Two expat marketers in Bangkok, a copywriter-editor and an NGO marketing specialist, share how they got hired, what employers expect from foreign marketers, and what the job pays. The interviews come from our 2018 book, so we’ve added a note on the salary Thai immigration now expects from a foreign employee.
The following post is a chapter from our book, Working in Thailand: How to Ditch the Desk, Board the Flight, and Land the Job, written by Patrick Taylor and Karsten Aichholz.
Buy Working in Thailand on Amazon.
Our premium subscribers get access to this book for free, including the interviews with people in seventeen professions in Thailand. They shared their experiences on what they did to successfully get a job here, requirements, and what to expect.
Key Takeaways
- Expat marketers in Thailand often cover a mix of copywriting, branding, social media and digital marketing, especially at small firms and NGOs.
- Strong English writing and editing skills matter more than a specific degree for copywriting jobs.
- Have a portfolio ready, because employers will ask for samples and may test your writing during the hiring process.
- Build your experience at home first, since Thai employers expect expat hires to bring a lot to the table.
- Networking and referrals landed both marketers their jobs; JobsDB is useful but secondary.
- Pay varies widely, with multinationals at the top and NGOs at the bottom.
- Before you accept an offer, check it against the minimum monthly income Thai immigration sets for your nationality, which is THB50,000 for most Western passports.
The Marketers
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes by Patrick Limcaco and Mark (last name withheld for privacy), marketers.
The marketing industry in Thailand is in trouble.
According to the Bangkok Post, in 2016 over 85% of Thai companies lacked digital marketing personnel—a severe shortage, considering the huge reach of digital media.
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