Thailand Archives

The cost of living in Bangkok, Thailand

December 7, 2016 by Stefania Battaglia Leave a Comment

If you’re thinking about moving to the Thai capital, even for a short time, this article will be very useful for you managing your money and creating a personal “living cost plan”.

As you can imagine the main monthly expenses are similar to those in the West with a few small exceptions.

In this article we’ll cover both the obligatory expenses that you can’t avoid and the extra ones for everything you need to know when you step foot on Thai soil.

To these costs there’s also the cost of a visa which will vary according to the type whether a student visa, work visa, retirement visa, or tourist visa. [Read more…]

How to teach English in Thailand

November 8, 2016 by Matteo Isola Leave a Comment

Are you looking for a way to finance your adventures in Thailand, or a new life or work experience?

In this guide I will explain how to teach English in the Land of Smiles as one of the most popular jobs with strong demand for those looking to earn a living and live almost like a Westerner in a land where traditions, culture and lifestyle are totally different than what we’re used to.

Note that everything you read in this article is derived from my own personal experience as an English teacher in Thailand.

Why you should teach English in Thailand?

The country is situated in the center of Southeast Asia and borders with Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia, which allows those living in Thailand to travel and not only discover its own wonders but also those of other countries.

The majority of people that come to teach English belong to one of the following categories:

Newly-graduated students looking for a well-paying job; for example in my school there was a pair of foreign girls who attended university in Bangkok and took this occasion to do it as a summer job before school restarted;

People tired of the monotony who want to try something new;

[Read more…]

How to stay in Thailand with a student visa

November 2, 2016 by Stefania Battaglia Leave a Comment

For all those who wish to come and live in Thailand for more than six months, one of the greatest obstacles to overcomes has to do with the visa.

Like the rest of Asia, but Thailand in particular, getting a (non tourist) visa that will allow you to live in the country for mid to long range period of time is a complicated and often confusing process.

The various types of visas for Thailand

The first big distinction to make among the various types of visas is the difference between the tourist visa and the so-called “visa non-immigrant”. This second category contains six main types of visas: business, work, retirement, family reunion and also student visas.

The student visa, commonly called the “Education Visa – ED Visa”, is in turn divided into two sub-categories. The first has to do with the type of visas that center around those looking to attend a school to learn Thai, English, or weekly courses of Muay Thai. The second category deals with university student visas.

The difference between these types of ED visas is substantial both in terms of time, since the university visa requires you go to the immigration office only once a year (for renewal), instead of every two months with the first type of student visa,;as well as in monetary terms since it costs only 1.900 TBH (about 50 euro), instead of 1.900 THB x 5 times a year = 9.500 TBH (about 300 euro). [Read more…]

How to rent a house or apartment in Bangkok

October 6, 2016 by Stefania Battaglia 1 Comment

One of the first things you have to do once you land in Bangkok with the intentions of staying for awhile, is to look for someplace to live for a mid-to long-term period.

Finding a house in one of the largest cities in Southeast Asia can be a hard and often expensive undertaking, both in terms of physical energy and money, especially if you’re not aware of information that can simplify (even by a lot!) the search.

Keep reading to learn which are the best neighborhoods to find a house in Bangkok, what the different types of properties are, related costs and how to find an apartment (agents and contracts).

Where to look for a house in Bangkok?

The first thing to do when looking for an apartment or house in Bangkok is to open a city map where the two elevated train lines are indicated, called Sky Train or more commonly BTS, which connects the eastern parts, northern areas and southern zone of the city, which are easily found near all the stops, and is available here in digital form.

The stops along the train routes, a light and dark green, reflect those that are considered the various regions of the city, which will be useful to know when you go looking for a house on the larger Thai real estate internet sites, where you’ll need to enter the name of the area where you want to look for a house. [Read more…]

The Temples of Bangkok: Wat Arun and Wat Phra Kaew (Photos)

July 28, 2014 by Furio Fu 2 Comments

In Bangkok there are so many temples that, if you’re there only for a few days, it may be difficult to decide what temples are worth a visit. My opinion is that the two most interesting temples are the Wat Arun and the Wat Phra Kaew, both located inside the Old City (Rattanakosin); that is very close to Kao San Road, the backpackers’ street of Bangkok.

Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn)

The Wat Arun is located on the West side of Chao Phraya River. You can either take a cab or, if you’re staying near Khao San, just walk towards South West for around twenty minutes and then take a ferry. The temple is open from 8 am to 5:30 pm and the entrance ticket costs 50 Bath (Thai people don’t pay). [Read more…]

The Damnoen Saduak floating markets near Bangkok (Photo Essays)

June 30, 2014 by Furio Fu 1 Comment

While I was in Bangkok I’ve spent a day in Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand, and half day in Damnoen Saduak, where you’ll find the most touristic floating market of Thailand.

Was is worth?

Yes. And no. I’d never seen any floating market before so the visit was quite interesting to me. Also, I think I managed to shot some decent photos. However the market is way too crowdy and you’ll have to “swim” through a wall of western and Chinese tourists (mostly western, I must say). [Read more…]

Ayutthaya, the old capital of Thailand (Photo Essays)

February 10, 2014 by Furio Fu Leave a Comment

What is Ayutthaya?

Ayutthaya is the old capital of Thailand and is located 85 Km North of Bangkok. Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 and nowadays hosts an archeological site that became a popular destination for the tourists that stay in Bangkok as you can easily visit the site in a day. As you can see from the photos, here you’ll mostly find Buddhist temples.

From Bangkok to Ayutthaya

By minivan (tour)

I was staying in Khao San Road, the popular backpackers area in Bangkok. So instead of going to the Bangkok train or bus station myself and then find my way once arrived in Ayutthaya, I’ve being lazy and took a day tour from one of the many tour agencies that you find in Khao San.

The tour cost me 700 Bath and included the minivan ride (they pick you up at your hotel at 8 am) to Ayutthaya and through all the touristic spot scattered around the town. The tour also included the lunch (nothing special but it wasn’t bad). The trip from Bangkok lasts about 2.5 hours and you’ll be back in Khao San around 5 pm. [Read more…]

Teaching English in Thailand: My experience in a kindergarten

October 24, 2013 by Furio Fu 15 Comments

Look, this is how you smile

This article was written by Adrian Fleur, the author of Market of Eden. Make sure to check out her blog if you wish to move to Thailand or you are just curious to know more about The Land of Smiles and, in particular, Chiang Mai.

In this article I’m going to share my experience of teaching English full-time in a kindergarten in Thailand. First, let me tell you, I was pretty new to Thailand at this point (about a few months in), and at the time, I was working through an “agency”. Basically, the agency were the same people I had done my TEFL course with, and then once I’d finished I stayed on with them out of convenience (or laziness).

They had sorted out my visa for me with little hassle, and offered me all kinds of jobs, from private lessons to substituting, so it made sense to me to keep up the relationship. [Read more…]