visa and Amex etc are normally accepted here.

Thailand is very developed in some ways.

try www.ajarn.com to speak with old timers.

PEddy

[Extraordinary Rendition]

I've lived and worked all over the world and have always had a local bank account to avoid high atm fees, hassle of paying credit card bills and high credit card fees on exchange of currency when using the card in a foreign country, and hassle of keeping my balance straight with my bank being halfway around the world and atm's not giving balances on foreign accounts, but with online banking, I guess it could be done... at a (relatively high) cost. I often keep a local account and a foreign currency account, if I don't trust the local currency. But now I don't trust the dollar; in hindsight, I would have been far ahead getting rid of all my dollars years ago by just keeping my local currency bank account wherever I happened to be. I found Thai banks (five years) to be reliable, able to handle international transactions of all kinds, and the atm system using local bank cards to be extremely cheap and convenient. In fact, I keep a Thai bank account open for use on return visits.

As the PP said, depends on where you work. I had BUPA Blue Cross through one employer and it covered everything, including an operation at Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital (best in Pattaya). Another employer (in Bangkok this time) offered only the Thai government plan, which meant I was restricted to certain hospitals except for true emergencies, much like an HMO in the U.S. Why not wait to see what your employer offers? If you're worried about illness in the interim, there is traveler's health insurance from a variety of sources. Personally, I've always run the risk between jobs because of the high cost of private insurance.

[JFK]

"Why not wait to see what your employer offers?"

-I think that is a very good idea. I will probably get some sort of traveler's insurance while I am in China up until I find a job. Thank you both so much for your replies; they have both given me a very good idea as to what direction I am going on these matters. If anyone else has any ideas on these subjects, I would love to hear them. Thanks again and take care.

-Jared