Two foreign techies in Bangkok explain how they landed IT jobs with Thai employers, what the work pays (from THB40,000 a month for juniors to six figures for seniors) and why a friend’s tip beat every job board.
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.
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Key Takeaways
- Bangkok has plenty of IT work, but local employers only take on the hassle of hiring a foreigner legally when you are clearly skilled.
- Both techies we interviewed got their jobs through people they knew.
- Testing and proven ability count for more than degrees, even though many job ads still ask for an IT degree and two years’ experience.
- Junior programmers were looking at around THB40,000 to THB60,000 a month, while senior people could earn several hundred thousand.
- Job sites such as JobsDB, Monster and Robert Walters list IT roles, but networking events and chamber of commerce listings open more doors.
- The SMART Visa and the 10-year Long-Term Resident visa now give highly skilled tech professionals a smoother route than a standard work permit.
The Techies
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes by Gary and Markus, techies.
On Sunday 2nd October 2011, followers of Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s Twitter account awoke to find she had been posting some shockingly candid messages.
This country is a business! We work for our allies, not for the Thai people. We work for those who support us, not those who differ with us.
Another stated:
Where are the opportunities for the poor? We use them, give them hope for votes so our own group can benefit.
After at least eight postings in a similar vein, the unusually frank prime minister signed off with:
If she can’t even protect her own Twitter account, how can she protect the country? Think about it.
Needless to say, it quickly became apparent that her account had been hacked.
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