If standing in front of a rabble, I mean class, of kids every morning fills you with doom, and your toes curl at the idea of opening up a bar or getting in with the NGO cliques, then perhaps you must think further outside the stereotypical money making method box for foreigners in Thailand. Though most expats don’t come to the Land of Smiles, or more specifically to Chiang Mai, to get rich, one must find a way to make a crust. This month Citylife
has found a bunch of alternative employments through which foreigners and Thais get their quids.
(*Citylife
does not take any responsibility for the following suggestions, and remember there’s no such thing as a free lunch.)
01 Do clinical trials
There are a number of hospitals and research centres in Thailand that require participants for medical tests. In 2009, for instance, during the spread of H1N1flu Mahidol hospital tested vaccines on 424 volunteers, volunteers were paid 5000 baht each for staying in the hospital for seven days. (See www.bio-innova.com).
02 Happy clapper
A claque is a term used to refer to a group of people who are hired to cheer and clap for a performance or show. Often they are hired in Thailand to cheer for a celebrity who is not that famous. A claque is sometimes hired to heckle or boo an opponent performer. Their wage can be anything from 200 to 500 baht per session.
03 Professional gambling
The internet has opened up a whole new sphere to the world of gambling. Decent internet connections, low living costs, warm weather and well you know the rest, has made Thailand a popular place for all kinds of people who make money via the internet such as those working the stock markets or selling goods online. Gamblers working from Thailand bet on anything from horses to football, play online poker and other games, some work as gambling tutors teaching people all over the world how to gamble via online lessons.
04 Wait in line
When the iPhone came out in Thailand housekeepers and drivers became line waiters and got paid between 500 and 1000 baht for queuing up to purchase. When Krispy Kreme opened up shop in the capital, household staff were paid 200 baht and over to wait in lines for the in demand doughnuts. Others bought and resold the doughnuts at double the price.
05 Model
If you are hot, this is it for you. Foreign models in Thailand are used for advertising campaigns and fashion shows _ the whiter the better! And it’s not just the young and beautiful, agencies keep records of all different types and ages of people for any job that may come up. (See: www.coolmodeling.net)
06 Tagging mad
Although adverts claiming you can makes lots of money online always seem far fetched, apparently some people do make money online. The hired ‘promoters’ upload a picture which contains the details and/or an image of a product or service and then post it on their friends’ Facebook pages by ‘tagging’ their friends. Sometimes they post their promo pictures right on to each of their friends’ wall. Some of you may have experienced this when you were rifling through photos of Joe Blogs and came across an advert for weight loss tablets, skin whitening or pink nipple cream, that they are ‘tagged in.’ It is bloody annoying though.
07 Pub/club sitting
Believe it or not some people are hired to sit in pubs and clubs, the main reason being to make the business look popular. In order to be hired you tend to have to be fair on the eyes. No one is going to want to pay for some smelly nose-picker, but if you can turn a head or two, then you are in for a good chance. Those eligible to be hired for this job earn up to 1000 baht per night though sometimes you just get your drinks for free. Punters get to chat to someone who may not normally give them the time of the day, pub owners get to look busy and you can get a free night out. Win win win.
08 Film Extra
Film companies will usually advertise in magazines, newspapers and websites. Sometimes extras will have to play a part or they could be used to simply be in the background of a scene. Working as a film extra usually involves long hours and lots of waiting around, so perhaps only people with patience need apply. Extras can make anything from 500 to 5000 baht per day, meals and drinks are usually included. Bragging rights are of course a perk; the number of times we have heard local expats talking about hanging out with Tom Berenger in Snipers 51 or Stallone in Rambo 24…
09 Sell your body
Yes, perhaps not the most original idea of making lots of money quickly, nor healthiest, but hey what better place is there than Thailand to start up in the world’s oldest profession. Associate Professor Nither Tinnakul, from Chulalongkorn University and an expert on the Thai sex industry said that the hiring of gigolos by higher society women is becoming a booming niche market. The numbers of men from Africa and Europe coming to Thailand, to sell their services is increasing. More often than not it is the foreign male prostitutes that fetch the highest prices.
Foreign female sex workers in Thailand mainly come from Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Estonia. Many of these eastern Europeans work as entertainers and dancers in Pattaya’s and Bangkok’s numerous night clubs, or can be hired as ‘escorts’. In Pattaya’s notorious walking street a club heralding a ‘European Girls Only’ sign houses a number of Russian girls and others from the former satellite states of the Soviet Union who offer private dancers to mainly Asian male customers including Japanese, Taiwanese and Thai. Hmmmm.
10 Who wants to be a millionaire?
And if all else fails you can always try your luck on the Thai Lottery. Each ticket costs 40 baht, but are usually sold as a double ticket. The sellers will add on their commission so a double ticket will cost you between 100 and 120 baht. The Thai Lottery is held twice a month, on the 1st and 16th. Prizes can amount from 1000 baht up to two million baht.
11 Prize hunting
Got a skill? Why not make some money out of it. There are always competitions being held ranging from photography, essay or fiction writing, flower arrangements, dancing, sports, etc. Every month our web site www.city-now.com has some kind of money making competition you can join in. In fact, the Tourism Business Association, www.chiangmaitourism.org, are looking for great photos of Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun and Mae Hong Son as we speak, there are 24 prizes, each for 10,000 baht. Good luck!
