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benj005
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Posts posted by benj005
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I'm 45 years old. I've been in Thailand for a little over 3 months now. I have a Thai girlfriend that I'm currently seeing in Bangkok. I have a degree in special education. I taught in South Korea for two years and a few years in America.
I was supposed to leave a few weeks ago but my girlfriend talked me out of it. So here I am still in Thailand. I have a teaching position lined up for me with the typical 35k baht salary per month. I also have a classroom aide position for me back hone in NJ. It only pays $10 an hour and I'm limited to 29.5 hours a week. The schools do this so they don't have to pay health benefits. Although the NJ gig doesn't pay that much, it could possibly lead to a full time teaching job. If I were to stay in Thailand I'd be making 35k baht for the year without any room for real advancement.
I guess the thing that's holding me back is my girlfriend. I pay for the rent. It's only 6k baht a month so I don't mind. That's if I'm here working. Back in America she would still expect help with the rent. She would want $100-150 a month. The other issue is the thought of not seeing her for a long time. Getting her a visa so she could come to America is going to be difficult. She's not college educated. She doesn't have a lot of money in the bank. She does have a stable job. As for me I would be starting all over again. It's going to take time to show that I'm financially capable of taking care of her. It takes times.
I've read the horror stories of foreigners running out of money and going broke in Thailand. Or just growing old in Thailand as a teacher with no real assets, no medical and no retirement.
If you were in my shoes what would you do?
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Money talks.
We will see how long these mafia guys last when people stop going to Koh Tao, and tourist money stops.
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Mind blowing. It's only going to get much worse. I feel bad for the young people. They are the ones that will feel the weight of the inequality. Earning a living has gotten very difficult in America. I live in the North East and it's gotten so expensive over the last 20 years.Its nearly the same in USA
Just watch this video.
America and Thailand are more alike than we realize.
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4I'd like to know what % of those wealthy "Thai's" are actually "Thai-Chinese" . . . I'm guessing a fairly large proportion. But they're "Thai", so that doesn't count I guess.
And your point is?
The point being, that for a country that is so xenophobic against foreigners in general and proud that they have "never been colonized", the integration of the "Chinese" (for example) into the "Thai" population has gone so deep and is rarely remarked upon, that's all.
That same "integration" certainly doesn't seem to have happened with the mixing of Thai(s) and other nationalities so far, Caucasians for example . . . maybe it's still early days.
Same in Malaysia , the Chinese Malay has all the money the native Malay has nothing, like Thailand.
Chinese Malay don't have "all" the money, but they do have most.
Same, same with Chinese descendents in the Philippines. The vast proportion of wealth there is Chinese-based.
The Chinese emigrated throughout Asia with very similar results everywhere they settled.
Chinese are very business minded. They tend to work very hard, and they are smart people.
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Exactly. The Chinese own a great portion of Thai businesses. I believe the owner of Red Bull is part Chinese. My girlfriend works for a major sports company. They manufacture sports attire, etc.. The majority of her clients are Thai/Chinese. They have big bucks. I asked my gf about this and she put it bluntly. Regular Thai are farmers and poor. The Chinese Thai are educated and business minded. I know it's not good to stereotype, but there is some truth to what she said.I'd like to know what % of those wealthy "Thai's" are actually "Thai-Chinese" . . . I'm guessing a fairly large proportion. But they're "Thai", so that doesn't count I guess.
The situation here reminds me of the Jewish population back in America. Jewish people are smart and are businessmen. They practically own most of big business. They control most of Americas wealth. Starbucks, Facebook, Google, Levis, Hollywood, music, fashion, NBA, MLB, and the list goes on.
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I think what everyone is saying is there needs to be consequences. Without it your employees will not respect you.
Have you approached them and told them that being late is unacceptable? Put it in a letter, hand it to your delinquent employees and go over the rules with them. Give them a warning, and then start docking pay and even fire them if it persists.
If their attitude gets worse you may need to find new employees. Nothing worse than one or more employee(s) who bring negative energy into a workplace. The negative vibes can even infect your great employees. I've seen it happen.
I would suggest you read "The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People." In this book the author Steven Covey discusses effective leader management. The book is an all time classic and has been a best seller for years!
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If this was done in America I can guarantee you they would have been shot multiple times.
Too bad they aren't allowed to defend themselves in Australia.
yeah and the last mass shooting in australia was 18 years ago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Arthur_massacre_(Australia)
in the usa ithe last was 5 months ago
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/24/justice/california-shooting-deaths/
It will happen again in America very soon. Were used to it now.
I'd still rather have a gun by my side when someone tries to take my life or a family members life.
Wouldn't you rather be armed?
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If this was done in America I can guarantee you they would have been shot multiple times.
Too bad they aren't allowed to defend themselves in Australia.
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Why hasn't this troll post been deleted yet? It's obviously fake.
1. He didn't go to the hospital.
2. He has the time to go on Thaivisa, create a user name (only 2 post), and tell his story.
3. He hasn't replied back yet.
On a serious note: How dangerous is Bangkok? If I look online I get conflicting reports. A few people who chime in will tell you that it's safer than New York or LA. Other people will tell you that's it's a dangerous place to be at night, I do know of one incident where a foreigner was butchered to death on his moped at 1am on a Saturday. Also, a lady had her purse snatched and banged her head on the street and passed away. I think that was a few years ago.
It seems to me that NY is much worse. At least Bangkok doesn't have nut jobs who will shot you on subway like Colin Ferguson did in the early 1990s.
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I have always wondered how many of those English language teachers would be qualified to do so in the UK or in the USA : it requires more than to be an English speaker to be a trained teacher.
How many? None, unless they were certified to teach. Unlike Thailand, China and South Korea education in the west is highly regulated. It's also unionized. You just can't open up a school and fill it with non-certified people.
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I don't know what type of competition they do in Thailand. In South Korea they would mostly do speaking competitions. Our director (boss) had the habit of bringing in the students work and we had to write the essay for them. It wasn't even their work. The only concern was that he/she won the competition. There were times I was getting ready to complete my lesson plans, and she would pop in and expect a 2 page written completed by the next day! Then the Korean student would take it home to memorize.
They always won first place.
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Shouldn't feed the troll. A 24 year old Muslim man, who'd been to France for a week and four times in Thailand?
Then starting a thread about guys teaching here? C'mon. His-so clubs, where a lot of hi so girls were up for a one night stand with the OP?
And then the steak part. Sometimes only at Mac Donald's.
He's a muslim? If he is I doubt he was pulling top Thai girls out of clubs.
Don't they hate muslims? Now, if he was a young, tall european blonde with model looks than it would be a different story.
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Are you sure those so called "high end girls" weren't ladyboys?
Anyway, I get where you're coming from. It's very difficult to live here, save for retirement, and be a teacher. 30-40k a month might go far in Thailand. How do you expect to save anything decent? When I taught in South Korea I was banking $1,200 a month. I got the free apartment, last month bonus for completion of contract, and airfare (to SK and back home) all paid. In Thailand, you get none of those bennies. True, the people are much nicer and the weather is better. The cold got to me in South Korea, and the people are unkind. I've been cursed at quite a few times, and the guys will bump you for now reason. It was still an enjoyable experience and i met some good people. Money talks though.
In America if I was teaching I'd have full benefits with a pension/401k. As I get older having money put away is very important. It's impossible to do in Thailand.
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Thailand is a great place if you're a retired person. Most foreigners who work in Thailand are mainly teachers, and we all know that you can't invest or save on that salary. You could tutor to boost your monthly salary, but then you'd be working all the time. You are unlikely to have a pension, and health care will be nonexistent.
I can understand why more retires are moving to SE Asia. The quality of life is good, and you can't beat the cost. America has gotten too expensive. Taxes have gotten out of hand. I live in NJ (South Jersey). My brother has a home in the garden state, and he pays nearly $7k in property taxes. He's a mailman, so he has a decent job with full benefits. North Jersey is even worse. I know people who pay $10k and more in property taxes. Then again you get what you pay for. The public schools in North jersey are considered the best in America. Houses are beautiful. Lawns are freshly cut. Crime is very low. Roads are clean and safe.
Compare that to Thailand. The government schools are lacking, and god forbid if your child has a disability. Soi dogs run around the streets. Most are friendly, but this isn't always the case. As foreigners we are always signaled out because Thais think we're millionaires. Thailand has the most dangerous roads in the world. You can't even take a bus without fearing for your life. Also, you need to watch what you say. Thais have freedom of speech, but only on a few issues. They can't voice their opinions if it's directed at people in power.
If you're a retire you can have fun in Thailand. If you're young/middle aged I think you're going to have a more difficult time. Especially if you need to support a family.
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OP, you didn't get scammed. You gave your passport to people that prepare applications for a fee. They asked 1200 Bt and you paid it. You could have said no and applied by yourself, or you could have avoided that if you purchased a visa in advance. And you had no obligation to pay tips, yet you did. That's not being scammed, that's just being silly.
The main problem being, many of us (when new), can't tell a "scammer" from a "Thai border official".
The scammers tell you they are employed by immigration, they have official looking ID cards hanging round their necks, and if you ask the "Thai border official" sitting at the immigration desk, they back up the scammer as another official.
This is true. He had what looked like an official badge. Also, he was talking with the officials in immigration like they were co-workers.
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OP - your main mistakes, in no particular order were:
1. Letting your GF do the typical cruise mode thinking (which means NOT thinking). She should have been your saviour - take that as a hint. If she cares that less, or thinks that little.....I'd be worried. Hopefully she's not taking commission on your condo/hotel/market purchases.
2. You used public transport in Thailand. Public transport consists of Suicide Motorbike Taxis, Suicide Car Taxis, Kamikaze Vans, Kamikaze Busses, and Death Trains. You should have hired a car and driven yourself - your safety is then in your hands, and not the hands of a cretin that's high and drunk, can't drive to save himself, and actually DOES aspire to be an F1 driver.
3. If approached by anybody who offers to help you, pretend not to speak English and walk away. That way, you avoid getting scammed and have a chance to figure things out yourself. Also, you won't wake up in the morning with a headache and a phrophylactic hanging out of your rectum.
4. Do your research. This applies to everything in Thailand. Even something simple like going to the toilet has specific differences to western countries. That can apply to knowing how to use a bum gun without spraying your shirt, or how to politely get the plonker in the gogo bars from giving you a massage while standing at the urinal - which tends to affect your aim, thus you end up pissing on your shoes. Before doing anything official, research, research, research!!
We look forward to your future exploits of getting a drivers licence, buying 100 rai up north and building a lean-to that costs three million baht.
(p.s. all tongue in cheek, but take the core messages as gospel - Cheers
)No 2. Your safety is never in your own hands driving in Thailand, no matter how safe your driving is, the roads are full of idiots who have no common sense, and you never know what they are going to do next, all you can do is try and be prepared.
That can be said of any country... although I would agree that even when driving yourself in Thailand you are at a higher risk than in the UK or other countries of similar driving standard; the safety of which have been ensured through very similar laws and imposed through a stricter level of consequence for those in flagrant disregard of the Law.
At least when driving yourself in Thailand your safety for the most part is in your hands rather than handing over complete control to others and in many cases someone far less educated.
Thailand has the 3rd highest fatality rate in the world. Most are on motor bikes.
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Gotta think of it as an adventure.
and for 30 bucks you got a good gimps of how things are outside the US.
PS, don't get worked up over $30. Its not worth it.
i spend more on beer on a good night!
But I know what you mean. its the frustration that's hard to take.
True. It's more of the frustration than anything.
$30 is not that big of a deal.
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This actually applies anywhere in the world, and not hard to remember. If anybody approaches you, tell them to buzz off.
Yep. You really have to be assertive. Sometimes even a jerk.
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Is that it OP? After all that I was expecting you'd end your tale with fighting off hordes of zombies a la World War Z as the van driver ( who bore more than a striking resemblance to Pumpkinhead) did a juggling act with a few phials of anthrax before screaming " Made it ma! Top of the world!" and steering into the nearest klong.
I had a chubby Thai kid bite my finger.
Maybe he was part of the undead.
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Has anyone gone at with corrupt Thai police at immigration?
What were my choices? I didn't want to give in to their demands. Could I have just walked away? Would they have declined my visa? Would they have thrown in the joint?
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I must have over spent by $50 usd......
My mistake.
With all the bull that took place I overspent by about $30.
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Thanks for the information, for your first trip you should of went with a visa run company.
Well I took my Thai girlfriend with me. I thought she could help me avoid any issues that I might come across.
She just told me "I think too much." lol.
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Glad I used a normal visa run service rather than going it alone.
And yes Thai bus/van drivers can not drive, they tend to floor it and hope for the best. The garlands keep them safe. But if they do die they come back for another life, we as farrang, just die.
How much was the visa run service?
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First, a big thanks to Paz, Maestro, and Ubonjoe. You guys were very helpful. Thanks for your time and assistance. It's appreciated.
My Story.
I'm in Thailand on a double entry visa. I was here for 3 months already, and I needed to do a visa run into the Cambodian border. This run would start my 2nd entry. Actually, I was supposed to fly home to America last week but my girlfriend pleaded with me to stay longer. I am not a habitual visa runner. This was my first attempt.
We left at 4am. Do all Thais drive nutty? We took a double decker bus to Cambodia. The bus driver was weaving in and out of traffic. He was crossing over the double line to pass other cars. I wanted to drag the driver out and yell at him. When we stopped at a 7-11 for refreshments I glanced at the drivers window. He had placed a large piece of electrical tape on a very large crack. The bus driver looked very unsavory. The tires were deflated. The inside of the bus was nasty. There were no seatbelts! I thought I was going to die. I told my girlfriend and she told me that I worry too much.
We made it to the Cambodian border. I must have looked easy because once we got off the bus we were greated by a guy holding a badge. He told me that he was going to take care of my visa issues. He knew exactly why we were there. I thought great. He didn't tell me the price yet. I should have taken it as a red flag. He was smooth, spoke excellent English, and was a very nice guy. More red flags. Anyway, I gave him my visa when we got to this white building. It looked legit. I looked again and it was a tourist building! I was like sh*t! He told me that price was 1,200 bht. I told him "wait a minute! It should only cost about bht 700 for the Cambodian pass." I knew right away I was paying too much, but he had my visa. I just sucked it up and went along. He was doing all the paper work, so I just told myself that. Anyway, it got completed and he took me to immigration and told me that he was going to wait for me on the other side. I was thinking why. < text removed at OP's request>
He wanted a nice tip because he had helped me! Augghhhh!!! I gave him bht 200, and told him I don't like to get ripped off! I quickly left and made my way to immigration. I was in line and I noticed 3 men and a woman immigration officer. I kept repeating to myself please don't give me the woman. Pleeeeaaaassee!!! Well I got the lady officer. I knew it was going to be trouble. She asked me why I was staying so long in Thailand. Why I needed another 2 months. Questions were: What have I seen in Thailand. Tell me one Thai food I had. Am I really a tourist. Blah, blah, blah... This went on for 5 minutes. She finally relented and gave me the 2 month visa extension. I got out of immigration, and I was attempting to locate my girlfriend. The guy who I dealt with earlier was no where to be found, but his buddy was there. He wanted a tip because he told me that he helped me. I told him to get lost. He got pissed and left. I found my girlfriend and we had lunch.
I wanted to take a van back to Bangkok. I didn't want to take the bus. At least the white van had seat belts. Wrong move! The driver must have thought he was Mario Andretti. He was zooming in and out of traffic. We were passing cars at such a fast clip. Not a good ride. On top of that we stopped for gas and we waited almost an hour because the line was so long. Also, this little 4 year old brat in the front decided that he was hungry and chomped on my finger. Ha. A perfect ending to a crappy day.
I just wanted to post this so other people know what to expect when they need to do a visa run on the Cambodian border. Do your homework before you go. Bring someone with you who knows the ropes. Trust no one. Also, get nasty if you need to. These people prey on nice people. Sadly, being nice is a weakness. I must have over spent by $50 usd.
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Should I stay or leave Thailand?
in General Topics
Posted · Edited by benj005
So much easier if I was younger. If I was 25 I'd stay in a heartbeat. I guess being 45 the thought of not having anything when i get older worries me a bit.
Thanks.