# American couple looking to relocate



## Orenshii

Dear Expatforum goers,

Hello My name is Stephanie, my Husband and I have had a really tough time here in the United States. We really dont much fit into our social communities. From veiws of politics to common veiws of life styles. I am 28 years old and my husband is 32 years old. We both were born here, and over the years we have grown very weary of our situation. We both have very strong work ethics, we believe to have pride in everything you do. However our work ethic was not enough for us here, let me give a couple examples before I continue.

1(husband).
My husband worked at a pizza place for years.(not delivery driver) When we met he decided to move at a better chance of success. After a year we moved back to his hometown. Being a very hard worker his boss had no issue hiring him back. although for some reason wouldnt give him even close to the salary he had before. (7.50/hr when he left) (6.50/hr when he returned) despite that my husband continued to work hard for advancement. After a month or 2 he got me a job there so we could double up on our bills. I got to see first hand how hard he works, i was shocked he ran circles around ppl. The boss always asked him to stay for long hours, cover shifts, and even pick up on some manager duties.( he was asked as a normal employee to run the whole store at times, this how much trust his boss had for him.) After a few months of hard work his boss offered him a job as a asst.mgr. He thought finally hard work had paid off. well, not really the manager offered him 8/hr to run 6 shifts a week. Ofcourse my husband was very upset by this, and merited him quitting the job. (8/hr here for manager is a big insult)

2. (me) 

i worked at a "rent to own" store as customer service rep & Salewoman. I worked very hard for this company for about 5 months when We had just lost our other person in the salesdeparment, so the general manager and I were the only ones on the floor for quite sometime. Everything seemed fine for a bit until one day i came in after my days off. Apperently while i was off of work the store had a 0 sales day. Because of this 0 sales day, i was fired. which made no sense because i wasnt even working that day. and it wasnt a sick day but a scheduled day off. When i came back there for my final paycheck, i heard from another employee (driver) that i said actually fired because and i quote "i was not ghetto enough" (worked in a semi -bad area) apperently the manager had used me for a scape goat and legally was nothing i could do. though i had tried. (this was in texas)


These are 2 examples of many, of the type of treatment we have endured here in the usa workforce. There actually quite a few cases where my husband was outworking the ppl he worked with and was treated so bad because they feared him taking their jobs. which is ridiculas, shouldnt a harder worker get more than a slacker? which is another story i wont tell 

We have had a ton of cases that would make ppl cringe if they only knew the amount of stuff we have had to go through. anyway i came here to ask about our situation and what can we do to move to somewhere like thailand or malaysia. and we want to do everything perfectly legally, no boarder hopping stuff etc. as suggested by some with the 90 tourist visa. I will give you our information and current financial status. 

1. Neither of us at this time have a job due to econimical reasons in our area, but he is a chef and i am well versed in customer service/food service.
2. We have fairly decent credit minus a few tiny bills here and there.
3. we have 200k+ in funds to support any moves house buying etc.
4. we have a cat, but if thats an issue we can leave it at a friends home.
5. as stated above we are not in the retirement age or the college party age.
6. we also thought about opening a Cafe (more towards food than drink)

We both are seriously tired of the upbeat, fast paced dog eat dog mentality that we have to endure here. I am afraid if we donot relocate not only will our relationship be in danger but our health and well being. we wish to live a simple life, not full of media infactuation, or a rat race to acheive money that will not merit the results we want.

Also if anyone could point us to a site or post that shows the steps of an american relocating to a place such as thailand would be very helpful. as i stated before we wish to do things legally, we donot wish to deal with that kind of stress.


Desperatly,
Stephanie


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## steiner

You don`t` say if you have been to Thailand before.If not,why not come over for a holiday and see what the place is like first.......you might not even like it,although most people do.As for opening a business here,well,as the saying goes " you pays your money and you takes your chance "........personally,I wouldn`t invest more in Thailand than I could afford to lose.Starting a new business anywhere is risky ( half of all start ups fail in the first 2 yrs in the UK )but in country like Thailand the odds really are stacked against you.....


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## Orenshii

steiner said:


> You don`t` say if you have been to Thailand before.If not,why not come over for a holiday and see what the place is like first.......you might not even like it,although most people do.As for opening a business here,well,as the saying goes " you pays your money and you takes your chance "........personally,I wouldn`t invest more in Thailand than I could afford to lose.Starting a new business anywhere is risky ( half of all start ups fail in the first 2 yrs in the UK )but in country like Thailand the odds really are stacked against you.....


thank for the reply,

No, we have not been to thailand yet. we have talked about going before hand, but only issue were noticing is that the prices on tickets and "taxes" are pretty outragous. 1800x2 is alot then if we do come back thats another 3600 for 7200 total. which is quite a bit, specially if we want to buy a home. and to have money to make sure we can get going. we do want to go first, hoping to find a deal on airfare. 

as for business im well aware of the chances of success, and would plan to start real small just in case so i dont have a major loss if it goes through. plus my hubby is pretty good  and if that fails we will still have some left to exlpore other options. even if it is the worst case scenerio.

As for the lifestyle, we would prefer a semi country/city area. smaller end of of a city or town. we arent the type of ppl who want to go party at places like pat. but looking for a quiet clean community not too far north. any suggestions on small towns were some hard workers might fit in? or accept us. also we are very humble ppl, willing to admit our faults. i hear it helps to be humble to show your humanity.

Do you think it is possiable to become a citizen with hard work and effort? because even if their is a slim chance i would like for us to try. this is a life we have dreamed of for many years, and recently has been pulling at us. My husband would like to visit some temples aswell.

Stephanie


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## mikecwm

As much as I hate bursting anyones ballon, I'm not sure you have read many of the stories on Thai ex-pat forums.
If you had you would start to understand that you cannot start a business in Thailand without a work permit, which you would not get to run a restaurant.
Farangs can only get jobs that a Thai cannot do.
Teaching English is really your only option for an income and it doesn't sound as if either of you have a degree. So that really throws that one out the window.

I don't see how you could even get more than a tourist visa for Thailand.
You cannot own land or buy a house (only a condo - providing the majority of owners are Thai). 

Perhaps more research on your part might come up with a better country that you could live in - and find work. 
It's rare to find such openness on the Forum - but my honest opinion is that you will find it easier to make a success of life in America than you will as a couple unable to work openly - or stay legally, in Thailand.
Good luck.


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## Orenshii

Mods please remove my account, i will not be using these forums for my information. 

O


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## Thai-Spy

If you are genuinely concerned that "a harder worker get more than a slacker" please keep in mind that Thailand is in no way a meritocracy. People get ahead here because of connections. The only real opportunities you'll have here are those you make for yourself.


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## 6AJ9

Thai-Spy said:


> If you are genuinely concerned that "a harder worker get more than a slacker" please keep in mind that Thailand is in no way a meritocracy. People get ahead here because of connections. The only real opportunities you'll have here are those you make for yourself.


^
Very well put, i could not agree more.


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## AnyGivenDay

It is difficult to hear the truth, yet as others have stated, you cannot easily move to Thailand and live as you have seen in the movie 'The Beach'. I think so many people believe it will be a kick-back and easy place to live. As a young person, you should get training in the US and start to make something of yourself there and then possibly retire to Thailand later in life.


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## philobert

I think they stopped listening a few posts ago.....



phil


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## Dark Knight

philobert said:


> I think they stopped listening a few posts ago.....
> 
> 
> 
> phil


Well, typical example of people who are not interested in the info if it does not fit their preconceptions.

Well set for failure at anything they do, if there is insufficient research prior to taking action on the project. Who could possibly think of going to live to a country with which they had no contact whatsoever (unless on a lovely expat package, of course).


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## philobert

Dark Knight said:


> Well, typical example of people who are not interested in the info if it does not fit their preconceptions.
> 
> Well set for failure at anything they do, if there is insufficient research prior to taking action on the project. Who could possibly think of going to live to a country with which they had no contact whatsoever (unless on a lovely expat package, of course).


"dark Knight" ay... yeah your prolly right.


btw...you are not late of the general patters postings in, say, for instance, pattaya-live is ya?

just a friendly curious curious question 

cheers 


phil


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## Mweiga

*Kamikaze*



philobert said:


> I think they stopped listening a few posts ago.....
> 
> 
> 
> phil


OK , now that this thread has pretty much died , do enlighten us - why the hell did kamikaze pilots wear helmets ?!!


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## Dark Knight

philobert said:


> "dark Knight" ay... yeah your prolly right.
> 
> 
> btw...you are not late of the general patters postings in, say, for instance, pattaya-live is ya?
> 
> just a friendly curious curious question
> 
> cheers
> 
> 
> phil


Hi Phil,

No, my posts take place as of now from Europe (where I still am). My company is planning on expatriating me to BKK this summer (the package is nice with housing allowance, etc), hence my presence on these boards (mostly reading, because the main part of the questions have already been answered).

And I don't post on other boards. ;-)

Never been to Thailand myself, but I work with Thai colleagues of our Thailand structures and have some good (Thai and other SE Asian) friends in BKK. But reading a bit around, I've seen how valuable is the advice of fellow expats who are already on site.


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## philobert

Dark Knight said:


> Hi Phil,
> 
> No, my posts take place as of now from Europe (where I still am). My company is planning on expatriating me to BKK this summer (the package is nice with housing allowance, etc), hence my presence on these boards (mostly reading, because the main part of the questions have already been answered).
> 
> And I don't post on other boards. ;-)
> 
> Never been to Thailand myself, but I work with Thai colleagues of our Thailand structures and have some good (Thai and other SE Asian) friends in BKK. But reading a bit around, I've seen how valuable is the advice of fellow expats who are already on site.


Fair enough, but be aware the particular nom de guerre has been used by others.

just fyi

no worries

cheers

phil


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## philobert

Mweiga said:


> OK , now that this thread has pretty much died , do enlighten us - why the hell did kamikaze pilots wear helmets ?!!


beats the hell out of me. 

shazbot like that keeps me up at night.


for instance: "Did Adam and Eve have navels?"

think on that awhile.... 

cheers


phil


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## Orenshii

i left because you all offered no facts, just a bunch of pointless opinions. i figured i could come to this site and recieve factual data. i was wrong. i came back to look and saw a ton of useless posts. decided to post this. found a site where ppl have actual data and not just opinions, good luck with this site its a trainwreck full of racist/prejudice idiots. its apperent.


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## mikecwm

Orenshii said:


> i left because you all offered no facts, just a bunch of pointless opinions. i figured i could come to this site and recieve factual data. i was wrong. i came back to look and saw a ton of useless posts. decided to post this. found a site where ppl have actual data and not just opinions, good luck with this site its a trainwreck full of racist/prejudice idiots. its apperent.


With children it normally shows as a big "pout". With you it shows as an inability to face facts.
I gave you facts right at the beginning of this thread :-
You cannot get a work permit to open a restaurant in Thailand.
You cannot get a long term visa to live in Thailand.
You cannot buy land.
You cannot buy a house.
The only job open you either of you - teaching English, you are not qualified to do.

You then immediately told us you wanted no more to do with this forum.
Fair enough.
And I agree that there are many idiots posting here with nothing better to do with their time that slang off others.
Get over it.
You got the facts and they didn't fit your dream like view of life - so you left in a sulk - and returned in a sulk.
As they said to me on my second day in the Royal Navy after I had signed for 13 years - if you can't take a joke - you shouldn't have joined.
You can make a success of your life or you can sulk.
Your choice.


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## jojo

Orenshii said:


> i left because you all offered no facts, just a bunch of pointless opinions. i figured i could come to this site and recieve factual data. i was wrong. i came back to look and saw a ton of useless posts. decided to post this. found a site where ppl have actual data and not just opinions, good luck with this site its a trainwreck full of racist/prejudice idiots. its apperent.



If you want factual and correct information you MUST go to the sites or make contact with the correct organisations, they are the only people qualified to give you the answers you are seeking. This is a chat forum, that gives "on the ground" useful information, tips, experiences and advise and of course friendship and banter, which is why its such a successful forum. We cannot guarantee that everything you read on here will be accurate - no chat forums can! 

I'm glad you've discovered another forum, but do check that their info is accurate!


Jo


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## spiritualnomad

*Thailand*

Hi Stephanie

I am a Brit living in Thailand but I have also lived outside of the UK for a significant period of my life. I have lived in Thailand for 18 months and in Asia for 4 years. I was brought up in Malaysia, I am now 62.

Thailand is a beautiful country but it is difficult for expats to make a new life here unless you have a very clear goal in what it is that you wish to do here. The country can be expensive to live in and there are none of the safety nets that the western world provides.

If you are intent in relocating I believe there are better places to look at first. For example, the Philippines might be a better bet given the US links from the past, they speak English (Thailand is difficult in that respect) and the cost of living is so much cheaper.

If you want more information then please send me specific questions and I will try and answer them as best I can

Christopher





Orenshii said:


> Dear Expatforum goers,
> 
> Hello My name is Stephanie, my Husband and I have had a really tough time here in the United States. We really dont much fit into our social communities. From veiws of politics to common veiws of life styles. I am 28 years old and my husband is 32 years old. We both were born here, and over the years we have grown very weary of our situation. We both have very strong work ethics, we believe to have pride in everything you do. However our work ethic was not enough for us here, let me give a couple examples before I continue.
> 
> 1(husband).
> My husband worked at a pizza place for years.(not delivery driver) When we met he decided to move at a better chance of success. After a year we moved back to his hometown. Being a very hard worker his boss had no issue hiring him back. although for some reason wouldnt give him even close to the salary he had before. (7.50/hr when he left) (6.50/hr when he returned) despite that my husband continued to work hard for advancement. After a month or 2 he got me a job there so we could double up on our bills. I got to see first hand how hard he works, i was shocked he ran circles around ppl. The boss always asked him to stay for long hours, cover shifts, and even pick up on some manager duties.( he was asked as a normal employee to run the whole store at times, this how much trust his boss had for him.) After a few months of hard work his boss offered him a job as a asst.mgr. He thought finally hard work had paid off. well, not really the manager offered him 8/hr to run 6 shifts a week. Ofcourse my husband was very upset by this, and merited him quitting the job. (8/hr here for manager is a big insult)
> 
> 2. (me)
> 
> i worked at a "rent to own" store as customer service rep & Salewoman. I worked very hard for this company for about 5 months when We had just lost our other person in the salesdeparment, so the general manager and I were the only ones on the floor for quite sometime. Everything seemed fine for a bit until one day i came in after my days off. Apperently while i was off of work the store had a 0 sales day. Because of this 0 sales day, i was fired. which made no sense because i wasnt even working that day. and it wasnt a sick day but a scheduled day off. When i came back there for my final paycheck, i heard from another employee (driver) that i said actually fired because and i quote "i was not ghetto enough" (worked in a semi -bad area) apperently the manager had used me for a scape goat and legally was nothing i could do. though i had tried. (this was in texas)
> 
> 
> These are 2 examples of many, of the type of treatment we have endured here in the usa workforce. There actually quite a few cases where my husband was outworking the ppl he worked with and was treated so bad because they feared him taking their jobs. which is ridiculas, shouldnt a harder worker get more than a slacker? which is another story i wont tell
> 
> We have had a ton of cases that would make ppl cringe if they only knew the amount of stuff we have had to go through. anyway i came here to ask about our situation and what can we do to move to somewhere like thailand or malaysia. and we want to do everything perfectly legally, no boarder hopping stuff etc. as suggested by some with the 90 tourist visa. I will give you our information and current financial status.
> 
> 1. Neither of us at this time have a job due to econimical reasons in our area, but he is a chef and i am well versed in customer service/food service.
> 2. We have fairly decent credit minus a few tiny bills here and there.
> 3. we have 200k+ in funds to support any moves house buying etc.
> 4. we have a cat, but if thats an issue we can leave it at a friends home.
> 5. as stated above we are not in the retirement age or the college party age.
> 6. we also thought about opening a Cafe (more towards food than drink)
> 
> We both are seriously tired of the upbeat, fast paced dog eat dog mentality that we have to endure here. I am afraid if we donot relocate not only will our relationship be in danger but our health and well being. we wish to live a simple life, not full of media infactuation, or a rat race to acheive money that will not merit the results we want.
> 
> Also if anyone could point us to a site or post that shows the steps of an american relocating to a place such as thailand would be very helpful. as i stated before we wish to do things legally, we donot wish to deal with that kind of stress.
> 
> 
> Desperatly,
> Stephanie


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## AnyGivenDay

Dark Knight said:


> Well, typical example of people who are not interested in the info if it does not fit their preconceptions.
> 
> Well set for failure at anything they do, if there is insufficient research prior to taking action on the project. Who could possibly think of going to live to a country with which they had no contact whatsoever (unless on a lovely expat package, of course).


How true.


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## mikecwm

AnyGivenDay said:


> How true.


I don't think they will be back to read any more replies.
Probably time to end this thread.
I get the feeling they are both doomed to spend life working in a pizza parlour, though I sincerely hope they find the gumption to get an education and move on and up.
Not easy in America when the minimum wage is so low. 
Looks like unemployment there is stuck around 10% and will be for several years.
I see a civilisation in decline. It happens to all of them eventually.
How can you dig yourself out of a $15 trillion debt? I don't see any sign of any meaningful government cuts.
There, now we're off on a completely new thread.
Isn't life full of surprises?:cheer2:


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