Thinking of moving to Isaan

[KhunBENQ]

16 hours ago, pr9spk said:

2. I was physically forced by a lady to turn off my mobile phone because it was raining and she said I would die. I turned it off just because I didn't want to argue.

Some myths must be buried deep in the Isan genes.

Part of the school curriculum?

 

Same to me. Fortunately only if lightning is around.

Earns me very angry looks if I don't obey.

[transam]

10 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Some myths must be buried deep in the Isan genes.

Part of the school curriculum?

 

Same to me. Fortunately only if lightning is around.

Earns me very angry looks if I don't obey.

They keep turning my ride A/C off.........

[SteveK]

We inherited a couple of very young puppies a couple of days ago and some members of the family seem to think it's completely acceptable to whack them around the head or boot them up in the air.

[rasg]

Many Thais don't see dogs and treat dogs as pets in the way we do in the UK. I would be having words...

[mogandave]

A first class masters degree in science and you can't maintain an inventory of beer without buying it illegally? 

 

(Just kidding)

[wildewillie89]

14 hours ago, pr9spk said:

We inherited a couple of very young puppies a couple of days ago and some members of the family seem to think it's completely acceptable to whack them around the head or boot them up in the air.

The odd Thai will stand up to them. A work friend of the Mrs got into a fight with an employee the other day who kicked the dog extremely hard. Ended up coming down to if it happens again the police will be called. But, yes, sadly it is a minority. 

 

I can almost understand not wanting close contact with the dogs due to higher chances of disease being transmitted. But then you wonder why have a dog in the first place. As if you kick them away they are ineffective guard dogs, which is why many Thai want them.

 

Very important to train the people who interact with the dogs to treat them kindly, so they don't fear bite when they grow up. I even banned a few people from visiting. I had one relative kick my pup growing up when I wasn't there and be overly confident in his approaches. Now the dog is as big as him, more confident that him and will not allow him on our land. His loss. 

[JLCrab]

7 hours ago, wildewillie89 said:

<snip>

I can almost understand not wanting close contact with the dogs due to higher chances of disease being transmitted. But then you wonder why have a dog in the first place. As if you kick them away they are ineffective guard dogs, which is why many Thai want them.

<snip2>

The best trained dogs in Isaan  -- until I yell at them to GIT! -- are those guarding the door of the 7-11's.

[bert bloggs]

On 8/12/2017 at 3:39 PM, Toscano said:

I would NOT recommend you to move to Isaan , Ubon Ratchathani is a very out of the way place .  As has been said job prospects are very limited , a work permit is not always easy to get .  For a foreigner life in Isaan can be extremely boring , investing in a girlfriend's shop is likely to be a loss maker and the shops have something and nothing in them .  I have been married 11 years to a beautiful university educated woman , head teacher of an infant school , she had her own home and two adult children away from home , we do now do most of the caring for two granddaughters .  I don't recommend marriage , Thai culture is very different , even if your girl friend kisses and cuddles , it isn't the custom and she may stop in time .  Thai women are only interested in us foreign guys for money and financial security we bring .  I don't think Thai know how to love as we do and they are or become platonic .  If you must marry do not have an Amphur wedding or have a visa in respect of marriage , the paper work is horrendous .  Better to have a village wedding that has no legal strings attached , if things don't work out you can pack your bags and leave , don't buy or build a house .  The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence , but wherever you choose to live everything is pretty much the same .  Keeping you present home should be an absolute must , I think you should stay where you are , be thankful for the job you hate or get another one .  Thai girls and women can be very pretty and alluring , but that is as far as it goes .

 

Just read this post out of curiosity ,as we were thinking of moving to Roiet in a year or two , i dont wish to be rude ,but after 20 years of marriage and courting before that , what you say about Thai women is a load of B---cks .

[Kadilo]

3 minutes ago, bert bloggs said:

 

Just read this post out of curiosity ,as we were thinking of moving to Roiet in a year or two , i dont wish to be rude ,but after 20 years of marriage and courting before that , what you say about Thai women is a load of B---cks .

It's the classic reply you read time and time again from ex pats on here normally when they got their fingers burned. They should pin it and put it on the front page save everyone keep having to rewrite it. 

If ive read it correct he's been married 11 years but telling the OP not to get married so do what I say not what I do kind of thing. 

As an aside I just came back from Roi Et for a visit and enjoyed it there greatly. Is certainly on my short list of places to live when I make the move. 

Of course the boredom thing comes in depending of what you want in life. It's no Pattaya for sure then most people would go to Issan because of that. 

[transam]

 

[steven100]

I'd say move

[JLCrab]

I say the same of living in Isaan as I used to say of living in rural Florida:

 

If you didn't bring it, it ain't there.

[Michael Hare]

7 hours ago, Kadilo said:

It's the classic reply you read time and time again from ex pats on here normally when they got their fingers burned. They should pin it and put it on the front page save everyone keep having to rewrite it. 

If ive read it correct he's been married 11 years but telling the OP not to get married so do what I say not what I do kind of thing. 

As an aside I just came back from Roi Et for a visit and enjoyed it there greatly. Is certainly on my short list of places to live when I make the move. 

Of course the boredom thing comes in depending of what you want in life. It's no Pattaya for sure then most people would go to Issan because of that. 

 

I live in Ubon but frequently travel to Roi-et province with work. I love the province. Currently my work is in the northern part of Roi-et province towards Kalasin. Beautiful trees and rich red soil. Years ago I worked in the southern part around Suvarnaphum province. Very dry but the trees and landscape made up for that.

 

I don't know too much about Roi-et city. If I stay overnight I stay at the Rice hotel. Good Wifi ,clean, safe and has a small breakfast. We usually eat the Enjoy restaurant in the evenings which I rate as one of the better restaurants in Isaan. Serve good South African wines.

 

I feel for Roi-et province at the moment because of the months of continual flooding from the July cyclone. I saw the over-flooded Chi River three weeks ago and there were thousands and thousands of rai still under water. But this government would not say too much about that. 

 

I will be back up there this coming Friday and will check out the flood situation again.

 

I think any where in Isaan is great. Go where your heart wants to go. 

[Kadilo]

4 minutes ago, Michael Hare said:

 

I live in Ubon but frequently travel to Roi-et province with work. I love the province. Currently my work is in the northern part of Roi-et province towards Kalasin. Beautiful trees and rich red soil. Years ago I worked in the southern part around Suvarnaphum province. Very dry but the trees and landscape made up for that.

 

I don't know too much about Roi-et city. If I stay overnight I stay at the Rice hotel. Good Wifi ,clean, safe and has a small breakfast. We usually eat the Enjoy restaurant in the evenings which I rate as one of the better restaurants in Isaan. Serve good South African wines.

 

I feel for Roi-et province at the moment because of the months of continual flooding from the July cyclone. I saw the over-flooded Chi River three weeks ago and there were thousands and thousands of rai still under water. But this government would not say too much about that. 

 

I will be back up there this coming Friday and will check out the flood situation again.

 

I think any where in Isaan is great. Go where your heart wants to go. 

Lovely post, cheers. I stayed at Kalasin too just got back and now in Udon. I enjoyed it there also. I saw all the flooded fields on the way from Roi et. 

I tried to get into the Rice Hotel as it was my preferred choice but it was fully booked. I ended up in the Hop Inn. Very basic but new and only 550 baht. Excellent value for the price. 

I shall be returning in the near future so am grateful for your advice. 

[tonray]

On 9/29/2017 at 2:12 PM, JLCrab said:

The best trained dogs in Isaan  -- until I yell at them to GIT! -- are those guarding the door of the 7-11's.

 

You see there are Soi Dogs and then there are '7' A/C Dogs. At the Big-C across from Rama II Central one of my favorite A/C dogs resides taking in the air...Big-C's ambassador...55

[JLCrab]

I won't step over a dog to get into a store. But I guess my 'favorites' would be the ones that now go elsewhere quickly when they see me coming.

[SteveK]

Update:

 

I am still here in Isaan.

 

I am enjoying it a lot and in some respects wish I had left it all behind, I do not want to go back to the UK.

 

I have turned down 2 jobs in the 30-35k baht range because of the working hours and location but have a good interview lined up for next week, for a much more convenient posting.

 

Yes, I am sure all the people who cut me down would love to see me get burned by my employer and end up "living under a bridge", but to be honest my life here is massively more enjoyable than being in the UK. Life is too short to be unhappy and I am very happy here, although I can fully understand why some people might be bored. For me, a day spent walking and then fishing in the sun is as good as life gets. And when I get home it gets even better. Tasty food and fantastic company.

 

People are warm, friendly and VERY trustworthy.

 

I may end up dead in a paddy field somewhere or even worse. But shit happens in the UK too, and at least I will have died happy instead of depressed in a wet grey shithole town in the UK.

 

I still haven't commited but if I spend much more time in the UK I will be very disappointed.

[Michael Hare]

On 10/27/2017 at 7:46 PM, pr9spk said:

Update:

 

I am still here in Isaan.

 

I am enjoying it a lot and in some respects wish I had left it all behind, I do not want to go back to the UK.

 

I have turned down 2 jobs in the 30-35k baht range because of the working hours and location but have a good interview lined up for next week, for a much more convenient posting.

 

Yes, I am sure all the people who cut me down would love to see me get burned by my employer and end up "living under a bridge", but to be honest my life here is massively more enjoyable than being in the UK. Life is too short to be unhappy and I am very happy here, although I can fully understand why some people might be bored. For me, a day spent walking and then fishing in the sun is as good as life gets. And when I get home it gets even better. Tasty food and fantastic company.

 

People are warm, friendly and VERY trustworthy.

 

I may end up dead in a paddy field somewhere or even worse. But shit happens in the UK too, and at least I will have died happy instead of depressed in a wet grey shithole town in the UK.

 

I still haven't commited but if I spend much more time in the UK I will be very disappointed.

I heard yesterday, that some UK guy with a First class Masters degree took up a job (which I wrote about about a few weeks ago on this thread) in the International Department at Ubon Ratchathani University. Salary in the 30,000 - 35,000 baht range. This guy only lasted two days and walked off the job. Left a very bad taste with the university. They think he must have been a fraud. 

[mogandave]

Interesting


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[DILLIGAD]

I heard yesterday, that some UK guy with a First class Masters degree took up a job (which I wrote about about a few weeks ago on this thread) in the International Department at Ubon Ratchathani University. Salary in the 30,000 - 35,000 baht range. This guy only lasted two days and walked off the job. Left a very bad taste with the university. They think he must have been a fraud. 

Leavers like this are a regular occurrence in LOS. The reasons could be many things.

Teaching/Lecturing doesn’t suit everyone.

 

 

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[sinbin]

15 minutes ago, DILLIGAD said:

Leavers like this are a regular occurrence in LOS. The reasons could be many things.

Teaching/Lecturing doesn’t suit everyone.

Absolutely. Unless the guy actually comes on here and tells us why he packed the job up we shouldn't jump to conclusions. He had his reason and it should be left there.

[mogandave]

Leavers like this are a regular occurrence in LOS. The reasons could be many things.
Teaching/Lecturing doesn’t suit everyone.
 
 
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Yes, but one would think it suits Teachers & Lecturers...

[transam]

7 minutes ago, mogandave said:

 

Yes, but one would think it suits Teachers & Lecturers...
 

I have sat in on a few classes, been to Learn English camps, the one thing that was clear to me was that the farang must speak Thai..

[DILLIGAD]

I have sat in on a few classes, been to Learn English camps, the one thing that was clear to me was that the farang must speak Thai..

Then they would never conquer their fear of speaking ‘Engrish!’


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[mogandave]

Would any English speaker hire a Thai language teacher that did not speak English?


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[BobbyL]

Interesting thread this one. Although not the most relevant to myself as I have no intention of living in Issan.

 

Some of the negative Nigel's on here are incredible. Life is short and people seem to just love slagging this place off. Yeah, bad things can happen, but I do think if you're reasonably switched on and not a divy you can easily spot what the risks are in Thailand, especially the females. 

 

The comment about nobody under 50 should be moving here is a classic TV one too. I came to Bangkok at 22 straight after university. Stayed for four and a half years after only planning on a year or two max. Me and the then girlfriend (now wife) moved to England for two years before returning here in August. 

 

There really is no comparison between living here and the UK. I don't think I could live at home again. It is such a sterile and dull place. 

 

It will be interesting to see how the OP continues to get on. 

[SteveK]

And I'm still here, having the best time of my life.

[bwpage3]

On 8/12/2017 at 5:08 AM, pr9spk said:

Hi guys, thanks for your replies. My other, probably more sensible option is to keep everything ticking over in the UK and visit for 3-4 weeks then make a decision. I did love the place but can see how it may become boring. But then the UK is boring too.

Visiting Thailand as a tourist IS exciting as all hell. However, the sheen wears off that excitement when you are forced to live in Thailand and work for peanuts as a school teacher. Plus, as others have said, you find yourself getting old some day with kids, no retirement and nothing at all for them or yourself. You have to get over the exciting part of being a tourist and visit the pro's and con's of working in Thailand as a teacher with that small income. 

[LM405]

I have been living in Ubon Ratchathani along with my wife and our 1 year old daughter for about 9 months now. I must admit, even though I really love Ubon, it has it's disadvantages.  Food variety and work can be difficult to find and not to mention, attractions. As some have said, Ubon is quite distant from everything else which I strongly agree. Now I find myself working in Buriram in the week, only going home on the weekends. 

[SteveK]

On 09/02/2018 at 9:30 AM, bwpage3 said:

Visiting Thailand as a tourist IS exciting as all hell. However, the sheen wears off that excitement when you are forced to live in Thailand and work for peanuts as a school teacher. Plus, as others have said, you find yourself getting old some day with kids, no retirement and nothing at all for them or yourself. You have to get over the exciting part of being a tourist and visit the pro's and con's of working in Thailand as a teacher with that small income. 

Thanks for your helpful advice. I have been here about 7-8 months continually and much prefer it to my life back in the UK. I am not getting any younger so will probably end up selling my house in the UK and making the move. Yes, there are disadvantages but then every city on the planet has disadvantages. Ubon feels safe, is very good value, and has a lot of beautiful countryside within an hours drive. Weather and food are fantastic and people are friendly. Compare that to the UK!

 

The UK is incredibly depressing, grey skies every day, everything is massively overpriced, and if you start talking to a random person they assume you are trying to mug them.  No street food, overweight women who think they are 10/10, terrible work/life balance, shocking transport and living costs, and I can rent somewhere in Ubon for less than my bloody council tax back in the UK!