# What are my options, please?



## Sillywabbit (Jan 29, 2019)

Hello all.

I'll try to keep this brief. Basically I fell in love with a Thai woman. We would live to marry and be together in Thailand, but I don't have the money in the bank for the marriage certificate. I need to save and this will take quite some time.

My question is: Is there a faster route to be together in Thailand without marrying her? I can speak hardly any Thai and am 47 years old without many marketable skills. What are my chances of finding a job in Thailand? I am guessing it would be very difficult. What advice would you give? Other than finding a job are there any other ways I could possibly be in Thailand with her and not leave?

I'm sure you get this sort of question all the time for thanks in advance for taking the time to read and any answers giving. 

All the best.


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## Eeann (Aug 31, 2018)

Where in Thailand is she located? Have you ever met her in person? This is a tough question to have to answer and think about but are you absolutely sure you can trust her? Many Thai women want to marry western men as a status symbol, or if they're from poorer families as both a status symbol and means of income. You really should make sure on a completely objective level that that is most certainly not the case. In the very least maybe come out to Thailand and just date her normally to see if you guys really do fit together as a couple. If you do, awesome, more power to you. If not, as a western guy (even at 47 years old) you could find a new lady friend in a near instant that I promise you. I once new a guy here in his 80's dating a Thai woman who was 32.

Anyway, if you really want to come here to be with her, if she's in one of the major areas such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, etc. it might actually be easy to land a teaching job to at least keep yourself on your feet when you get here. You would need at least a four year degree to get hired at most schools though, as it's the law in Thailand in order to get a work visa/permit. There are some schools who will look past it if you're caucasian and a native speaker however, though I don't want to advocate you take that risk, since you could be deported if Thai Immigration ever comes knocking on the school's door, which does happen at times.

There's plenty of expats here who make a living doing things such as online marketing, which is an easy and potentially lucrative way of earning an income without having to find a job here. You would need to do some research into the methodology though if you've never done it, however it's not that complicated and the return you get could be potentially huge if you play your cards right.

Don't worry about not speaking any Thai before you get here unless you're planning to move out to the countryside. Most foreign expats here only speak a small smattering of Thai. While it would definitely help grease the wheels for you in a lot of situations, it's not a necessity in the major cities since most Thais can at least understand very basic English, and most businesses cater to an international crowd. All the Thai I've learned since moving here I've picked up from friends and my girlfriend, and there are cheap classes and books available if you want to take it to the next step. 

Best of luck my friend


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## Sillywabbit (Jan 29, 2019)

Eeann said:


> Where in Thailand is she located? Have you ever met her in person? This is a tough question to have to answer and think about but are you absolutely sure you can trust her? Many Thai women want to marry western men as a status symbol, or if they're from poorer families as both a status symbol and means of income. You really should make sure on a completely objective level that that is most certainly not the case. In the very least maybe come out to Thailand and just date her normally to see if you guys really do fit together as a couple. If you do, awesome, more power to you. If not, as a western guy (even at 47 years old) you could find a new lady friend in a near instant that I promise you. I once new a guy here in his 80's dating a Thai woman who was 32.


I understand why you ask. Thanks! Yes, we have met. I was on a trip traveling around SE Asia. We spent at least 2 months together and were together almost constantly in that time so we have spent quite a lot of time getting to know each other. I have explained to her that not all farang are rich and I am most certainly not rich. She knows I don't have any money and she knows if I come to Thailand we would just lead a normal Thail life and she's fine with it. She just wants to be together.

She lives in Hat Yai in the south. I'm not sure what the job situation is like there. I know it's one of the bigger cities in Thailand. I think third biggest?




> Anyway, if you really want to come here to be with her, if she's in one of the major areas such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, etc. it might actually be easy to land a teaching job to at least keep yourself on your feet when you get here. You would need at least a four year degree to get hired at most schools though, as it's the law in Thailand in order to get a work visa/permit. There are some schools who will look past it if you're caucasian and a native speaker however, though I don't want to advocate you take that risk, since you could be deported if Thai Immigration ever comes knocking on the school's door, which does happen at times.


I don't have the degree to become a teacher. My command of my native language is pretty good and I could probably pass the exam to become a teacher but without the degree qualification I wouldn't be able to teach. I wouldn't take the risk of doing it without. I couldn't take the stress of having to look over my shoulder all the time wondering if my life will be over in Thailand with her because the immigration official comes knocking.



> There's plenty of expats here who make a living doing things such as online marketing, which is an easy and potentially lucrative way of earning an income without having to find a job here. You would need to do some research into the methodology though if you've never done it, however it's not that complicated and the return you get could be potentially huge if you play your cards right.


I don't even know what online marketing is  As I said, I don't really have that many skills. I don't know about online marketing.



> Don't worry about not speaking any Thai before you get here unless you're planning to move out to the countryside. Most foreign expats here only speak a small smattering of Thai. While it would definitely help grease the wheels for you in a lot of situations, it's not a necessity in the major cities since most Thais can at least understand very basic English, and most businesses cater to an international crowd. All the Thai I've learned since moving here I've picked up from friends and my girlfriend, and there are cheap classes and books available if you want to take it to the next step.
> 
> Best of luck my friend


It's good to know that I shouldn't need much Thai. I am trying to learn Thai but it's not easy as you probably know! So it's slow going. I just would like to know what my next steps are? Should I go to Thailand and try to find work? Will the company get me a work permit if I interview well? What are my chances? What work could I do? Should I look here? If so, then what are some good places? I have tried googling this stuff but there's so much information out there and a lot of it is either confusing or not at all helpful.

Thanks for your time. Appreciate it.


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## Eeann (Aug 31, 2018)

Sillywabbit said:


> I understand why you ask. Thanks! Yes, we have met. I was on a trip traveling around SE Asia. We spent at least 2 months together and were together almost constantly in that time so we have spent quite a lot of time getting to know each other. I have explained to her that not all farang are rich and I am most certainly not rich. She knows I don't have any money and she knows if I come to Thailand we would just lead a normal Thail life and she's fine with it. She just wants to be together.


In that case good, an honest Thai woman makes a great partner, so count yourself lucky.



Sillywabbit said:


> She lives in Hat Yai in the south. I'm not sure what the job situation is like there. I know it's one of the bigger cities in Thailand. I think third biggest?


I'm not sure about Hat Yai either as I've never been, however I am aware that there's an expat community there who may be able to give you some leads.



Sillywabbit said:


> I don't have the degree to become a teacher. My command of my native language is pretty good and I could probably pass the exam to become a teacher but without the degree qualification I wouldn't be able to teach. I wouldn't take the risk of doing it without. I couldn't take the stress of having to look over my shoulder all the time wondering if my life will be over in Thailand with her because the immigration official comes knocking.


Fair enough, there are other means of getting employment, but as far as I know for salaried positions as a western foreigner, teaching is the best bet. Without the degree you are correct and wise in not wanting to look over your shoulder every day. 





Sillywabbit said:


> I don't even know what online marketing is  As I said, I don't really have that many skills. I don't know about online marketing.


Basically just running ads for businesses using social media platforms. It's FAR simpler than most people think, you don't have to really have any technical skills to do it successfully either. There is info online about strategies and how to get started if you want to attempt this route as well. I'm very new to it so I don't want to start giving out potentially very bad advice. But working online seems to be the best way to go to earn a good reliable income here. Another alternative route here would be stock trading, but that takes more practice and runs a bigger risk than the former suggestion. The only real down side to online work, if it's your only income source, is that you won't be able to get a work visa/permit, so you'd have to live the visa running lifestyle while you're here. It's not as horrible as a lot of people make it seems but it can be a hassle keeping up with all your expiration dates and such. I know there are methods of employment available to expats that don't involve teaching, but they are a bit more difficult to find and don't always carry the most comfortable salary. SInce you'd be an outsider, and a newbie one at that, you'd have to be careful that you're not being taken advantage of. Thai's are great people but often don't have the most ethical business practices, I have some direct experience with that. 





Sillywabbit said:


> It's good to know that I shouldn't need much Thai. I am trying to learn Thai but it's not easy as you probably know! So it's slow going. I just would like to know what my next steps are? Should I go to Thailand and try to find work? Will the company get me a work permit if I interview well? What are my chances? What work could I do? Should I look here? If so, then what are some good places? I have tried googling this stuff but there's so much information out there and a lot of it is either confusing or not at all helpful.
> 
> Thanks for your time. Appreciate it.


Thai grammar is remarkably simple, but it's a matter of learning the tones and vocabulary. Just like any new skill keep practicing and you'll get it. I would say come to Thailand with some savings, maybe enough to live comfortably (not lavishly) for 2 or 3 months so you can look for work. If it doesn't work out, then at least you gave it a shot. But come in with the confident mindset that you can and will make it work, and good fortune I'm sure will find you. As a believer in the Law of Attraction, that's perhaps the most important piece of advice I can give. God speed my friend


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## Thai Bigfoot (Aug 29, 2009)

You could easily get a TEFL certificate and probably get a job pretty easy in any of the remote provinces.

My advice on marriage. No. Nada. Never.


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## digitalchic (Jul 11, 2019)

Sillywabbit said:


> Hello all.
> 
> I'll try to keep this brief. Basically I fell in love with a Thai woman. We would live to marry and be together in Thailand, but I don't have the money in the bank for the marriage certificate. I need to save and this will take quite some time.
> 
> ...


I'm young and I don't think I have the right to give you some advice since you are older and wiser than me but I agree with Thai Bigfoot - NO to marriage. Get the job, take care of yourself first. Dophamine high will run out after 3 months.


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