Hi All,
My name is Shahbaz and I am based in Manchester, UK. I am a British national with a Thai wife who is in Bangkok. I am going to relocate to Bangkok as we are expecting and I want to be around for the birth of my child.
I am a highly experienced IT professional and have worked in the Financial Technology sector for the past 5 years.
I have applied for lots of suitable jobs in Bangkok from the UK, did a new resume and wrote a covering letter etc. I have had literally no response, not so much as even a telephone interview. In England I would have had lots of response by now as I have a well sought after skill set.
Is it because I am applying from within the UK? Would I be better off applying when I arrive in Thailand?
My concern is that I will still struggle after arriving in Thailand, which I can deal with but I will have to get a different job e.g. teaching or something.
Any advice would be massively helpful.
Thanks
IT professional struggling with relocation
My thoughts are that these days you must be prepared to take a different direction in your career if necessary in order to take you where you want to be. Perhaps being in Thailand will help, I do not know for sure. And yes, perhaps initially becoming an English teacher would at least allow you to get established in Thailand and then make it easier to apply for jobs more relevant to your experience whilst already having some income.
Actually, if I were in your situation, I would also be looking for jobs in other major cities in Asia such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Jakarta etc.
Yes Shahbaz,
it seems to be extremely difficult. I have moved here 1 week ago as an IT professional. I am lucky enough to have a secondment here so did not need to job hunt, however, my wife is finding it extremely difficult to find a job.
It seems most jobs prefer Thai Nationals due to the costs and complexities of Thai Visa and work permit,
thanks
What about engaging a headhunter. That should take care of the running around
Good luck
What kind of "highly experienced IT professional" are you, the one that changes printer cartridges and hooks up UTP cables, or are you a software developer, project manager, business analist? If the latter, consider working remotely for clients from wealthier countries.
stellious123 wrote:It seems most jobs prefer Thai Nationals due to the costs and complexities of Thai Visa and work permit,
THAT is the point!
Are you prepared to work for Thai wages - which would be far below your current UK earnings and almost certainly also below your living expenses in Thailand?
There is a downside to moving to a "cheap" country!
Firstly you need to be here for people to take you seriously. There are lots of beach dreamers in the west who send emails but are never going to travel. Obviously you have a wife and child here but most HR wont get that far or will dismiss it out of hand.
If you are here, with a visa based on your need to provide for your wife, doors will open more than if you are in Manchester.
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