Job Discussion Forums

[Chris7891]

Not sure if this topic has already been posted, so I apologize in advance if it already has.
I was wondering what I should bring from home to come to Laos and/or Thailand? This includes items for teaching and personal.

Thank you

Chris

[friendoken]

Not much really. You can get everything you could buy in the West right here in Vientiane, and you can sure as heck find anything in Thailand.

Pretzels are a little hard to find! And occasionally I seriously like a big chew of bubble gum but I've never seen it here in Laos...only regular gum, lots of that around - even Juicy Fruit

[roamingteacher]

I'd strongly recommend that you take a work wardrobe with you. I left all my stuff in the UK for BKK thinking that I'd get clothes suitable for the climate there - how wrong could I be? You can get Western sizes in the big malls but they are expensive and tend to be high-end/designer labels. Also, everywhere is air-conditioned so your reasonably warm clothes are a bonus inside offices. The key is definitely to layer. You can have stuff made, but then it's a hassle and if you've already got stuff, why pay for more? If you're a woman, that goes double...no triple as even Western-style malls carry small sizes.

Other than that, BKK (at least) offers pretty much everything you get at home - even Marmite!

Enjoy

[MaiPenRai]

I would have to disagree with roamingteacher about the work clothes. Obviously if you already have some dress trousers and dress shirts, bring them along, but definitely dont go out and buy a bunch of stuff. Keep in mind that teachers in Thailand are usually expected to wear business casual type clothes to work.

Getting tailor made shirts and trousers in Thailand is extremely easy and quite inexpensive (less than buying new stuff off the rack in most western countries). About $20-30/shirt and $30-40/pair of trousers. Usually you can get a discount if you buy a few items at once. Also price depends on fabric type and obviously amount. If you are 6'6" and weigh 300 pounds, its gonna cost more to get a shirt made than a 5'9" 160 pound guy. Never been a hassle for me to get stuff made. Done in 1-3 days most places.

While many places have air-con, there are also many places that do not have air-con, so while you may want to bring 2-3 light jumpers/sweaters/jackets, dont bother with much more than that.

You can also get lots of western size clothes that are not that expensive, relative to western prices. Try looking at outlet shops (in most malls) or in tourist areas/malls. Take a trip to Pattaya where you can get XXXXXL anything. lol. Plenty of shops these days have "western size" clothes for decent prices and definitely cheaper than most western shops. If you are taller than 6 feet and/or are overweight, you will have some problems finding stuff, but its there.

Shoes on the other hand can be a pain. Im a size 11 and can find some nice dress shoes for about $40-50 at a few different places. If you are size 12 or more, you will have a hard time finding shoes anywhere and for any price here. Anything over size 45-euro sizes (about size 11/12 US) is hard to find. If you find a shop that makes their own shoes (many market places do), they can sometimes make custom fitted shoes for you, but most places I have asked usually had a 2-6 week wait and charged more for this.

Almost anything else can be found in BKK, but it may take a little searching for some items.

Dont know about Laos.

[MaiPenRai]

I would have to disagree with roamingteacher about the work clothes. Obviously if you already have some dress trousers and dress shirts, bring them along, but definitely dont go out and buy a bunch of stuff. Keep in mind that teachers in Thailand are usually expected to wear business casual type clothes to work.

Getting tailor made shirts and trousers in Thailand is extremely easy and quite inexpensive (less than buying new stuff off the rack in most western countries). About $20-30/shirt and $30-40/pair of trousers. Usually you can get a discount if you buy a few items at once. Also price depends on fabric type and obviously amount. If you are 6'6" and weigh 300 pounds, its gonna cost more to get a shirt made than a 5'9" 160 pound guy. Never been a hassle for me to get stuff made. Done in 1-3 days most places.

While many places have air-con, there are also many places that do not have air-con, so while you may want to bring 2-3 light jumpers/sweaters/jackets, dont bother with much more than that.

You can also get lots of western size clothes that are not that expensive, relative to western prices. Try looking at outlet shops (in most malls) or in tourist areas/malls. Take a trip to Pattaya where you can get XXXXXL anything. lol. Plenty of shops these days have "western size" clothes for decent prices and definitely cheaper than most western shops. If you are taller than 6 feet and/or are overweight, you will have some problems finding stuff, but its there.

Shoes on the other hand can be a pain. Im a size 11 and can find some nice dress shoes for about $40-50 at a few different places. If you are size 12 or more, you will have a hard time finding shoes anywhere and for any price here. Anything over size 45-euro sizes (about size 11/12 US) is hard to find. If you find a shop that makes their own shoes (many market places do), they can sometimes make custom fitted shoes for you, but most places I have asked usually had a 2-6 week wait and charged more for this.

Almost anything else can be found in BKK, but it may take a little searching for some items.

Dont know about Laos.

[roamingteacher]

I'm sticking to what I said earlier but granted, it may be easier for men (judging by poster's shoe size) than women. All my female colleagues complained about the lack of available clothes, not just me...

[El Chupacabra]