The two main opportunities for work for foreigners are teaching English and dive instructor, but both are very competitive and dive masters in particular are paid a pittance.
To become a dive instructor, the most popular destination is Koh Tao Turtle Island a few hours off the coast of Chomporn in the Gulf of Thailand. There are dozens of Dive Shops that provide training and internships.
Anyone with a four-year degree can gain employment as an English teacher in Thailand, and even those without a degree can usually find work under the table. Normal starting salary is approximately 30,000 baht per month and this goes up and down slightly depending upon location higher in BKK, lower in some up-country towns.
A great start to working as a teacher is a TESOL/TEFL Certificate (http://www.tefllife.com). One of the largest TESOL schools in the world is actually headquartered in the small village of Ban Phe, Rayong.
Finding any other kind of work in Thailand can be difficult, as wages are poor and a large number of occupations are legally off limits to non-Thais. Thai law requires foreigner to earn a quite high wage to be eligible for a work permit. Companies and school should assist their employees in obtaining the visa and work permit, but some schools fear the extra work involved.
Volunteering is a great way to meet locals and experience the cultures and traditions of Thailand. There are many worldwide organizations that offer extended travel for anyone wanting to volunteer their time to work on projects such as community development, conservation, wildlife sanctuary maintenance & development, scientific research, & education programs.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Volunteering is looked upon strictly by the authorities and is treated as a form of employment for the purposes of definition. Foreigners must obtain a Work Permit even to volunteer for small projects. This permit is more easily obtainable than a normal work permit and can be issued even for brief one or two day volunteer periods. Tourists are cautioned not to take these rules for granted. Thai jails are not comfortable and if you are arrested on a Friday you potentially will not be able to contact anyone before Monday.
Association For Akha Education and Culture in Thailand (http://www.akhaasia.org)
TEFL International TESOL courses, guaranteed jobs and volunteer programs (http://www.tefllife.com)
AFECT (http://www.akhathai.org)
Dragonfly (http://www.thai-dragonfly.com)
Thai-Experience (http://www.thai-experience.org)
Travel to Teach (http://www.travel-to-teac...)
Mundo Exchange (http://www.mundoexchange.org)
International Student Volunteers Thailand (http://www.isvonline.com/...)
Openmind Projects (http://www.openmindprojec...)
Volunteer Visions (http://www.volunteervisio...)
Diving
Cooking
Gemology
Massage
Meditation
Thai Kick Boxing
Muay ThaiArt of Fighting Thailand Style
golf
Golf arrived in Thailand during the reign of King Rama V one hundred years ago. It was first played by nobles and other elitists of high society, but since then, things have certainly changed. Over the past decade or so, the popularity of golf in Thailand has escalated; played both by local Thais and visiting foreign tourists and expatriates.
Meeting to the recent needs of an average of 400,000 foreign golfers coming to Thailand annually, golf in Thailand has turned into a huge local industry with new courses constantly being churned out. Golf alone is annually bringing an income of 8 billion baht into the local economy. Thailand offers over two hundred courses with high standards. Internationally renowned courses can be found in tourist-spots like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket.
There are an abundance of reasons why golf in Thailand became so popular. First, if you compare the cost to most golfing countries in the world, membership and course fees are exceptionally low. The general low cost of travel in Thailand itself makes the country ideal for cost-efficiency minded tourists. Also, many of the golf courses in Thailand have been designed by top names in the game such as Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Greg Norman.