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Interviews with entrepreneurs and business leaders who’ve “made it” in Thailand. Real stories of ambition, setbacks, and strategic wins on the path to success. Built for founders and operators who want to win in Thailand.
Guests from the US, UK, Australia, and Thailand. Honest journeys and cross-cultural lessons. Inspiration for anyone building in the Thai market.
Apply to be a guest:
https://madeitinthailand.com/apply
Hosted by Scott Pressimone, a US expat based in Thailand for 13+ years and owner of Fractiond, a Thailand-based strategy consultancy.
#ThailandBusiness #ExpatSuccess #ThaiExpat
Many people believe that the only job
that expats can find in Thailand is
teaching English, and I'm here to tell
you, that is absolutely not the case.
This video is for you if you're new
to Thailand and you're trying to find
your first job, or if you're already
in Thailand working as a teacher and
you're trying to pivot out of that into
a different career, It is absolutely
possible to get a job outside of teaching.
However, you just have to
know that it's not easy.
There are so many people that
wanna work here, and they don't
wanna be a teacher, and so as a
result, the competition is fierce.
But if you're able to stick to it and you
watch the content of this video that I
will show you how you can do it yourself.
My name is Scott Pressimone and I've
been in Thailand since 2012, and
I've been working here since 2013.
Now I run my own business
consultancy here.
However, it was not easy for me
when I first got to Thailand.
I didn't get a lot of responses
from my job applications.
I felt very discouraged, but if
you fast forward a few years, I
was able to make it work, and I'm
here to tell you how I did it.
I am not here to discourage
people from teaching in Thailand.
If you have a teaching career, if
you're looking for a teaching job,
I'd highly encourage you to do that.
This video is for individuals who
are not teachers, do not plan to be
teachers, do not want to be teachers.
Are just maybe taking a teaching job
or considering a teaching job because
it's the only option available to them.
And I wanted to create this because I
do not think that a teacher that does
not care about the career and does not
care about what they're doing is going
to end up providing value to themselves
or the people that they're teaching.
And so I want to provide a pathway
outside of that so people can
kind of find the right career
for themselves here in Thailand.
Now, this is what the
typical process looks like.
You come to Thailand,
you're excited about it.
You realize you wanna build a career
here, or you wanna live and work here,
and then the reality hits that people
aren't responding, that you're already
able to get the opportunities that you
wanted, and then you get discouraged.
You wonder whether or not
you'll have any opportunities.
You see teaching jobs and
you think, oh, you know what?
Maybe I'll just do that for
a little while, or maybe
that's the only job I can get.
Then you settle for it.
Then you get discouraged after
a year or two in that job.
'cause you're maybe not getting a good
income and you're doing something that
you don't enjoy, and then you feel stuck.
And again, that's what I
want to help you overcome.
If you're either in that situation
today or if you fear that
you might go down that track.
The first thing to understand is thinking
from the perspective of the employer
and why this is actually happening.
Why there aren't those careers
for you here in Thailand.
The first thing is salary.
'cause truthfully, if you came from
a Western country and you're anchored
to a higher salary, when you come to
Thailand, and if you are demanding a
high salary in Thailand, the question
becomes why would an employer hire you?
Why would they take someone
who's more demanding?
Wants a higher salary and is not
even adjusted to Thailand yet.
That is going to make them want
to hunt for local resources above
external and expat resources.
The second thing is visas, because
you need a visa and a work permit to
work here as a foreigner, and that's
something that is an expense and also
takes a ton of time for an employer.
And so if they're gonna sponsor
you, they're gonna help you go
to immigration all the time.
They're gonna have their staff help
you with the Thai language barrier.
Then the question
becomes, are you worth it?
Are you worth that extra time and effort
in order to go through all that hassle?
And the third thing is really risk,
because plenty of people come here
or they think about coming here and
they have the rose colored glasses.
They maybe cannot acclimate
to the culture over time.
They have a culture shock or
they go out on a bender and
never come back to work, right?
This happens all the time here.
And so you have to know that is a big
risk to an employer because why would
they go through the hassle that I said
of maybe paying a higher salary, paying
for your work permit and visa, only to
find out that maybe you are not all that
reliable, or maybe after six months or
a year you decide you want to go home.
That's a big risk.
Now with my story, I did come here
kind of expecting quite a bit.
I had a good career in the us.
I thought I'd come here, I'd be able to
find a similar job, and I wasn't able to.
And honestly, I was quite discouraged
when I didn't hear back from employers.
And then I actually did get a few
interviews and the reality struck
that I didn't have something
of value here in Thailand.
Because as much as I had a good
career in the us, I did not have
skills that were well adapted to
what the Thailand needed at the time.
You need to have skills that are
transferable and useful in Thailand.
And I did not have those.
But again, I was persistent and I was
able to get a job and then I was able
to eventually build into the career
that I really love and enjoy today.
It is possible to thrive in Thailand.
It just takes time and persistence.
Now when it comes to other individuals
that have done this, just know if you
go out to intramural sports events,
if you go out to other events and meet
people, you are going to find people
that have very interesting careers here.
It is not all teachers.
They do exist, and just expose
yourself to the fact that there
is another world out there.
There are people that are doing it,
and I think that should act as an
encouragement to make you realize
that it is absolutely possible.
Now, here's the framework
that I would recommend.
If you're new to Thailand,
you have not got a job yet.
The first thing is, go to a ton of events.
Meet everyone that you can.
Talk to as many people as you can.
Do not be pitching yourself
as looking for a job.
Instead, listen.
Be a sponge.
Better understand what's going on here.
Step number two is to then adapt
your skillset to the need that
you are hearing in the market.
So if you're able to adapt your
skillset to the local Thai market,
then opportunities will arise.
But you have to make that adaptation.
Then number three is
to continue to network.
Now that you understand how to position
yourself and where you fit in, you
need to go to those events, meet more
people, and form more relationships.
And I mean relationships.
I don't mean connections like
a business card collection.
I mean actually getting to know people
and trying to provide value to them.
Sharing to them how you can help
them, and continuing to talk
and nurture those relationships.
Now in addition to meeting people in
person, you also should apply to jobs
that are found online, like Jobs db.
Now, one tip around that is to look
for companies that are BOI companies.
Board of Investment Companies.
These would be foreign companies
that have operations in Thailand.
The reason BOI companies are so
important is because it's much
easier for them to employ foreigners.
And they don't necessarily have to
adhere to this four to one ratio of
Thai employees to foreign employees.
And so although it's still a hassle
for them to go through that visa and
work permit process, it still is a
lower barrier for them to do that
because they don't need to adhere to
some of these other regulations that
Thai companies need to adhere to.
So I would definitely give
preferential treatment to
companies that are BOI companies.
And then if you are able to
get an interview, set yourself
apart in that interview.
Do not be asking for things.
Do not be demanding things.
Show how much you can provide value and
show them how much you care about them.
And that means after the interview,
maybe sending them a letter, maybe a note
now, I mean, an actual handwritten note.
I did that myself, and it really did
set me apart from other people that
clearly would not send a personalized
thank you letter in the mail as I did.
You're going to have to do something
extra in order to stand apart.
Now, let's say on the other hand
that you're not new to Thailand
and you already have a teaching job
here and you're trying to switch.
Well, I would recommend the exact
same thing in that you have to
go to events to meet people.
But here's the difference.
If you have a very highly demanding
teaching job, chances are you're not
gonna be able to go to evening events.
You're gonna be exhausted after the
day of lesson planning and all the
other things that you have to do.
I would say try to have a teaching
job that is not so demanding.
And so maybe your first step is
to actually downgrade your role
a little bit, work at a different
school, try to transfer somewhere
else where it's not as demanding.
Because if you don't have time
to develop your skills outside of
teaching, there's no way you'll
be able to make the transition.
So you have to start with
time so that you can actually
dedicate to making the switch.
And then just like someone who's new
to Thailand, you have to develop your
skills and adapt them in a way that
is going to meet a demand in Thailand.
And so you're going to events,
you're learning from them.
You're building up a skillset.
You are studying on the weekends,
you're studying on nights, you're
doing what you can to build up that.
Now, another difference that would come
if you are your teaching in Thailand
is i'd actually discourage you from
introducing yourself as a teacher.
I think as soon as you put yourself
in the box of a teacher that's
looking for a non-teaching job,
you're now positioning yourself as
needing a favor from someone else.
Whereas I'd say if you're able to
develop your skills and you're working
as a teacher during your regular day
hours, still position yourself as the
other thing that you have skillset in.
So maybe, again, if you're doing
marketing, if you're doing web
development, if you're doing
other things like this, that's
how you present yourself.
That's the skill that you
are providing to others.
Lead with that as opposed
to leading as a teacher.
Another small tip here for everyone
would be try to work in a company that
actually has the growth potential.
So potentially they have a large customer
service operation, in which case your
English communication skills would help.
Potentially they have other departments
you could maybe move into at a later time.
And so I would say that a larger
company might have more opportunities,
a smaller company might as well,
but it has to be something that
has other steps for you to take.
If there's one role for one foreigner
doing one thing, you probably won't be
able to work up the corporate ladder
within that organization, and so It's
really important that you select a
company that's gonna give you some
growth potential, and you can actually
move within that company up to build
that skill set up even further.
So here's the thing that you
really should take away from this.
Yes, there are jobs outside of teaching.
However, it is hard to find them,
and you have to be persistent.
You have to continue to search for them.
That means you need time, means
you need, need to go to an event.
It means you need to meet a
ton of people and it means you
need to develop your skills.
If you can't do those things, it's
gonna be very, very hard to succeed
in Thailand outside of teaching.
Because remember, you do not
want to ask favors for others.
You do not want to ask others
to give you a job as a favor.
Instead, you need to provide value
upfront to the companies that exist
here that are already searching for
those skills that are already in high
demand, and then you need to position
yourself as providing those skills.
Now, I hope you got
some value out of this.
If you did, all I ask is you click like
and you subscribe to the channel, and if
I missed anything or if you have any other
ideas, then leave them in the comments.
That's all I have for now.
I hope again, you got value and
I will catch you on the next one.
Bye for now.