Hello everyone,
I'm Farid, I live in Chile (Spanish speaker but English fluent). I have been in Thailand several times (and other Asian countries) and there is something unique in the Asian culture that I really like. I know Thailand has its pros and cons as a nation, but beyond its known appealing qualities, one of the most interesting for me is that this one of the cheapest countries to live in.
I'm working from home for my main job in my hometown. Under normal conditions, I have this and other 3 part-time activities that are face-to-face (teaching and touring), now suspended because of the pandemic (but possible restarting online soon). The bad news, of course, is the lower payment, just enough to pay my rent and living expenses (that's equivalent to around THB 25,000). The "good" news, assuming a long-term "work at home" system, is the possibility to turn my current (and future) online salary as enough income to "live" in Thailand.
A bit of context: my main job doesn't require a mandatory presence in the office. There are some meetings, but online presence is acceptable. There are some telephone calls, but a Skype number could be a solution for incoming and outgoing calls; I don't have a work permit for Thailand but, following the guidelines for Chilean citizens (90-day stay, don't need tourist visa), I could visit a neighboring country for a couple of days, and then re-enter Thailand to comply with the law.
I don't pretend to rely on my current jobs indefinitely (nor pretend an eternal "work from home" system). Instead, I would take advantage of my stay for job seeking in Thailand and try to get a work permit there. I know that a "comfortable" salary to live in Thailand is around THB 35,000-40,000, but I have read some cases being able to handle it with ~25,000. Just for your reference, I'm single, I live alone, let's say I have some experience saving money and I know that rent and food prices are higher in my country.
I know this plan can sound risky and unnecessary, but bear in mind that my whole plan to live abroad is not new. I don't like to live in Chile, and despite many efforts applying for jobs in developed countries from at least 2 years ago, I think Thailand has a unique combination of a comfortable, friendly and civilized population, with low expenses and enough sophistication. I guess that (farang) digital nomads there have a solid and stable struture for their digital work, so it would be great to know from them, or other people with similar ideas, just to figure out how easy or difficult it could be (I know, not being a native English speaker could be one of these natural difficulties).
Thank you in advance for any advice