My boyfriend and I chucked it all and moved to Thailand a year ago. This is a decision you should not take lightly. We lived on Ko Tao for four months and in Khao Lak (Similans) for three months. First of all, I would never have done this except that I am half-Thai and have citizenship and speak the language fluently. You need a visa to stay in Thailand and if you are lucky you can get a year-long one and leave the country every three months for your 'visa run'. Most foreigners do not get this though and end up applying for tourist visa after tourist visa, leaving the country every one month, never sure if they will get to come back. The cost for this adds up over time. Research visas on www.thaivisa.com. It is easy to get a job on Ko Tao, however, keep in mind that you will be working illegally. Immigration does come to town rarely, but is this something you want to do? Also, Thailand is cheap, unless you are earning Thai baht, and meager amounts of it. Will your life be happy if you can only afford a dirty bungalow with bugs and the same cheap food (the better restaurants will be out of your range as they are geared towards tourists and their $)? We had a huge amount of savings when we went, and used most of it staying afloat. We finally gave up and moved to the city, where we both got great jobs and are very happy, but once again, there's no way we'd do this if I wasn't a citizen. Thailand welcomes tourists and their money but is not pleased to have illegal workers here. Ko Tao is a great place to further your diving education though, as long as you work on it yourself. Most of the shops are just money-stations and will put you through whether you are good or not. The diving is also seasonal and you should be prepared to move back and forth from Ko Tao to Similans, although Ko Tao does continue operating in the off-season. If you're both instructors though, and you live lean, you can make it, other people do it all over. Just make sure you plan well and have a back-up plan and extra cash. I've also seen people that don't have enough money to leave the country.
sex in the sand sucks!
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oceancrest67
Guest
Again...Sommer71 take a reality check...working in the dive industry can get old fast (hauling tanks for snotty tourists will get old)...be absolutely sure you want to pick up and move with your girlfriend. The grass may not always be greener on the other side...toss out the romantic feelings of paradise...have a savings account to get you out of a tight situation.
I enjoy diving...I enjoy it during the summer months...I make my weekend trips and other trips to fulfill my diving experiences. Carpe Diem yes...but not to burn out on it...have a variety of activities and experiences...spectrum of life with enough in the bank.
I enjoy diving...I enjoy it during the summer months...I make my weekend trips and other trips to fulfill my diving experiences. Carpe Diem yes...but not to burn out on it...have a variety of activities and experiences...spectrum of life with enough in the bank.
Hank49
Contributor
When I did my PADI IDC and IE in Boracay in '99' we learned that only 10% or instructors are in the business after one year. Sounded kind of sparce to me, but I only worked as an instructor for one year. It was one of the best of my life. I loved it. Problem was that I had one in college at U of Hawaii, and now two more kids to put thru college. If I didn't have that to do I would be back diving. One warning though...living in a resort/vacation area with a bunch of divers on vacation.....well, it tests the strength of your marriage. A lot of temptation.....sommer71:Hey all you wet people
I was thinking of going for my IDC in Thailand, but i keep reading disturbing things about the lifestyle of an instructor, is it a missarable lifestyle, or is it possible to make a living + a little easy life in betven?? i will be doing it with my girlf. and we will be going for DM + IDC on KOH TAO. Any info from people with experience on this, would mean the world, since we both are getting cold feet about the whole thing!! We wil both be dumping our jobs and every thing that ties us to HOME- since a couple of years of diving sounds really nice to us both.
Been diving in thailand before + in a lot of places in Indonesia and ofcourse in Europe.
BUT....PLZ....People (fellow divers) give us some responce!! THX.
Best regards
Peter
SamDiver14
Contributor
I have never been to Thailand, however, my wife and I did buy a farm. No how does that relate you may ask. Well, we bought the farm with the idea that the lifestyle would be great for us and our children. After four years of being completly broke we realized a few things. Here are the realizations. Money doesn't make you happy. Not having money will make you miserable. If you are doing something you love and it pays well enough to buy groceries it may be okay. If you are starving to death doing something you love, find something to do that you don't love quite as much and make some money doing it. You can always find time to do what you love as a hobby.
This is from experience. Hope it helps.
PS: lay a towel on the sand first, it helps prevent chaffing.
This is from experience. Hope it helps.
PS: lay a towel on the sand first, it helps prevent chaffing.
I lived on Koh Tao for nearly five years and it is like a little dream world.
I had sex on the sand many times there, and all it takes is a little care to avoid catastrophy. Whatever you do DO NOT have sex on the sacred rock at the southern end of Sairee beach.
I eventually had to leave as I had a half chinese manic depressive and a guy that wore womens clothing both trying to kill me and two simultaneous death threats on a small island are a little too many..
I have heard that the Chinese guy pissed off the wrong person and was assasinated about two years ago, and I wouldnt worry too much about the guy in the dress (I had pissed him off good and proper).
I am sure it has changed some since I was there, but I am also sure that it is still one of the most magical islands in the world.
Ahhhhh Mekong and Khrong Thip...... mmmmmm
I had sex on the sand many times there, and all it takes is a little care to avoid catastrophy. Whatever you do DO NOT have sex on the sacred rock at the southern end of Sairee beach.
I eventually had to leave as I had a half chinese manic depressive and a guy that wore womens clothing both trying to kill me and two simultaneous death threats on a small island are a little too many..
I have heard that the Chinese guy pissed off the wrong person and was assasinated about two years ago, and I wouldnt worry too much about the guy in the dress (I had pissed him off good and proper).
I am sure it has changed some since I was there, but I am also sure that it is still one of the most magical islands in the world.
Ahhhhh Mekong and Khrong Thip...... mmmmmm
H2Andy
Contributor
my god... what a boring life i lead
H2Andy:
Andy, I am NOT a god,
but I do want to become a high priest of diving, its just that I still cant seem to find anyone on the board that teaches the high priest course.
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People, if you will check the dates on Sommer's posts, you'll see they were made two (2) years ago. Chances are, he's already "been there, done that." LOL
:rofl:
:rofl:
H2Andy
Contributor
yup.. and he hasn't been on since August, 2002... but...
there are at least two reasons why a thread is useful:
1. it responds to the poster's questions; and
2. it addresses issues other people can learn from
so even if the original poster is long gone, current members can still learn from his post and the responses thereto..
good info here on the dive industry from the pro's standpoint, imho
there are at least two reasons why a thread is useful:
1. it responds to the poster's questions; and
2. it addresses issues other people can learn from
so even if the original poster is long gone, current members can still learn from his post and the responses thereto..
good info here on the dive industry from the pro's standpoint, imho
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