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Originally Posted by taysialouise
Hay! im 21 and have plans to spend a few years Globetrotting. Im not gonna map it out too specifically because i want to be able to keep it spontaneous but i know i want to end up in Italy and i want to start in Thailand. Im living in Perth at the moment and im just waiting until ive saved up the cash i need. I really wanted some personal opinions from people that are living there now or have before. I need to know how im going to go getting work once i arrive. I have a tourism certificate from the Australian tourism college so im qualified to work anywhere within the tourism sector. Id be really happy to score a job at a hotel or in a resort but ive been told that they mostly only hire thais, not sure how true that is? I would also really appreciate any advice on where might be the best spots to move to as i have never actually been there. I dont speak any thai yet. One of my friends has agreed to teach me in exchange for me helping her improve her English but i probably wont be very fluent by the time i get there so would be nice to start off in an area where im likely to meet up with other english speakers. Apart from that all i really care about is being somewhere as close as i can get to the beach! and hopefully somewhere reasonably cheap. Any thoughts would be great!  |
taysialouise: First, good luck and enjoy your globe-trotting. Be careful, beware, and most importantly, be prepared. Have a well thought out plan with contingencies. You've found a good place to start. Read and read more. You will find a great deal of information in this forum. Thailand and Italy. The first thing you need to do is investigate the travel laws. As you stated you expect to "work" to supplement your savings, you will need visa's that allow you to work Check out the Thai and Italian Embassy websites and investigate the visa criteria. You must visit foreign countries "legally", abiding by their laws. The last thing you need would be to run afoul of a foreign countries laws, or wind up in a foreign detention center, jail or prison. You say your waiting until you've saved up the cash you need. Make sure you save enough to get you home in a hurry, to take care of a possible medical emergency (disease or accident), and to support you for the majority of the few years you'll be globe-trotting. The world is in a recession. Unemployment is rampant. Jobs are scarce and hard to find. Foreigners are at the bottom of the ladder when it comes to employment, competing with Foreign Nationals who speak the language. Be careful and don't hold high expectations for earning income in foreign countries. The monies you earn will be minimal for very hard work. Thailand: you need a work permit. Review the sticky thread "Employment: Restricted occupations for foreigners". #34 is "guide or conducting sightseeing tours". This thread also identifies the monetary fines and imprisonment sentences should you get caught working without a permit. Do NOT expect your Embassy to save your bacon. They can only do so much. In Thailand, teaching English is your ticket. This subject has been discussed at length throughout this forum. All the steps you need are detailed. Read, Read and Read. As far as yoga; Thailand has it's own versions and "Masters". Nothing here for you. Italy: haven't been there in years. Friends, and the grapevine tell me Italy is in a serious monetary crisis, high unemployment, and seriously overrun by both legal and illegal immigrants from Africa. For the Italian part of your trip you need to study the Italy Ex-pat forum for usable information. Good luck. Save a lot of money before you depart. Carry contact information on your person, ALWAYS register with your Embassy(s), leave frequent updates, addresses and contact information with your family at home. And, most important, is to "BE SAFE".