My story began somewhere in October 2016, when the thought “Why not try to work abroad?” settled in my head. At first there were simple interviews with outsourcing companies from England. There were a lot of vacancies with the description “frequent business trips to America are possible”, but the place of work was still in Moscow. Yes, they offered good money, but the soul asked for a move. To be honest, if I had been asked a couple of years ago, “Where do you see yourself in 3 years?”, I would never have answered, “I will work in Thailand on a work visa.” After successfully completing the interview and receiving an offer on June 15, 2017, I boarded the Moscow-Bangkok plane with a one-way ticket. For me, this was the first experience of moving to another country, and in this article I want to talk about the difficulties of moving, the opportunities that open up for you. And in the end, the main goal is to inspire! Welcome under cat dear reader.
Visa process
First of all, I should pay tribute to the On boarding team in the company where I got a job. As in most cases, in order to obtain a work visa, I was asked for a translation of my diploma and, if possible, letters from previous jobs to confirm the Senior level. Then the running around began with the certification of the translation of the diploma and marriage certificate by a notary. After copies of the translations were sent to the employer a week later, I received a package of documents by DHL with which I had to go to the Thai embassy to obtain a Single entry visa. Oddly enough, they didn’t take away the translation of my diploma, so I think that in general it was possible not to do it, however, when leaving the country it’s better to have it.
After 2 weeks, a Multy-Entry visa is put in the passport and a Work Permit is issued, and already with these documents you have the right to open a bank account to receive a salary.
Moving and first month
Before moving to Bangkok, I vacationed in Phuket twice and somewhere deep down I thought that work would be combined with constant trips to the beach with a cold mojito under palm trees. How wrong I was then. Despite the fact that Bangkok is located near the sea, swimming in it will not work. If you want to swim in the sea, then you need to lay somewhere 3-4 hours for a trip to Pattaya (2 hours bus + hour ferry). With the same success, you can safely take a plane ticket to Phuket, because the flight is only an hour.
Everything, everything, everything is brand new! First of all, after Moscow, it is striking how skyscrapers get along with slums on the same street. This is extremely surprising, but next to a 70-story building there may be a slate shack. Overpasses on the roads can be built in four levels on which everyone will drive, from expensive cars to homemade stools, more like orc designs from Warhammer 4000.
I am very relaxed about spicy food and for the first 3 months it was new for me to constantly eat tom yum and fried rice with chicken. But after some time you begin to understand that all the food tastes the same and you already miss the puree and cutlets.
Getting used to the climate was the hardest thing. At first I wanted to live near the central park (Lumpini park), but after two or three weeks you realize that you can’t go there during the day (+35 degrees), and it’s not much better at night either. This is perhaps one of the pros and cons of Thailand. It's always hot or warm here. Why a plus? You can forget about warm clothes. In the wardrobe there is only a set of shirts, swimming shorts, and a set of smart casual things for work. Why minus: after 3-4 months, Groundhog Day begins. All days are almost the same and the passage of time is not felt. I miss walking in a hoodie in a cool park.
Housing Search
The housing market in Bangkok is huge. You can find housing for absolutely every taste and financial possibilities. The average price for a 1-Bedroom in the city center is around 25k baht (x2 on average and we get 50k rubles). But it will be a great apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows and a view from the twenty-fifth floor. And again, 1-Bedroom is different from the "one-bedroom" in Russia. It is rather a kitchen-living room + bedroom and the area will be about 50-60 sqm. Also, in 90% of cases, each complex has a free pool and gym. Prices for 2-Bedroom start from 35k baht per month.
Your landlord will sign an annual contract with you and ask for a deposit of 2 months of payment. That is, for the first month you will have to pay x3. What is the main difference between Thailand and Russia - here the landlord pays the realtor.
Transport system
There are several main transport systems in Bangkok:
MRT - underground metro
BTS - aboveground
BRT - buses on a dedicated lane
If you are looking for accommodation, try to pick up BTS so that it is within walking distance (preferably 5 minutes), otherwise the heat may surprise you.
To be honest, I have never used buses in Bangkok this year.
Taxi deserves special attention in Bangkok. It is one of the cheapest in the world and, often, if you are going somewhere in three, it will be much cheaper to go by taxi than by public transport.
If you are thinking about personal transport, then here you will also have a huge choice. Interestingly, in Thailand there is a subsidy for the development of the argo industry and the Nissan Hilux will cost less than the Toyota Corolla. First of all, I bought a Honda CBR 250 motorcycle here. Converting to rubles, the price came out to be about 60k for a 2015 motorcycle. In Russia, the same model can be taken for 150-170k. Registration takes at most 2 hours and practically does not require knowledge of English or Thai. Everyone is extremely friendly and willing to help you. Parking in the very center of the city in a shopping center costs me 200 rubles a month! Remembering the prices in Moscow City, my eye begins to twitch.
Entertainment
What Thailand is rich in is the opportunity to brighten up your leisure time in different ways. First of all, I would like to say that Bangkok is a huge metropolis and its size, according to my feelings, is quite comparable to Moscow. Here are some of the opportunities to actively spend time in Bangkok:
Trips to the islands
“Moving to Bangkok from Spain, I thought that my everyday life would go something like this: [Wrist] Where is my elephant? Then 15 minutes and I'm on the sea under a palm tree drinking cold mojitos and writing code ”- Quote from one of the employees. In fact, everything is not as fabulous as it seems at first glance. To get to the sea from Bangkok, you need to spend about 2-3 hours. But nevertheless, a huge selection of beach holidays for a penny price! (After all, you do not need to pay for the plane). Just imagine that a plane from Bangkok to Phuket costs 1000 rubles!
Travel to neighboring countries
I have flown more in one year than I have in my entire life. A clear example - tickets to Bali and back cost about 8000! Local airlines are extremely cheap, and you have the opportunity to see Asia and learn the culture of other countries.
Active sport
Almost every weekend my friends and I go wakeboarding. Also in Bangkok there are trampoline halls, an artificial wave for surfing and if you like to ride motorcycles, there are ring tracks. In general, it is clearly not to be bored.
Moving from +1
This is perhaps one of the big problems of Thailand (and indeed any other country in general). At best, your husband or wife will be able to find a job as an English teacher. One day I came across an interesting about the life of plus-singles abroad. In general, everything is presented as it is.
We have a chat in our company for plus singles, they often gather for gatherings, spend time together. The company even pays a corporate party for them once a quarter.
It seems to me that in each case it all depends on the mentality of the plus one. Someone finds something to do here, someone works remotely, someone has children. In general, you don't get bored.
In the appendage I will add a few price tags for the maintenance of children:
The fee for an international kindergarten is about 500k rubles per year
School starting from 600k to 1.5kk per year. It all depends on the class.
Based on this, it is worth considering the advisability of moving if you have more than two children.
IT community
In general, the life of the community here is less developed than in Moscow, in my opinion. The level of conferences that are being held does not seem to be high enough. The first thing that comes to mind is Droidcon. We also actively try to hold meetups within the company. In general, you definitely do not get bored.
Maybe in this aspect my opinion is slightly subjective, since I do not know about meetups or conferences in Thai.
The level of specialists in Thailand seems to me lower. Immediately noticeable difference in the approach of thinking between the Post-USSR and other people. a small example is the use of technologies that are on the hype. We call these guys Fancy-guys; That is, they wildly push top technologies that have 1000 stars on github, but they don’t even know what’s going on inside. Lack of understanding of pros and cons. Just hype.
Local mentality
Here perhaps it is worth starting with the most important thing - this is religion. 90% of the population are Buddhists. From here and follow a lot of things that are reflected in the behavior and attitude.
For the first few months, it was extremely infuriating that everyone was walking slowly. Let's say you can stand in a small queue for the escalator, and someone will take it and stupidly stick to the phone, blocking everyone.
Traffic on the roads seems wildly chaotic. If you are driving in the opposite direction during a traffic jam, it's okay. I was extremely surprised that the policeman told me to "drive in the opposite direction and do not create a traffic jam."
This is also reflected in the working aspects. Do it, don't strain, take the next task...
What is extremely infuriating is that you are here - an eternal tourist. I go every day one route to work, and still hear it "here - knock - hava -yu -ver -ar -yu goin - mister." It jolts a little. Another thing is that here you will never be completely your own. This is manifested even in the price policies for national parks and museums. Prices sometimes differ by 15-20 times!
The muffins add a special touch. In Thailand, there is no sanitary and epidemiological station and people are allowed to cook food on the street. In the morning, on the way to work, the air is filled with the aroma of food (I want to tell you a very specific aroma). At the beginning, we bought dinner in such carriages for three weeks. However, the food quickly became boring. The choice of street food is quite simple and in general everything is the same.
But what I like about Thais, they are more like children. Once you understand this, everything becomes easier. I ordered food in a cafe, and they brought you something else - that's ok. It's good that they brought it at all, otherwise they often forget. Example: a friend only ordered the right shrimp salad the third time. The first time they brought fried beef, the second time they brought shrimp in batter (yes, yes, almost ...) well, the third time in the bull's-eye!
I also like that everyone is very friendly. Behind me, I noticed that I began to smile more often here.
Life hacks
The first thing to do is to exchange your rights for local ones. This will give you the opportunity to pass as a local in many places. Also, you do not need to carry your passport and work permit with you.
Use a regular taxi. Just be persistent and demand that the counter be turned on. One or two will refuse, the third will go.
Sour cream can be obtained in Pattaya
I advise you to look for an apartment at the intersection of MRT & BTS to get maximum mobility. If you plan to fly often, look near the Airport Link; This will save money and most importantly travel time.
It was very hard to find a mashed potatoes. We spent about 2 weeks looking for her. The prices for this simple item were about 1000 rubles, eventually found in Ikea.
Conclusion
Am I going to go back? Most likely not in the near future. And not at all because I have a dislike for Russia, but because the first relocation breaks some kind of comfort zone in your head. Previously, it seemed something unknown, difficult, but in fact everything is quite interesting. What did I get here? I can say that I made interesting friends, I'm working on an interesting project and in general, my life has changed for the better.
There are about 65 nationalities working in our company and this is an insanely cool experience in the exchange of cultural knowledge. If you compare yourself a year ago with the current version, then you feel some kind of freedom from the borders of the state, nationalities, religion, and so on. You just hang out with good people every day.
I never regret that I made this decision a year ago. And I hope that this is not the last article about moving to other countries.
Thanks to another user of habr for reading this article to the end. I want to apologize in advance for my style of presentation and construction of sentences. I hope this article has ignited a small spark within you. And believe me, it's not as difficult as it seems in reality. All barriers and boundaries are only in our head. Good luck with your new beginnings!
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Source: habr.com