After the fall in the ruble exchange rate, many winterers began to look for work in Thailand, as it became even more difficult to survive renting out apartments. The prospect of moving to Thailand for permanent residence attracts an increasing number of Russians every year. Wonderful living conditions, low prices for basic food products, and constant summer will appeal to many migrants. The only thing that can stop you is a small list of vacancies in which you can legally realize yourself in a new country.
Warning before looking for work in Thailand
When deciding to travel to Thailand, you need to be prepared for the fact that this is a completely different country that has little in common with Russia.
It has its own laws, its own mentality, its own climatic conditions that require moral preparation. To feel as comfortable as possible and at the same time more or less safe, you need to take care of the following things:
- language proficiency, unfortunately, is nowhere in the country without English, and if you also have Thai skills, then this is a huge plus;
- documents - they must always be in order, a work visa, a document on education or work experience is required;
- place of residence;
- material resources for the first time.
Please note that not every job will be available to you in Thailand.
Thai law states that foreign citizens cannot perform the work that the local population can do. However, there are always areas in need of good personnel. For example, these could be scientists with proper education. Average salaries in Thailand for Russians (data is updated automatically based on exchange rates)
| Profession | Region | Salary in baht | Salary in dollars | Salary in rubles | |||||||||
| English teacher | Bangkok | from 20,000 baht | [THB_Short summ=”20000" currency=”USD”] | [T[THB_Short summ=”20000" currency=”RUB”]td> | |||||||||
| Sales Manager | Pattaya, Bangkok, Phuket | from 20,000 baht | [THB[THB_Short summ=”20000" currency=”USD”]> | [THB_S[THB_Short summ=”20000" currency=”RUB”] | |||||||||
| PHP, Ruby, Java programmers | Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai | from 35,000 baht | [THB_Sho[THB_Short summ=”35000" currency=”USD”]d>[THB_Short[THB_Short summ=”35000" currency=”RUB”]> | ||||||||||
| Diving instructor | Phuket, Pattaya | from 25,000 baht | [THB_Short s[THB_Short summ=”25000" currency=”USD”]HB_Short sum[THB_Short summ=”25000" currency=”RUB”]> | DJ | Pattaya, Phuket | from 20,000 baht | [THB_Short summ=[THB_Short summ=”20000" currency=”USD”]hort summ=[THB_Short summ=”20000" currency=”RUB”]>Cook | Pattaya, Phuket | from 12000 baht | [THB_Short summ=”1[THB_Short summ=”12000" currency=”USD”] summ=”120[THB_Short summ=”12000" currency=”RUB”]sightseeing guide | Pattaya, Phuket | from 15000 baht | [THB_Short summ=”15000[THB_Short summ=”15000" currency=”USD”]m=”15000[THB_Short summ=”15000" currency=”RUB”]="4">* Salaries may vary depending on the season |
Illegal employment in the country is fraught with negative consequences. The migration police carefully monitors foreign citizens. If it suddenly turns out that you are occupying any vacancy without the appropriate documents and permits, you may be taken into custody, followed by a court hearing. The consequence of all this can be a fairly large fine, deportation from the country and blacklisting. In some cases, the fine is 100,000 rubles, and the arrest can last up to 6 months.
How to open your own business in Thailand
Let me say briefly that open your own business in Thailand only in partnership with a Thai. I don’t know, maybe the Russians have somehow learned to circumvent this Thai law, otherwise you will have to look for a Thai. And there are a lot of restaurants and cafes here, opened by migrants. Someone is opening kindergartens in Thailand (there are already a lot of them in the Russian village in Pattaya) for Russian children, they are opening a cooking business: they bake cakes, make dumplings, and so on. By opening your own business, you have a chance to get a Thai visa for 1 year, as well as acquire a residence permit in Thailand! By the way, keep in mind that according to the list of prohibited professions, street trading is prohibited for foreigners.
If you don’t know what kind of business to open, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with ideas for starting a business in Thailand.
Opening your own business, thanks to Thai legislation, is easier than in Russia. There is almost no racketeering among the local population; this is mainly done by the Russian mafia in Thailand. There was one case when the Russians on Samui kidnapped a businessman and extorted a million baht from him, but did not receive the money and ended up behind bars.
An example of Russian business in Thailand (source: piki-trip.ru)
List of prohibited professions in Thailand
The list of areas of activity in which foreign citizens cannot work is very long, so be careful when choosing a particular specialty:
- drivers;
- agricultural activities;
- construction;
- wood processing and wood carving;
- accountants;
- auctions;
- production and distribution of firearms;
- sellers;
- hairdressing services;
- paper production;
- production of national musical instruments;
- jewelry making;
- advertising;
- hotel business (except for managers);
- services sector;
- fisheries;
- mining;
- making Buddha images;
- production of shoes, hats and cigarettes;
- architects and designers;
- lawyers;
- photographers;
- guides;
- secretaries.
Each of the presented specialties is prohibited for various reasons. Some positions cannot be filled for safety reasons or because there may be a negative impact on culture, arts and crafts. For other specialties, it is believed that Thais have greater competitiveness over foreign citizens and may well fill the advertised vacancies themselves.
How to get started in the modeling business in Thailand
Do you want to make a career in modeling in Thailand ? Then start preparing your portfolio - your self-presentation will be needed to send to agents. Even if you're naturally Hercules or Aphrodite, don't create an album of only swimsuit photos. There is no need to pose in underwear.
It is better to offer yourself for the role of a model in Thailand in an evening dress, business suit, national clothes or beach attire. Such variations will become useful in the case when the customer needs a person to play the role of a business hero for work. Naturally, half-nude photographs will be discarded.
The next step on the way to the modeling business in Thailand is to search for agencies (on Facebook) and agents and submit a portfolio. If your friend from social networks is an agent, try to make a real acquaintance with him, use charm and try to please this person. If this is not possible, then await your fate.
What happens if the agent remembers your image? Tune in to auditions - their number can vary from 2 to 10 per month. There's a catch here - you won't be able to leave Bangkok whenever you want. Indeed, often the casting becomes known on the eve of the event. If you really need a modeling job in Thailand , then be patient.
Those who want to get a job as a model at a casting...
Legal work in Thailand
If you have finally found a legal specialty for yourself and decided to get an official job, then pay attention to the following points:
- Before traveling to Thailand, you will need to apply for a Non-B visa. To do this, the employer must send you a package of necessary documents.
- Upon arrival in the country, you will need to immediately apply for a Work permit. As a rule, this is done by the employer himself.
- Start working only after you have the permit in your hands, thereby protecting yourself from checks by the migration police. You must perform only the work that is specified in your Work permit and do not forget to carry it with you at all times.
Finding work for foreigners in Thailand is not always easy. The state made sure that most of the vacancies were filled by residents of the country. However, there is always a demand for high-paying positions. According to statistics, legal employment is most often required for the following specialties:
- designer;
- translator and English language teachers;
- programmer.
- engineer
These positions require knowledge of English and experience in a similar position. As for salaries, amounts may vary. Teachers earn between 30,000-35,000, and the salary of designers and programmers at some enterprises reaches up to 90,000 - 100,000.
How much can you earn in Thailand?
It’s hard for a foreigner to earn big money in Thailand. But even the locals do not have a high income. The average salary in the country is 13 thousand baht ($400). However, even this modest figure is an underestimate, since the difference between incomes in the capital and provincial cities is huge.
Average earnings of representatives of different professions:
| Profession | Average monthly income in baht |
| Engineer | 30 000 |
| Cook | 13 000 |
| Diving instructor | 28 000 |
| English teacher | 23 000 |
| Programmer, software developer | 60-90 000 |
| Doctor | 30 000 |
| Nurse | 13 000 |
| Real Estate Sales Manager | 15,000 + income from transactions |
| Marketing Manager | 30 000 |
| Sales Representative | 25 000 |
| Housemaid | 7 000 |
| Waiter, bartender | 8-9 000 |
| Model | 1500-5000 (per day) |
| Go-go dancer | 50 000 |
| Animator | 20 000 |
The closer the place of work is to Bangkok, the higher the salary. However, it still remains at a fairly low level. Incomes in Thailand are not very different from Russian ones. And this is not counting the fact that part-time work and two days off a week is the ultimate dream. As a rule, you have to work 6 days a week with a minimum 8-hour shift.
Illegal work in Thailand
The rather strict legislation of Thailand is increasingly pushing foreign citizens to get work unofficially, while occupying vacancies that are included in the list of prohibited ones. Migrants from the CIS countries often begin their careers in the tourism sector, as photographers or animators.
These are the areas where the demand for Russian citizens always remains high. This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that Thais, as a rule, do not speak Russian, and tourists from Russia (the bulk) understand little in English. Therefore, it is always easier for our compatriots to provide the necessary information. Depending on the position, the salary can vary between 20,000-30,000 baht, sometimes more.
As a rule, Russians look for work in Thailand in the following specialties:
- nanny
- guide
- photographer
- excursion seller
- cosmetologist
- cook
- promoter
It is easiest to find work in Thailand during the high season, especially if you do not plan to hold any high-ranking positions. Upon arrival in the country, you can always get a job as a bartender, waiter or cook.
On the websites of various companies there may be advertisements recruiting young girls for dance groups or for consummation. Be careful with such offers, as they often hide something else – prostitution. The exception here may be promoters.
Sometimes you can find offers for part-time work in crowd scenes, during the recording of a film or some kind of video. But, as a rule, this type of activity does not bring permanent income, and these proposals are rare.
What specialties can you work in?
Now you just have to decide on how to make money in Thailand . However, due to the list of prohibited professions for foreigners in Thailand, finding a legal job locally is not so easy; you will have to search a lot and often get nervous.
Personally, I am both for and against this list. Against - for obvious reasons, but for... take, for example, Russia, where, due to migrants from Central Asia, some local residents cannot find work. Unlike our president, the King of Thailand cares about his people.
There are four groups of people who work:
- remotely or freelance;
- to the employer at the place of residence;
- have their own business in Thailand;
- They don’t work at all, there are others like that.
Now let’s take a closer look at each group of people working in the country.
Where to look for work in Thailand
You should worry about finding a job in advance, preferably in your home country. The thing is that the employer will have to send you a package of necessary documents to obtain a visa. Today there are agencies dealing with similar issues. You submit a request to them with the desired vacancy, they look for an employer for you.
In addition to this, vacancies can be searched on special sites, including:
- https://th.jobsdb.com/th/jobs/
- https://www.careerjet.co.th/foreigner-jobs.html
- https://jobs.accor.com
- https://job.bangkokpost.com/en/search/
Jobs in Pattaya
Most of the vacancies in Pattaya will be related to the tourist destination, since today it is the most popular resort among many tourists. Here you can be offered a place in beauty salons, hotels, hotel complexes. But wages in Pattaya will not be one of the highest. Better paying positions are worth looking for in Bangkok. Recently, Russian citizens have been trying to find a suitable place through VKontakte groups. There you can leave your application and view vacancies from employers:
- https://vk.com/topic-18033300_28130419;
- https://vk.com/jobpattaya.
Work in Phuket
Phuket also cannot always surprise you with a large offer of worthwhile vacancies, and even with a good level of income. Sometimes there are offers for a translator or a foreign language teacher. But in order to take up this vacancy, you will need a work permit and a TELF certificate.
Having a good start-up capital, you can try to open your own business. But recently, more stringent rules have been introduced for businessmen. Quite often, workers are required in the restaurant business. There you can work as a waiter or bartender. Work in the tourism sector will be illegal, but you can always find a vacancy, especially in high demand during the high season. You can view vacancies in Phuket using the following links:
- https://vk.com/club103905982;
- https://vk.com/topic-16712879_23140333.
Remote work in Thailand
Remote work is a type of work activity that does not require constant presence at the workplace. You can work from the comfort of your home and get good money for it. Some foreigners permanently residing in Thailand do just that. Remote vacancies require system administrators, programmers, designers, and there are even those who have proven themselves in copywriting.
The latter type of activity, of course, does not bring in a high income, but it allows you to travel around the country on a budget.
The salary of those associated with computer technology can be very diverse and sometimes reaches 100,000 baht. At the same time, I would like to warn you that recently a lot of online courses have proliferated that claim to employ their cadets. All they really do is sell online courses, luring buyers with beautiful scenery and promises of a life of travel. Remember that beginners cannot get good money on the Internet, since professionals are needed in all areas.
Remote work is available in any country
What do remote workers do?
A significant part of those who come to Thailand or spend the winter here work unnoticed by the Thai authorities: website creation and programming, photo stocks, blogging and copywriting, development of their websites and online stores, traffic arbitrage, SMM, forex and stock exchanges, sale of Thai goods or handmade goods in other countries, remote engineering projects with drawings and calculations. I could go on and on here for a long time, but it all basically comes down to either freelancing or making money on the Internet. All my friends make money this way. Alternatively, you can also rent out an apartment, if you have one.
All of the above activities can be safely carried out in any country and without violating anyone’s laws. Because there is no way to check what you are doing, and your activities are in no way connected with Thailand. In fact, only the slippery issue of taxes remains, which can be resolved, or it can be left hanging, since you can’t really check it either.
Remote work in Thailand
Yes, freelancing has its pros and cons, but I advocated for this type of activity and continue to advocate. This gives much more stability than coming and working for a season as an illegal Thai guide with unclear prospects. Freelancing and remote work will remain with you upon your return to Russia. But, here the master is the master, who likes what.
Where to begin
As you may have guessed, I am a blogger myself and have been making money on websites for the last few years. This is not a freebie at all, as some people think, no. When you turn a website and travel into a business, you have to work harder than in the office. Moreover, you have to not only write articles and do promotion, but also organize the process itself, which includes planning, analytics, employee management, etc. There are many nuances, I won’t dwell on them. In any case, I enjoy what I do now much more than my previous engineering job. I like the format of the work, I like the opportunity to sometimes spend the winter in Thailand, I like the prospects (I earn more than in the office). I even once wrote a post about how to become a blogger, but there are the basics, the very beginning. Yes, and yet, being a website owner or, in other words, a publisher is not an acquired taste.
Therefore, I would start by trying to understand which activity is closer to you. Naturally, we are talking about freelancing, remote work and making money on the Internet. This is the safest thing you can do in Thailand, or indeed in any country. And the most important thing is that you are not tied to a specific workplace, you can move to other countries, or return back to Russia.
PS This is only general information about working in Thailand, so you’ll have to figure out your own ideas on the spot yourself. But the main thing is that you have to do something, try, otherwise you yourself know...
