Moving to Thailand

After 10 visitis over as many years, I've recently decided that I love the place enough to move there and make it my home. I'm a 37yo single guy with no real ties to my home country, and I think Thailand is the place for me. As with most people in my situation, the only way I can achieve this realistically is to teach English, which is something I think I'd be quite good at, and I would really enjoy doing.

I don't have any savings but hey, I've always lived life on the fly (I also don't have any debts tho, which is a plus) I have a reasonably well paid job in the UK which will give me the funds to make my dream come true in about six months, everything considered. I plan to sell everything I own and basically try and make a life in LOS, teaching English. I know I won't get rich in LOS doing that, but it sure beats my life here in the UK. I'm not money obsessed. So long as I have enough to get by, I'm happy.

The only thing that really concerns me about my plans is the pension side of things. I'm sure that I'm going to make LOS my home for many years to come, which means that I won't be paying into the statutory NI scheme we have here in the UK. Although I've been paying into it for 20-odd years now, plus a work pension for the last 5 years, a move away from the UK will freeze all of my pension assets, including the statutory pension.

I'm assuming that any job I take in LOS as an English teacher won't have any pension benefits, so I'm wondering if anyone can suggest anything? Do any Thai companies run pension schemes for foreigners? Can I just join a Thai pension scheme regardless that I'm a foreigner? I really don't know anything about the subject if I'm honest.

I'd appreciate any advice.

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[catawampuscat]

I recall hearing about a farang who worked for a school that was owned by a foreign
company with their headquarters in the USA or maybe it was UK.. Sorry, I don't remember
the details but the point of this is it may be worthwhile to do some research and see
if a UK organization has an overseas branch in Thailand..
Another idea would be to post on Thaivisa.com or one of the websites for farang
teachers.. I 'll bet this has been raised before and you may get some leads..

Too bad a former poster here who is teaching and a Brit has been banned again or
he might have had some advice for you.. It seems that even grade school dropouts can
buy dodgy certificates and get teaching jobs but far better if you are a college/university
grad and take the ESL course... :headbang:

[cdnmatt]

Open a small investment account, and setup automated transfers from your checking account into that one? Then maybe use those funds to invest in stocks, mutual funds, GIC, RRSPs, etc. I don't know about the UK, but in Canada we have something called RRSP (registered retirement savings plan). It's basically just money you stick away, which you can invest as you please, and you don't pay any income tax on it (until you begin taking it out). It's just a way the government uses to incentivize Canadians to invest for their own retirement, and I would imagine the UK has something similar.

In other words, safest bet is to administer your own pension plan. Otherwise, there's a chance you'll end up like quite a few farangs in this part of the world, and I doubt you want that.

Well you could set up a limited company in the UK, pay yourself an income out of it at a level that would leave you not liable to UK tax but sufficiently low enough to gain UK NI credits.

Then on retirement, never tell anybody you have left UK, take everything you can get and drip feed it to yourself in thailand

All strictly dodgy, but so is the basis on which most of the UK farang live in Thailand

Apart from the bank robbers/ corporate fraudsters who have alternative arrangements

:hello1: :hello1:

Well you could set up a limited company in the UK, pay yourself an income out of it at a level that would leave you not liable to UK tax but sufficiently low enough to gain UK NI credits.

Then on retirement, never tell anybody you have left UK, take everything you can get and drip feed it to yourself in thailand

All strictly dodgy, but so is the basis on which most of the UK farang live in Thailand

Apart from the bank robbers/ corporate fraudsters who have alternative arrangements

:hello1: :hello1:

Thanks, but like I said, I'm not money obsessed, and I prefer life when it's all above board. :glasses7:

Why not try a 3-6 month visit before you take the plunge? Whats the longest stay you have had?

[lonelywombat]

Thaivisa has a forum for teaching in thailand where you would get expert advice

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Teaching- ... m-f46.html

[allieb]

If you leave the UK to live or work abroad you can pay volentary contributions into the NI sysyem. At present it costs 12.05 a week. You will get a full state pension at 65. Thats asuming you live that long. You are 37 and thats 28 years away. You also have no money so what the hell are you thinking of ? Teaching isn't goint to make you rich and you aint going to get boys for free in Thailand. Many retired Farang with pensions can't survive in Thailand without a bit of teaching on the side and that only covers beer money.

Come back down to earth and get real

Just what we need. Another broke loser with "no ties" to his home country.

You'll fit in perfectly in Pattaya.

[cdnmatt]

Just what we need. Another broke loser with "no ties" to his home country.

You'll fit in perfectly in Pattaya.

heh, have I ever told you that you sure do have a lovely personality?