Thread: Tempted To Just Jump on a Plane to Bangkok...

Cheers Matty, that's a great reply and what I was looking for when I started asking lots of questions, not people questioning my motives to teach and criticising my personality.

I've got a temp job in Cambridge in August if I want it so might hang around, do that and hopefully get a few grand in my bank. I think part of my eagerness is that so many friends are off travelling/working around the world and in my haste to join them I could get myself into a bit of a pickle. You've put it in a bit more perspective and also wages at 30k wouldn't be enough as I'm very free with cash, might even look to China/Hong Kong tbf as they will pay all overheads leaving me with just a salary to do what I want with.

Originally Posted by Anna Key

That's the spirit!

Accentuate the positive. Ignore anything that you don't like.

This is just a gap year before I become a politician

Originally Posted by ThePiedmontPenguin

I've got a temp job in Cambridge in August if I want it so might hang around, do that and hopefully get a few grand in my bank. I think part of my eagerness is that so many friends are off travelling/working around the world and in my haste to join them I could get myself into a bit of a pickle.

I kept debating if I should pipe in, so here goes. I kept putting off following what I wanted to do to comply with what you're supposed to do in Canada. Finally, when I was 36, I decided to take a TESOL course then buy a ticket to Bangkok.

I was always jealous of people who lived and worked in exotic, warm places and in Canada you only get 2-3 weeks vacation and you're rarely allowed to take more than one week at a time. I'm not talking about teachers, but the majority of the working population.

Life is short and if I hadn't made the move, I would be kicking myself massively. When I lived in Bangkok, I travelled to many parts of Thailand cheaply. I learned to relax and to see that there are genuinely kind people around.

I lived in BKK for three years and Phuket one year. I think you asked at the start of your thread where you should look for work. From experience, I would say Bangkok. There are many opportunities for full time teaching and tutoring to make some extra money.

I would also suggest applying at language schools. I had worked for a summer school for kids, thena prathom school, but it wasn't for me. I applied at a well known language school and things just went up from there.

Originally Posted by ThePiedmontPenguin

That was the whole point in the questions duh, I've never sorted an apartment in Thailand so how am I supposed to know how much deposit you pay and that you pay for a month upfront?

Lame excuses. Answer: research - Google, forum search...

All I know from backpacking is that £1300 lasted 7 weeks on the islands and a week in Chiang Mai which included visa, insurance and a couple of internal flights so I thought (rightly or wrongly) that £400 living in a Bangkok shoebox might sort me out for a month

Forget your backpacking experience. Research teaching and living in Thailand. Be smart, prepared and practical then later things will fall into place (more or less) and the fun stuff will come easy.

There's always ways if things don't work out

Wrong. We had a recent topic here of a guy who crashed his motorbike (not even his fault as far as I remember) and ended up in hospital which wiped out his insurance. Not long after he got out he was attacked and the head injury put him in a coma. Now his family are relying on donations to try and get him home.

That's just one example of hundreds that show one can never be in full control. Few of us can be prepared for anything but all of us should try to do ourselves a favour and have some level of sensible thinking.

but I admit I am quite reckless

This ain't a problem, or shouldn't be if you are also smart.

but seriously what's the worst that can realistically happen?

But this thinking is a BIG problem!

I get mugged? Run out of money and end up teaching in China?

If you run out of money how the hell are you going to get to China? No dude... if you run out of money you're f**ked unless mummy and daddy can bail you out.

The more I write the more fun it sounds

Flawed thinking. So you admit you're listening only to yourself and ignoring advice you don't like the sound of. IT's not what you write that's important, it's what you READ or are told, at least until you're sorted and know the ropes.

I believe all this negativity

You're missing the point: it's not negativity, it's sound advice to get you going so you can get what you want.

has only convinced me to go out and give it a shot.

Definately go for it. We all say to people to just do it because it's what we did and we know it can be done... but be smart dude. We're not trying to discourage you, we're trying to get you here in a good position to get what you really want. Coming over in a weak and uninformed position won't do you much good.

Get your shit together then get your arse over here, but get your shit together

That's the beauty of this forum. Some frank, but great advice given (and also a couple of voyeurs).

Hollow, Matty, Natalie and Fleabag are on the money here. Take heed not speed - as the old saying went.

Originally Posted by Bangkok Phil

I'm amazed it took 4 pages for someone to say it.
20,000 baht. You must be kidding. Stay home until you've got at least ten times that amount stashed away. Seriously.

Wait, are you suggesting this is what every newbie should be coming to Thailand with to get started? 200,000 baht, mimimum? I don't know, seems excessive. If you just mean as a backup plan if all hell breaks loose then yea, but otherwise...Sorry if I've misread your post by the way, just wondering what you mean.

60000 thb and an open ticket home would work as a bare minumum.

Any less, unless you are something special, is inviting disaster. You're not coming in as a backpacking tourist, living in cheap rooms on KSR. You will need things other than your suitcase and some of them won't wait till you get a few pay packets under your belt.

200k thb allows you the time to find a decent job rather than take the 1st agency job that rolls along (out of financial desperation) and the finances to get set-up and/or do a visa run if necessary as well as a backup plan if things go pear shaped.
.

200k is absurd. I'd say enough for 5 months expenses (@25k * 5) is all that is needed, excluding a plane ticket. It shouldn't take someone in a first-world country more than a year to save up that much.

Excluding the 5,500 baht apartment, I spend an average of 280 baht a day just outside of bkk. I'm not a teacher in Thailand right now, but don't do this now OP.

Down payment was 7,000 by the way. 20,000 wouldn't get you past the first month around BKK.

My apartment deposit was 18,000 bhat, never mind living expenses, visas, going on the beer, clothes, shoes and all the other little things that add up.

You must be joking with that figure of 20k, some people have mentioned the word absurd, i think it borders on piss taking to ask if that would be sufficient.

Just a quick wee story to show you how things can go tits up;

While I was looking for a job, i went out on the drink with some friends i met doing my TEFL, KS road wouldn't you know it! Met a nice young lady in a nightclub, next thing I remember is waking up in the morning with no money and a banging headache, (I'm pretty sure i got spiked) that was 16k down the drain!!!!!

You can imagine the sickening feeling i had, while on the phone to my mother!

Just shows you anything can happen, especially when you're new to living in a country like this! And backpacking here is certainly not living here!

Save up the figures that have been mentioned to you, and you will have an amazing time, while leaving yourself able to choose a good job that you will be happy in.

Good luck