How much do I need by way of a nest egg if I move to teach in Thailand?

This is always a difficult question to answer because we’re all different with different needs. Some people have the ability to land in a strange country and make things happen quicker than others as well. However, once you arrive in Thailand, if you hit the ground running, and you are qualified, you should be able to set up a teaching job within a couple of weeks. But remember - your first pay check might be a month away and so you’re going to need a place to stay for five or six weeks. It might be an apartment (in which case you’ll probably need to fork out a deposit as well as the first month’s rent) or a guest house or small hotel. And as a new arrival, you’ll possibly make mistakes - and sometimes those mistakes can be financially costly. When I embarked on a new life abroad, a wise old friend of mine said “as long as you keep the money in your pocket for a return flight home, you can’t go wrong”. It’s good advice but these days you need the cost of a return ticket and then some. I wouldn’t want to land in Thailand with less than 150,000 baht. That equates to 25-30,000 baht a week until you get your first pay check - and that’s certainly the bare minimum you would need to tide you over in Bangkok.