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If you're from western Europe you can easily get a 1 year working holiday visa and go from there. Staying in Thailand beyond 1 year these days legally is also

If you're from western Europe you can easily get a 1 year working holiday visa and go from there. Staying in Thailand beyond 1 year these days legally is also difficult, so it works out the same. I have never heard about the call center thing and doubt it, but there are plenty of japanese expats in Bangkok that arguably get a lot more work done than 2-3 thais would do at an overall equal cost. Thailand is really not much cheaper than Japan these days for a foreigner who doesn't speak the language, but it remains a developing country.

seanmcdirmid 12y ago
> I have never heard about the call center thing and doubt it Well: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/business/global/22outsource.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/business/global/22outsourc... Bangkok is quite a bit cheaper than Tokyo. And there is a huge Japanese expat population as a result. > Thailand is really not much cheaper than Japan these days for a foreigner who doesn't speak the language, but it remains a developing country. I would agree that Thailand is not as cheap as people think it is, but looking at what my friends in Japan pay (not even in Tokyo!), I doubt cost of living in Japan is comparable to cost of living in Thailand.
- unimportant 12y ago
  Everything in that article is dated 2008, but even then the minimum salary requirements for japanese people were 35k baht to get a work permit. All the japanese expats I've gotten to know in Bangkok last year were well paid and no japanese person would normally work for that kind of money. 30k baht is what a company would get away with for a thai person fluent in japanese doing customer support. Normal office worker salaries in Bangkok are about 20-25k baht without any language skills and they live hand to mouth on that money.
  - seanmcdirmid 12y ago
    Perhaps, but I find Bangkok incredibly cheap compared to say Beijing; especially the rents, but even cars are cheaper there. Wouldn't mind living there someday if I could get a good job.

seanmcdirmid 12y ago

> I have never heard about the call center thing and doubt it Well: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/business/global/22outsource.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/business/global/22outsourc... Bangkok is quite a bit cheaper than Tokyo. And there is a huge Japanese expat population as a result. > Thailand is really not much cheaper than Japan these days for a foreigner who doesn't speak the language, but it remains a developing country. I would agree that Thailand is not as cheap as people think it is, but looking at what my friends in Japan pay (not even in Tokyo!), I doubt cost of living in Japan is comparable to cost of living in Thailand.

unimportant 12y ago
Everything in that article is dated 2008, but even then the minimum salary requirements for japanese people were 35k baht to get a work permit. All the japanese expats I've gotten to know in Bangkok last year were well paid and no japanese person would normally work for that kind of money. 30k baht is what a company would get away with for a thai person fluent in japanese doing customer support. Normal office worker salaries in Bangkok are about 20-25k baht without any language skills and they live hand to mouth on that money.
- seanmcdirmid 12y ago
  Perhaps, but I find Bangkok incredibly cheap compared to say Beijing; especially the rents, but even cars are cheaper there. Wouldn't mind living there someday if I could get a good job.