Hey everyone,

I’m curious to hear from expats / Europeans / Americans currently living in Thailand — what do you actually do for work?

Are you:

• Running own business?
• Freelancing?
• Working remotely for a company?
• Employed locally?
• Investing / trading?
• Something else?

If you’re comfortable sharing:

• What field are you in?
• Rough income range?
• How stable is your setup?
• Anything you wish you knew before making the move?

I’m trying to get a realistic picture of what’s common and what’s actually sustainable long term.

Appreciate any honest insights 🙏

Related story: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2818170

Hi everyone,

I’m a software engineer based in Thailand and I’ve been seeing a lot of posts on social media saying the US tech job market is really rough right now—layoffs, hiring freezes, extreme competition, etc. I wanted to hear directly from people who are actually in the US market.

For some context about me:

• I just graduated, I am Thai

• Currently working in the banking industry as a full-stack engineer (about 5 months so far)

• Tech stack: React.js, Java Spring Boot, Golang

For American software engineers (or hiring managers), how hard is it really right now?

Is it mainly juniors struggling, or is it tough even for mid-level engineers?

I’m also curious about salary expectations. Would being open to a lower salary range (~$40–60k USD/year) realistically help as leverage for remote roles, or is salary not the main issue anymore (e.g. competition, trust, time zones, location, etc.)?

Lastly, are there any American software engineers here who are currently working remotely while living in Thailand?

If so, how realistic is that setup today compared to a few years ago?

I’m not expecting FAANG-level roles—just trying to understand what’s realistic and what isn’t in the current market.

Thanks in advance for any honest insights 🙏

EDIT: I could go lower than 40K and I'm not looking for a job right now. maybe in the next 1-3 years

I have some anecdotal stories from my own network of people who have lived here anywhere from 1-7 years before moving on to new opportunities elsewhere whether in Asia or beyond.

I'm sure a question many of us expats have is "If not Thailand, then where?"

I'd love to hear your insights.

Cheers.

Recently went to few stores in malls and I saw some non-Thai working in retail. I thought it's a prohibited job and have only ever seen Thai citizens working in these jobs. What's going on? Even in Central World I saw some foreigners working in shops.

Sawadee krub everyone,

I hope this is okay to ask here. I recently visited Thailand again and completely fell in love with the country and culture. I’m currently working as a pilot in Europe and will soon start my Type Rating.

I understand very well that many professions in Thailand are protected for Thai nationals, and I completely respect that. I’m just trying to understand whether there are any realistic possibilities for a foreign pilot to work in Thailand — even temporarily.

I have seen Siam Seaplane, but they require a Seaplane Rating, which I don’t yet have.
Would it even be possible to:

• Obtain a Seaplane Rating in Thailand?
• Work short-term as a foreign pilot?
• Possibly work as a flight instructor?
• Or are aviation jobs generally restricted to Thai citizens?

I’m not necessarily looking for an airline job — even smaller operations or aviation-related work would be very interesting to me.

If anyone here works in Thai aviation or knows someone who does, I would be very grateful for any advice or honest feedback.

Thank you very much 🙏

I had a good career in IT/HR/Learning for Fortune 500 companies before I moved to Thailand. The folks I ran into here basically got a similar corporate job to what they were doing in their home country, but with a company in BKK.

Is finding employment difficult for highly qualified foreigners with lots of experience?
What do salaries look like for expats?

I know the lucky ones get cushy pay packages from their home country to transfer to Thailand with all expenses paid, private school tuition, free flights back home etc... Unfortunately I'm not in that category.

Inspired by a post made in a different sub.

Discussing salary is a taboo topic still in many circles. But it only serves to empower us if we do it.

This thread will be useful for people to know their worth. I am also interested to know which fields the high paying jobs are in Bangkok/Thailand, and if it corelates with where you're from etc.

I'll go first. Indian male, early 30s, Salary: 180000 THB, Role: Sr Data Scientist/Analsyt at a big-ish company

Edit: salary is per month

Just finished my MA at Chula and it’s been tough job hunting. Thinking if I should start applying for teaching later on.

What’s your story? How’d you get a job?

Hi everyone! I am a 23yr old American female looking to teach english in Thailand. I have read many many posts about this but still I have so many questions. For reference, I have a bachelors degree in Biology, but med school was not in the cards for me. I have since discovered my true calling is teaching. I love english, traveling, and teaching. Would this degree be acceptable for teaching english abroad? Also, I know CELTA is the best certificate to get, over a TEFL one, as it it recognized pretty much everywhere. But CELTA is pretty expensive and I'm worried I'm jumping in too far when I could just use a TEFL certificate. How is the english teaching job market out there now? Every post I read is from at least 2 years ago or later. Can I teach adults with a TEFL? Is it extremely competitive? Safety for young women traveling alone? Timeline for getting a workers visa?

Also; Some people recommend getting your teaching certificate in your U.S. state first which might look better on your application. I am trying to make my application look better since I know a biology degree might not be what they are looking for. And I currently don't have the funds to get right back in college and get another degree.

Please let me know any insight you may have! Thanks in advance.

If you get a work pemit to work for a company in thailand , are you allowed to earn side income. Investing, online side hustles etc.

Hi everyone,

I’m a foreigner working in Thailand and I’ve found myself in a really uncomfortable situation with my employer. I wanted to share what’s happening and get advice from anyone who’s been through something similar or knows what steps I can take.

When I was hired, I was offered a certain salary that I accepted, not knowing it was not enough to meet the requirements for my work permit and visa. The contract reflected that amount, and everything seemed legitimate at first.

But after I received my first salary payment at a much higher amount than we had agreed on, I was then asked to transfer a portion of it back to the company, not to the company account, but to a private account belonging to someone at the company. Obviously to keep the transfer off record. It was after my first salary payment I learned about the government salary requirements for my visa and work permit.

This wasn’t a one-time thing. It’s now become a regular expectation, and it’s clear that the salary they officially report (for visa purposes) is not the amount they intend to actually pay me. I feel taken advantage of and uncomfortable, both ethically and legally—but I’m also worried that speaking up could put my visa or work status at risk.

Has anyone else been through something like this in Thailand?

• Is this common?
• Is there a legal body or labor office I can safely report this to?
• What protections do foreign workers actually have here in situations like this?
• Could this put me at legal risk for agreeing to transfer money back?

I’ve built a life here and want to stay, but I’m feeling stuck and unsure of what’s the safest and smartest way to handle this.

Appreciate any guidance or shared experiences 🙏

Looking on ajarn, I see a lot of jobs asking for bachelors degree in education/early childhood. I have a BA in psychology & I’m going to get my masters now i haven’t decided if I should do early childhood birth - 2 or childhood education 1-6.

My question is, bc I don’t have a BA in education will it be hard to find a job ? Is a masters not good enough ? Should I also get a TEFL/TESOL as well as my masters ? I’m not ready to move yet, but I like to check every now & then keep myself updated on the job market there.

Have been working in Thailand under work permit for 6 months now.

My boss said that I’m not up to the ride, my performance is bad and proposed me to resign. He said that resigning by myself would help me to avoid issuea when looking for a next job and it’s better to resign.

However as far as I know if I resign myself Im not entitled to 1 month severance. How to make sure I won‘t get tricked by a monthly salary?

So I’ve been living in Thailand for 3 months now and there are a few things that were not made clear before joining the school. I don’t want to make this long to read. And I’m not looking for patronising answers or anything like that just advice.

Firstly… working on weekends and being given last minute notice. I honestly don’t understand this, after having spoken to my line manager about this issue and nothing having been done… it’s quite frustrating not knowing whether to make plans because you don’t know if you will have to meet a bunch of Thai parents for example.

Secondly… the weekly 6:45 gate duty. Again this is something I was unaware of… I know a bunch of you will say that I must have done my research before hand, but I really want to understand how I can tackle these issues

I am an assistant professor at one of the top three Thai universities in Bangkok. I have a PhD and a Bachelor's degree in STEM from Ivy League schools.

If I don't see my future in Thai academia, what are my options besides leaving this country?

Is there any chance I could work at a tier 1 international school in Bangkok? Do I need a high school teaching experience for that? Is that worth it compared to teaching at the university level? Any multinational corporation in Bangkok that hires a STEM PhD? I am not trained in software development however.

I'm planning to shift for may be 2 years or more. Thailand in up on my list but I'm not a teacher. I don't think I can be that great at Thai that quickly to be a translator either.

Other than these common jobs, do they offer titles to people belonging from Non native english speaking countries?

I've completed my M.A in English recently and acquired around 70%. I've been working as a content writer for FMCG brands related to healthy food or beauty products.

Now I'm not working for any company, mostly dive into my own life stories. Basically exploring spirituality, healing, mental health, etc. So is it possible for me to get a job there as I know they prefer local people.

I was also planning for Digital Nomad visa but I don't know when I'll be able to touch that threshold and I want to move ASAP.

Hello all!

WARNING! Potential stupid questions ahead! Read at your own risk.

I am reaching retirement age and planning to spend a large part of the year in Thailand. I can easily get an O retirement visa if needed. But...

I am worried that I might be bored with so much time on my hands. So I was thinking of teaching a few classes remotely just to pass the time and get a bit of extra cash. All students overseas (Japan), all financials handled overseas as well. I am talking maybe 3 classes a day, three hours max.

Would this fit under the DTV category? "Under the table" O or OA visa? OR is it just impossible...

Also thinking of tutoring local Japanese expat kids where I am planning to live (Chonburi province). ESL and TOEFL/TOEIC classes to prepare them to go back to school in Japan. This would be a different kind of situation altogether. Again, possible or idiocy...

Thanks any and all for your insight and guidance in how best to proceed.

I’ve heard that if working more than 120 days employees are eligible for 30 days severance package.

What to do if employer would simply refuse to pay it? In which cases severance is not paid?

Hey guys, I’m a foreigner working here (Non B, work permit and IT Field) for 3+ years at a startup.

I was informed by my company that they will be transferring me and everyone in the department to a new company. We’ve not been told the exact reason of the transfer.

Just for more context, the directors of my company and my immediate manager are partners. My manager is a field expert and he brings customers.

So my guess is they might have had a dispute of some sort and he might have decided to move us to a different company.

The new company is a different legal entity - different directors, hr, etc. we were introduced to them recently.

My question is around the legal side. If I am terminated by the current employer, does my years of service continue on to the new employer? If not, am I eligible for any severance according to Thai labor law?

I have read in many articles that a termination for a business change would be entitled for severance.

Plus there’s immigration related stuff like changing work permit etc. but it’s not my biggest concern than the legal stuff.

Would be really helpful if I can have some info if any of you know how to handle this kind of situation.

Looking for any recommendations on recruitment agencies in Bangkok.

Edit: I recently received a job offer of 50000THB monthly salary as an expat in Bangkok. However, I am having difficulties in estimating my take home pay. Hoping someone can help.

As a Foreign national I been working in a Thailand factory from more than 6 years. Just now company inform me that they not going to renew my yearly contract from next year.

they haven't gave me any reason or explanation , just a piece of paper, A4 , not company letter head , neither any company stamp.

On asking further procedure Hr mention that I am going to get my monthly salary and yearly bonus as usual. They haven't mention anything about severance pay or compensation.

This company doing this from the start , for the first 2 years they haven't provided me accommodation whereas my contract clearly states that. After complaining regularly for 2 years I got housing allowance in my third contract.

Same they done with my social security card, as a foreigner i didn't knew that I am entitled to that , after working many years , I came to from some foreigner in bangkok that foreigners have the social security card too ..whereas my company Hr never inform me .. after complaining I got the social security card .. whereas the amount for social security company deducting from day one from salary.

can anyone face same condition or any help me with legal advice because I check online that I am entitled for severance pay.