Bangkok life

Hi Career_Girl, welcome on Expat-blog!

Your topic has been introduced as a new thread on the Bangkok forum for better visibility.

I hope members responds to your queries very soon.

I wish you good luck
Christine

Hi,

I'm currently in Brussels but am also due to work in an international school in Bangkok from August!

I'm also going to be looking for a flat around the same price range as you so shall let you know if/when I get any good advice.

My plan is to get a place as close to work as possible, to avoid a sweaty commute/earlier rise than needed.

Hi Sarah,

Which school will you be working in? I'm definitely going to be looking for an apartment which is near to work as it's manic trying to commute. Did it last week when I had my interview, and it took over an hour!

Have you been to Bangkok before? I've finally calmed down about working in Bangkok now, was feeling a little overwhelmed with the 'concrete' city, but realise that there's heaps to do in this busy metropolis. 

CG

Hi Sarah and CG

I'm thai, I have daughter who study in international school and I live near Phakanong.
Living in Bangkok is the same feeling you live in big city, there are many building around, you can do your hobby at the park or fitness center but there far from Prakanong area, the nearest park is ="Suanluang ror9 park" so it's difficult for you to have jocking everyday.
Actually, it's not boring when you're living here because I've met the foreigner teachers who almost always travel a short trip on weekend to "Pattaya" or "Hua Hin" the beautiful beach not far from Bangkok, just only 1-2 hour driving. Ther are many adventure activities provide to the foreigners.

I think this information would be helpful.

Sao

CG - I'll be at Bangkok Prep, near Thong Lo BTS. I've been to Bangkok a few times but only as a stop over on the way to somewhere else. My first impressions were: hot, hectic and polluted but it'll be a good base for wknds/holidays and the school seems like a great place to work.

Which school will you be at?

Sao - thanks for the info

Sao, that was very helpful. I think I may need to buy a car while I'm out there as going away in the weekends is quite important for me. The proximity to the beaches sound great, although heard a lot of horrible things about Pattaya!

CG

Pattaya is no longer a good place to enjoy the beach, it more of like a city now. The nearest place and laid back to consider with not much crowd is Hua Hin. You can go down south like phuket and samui if you want but that is a long drive or trip.

Sarah
You're right BKK is hot and hectic, One of the reasons foreigners live here is cost of living and a lot of interesting places like temples and  activities that not too far from BKK.
As you know, we have awareness about learning english from native speaker so it's easy to be a teacher here.

CG
Pattaya is great but you're right there are some people who want to take advantage from foreigners like every places in the world that there are good people and bad people so you have to study a little bit before you go. I'm sure if you know the right place and person you will happy.

Sao

CG I would suggest you stay in short term service apartment when first here so you can scout the various area's before signing long term lease.

You can also check mrroomfinder.com for locating a place.  I currently live at a place that seems to have quite a few teachers in residence.  Check sarannuch.com

Hi Straydog, the school will let me have a couple of weeks stay at a hotel when I get there, so I will use the time to visit apartments, scout area and then decide whether I think it's suitable for me. I'm not rushing into anything, and there's no way that I'll sign a contract via e-mail without checking it out first.

Sao, I meant horible things about Pattaya, in terms of the sex industry and paedophilia. I'm bracing myself to see a lot of that crap in Bangkok. Sounds like 'Hua Hin' will possibly be more my style of a weekend away from city life. Will see.

CG,

Thailand has many nice places to see depending on what you prefer, there are lakes, rivers, sea, mountains etc whereby you can laze around or do trekking or other activities.

Bangkok traffic can be bad and you are stuck in traffic for long hours. Just before the long weekend, pay day and rain, you can expect the traffic to be real bad.

You can hop on to a bus that takes you to different parts of Thailand and prices are reasonable.  There are different bus stations - north, south and east located at different places in Bangkok.

Thanks jcshine, I figured I could get out of Bangkok, but was hoping that the outdoors would be closer to the suburbs of Bangkok as opposed to finding it on the islands. Nevertheless, it's good to know that the outdoors are in pretty beautiful hot spots.

CG

CG, hua Hin is definitely the place to go as opposed to Pattaya, the jetski guys in Hua Hin do not rip you off, in fact the guys on the beach on the south side of town were great guys, there iss a sex industry any where you go in Thailand but in Hua Hin it is much more toned down due to it being the location of the King's summer palace.  I took a trip upto the Pala U waterfalls from Hua Hin, and that is a definite must see, not only for the falls but the hundreds of butterflies there too.
Travelling is easy in Thailand, Driving in Bangkok is not.
You can get minibuses that will take you to any destination in Thailand for very reasonable prices, we always travel by these, i would advice using the VIP ones though , which usually have AirCon which is a must, as you probably know if you live in Brunei currently.
Anyway Good Luck, I am moving over in march to the Issan region.

Thanks Dragon Dai, that's good to know.

CG,

On the west of Thailand there is Kanchanaburi where there is the famous River Kawaii.  One can live next to the river or go rafting there or hop into a 4 wheeler and go off road.  There are lots of mountains there too and lots of greens.  One can also live in a lake (Imagine your hut like those in Maldives) hehehe

Many nice places to explore in Thailand and depending on your taste.

One can live in a vineyard, dine in their restaurant, have their wines and grapes pastries.

One can also stay in a farm where you see cows and steak house is around.

Lots to do in Thailand

Cheers

Hi,

I will be moving to Bangkok this July.  I lived there from 2003-2006 and worked in an international school.  I've missed it since moving back to NYC and have been wanting to go back.  I just got another 2 year contract to work at the same school.  I'm nervous about how much things may have changed and also about finding an apartment etc.  Looking forward to making new friends and doing a lot more traveling during my time off.  I will also be near Thong lo and want to live in the area.

Hi SBF,

Which school will you be working in? People on this site have been very useful in recommending websites to check for apartments. I've been given the following url's to do my research:

soho-properties.com/condos_rent1_1.php
bangkokcondos.com/bangkok_co … estate.asp
mybangkokhomes.com/index.php … amp;pclass[]=
bangkokrent.com/
kkbkk.com/?do=find&what= … p;room_bed[]=1&2029=on&2031=on&go=SEARCH&fulltext=
mrrooms.com

Ditto about the travelling, I hope to do a lot more diving here.

CG

Hi CG,

I will look into those URLs, Thx.  Like you I plan on staying with friends or at a hotel until I find a place that I love.  Booking anything on line is not an option.  I'm thinking of leaving for BKK mid July so that i can look for a place and also do a bit of exploring before diving into work.  I'm interested in taking up photography and want to take some classes while i'm there.  I will be teaching early childhood but not sure what grade just yet.  What school will you be in?

CG: Working near Prakanong will be very easy for you to find a nice apartment, especially at your price. That end of the BTS line is starting to see more development as the opening date of the extension gets closer. You may want to look around the On Nut area which is only 1 stop away but will allow you to find many new very nice apartment buildings.

That area is definitely more of a Thai area so expect things to be done a little differently. There is a large Tesco at On Nut for grocery shopping but there are also many small thai restaurants and food stalls in that area.

That area is relatively inexpensive so I would try to get an apartment as close to the BTS station as you can. Nothing sucks more than having to walk to the station in the rainy season because no matter how close it is and how fast you think you can walk you WILL get soaked to the bone!!

When looking at apartments try to find one that is 110% completed. I made the mistake of moving into a building that was about 80% done because the rent was cheaper. They were still working on the top floors and so I didn't think it would be a problem until I realized that most Thai construction is done at night because it's too hot during the day. If you're not a fan of the heat make sure you visit your potential new apartment at midday to see if you are getting blasted by the sun.

Prakanong is a very easy area to find an apartment but if you want to use an agent I would recommend Amazing Properties, run by Gerwin.

The outdoor activities you seek aren't going to be found anywhere close to BKK. Most of those things are either up north or down south, which is either a 1 hour flight or a 12 hour train ride. There are lots of indoor activities to do in BKK but the outdoor stuff if a bit far to get to. You won't need a car in BKK but they can be convenient if you want to get out of town.

Hope that helps!!

CG,

You need to check if electric and water bills to the apartment are from the respective authorities or from the apartment office.  Some apartments add a surcharge to the electric and water bills like 5 - 10 baht per unit of usage thus it will cost you more.

Apartments have monthly maintenance feels like for security guards, cleaning of common areas etc

Its best to sign a short lease first to get to know the neighbours because if you have an inconsiderate neighbour living above or next to you that makes lost of noise then it could be frustrating.

Depending on the type of apartments, you may not cooked inside the apartment but use microwave only.

All the best in your apartment hunting.

Cheers

CG,

If you are living near the school, having a car is not necessary especially you have the train.  One can rent a car which is not expensive at all.

There is a big difference between owing a car and renting a car.  Most Thais will tell you buy a car instead of renting one.

The advantages of renting a car is you have no worries of maintenance, tax, insurance, service, repairs etc

If you plan to go outside bangkok and depending on the location, you can rent a car for the days you are there.

When I go to Pranburi which is 1 hour drive from Hua Hin.  I catch the bus there and the hotel send a car to pick me up at the junction.  While I am in Pranburi, I rent an automatic gear motorbike for 350 baht for 24 hours.  Full tank of gasoline cost me 100 baht.  I go around the area and cars passing there is minimum.

Everything depends on how often you use the car and hours of usage.  Prakanong, Ekamai and areas around there are well known for heavy traffic.  If you drive a car, it may take ages to reach your destination.  Hop on the train is so much faster.

Hope it give you a better idea between having a car and renting a car.

Thanks jc, I'm noting all the info down. A lot to consider. I may wait to see if I really need a car before I plunge in with a purchase. Good to know about sneaky costs on domestic bills--I'll have to watch out for that.

CG

have you move yet
hope to meet you i will move soon to Thailand

If you have to teach nearby Prakanong BTS so many choice you can live in BKK,u can spend a bit time on BTS or MRT(Subway train.

So many activities you can join here like badminton so many court surrounding (That my favorite sport too).but i am not suggest you to buy car here for first month cause i think transportation in BKK so convinience but if you like to scuba u choose go to Krabi ,Phuket or Similan island cause that the best diving point in Thailand(colorfull coral)but not in Pattaya.but 3 best diving place it not easy to drive there but u can catch flight to get there easily.
For apartment ur cost range that enought to get 1 bed room type for sure.
anyway if you come to work here and like to play badminton with me and my group just email to [email protected]

So welcome to Thailand

so did you move here?

Hi Einram,

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