Retiring in ThailandSo! you're thinking of retiring in Thailand or maybe you have already decided to go for it. Well let me tell you, you ain't the first. And I really don't blame you cos living here is great. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to be retiring just yet, so I have to work to pay the bills (small though they are). I'm an English teacher in a relatively small town and I'm very happy thank you. (Thinking of Starting a new career) There are two reasons for me doing this page on retiring in Thailand, the first being just to try and give some basic information and the second being I meet a lot of retiree's in Thailand who actually want something to do, other than drink beer! And until they speak with me they often don't consider teaching. Thinking they're too old or don't know how to go about getting a job, and I mean a proper job, be that full time or part time. I have met guy's who try to teach and who have not done a TEFL course And to be honest the lessons I've seen are not great.
The guy I work with is from the USA and he's in his late 60's. He's in the picture above. And about three years ago after retiring in Thailand he decided he wanted something to do. He did a TEFL course (Teach English as a Foreign Language) which taught him specifically how to teach to Asian learners. As for being too old, forget about it, you have a lifetime of experience to pass on. And the kids love to hear you speak, and the one's who's English is fairly good are genuinely interested about what you have done in the West and especially like talking about your photographs. Anyway I shall cover teaching a bit later let me just give you some info about retiring in Thailand. There are many reasons why retiring in Thailand is so popular and many expats will give you different reasons. here are probably the most popular reasons. The cost of living in Thailand is considerably less than in the west. Which basically means your standard of living is generally far better. Go golfing every day, have lunch in a pleasant restaraunt in the afternoon, then in the balmy evenings its a BBQ and a few beers. Your Dollar or your Pound does go a lot further.
The Weather in Thailand, being a Brit myself I know all about the bad weather, I know Billy Connolly said "There's no such thing as bad weather - only the wrong clothes." Well Jeez, did I get sick of wearing the right clothes. Needless to say the Thailand weather is great and is my number one reason for being here. Housing costs are a major concern to the newly initiated. And to be honest it baffles me as to why so many expats tend to build houses on land they can never own. Let me put it another way, If I was married to a Thai and She had my children, then yes I can really see the logic. Other than that if the relationship goes pear shaped and they often do.. There's only one person going to benefit and it ain't gonna be you. There are ways and means of protecting your "investment" but are not simple. I always say to myself and others don't spend more than you can afford to walk away from. To give you an idea I live in a 3 bedroomed townhouse which is complete with most domestic items, in fact I've only had to buy a minimum amount of furnishings. And my rent... 2500Baht per month which works out at about US$83, Happy days! Now obviously if you want to be living in Pattaya or Bangkok or any other touristy location you can at least double that figure just for a half decent room. Crime and security when retiring in Thailand this is on most peoples list of questions. And the crime rate in Thailand is surprisingly low, and crime against foreigners is very low. In fact its probably safer here than where you're living right now. Healthcare, Unless you are going to be living up in the mountains you will have easy access to hospitals. Most if not all the larger towns have at least one international hospital. And the service in these is excellent, fortunately I've only had to visit one the once. And the cost was far less than in say a private hospital in the UK. Pharmacies/drug stores are also plentiful.
So all in all you really can have a great lifestyle by retiring in Thailand and that goes for couples as well as the single guy. So coming back to having something to do other than golf and beer, or maybe you want to retire and supplement your income by taking up one of the many teaching jobs in Thailand. Whether it be full time or part time, English teaching jobs are both easy to come by (once you know how) and can be very rewarding. I strongly reccommend doing a TEFL course and I only reccommend one academy which is Text-and-Talk And yes I'm an authorised agent for their English teaching courses. And the reason is, I did my training with them and the certificate I got opened many doors for me. Their TEFL certificate is the only one which is both recognised and registered with the Thai ministry of education. They also helped me with my visa and finding accommodation not to mention finding a job. So, nearly four years later I'm now spreading the word. For some further advice and a different take on Thailand and Pattaya check out this site Thinking of Starting a new career Find out the best way of getting one of the many Teaching Jobs FAQ's about English teaching courses Any questions just Contact me Other pages totally unrelated to teaching or retiring! Thailand practical travel information Return to hompage from retiring in Thailand |
