Working in Thailand Series: How to be an IT Agent in Thailand

Two IT specialists moved their European jobs to Chiang Mai through a remote-work company. Here’s how they sold it to their bosses, what specialist support pays (around THB140,000 a month) and what they gave up.

The following post is a chapter from our book, Working in Thailand: How to Ditch the Desk, Board the Flight, and Land the Job, written by Patrick Taylor and Karsten Aichholz.

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Key Takeaways

Daniel and Tokuo kept their European IT jobs and moved to Chiang Mai through Iglu, a company that provides the office, visa and work permit paperwork.
Saving money rarely convinces an employer on its own, so Daniel pitched better service for customers in Asia instead.
Tokuo credits the trust he built with his employer over many years.
In IT, experience and vendor certifications count for more than a degree, although a master’s helps if you want to lead a team.
Specialist support roles like Daniel’s paid US$30 to US$40 an hour when the book was written, roughly THB140,000 a month.
Tokuo accepted a pay and benefits cut to work remotely and sees the arrangement as temporary.
Remote workers without a company like Iglu behind them can now look at the Destination Thailand Visa, which asks for THB500,000 in savings.

The IT Agents

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes by Daniel and Tokuo (last names withheld for privacy), IT agents.

It’s hard to think of a more pleasant work environment than Iglu’s Mae Hia headquarters in Chiang Mai.

Housed in an airy, modern, Thai-style building, under the shade of wavering palms, its white-washed walls flank a charmingly rustic koi pond, overseen by an effigy of the Hindu God, Ganesha.

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