Reader question: Working in Thailand as a physio/manual/hand therapist

Physiotherapy is available through hospitals in Bkk. I know of 1 address in Bkk where osteopathy is done by an Englishman with his Thai wife, both with diplomas from England. Manual therapy is in my opinion completely unavailable and unknown and that could be an angle to employment at a reputable hospital in Bangkok.

A few thoughts off the cuff:
* You could try to get employed by a hospital in Bangkok or Pattaya (http://www.pih-inter.com/department/14/physical-therapy-center.html)
There are many older foreigners in Pattaya, and many of them probably need a good manual therapist.

But the question is how much you will earn if you are employed, significantly less than in NL anyway. And how much freedom do you still have, if you have to work 6 days a week for a small wage, and furthermore without holiday pay, probably without pension accrual (no idea how that is arranged in the medical world here).

And, not important: what happens if at some point physiotherapy/manual therapy becomes fashionable in Thailand and your place is then taken by a Thai therapist?

* Much better (and you can also earn much more, I estimate): start your own practice (in Jomtien Beach (near Pattaya) for example, then I will be - for cracking my neck - a regular customer of yours).
For your own practice in which you also want to work, you have to employ 4 Thai employees (per work permit) (this is partly possible on paper, according to the rumours).

For example, there is an American in North Pattaya who is a chiropractor (and he is the only one who actually treats): http://www.pattayachirocenter.com/
I've been there 3 times, and always busy.

You have to sit in a place with a lot of foreigners, that should go without saying.

Another example, but with a different interpretation: there is a German dentist here who employs Thai dentists and has become very rich.

More information about setting up a business:
http://www.thailandguru.com/work-permit-thailand.html
If you wish to start your own business, then you can obtain a work permit for yourself by setting up a company, employing Thais (normally 4 per work permit), paying yourself sufficiently (minimum of 50,000 baht per month for foreigners), and paying all taxes.

Minimum registered capital for a company must be 2,000,000 baht per work permit, but all this money does not need to be in the company bank account at the beginning, and usually doesn't need to be all paid up at the beginning.

I say do it, but research all the ins and outs of doing business and the need for your skills before investing 2 million baht!
But on the other hand: you are young and if things go wrong you will lose some money, but in NL you will earn that back in a few years.

I don't know if there is a training for manual therapist in Thailand, otherwise: who knows, maybe one day there will be a training here, you then employ some qualified staff, then when you are old you can just continue your business with very little yourself to work.
Or you send 1-2 good people to the Netherlands in due course, when you are in a lot of slack, to be trained.

Dear Inge,

I will not elaborate on work permits, applying for jobs at Thai hospitals, etc., but I will address your statement 'where the Thai massage parlor can be found on almost every street corner'
That is true in tourist areas and can be good or bad. In my opinion, the issue that matters is the difference in understanding between Thai style massage and Western treatment at all.
First immerse yourself in this and find out that these techniques have been used for thousands of years and with success. Many Thai go to a traditional (medical) massage for treatment and are well helped for little. They do not have much faith in Western techniques, which of course does not apply to expats, etc. Based on this statement, I am not very optimistic about the chance of success unless perhaps in Bangkok at one of the top hospitals. In any case, good luck.

Regards Joy