Working In Koh Tao

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Hi There

I am thinking about going to Koh Tao to work as an Instructor. I am wondering if anyone has and good or bad points about working/Living there. Particularly interested in what type/cost of accomm is and obviously the pay!!!

Thanks in advance:05:
 
you actually think the owners of all the dive operations actually pay their staff :11doh: have you ever been to thailand before?? tao is just a bunch of farangs "working" in the dive industry so they can hang around in thailand. you would be lucky to get a room and some board. don't think they provide much in the way of work permits either so you are always at the mercy of both your employers and the thai legal authorities.
 
The above is pretty close, Tao is a backpacker island where most of them end up staying. Many do their DMTs there, qualified DM's get paid very little (around $4-500 US per month) ... and only by the bigger outfits. Papers/visas or workpermits are rarely provided.

You'll be able to earn more instructing but will probably have to freelance for a bit. Food and accom is cheap ... but then the wages are low so you still end up with bugger all at the end of the month!

I'd go over and stay there for a few weeks first just to get a feel of the place.
 
exactly, and every once and a while, you read in the papers of the thai immigration authorities conducting a raid of the dive shops/operators on tao and rounding-up all the foreigners working without WP's and deporting them. spending time in the Surat Thani Hilton would not be my idea of a good time. It's likely the owners themselves call in the "Feds" to save them having to pay wages that are due as there seems to be an endless supply of clueless young foreigners willing to "work" in thailand for next to nothing. Beats me :huh:
 
JonnieB:
exactly, and every once and a while, you read in the papers of the thai immigration authorities conducting a raid of the dive shops/operators on tao and rounding-up all the foreigners working without WP's and deporting them. spending time in the Surat Thani Hilton would not be my idea of a good time. It's likely the owners themselves call in the "Feds" to save them having to pay wages that are due as there seems to be an endless supply of clueless young foreigners willing to "work" in thailand for next to nothing. Beats me :huh:

I've worked there on and off for the last 4 years and had none of the above problems, in fact your last accusation is pure fantasy, the ferang relationship with thai owners is generally good on Koh Tao.
As for working without WPs, you must know damn well that this happens all over Thailand and in fact Koh Tao is about the only place where this situation has improved, most of my mates on the island have WPs.
Anyone thinking about Koh Tao should check it out for themselves, it certainly shouldn't be dismissed.
Phil TK
 
Jonnie, you don't work in the dive industry or on Koh Tao, do you? None of the people I know who worked there had the experience you talk about. I think you are either mis-informed or you might have heard from a very selective, unrepresentive source.
 
No I don't work in the dive industry or Ko Tao. I have lived in LOS for 6 years and been to Tao 4-5 times for diving. Maybe things have changed from what others have told me and what I still read about in the Thai press on occasion but somehow, this being Thailand, I think not. Just because working without a permit is done all over the country doesn't make it legal; but you and your friends certainly should give that one a try if you are ever picked-up by the immigration authorities :D
And besides, why would you want to work illegally (without WP) to begin with...leaving you with no recourse if you have a dispute with an employer :huh:

The original poster sounded like he wanted to "make a living" in the Ko Tao dive industry as a DM and not just enough for room and board and beach bumming around for a few months/years. If that was the case, I wanted to let him know that I don't think that is really possible in Tao unless maybe you open up your own dive shop or other business. Most of the DMs and other instructors there are just young kids hanging out for a few months/years before they go back to farangland to get on with their lives :14:
 
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