Thai expatriates working abroad in Germany for a few years can significantly increase their potential salary back in Thailand.
Opportunities for career growth can vary significantly from country to country for expats and local citizens alike. Limiting your career opportunities to your home country can quickly restrict your potential, but traveling from home can be intimidating. Thanks to globalization and the rapid development of technology and higher education, there have been more options than ever before if you know where to look and who to ask. In this travel blog post, I will explore some of the best places to live and the factors to consider when looking for your next destination to accelerate your personal development.
Best Places For Expats To Live
There has been a lot of competition for the top Forbes rankings due to their influence on tourism and expatriation. The current political climate has motivated a lot of people to look for greener grass somewhere other than their homeland. The Forbes report analyzes factors such as:
- Quality of Life
- Ease of Settling In
- Working Abroad
- Personal Finance
- Expat Essentials Index (inc. housing, administration, language, digital life)
Best places to retire in the world
Panama has seen an impressive jump from the top 50 to the top three in 2023, ramping up to number one in 2024. Significant efforts from their government to make visas more accessible and develop their public transport and healthcare provided them with the final boost they needed to secure the coveted spot. Supported by their last few years of focusing on unilaterally increasing their satisfaction index for each factor, from work-life balance to the availability and affordability of housing. Panama has especially received high rankings from its expat retirees, making the destination an attractive consideration for permanent or long-term relocation.
Mexico can now be found in second position, having consistently held the number one spot over previous years. On average, nine in ten expats (89%) express happiness concerning their life in Mexico, scoring significantly higher than the global average of 68%. While the friendliness of the local population and the richness in culture and tradition have made the country particularly easy to settle in, Mexico has been losing rankings due to a reported decrease in feelings of safety and ease of personal finance management and growth, with much less initiative from its government to counteract the problems compared to Panama’s impressive proactivity.
Indonesia (2022 & 2024), Spain (2023), and Taiwan (2022) shared the third place among the top three positions. Germany, on the other hand, ranked #49 in 2023 and #50 in 2024 in the Forbes Expat Happiness Report, compared to #24 in 2024 (down from 16) across all ages in the World Happiness Report. It is important to remember that the ranking of expats will vary wildly from the locals’ perspective regarding their perceived happiness. While expatriates put a great emphasis on ease of settling in, housing, and difficulty in learning the language, none of these factors have an impact on the happiness of the local population, as can be seen in the contrast of rankings for Finland from expats (#51 in 2024) compared to locals (#1 in 2024 World Happiness Report).
Best European countries for expats
In the World Happiness Report, eight out of ten of the first countries are European countries, led by Finland, then Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Netherlands (#6), Norway, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. Compared to the Expat Ranking for 2024, the only European country that consistently held a spot in the top 10 was Spain, with Portugal briefly holding the 10th place in 2023. In contrast, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Italy, and Malta were ranked in the top 10 worst places to live for Expats by Forbes in 2023.
European countries can make it notoriously difficult for expats to settle in, from the language barrier to difficulty finding housing and obtaining a visa to land a job abroad. Even obtaining a local phone number and bank account can prove to be a challenge for a foreigner. The governments of European countries need to review their foreign policies to become attractive to talented expats. Germany has seen the opportunity to recruit exceptional foreign talent by opening up fulfilling work opportunities to international candidates outside the EU. To counteract the lack of directly supportive policies and initiatives from the government level, Germany has provided significant incentives to develop international recruitment and training agencies, such as Career Connect DE.
Sometimes, the difference in your happiness in a new country can be transformed for the better by meeting the right person. As a Career Coach for Thai professionals aspiring to grow their careers in Germany, my consulting program, CareerConnect DE, guides participants through the practical steps of finding and securing professional opportunities in Germany. With firsthand experience navigating Germany’s job market and work culture, I offer insights into industry requirements, application processes, and professional integration. This first-hand tailored advice, strategic guidance, and connections with key decision-makers empower you to achieve your maximum career success abroad.
Is Thailand a good place to live
Thailand ranked #6 in the 2023 and 2024 Forbes Expat Happiness Reports, up from #8 in 2023, making it an excellent destination for international retirees. The increase in rank over the last three years can be credited to recent efforts by the TAT, government, and local expats to make long-term stay visas and settling in more accessible for foreign digital nomads, expanding on their previous pool of retirees and hospitality workers.
Though Thailand has made many efforts to attract financially independent expats that can contribute positively to the economy, Thailand only ranked #58 in the 2024 World Happiness Report, painting a high contrast between the satisfaction index of foreigners and local citizens. A more considerable drop than the worldwide average was observed in local satisfaction between the pre and post-pandemic times, compensated by increased levels of empathy and compassion. The World Happiness Report takes the GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption into consideration of their rankings. Germany ranked #24 in the same index, down from #16 in 2023.
For Thais looking for jobs to live abroad, connecting with another Thai citizen who has successfully moved to Germany can help you skip the typical struggles of other expats. Experience Germany as the locals would for the trip of a lifetime. From job search websites in Germany for the highest paying jobs to international hospitality jobs for Thais, there are many opportunities to travel and work abroad. Your environment influences your happiness, and moving from #58 to #49 to #24 can set you up for success. This will empower you to return with international experience and connections and live in your homeland with the same opportunities and perspective as other global workers, ranking Thailand as #6 for general happiness.
From finding the best health insurance for expats in Germany or the best international bank for expats to how to deal with tax for expats, to what skills to put on a resume for the job you want, and setting you up with language courses, I am passionate in coaching other Thai citizens to maximize their earning potential by working abroad. To help more people than possible with one-on-one consultations, subscribe to this blog to receive the best guides and job boards for thriving in Germany as a Thai citizen.
