Expats in Thailand - How do you survive?

[bigmick22]

(Bicycle Pump! @ Oct. 15 2009,03:47) Your body may be in The East but your mind is still in The West!  

very much so and always will be

[Looker]

(sai @ Oct. 10 2009,08:50) this is the fish box...  so i can ask what i want..........  i want to know....  how do you guys make your money......  ??  i have a good job and all you guys are in bangkok.....   still living your life.......  what the fuck am i doing wrong?  how do you pay your bills??    can someone teach me......??  or atleast give me a hint.............

Despite what have been written, which is right in a way, remember that the great - great - GREAT majority of the expats you see in Thailand, and in the rest of Asia, are here working for companies.
Money is not an issue for them. Company pay for the rent, give a (more or less) good salary and the nature of the work allows most of them to stay up to 2 AM chasing the "creatures of night" because on the following morning who gives a fuck!
At the end of the month they get a salary anyway, capish?
Since I have been (in my previous life) an expat myself for almost 10 years please don't come and challenge me on this  
If you are by yourself then things could not be so rosy. Apart from those (few) wizards and geniuses in doing something, and I am NOT one of them   you will have to find your way to make a living.
Not much about being successful I guess, you don't need zillions in life afterall, what for? More about making what you need for a decent life and your needs.
The most important thing, being said by someone (ME!!!!) who started a completely different business from what he used to do as expat, it's to focus on what you've been doing so far. Doesn't mean you've to be truly capable about the subject but at least knowing more or less what's about.
I have seen far too many idiots being successful to now believe that knowing everything about your job grants you success. Reasons for that goes well beyond what you know about your job..it has to do with your social background, connections, people you have back in the West (or wherever!) who can truly give you an help and support....and so on. Oh, yes, and lots and lots of luck!
Not like Arnie was saying in that movie " Lug iz for ze ungombedentz!"  

[dummy_plug]

(PigDogg @ Oct. 15 2009,14:55) I would modify that a bit and say if you are not successful back home then you will not be successful in Thailand.

Agreed!

[BlueBallz]

I think the most common error guys make is that they come for holidays and then they try and live that sort of lifestyle. One thing is money thats a problem. Even if I had all the money, I wouldnt be in the shitpits looking to barfine and fuck and drink everynight. that got boring for me quickly. When I am in Bangkok, I go out maybe once sometimes twice a week and I rarely stay out later than 1100 pm-hardly a party animal. You must have interests OUTSIDE the scene. As for hooker girlfriends, look no further than the Chompoo thread!!! Remember boys we aint paying for the sex, we are paying them to leave!!!

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!!

[azza33]

Good thread and thanks for all the opinions - as someone who intends to move to in future years i always enjoy reading about this sort of thing.

[geosight]

Hey all

After living and working in Thailand for the best part of 4 years now. I found that reputations based on a socially accepted Thai conduct, is a myth.
Thai€™s care less about reputation and more about money than anywhere else in the world. They are a totally plastic socially and are obsessed with it... they don€™t see anything beyond that.  If you€™re in a highly paid position or you are a sole trader and you are making a decent living, live in a nice area, drive a nice car, then you can get away with just about anything .
I know this first hand and actually your so called Thai reputation can be made on it . So to say that your reputation will be hurt in some way because you are a monger, is just so far from the truth it isn€™t funny.  
In saying that, the following is also true. Respect Thai culture, make small concessions by doing some sort of community service, learn the language..
As I€™ve said reputations in Thailand are a myth, based solely on your income. If you€™re planning to come to Thailand to live in a shitty place, work in a shitty paid job and try and be that super star playboy that you€™re dreaming about. Then you€™re fucked and don€™t come.
This is also true,,, you can get away with being a monger if your good looking and charming, but who on this board fits that bill ?Also winning 75 million on the fucking lotto wouldn€™t hurt
Thailand is a dream everyday and if you play by the rules and stay out of the way then you can have a life time of wet dream s....
But how do you get to work in Thailand right? Study hard! Study something that gets you into Asia such as engineering.
If you€™re young enough and have the determination then study Thai for a year. Do a online business manager degree from a accredited uni.. I can€™t express the importance of knowing the Thai language.  It can really help you get that highly paid position.
Lastly, I am 100% behind Doug (no sexual connotations intended) on his stance concerning mongering and teaching.  Those two words don€™t even belong in the same sentence > except if you€™re teaching mongering    don€™t come to Thailand and teach if you are a fucking cunt full stop !

[PigDogg]

(BlueBallz @ Nov. 04 2009,00:03) Even if I had all the money, I wouldnt be in the shitpits looking to barfine and fuck and drink everynight.  that got boring for me quickly.  

The bars get old rather quickly unless if you drink every night back home.

[tomscam]

If you€™re young enough and have the determination then study Thai for a year. Do a online business manager degree from a accredited uni..

This is really good advice. Please elaborate more on this area as I'm keen to hear from your experience. It sounds like you've done this already and as I'm fairly young (29) myself and would consider going back to Uni, I'm interested to hear how you did it?

[f0xxee]

Add to the mix fly in/fly out workers... technicians and the like engaged in oil, gas and mining. Another way you can live where you choose. If you come from a technical or engineering, geology, HSE or similar background it's an option.

[kingmia]

(ezflip @ Oct. 12 2009,06:04) I've been reading this thread for the past 2 days or so, and it's got me thinking (probably why my head hurts) and some valid points have been raised.

To the original post - the answer is, as Tan said, save, save, save.

But the real question should be, how to live in Thailand and continue our mongering ways?

One would have to be pretty rich to do so on a retirement visa, right? You would have to be very frugal in order to make sure the tap does not run dry.  Many people retire to thailand but only a small percentage hang around the gogo circuit. Those that do run out of money eventually.

The alternative is to work in a field that allows you to enjoy your time off doing whatever you can think of without fear of loosing a reputation.

Doug brings up a good point about living & working in thailand while still enjoying our lifestyles. Loosing a job because the boss found out that you hang around bargirls is one thing, what about if he hears that LBs are your favorite flavour? How long before you get fired from your job then?

We, as westerners (and LB afficionados) don't discriminated BUT thais do.

As an occasional visitor, I don't have to worry about my reputation but some who live & work in Thailand have to keep their affairs a secret.

Just a thought...

Thank you EZ for making clear points on this subject. I learned a lot.

[Masahiko]

3) Thai people are very socially conscious people.  Your appearance and your public lifestyle will have a HUGE impact on your success here.  Most guys blow it when they come over here.  They don't protect their privacy because they mistakenly believe that they are "anonymous" here (nothing could be further from the truth).

This is so true.  I would never be caught walking down the street with a LB or GG, it just doesn't happen.  I have too many Thai friends to allow one of them to see me like that.  Don't get me wrong Thai men are bigger mongers than we are, but the rules are different for us.  

My hotel room has a revolving door on it and I pay as many (or more) bar fines as anyone on this board.  I just try to do it as discreetly as possible.  I've known girls that work at Big Dogs for years, and they will always ask why they see me go into Nana but always walk out alone...they just don't know.  And I could never tell a Thai friend that I was going to Nana....NEVER.

[robbo]

very interesting to read,and very valid words,there for all to see is the clear distinction between being a respectable working person trying to at least semi intergrate into thai living and your average monger on a short holiday out for all the good times he can grab and dosnt give a damn what anybody thinks while doing it..............something to ponder should anybody wish to be in LOS full time.
the holiday monger gets free range, thats one of the things that so good about LOS.take that away and the whole thing has a different slant to it.
on the other hand i do understand how going bar hopping every night and too many SHORT TIMES gets a bit same same,longest ive been there is for a 6 week stint and even then i found the urge to do the bars and shagfest non stop dwindles to a steady pace.
it all depends how you want to look at it,one time i wanted to move to LOS now im not so sure......there are other places...........and like i said there are those great buzzes that only those holidays to LOS can generate,id miss them.

[f0xxee]

Gents,

In my experience you will be perceived as you perceive yourself... Therefore if you date ladyboys and furtively crawl around the cracks and corners of society then you will be seen as a being strange and perverse , a lurker and a degenerate.

If however you date ONE ladyboy and you include her in your life as you would a regular GF, (obviusly choose one who has a brain and some style and doesn't think 7 inch platform stilettos and a micro-mini are formal wear) making her your partner and ignoring the fact that some will stare and whisper, you will find if you do this with pride and with nonchalance that most will let it pass without comment.
I have done this in Singapore which is not particularly permissive with a LBGF and have been and still am doing this in Thailand with Mrs Foxxee as I write.

As you act so shall you be treated.

[El_hefe]

This is something I've wondered about if one is a working farang with a non p4p lb in a ltr in LOS.

I was assuming that perhaps the local gay community would be the most accepting of your relationship, along with her family & that could they would become a big part of socializing in a non bar environment or even for business contacts..... any comments from those who are in this situation?

[f0xxee]

In my opinion:
If you hold your head up high the expat community will by and large treat you with some respect PROVIDED you chose your girl with care: if she dresses like an edoc (slut) then she will be treated as one. If she is obviously scanning the room lookng for a better deal and acts like an edoc it will be noted.
if however she dresses conservatively, is a positive and happy person she will be well accepted by the majority of the expat community.. . I take Mrs Foxxee to meet my bosses and dont think a thing of it. And they dont bat an eyelid. Its about Confidence.

You must have the confidence to look the expat community in the eye. If you are apologetic and try to hide it you will become the cente of some expat soap opera...

Note: ladyboys do not necessarly like hanging out with gays... They prefer their families first, then other thais (mostly girls) and you.

EXPAT COMMUNITIES: You are damned if you do and damned if you don't. Even of you are accepted you will still be gossiped about behind your back, as will everyone else in the expat community. Why? Because they are full of bored fuckwits and their bored and highly insecure fat fuckwit wives who have nothing else to do. And this is trrue whether you are with LB or GG.