A lot of people email me and ask about what sort of jobs are on offer to foreigners in Phuket. My answer is always rather bleak – there isn’t a whole lot of work down here. If you’re a language teacher, or at least if you want to work as one, there are plenty of opportunities to work in local schools, but I’m unsure exactly how rewarding such a route is after seeing the state of some of Phuket’s language teachers.
Phuket attracts a bunch of budding photographers, who usually come to the island with more talent than they find the local media scene can cope with. There are some really good photographers in Phuket, but finding well-paid work is a challenge. If you want to be paid to take photographs in Phuket, you need to network, network and network and then the jobs will come up.
For writers, the island is a lot more forgiving. There are countless publications in Phuket and the Andaman region that will pay decent money for travel articles. It’s just a case of finding them. A number of Bangkok publications will also pay you to write about bits and pieces in Phuket. Again, networking will open up new possibilities.
Another popular line of business is property, but if you’re thinking of going down this route, you will need to be well connected and have a solid game plan. The property market in Phuket is utterly over saturated.
If you want to work in Phuket, you need to meet people and understand the way the island works. It can be a little cliquey at times, but if you can get your foot in, the rest will follow.
This post was written by Matt from Phuket Vogue and Thailand’s Lost Boy.
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Nice insights. Yes, realised there are quite a fair bit of mags & local island newspapers there.
Btw, do you know how easy or difficult is it to get work permit/ PR in Thailand?
QuaChees last blog post..Taiwan Seafood
I understood why your answers were rather bleak to all those email. It is a challenge to find work in Thailand. Most available works are given to Thais to safeguard their livelihoods. A company employing a foreigner will need to justify that the work the foreigner will be doing cannot be carried out by local.
I am looking to be a language teacher in Thailand for quite a while and I understand that it might not be rewarding in the monentary sense. I was exploring poorer areas where I can reach out to poor kids. However, up till now I am not successful yet as most required language teacher to be native speaker or with TEFL or TESOL certification.
BKs last blog post..Where Is The Quietest Place On Earth?
Even though it isn’t 100% enforced you are also required to have a college degree in order to teach.
I see. Thanks for the additional piece of information. I do have a college degree. Have a great weekend.
BKs last blog post..Where Is The Quietest Place On Earth?
Hmmm… my daughter wants to spend some time in Thailand and Phuket was one of the options. I’m glad this was posted because we’re trying to do as much research into it as possible. She wanted to do some teaching as that’s what she’s qualified for but I’m not sure if she’ll find it easier now.
You’re right about the property market. My son had a good plan for developing and selling properly in Thailand but I don’t think he was well connected enough because it didn’t really go well. You need the connections and the research behind you.
I have just come back from Phuket – only on holiday, I wasn’t living there. But I spoke to a couple of people who had moved over from the States and the UK who told me it had been so so difficult finding work. Unless you know someone, you really do struggle.