Expat Employment Trends in 2019

[Kung-fu Hillbilly]

Image: Planet Asia

Most of the traditional jobs that dreamers tend to go for are bone-dry in 2019

Scuba instructor: consider Ko Tao, a major diving island (over 40 dive centers) in South Thailand. “It’s extremely rare to see dive jobs advertised on Koh Tao; there simply is no need. On the whole, speculative CVs mailed to dive centers are ignored… If you want to work on Koh Tao you have to come here and start out as a freelancer.”

Yoga teacher: in any part of Asia where western expats hang out, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting an aspiring yoga teacher.

Massage therapist: the best massages are done by blind old people all over Asia at $5 per session

Private English teacher: strict visa crackdowns in all regions make it very dangerous to work under the table anywhere in Asia – it could land you in immigration prison

Bar or restaurant owner: you’ll either go mad or go broke. Many make the attempt, few succeed

Website developer: you’ll spend 90% of your energy on sales and get paid $300 per site – if you’re lucky

Online English teacher: in 2015 we raved about online teaching as a viable option. These days, there is fierce competition for jobs, higher standards, payment deductions for ‘penalties’ (like having negative student reviews) and many shady operators squeezing teachers for all they can.

Full https://planetasia.org/trends/expat-employment-2019/