# Thailand move many unanswered questions?



## anorman25 (Sep 2, 2012)

I am British National with a large young family. We have decided that we want to move to Thailand however have so many unanswered questions.
Do we have to speak Thai to move there?
What schooling options do I have for my children?
Job options for Brit's in Thailand, am I restricted to what I can do?
I have found a house in Pattaya I am wanting to buy out right so wont have to pay rent etc.
Also I am leaving the Army so can get virtually any job training/qualifications needed.
Some help on these questions would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Andy.


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## stednick (Oct 16, 2011)

*Investigate and plan*

Andy;

Here you go. I'll try to get you started. You have a great deal of planning to do if you want to succeed. Unfortunately, what you want to do, will be difficult to accomplish successfully. Of course, this is dependent upon what yardstick you measure success against (is happiness enough?). Living in this tropical paradise is very different from vacationing here. The first caution I will make is you are talking about a "large young family". You have so much at stake in this you really must do a massive amount of due diligence before your act on your planned relocation. 

First, you found this forum, a very good place to start. You need to read, read and read some more. Far too many items and things that you will need to account for than can be listed. As you read through the many threads in this forum the details will emerge. It's a good thing to account for the small details before they become problems. As you develop specific questions use the "search" tool, tab on center green bar of this forum to investigate them. Can't find the answer, ask the forum body for their experience(s). 


Questions posed;

No, you do not have to speak Thai to move to Thailand. Although it is advised. You really should begin to study Thai, both spoken and written. Fluency will require years of study and practice.

Schooling for the children. You will need to enroll them in an "expensive" international school. You can explore other options but you will conclude, after your exploration, that the expensive international school is the proper way to educate your children and prepare them for the future.

Job options - Yes, you are restricted. I refer you to the thread "Sticky: Employment: Restricted occupations for foreigners" third thread listed in/on this forum. Also, even when not restricted, all employment by foreigners requires a "work permit". 

House purchase. Only Thai citizens can own property. Many hazardous methods of trying to get around this fact have been tried, explored. They typically fail to provide any safety for your investment. Better not to take the risk. Rent's are cheap. Should the political climate go south in the region you may, by necessity, need to abandon any property you own and flee or evacuate for the safety of your family. Why risk it?

Job training. Andy, use common sense, get the best high technology training you are capable of completing. Take full advantage of the training you have earned.



Also, I'm assuming that since you say you have found a house in Pattaya you have visited Thailand. If not ...

Andy, as I stated at the beginning of this post. This can be done but it will be a difficult task to accomplish. You and your family need to be fully committed to this. Use care in making your plans and decisions. 

Make sure you have a Plan B or bailout plan.


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## howie444 (May 7, 2012)

Andy, my contribution to your questions are limited compared to Stednick's however I can only say that everything he has advised you is correct.

I am a British national, 47yrs old, live in the UK at present, been to Thailand 11 times on visits, visiting next year for a month, then end 2013/star t2014 for 3 months, then hopefully retire to Thailand in 2014/2015.

I have been spending 2-3hrs perday trawling forums like this getting information, I have got books full of notes...and I don't even think I have scratched the surface. I have been planning my retirement and finding out things Thai for a few years now, so when I do retire, I should (hopefully) have enough learnt to make it possible for me (and a little easier).

I can't speak for experience like Stednick and others on here, but their advice is worth it's wait in gold. When I started many many months ago with my idea of retirement in Thailand, I probably like yourself, had no idea what knowledge needs to be sought before the 'jump' to Thailand.

I am single with no dependants, won't need to work and will be 50 when I retire, so my situation is different to yours, and probably easier as I have no family.

All I am trying to say is that I have been doing what Stednick and others have advised in relation to learning everything you can before the move, as Thailand IS different by a million miles when retiring than it is when vacating.

Good luck and I hope it all works out...but please take note of the advice you get like Stednick's above.

Howie


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