How to find work in Bangkok ?

the muay thai angle is actually your best foot in the door if u havent thought about it. gyms always need foreign trainers or even just someone to handle their social media and booking systems. i know a few guys who started doing IT support for gym chains around bangkok, fixing their cctv and wifi setups. pay is shit but they get a proper work permit and the visa sorted through the gym. ask ur current coach if they know any gyms looking, the muay thai community is small and everyone knows everyone.

if that doesnt work, check the thai embassy website for the smart visa. its made for tech people exactly like u, 8 years in IT infra qualifies. no employer sponsorship needed, u just need a job offer from a thai company or ur own startup. its newer so most expats dont know about it but its way cleaner than the elite visa route since u pay taxes here and can actually work legally for a local firm. processing takes like a month but u can stay on a tourist visa while it goes through.

worst case scenario do the teaching english thing for a year just to get the non-b visa locked in, then switch to IT work after. theres a bunch of language schools that sponsor visas for basically anyone with a pulse and a degree, even if ur not teaching. its a backdoor but it works. once ur here legally with a work permit, finding a better IT gig is way easier cuz companies dont

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yeah the remote route is def the smoothest path. i know a few guys who just do freelancing for their old companies back home and renew tourist visas every couple months, but that gets old fast. if u want something more stable, try looking at the big tech campuses here, like true digital park or the samyan area. they host hiring events sometimes and it's easier to get a foot in the door face to face than thru online applications. also, don't sleep on the local job boards, jobsdb thailand actually has a decent IT section, but expect the pay to be

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honestly the work permit thing is the real wall here. if u wana stay legal, u need a company to sponsor a non-b visa and work permit, and most places that sponsor are teaching english or big corps. IT infra jobs exist but they usually want thai speakers or u get paid local wage which is rough. the meetup idea is decent but the real hack is finding a remote job with a foreign company first, then doing a 5 year elite visa or a marriage visa if that applies. loads of guys do that: they keep their remote gig, come here on the elite visa, and just train. if u wana do something local, check the expat facebook groups for bangkok like "bangkok expats" or "digital nomads bangkok", jobs get posted there sometimes but it's mostly freelance gigs. also there's a coworking spot called hubba on ekkamai, good for networking, but honestly the remote route is way less stressful than dealing with the thai labor department.

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Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but I've always found their som tam a bit tame on the pla ra. If you want the real funky version, try the shophouse spots along Soi Udomsuk 26, near the night market end. They pound it fresh with fermented fish that'll clear your sinuses, and it's like 60 baht. Different style from the On Nut places, more Lao-leaning.

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for som tam specifically i'd say the Isaan spots in Chatuchak are underrated, weekdays only though since the weekend crowd ruins the vibe. there's a stall near gate 2 that does tam pa with fermented bamboo shoots, super sour and funky, not something you see much in On Nut. if you're already heading north for Or Tor Kor anyway its worth the detour.

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honestly the som tam at Krua Dok Mai Kao is good but what got me hooked is their nam prik pla raa dip with the raw veggies, that funk hits way harder than the papaya does. think most people sleep on it cuz they just order the som tam and gai yang. also pro tip, go before noon on weekdays, after that teh pla ra gets milder cuz they batch it for the lunch rush

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