Saturday, October 08, 2005
More on the topic dujour
I seem to be really chatty on this subject, and I wanted to write a few more things before I crash out for the night. This essay deals specifically with how people fund their lives outside the USA, and as usual, travelers and expatriates will be dealt with separately.
Travelers and especially their more dedicated subgroup, vagabonds, engage in what is called road work. This is an uncommon practice in America these days; illegal immigrants will do the work much cheaper and have few rights, so white people on walkabout aren’t appealing temp workers. Other countries love having backpackers work their farms, plants, etc. The site www.Wwoof.org is an amalgam of national organizations dedicated to organic farming around the world, and people agree to work on these sites in exchange for room and board. It’s a chance to hang with locals, pick up a skill or two, and save money at the same time. You don’t get a wage that I know of, but you don’t have any expenses. Other forms of road work can be working at the youth hostel, or acting as an impromptu guide or “agent.” I discussed this in my last post, so we’ll leave it alone except to say I won’t be ending up as an agent of anyone.
The more literate wanders can make money acting as translators if the speak the language, or by writing for a publication back home such as Elliot Hester and the aforementioned Rolf Potts; both of whom wrote for Salon.com, among others. Still others teach English as a second language, which is HUGE business in other parts of the world. The degenerates of Amit Gilboa’s “Off the Rails in Phnom Penh” all made extra loot by teaching English. The pay for one school was only mentioned once, and that was 6.00 bucks an hour. That is enough to finance a whole host of debauchery where most people live on 20 bucks a week. Again, in exploring who can be called a traveler and who is an expat, the aim of such work will determine who is who. Generally, travelers engage in road work to stretch out their travel funds or to experience something novel, such as working on the above organic farms.
Expats generally start out by teaching English and will try other things later. This doesn't mean that all who try to teach are successful, but it is a good way to get your feet on the ground and English is the second most common language in the world. It is also the most common second language on Earth, so if a Hungarian meets someone from Japan, chances are they would be able to communicate in English. In other words, ESL is huge, and American expats have turned it into their own personal cottage industry. To wit: I just purchased Lonely Planet SE Asia on a Shoestring (the umpteenth update of their first book) and this HUGE (backache, seriously....) tome gives information on road work for all the countries in the book, and all have opportunities to teach English save the Philippines. As a former American colony, English has a decent presence already. And yes, America had colonies; some were absorbed in to the country (the Virgin Islands) and some were let go, such as the Philippines. Some have a more nebulous status, such as a Guam. The VI were purchaed from the British, others were won in the Spanish American war, and others were won in WWII.
Other expats open their own businesses, and this can be very lucrative depending on the nature of the venture. Expats in Panama are infamous for this, as the banking laws are very favorable for avoiding taxes and regulators. Lichtenstein is also a tax haven (much more so than Switzerland), but the start up costs are much higher than Panama, so only the super-rich can afford this, and are probably there already. Panamaian shell companies can operated in near total anonymity and are valid throughout the world to purchase stocks, land, etc. The Russian mob loves setups like these. For the sleazier amongst us, Margarita Island of Venezuela is the home of expats opening brothels, which are quite legal and seen as a legit enterprise. The point of all of this? The education and dedication to customer service Americans posses is near unheard of elsewhere even in other Western countries; less developed countries have near none. Once an expat finds his feet, the business know-how is mental gold. Of course greedy fools will be the taget of scams, but with even a few thousand as starting capital (remember how much that is in some nations) and a proper exit strategy (the most overlooked portion of any business plan....) there is money to be made. Also, immigrants/expats have what the natives do not: a fresh perspective and a fresh start. They are not penned in by the expectations of the native populace (good and bad) and are generally more flexible and willing to open businesses ignored by the natives. Keep in mind how much owning a gas station or convience store must be tomorrow morning The American immigrant experience is different than the American expat, but the theory works boths ways. Again the only caveat is that the rule of law is much stronger here than in other countries, but if you can quietly shift your profits to a sheltered account in a third county like Belize, you have it made. More later.....
Travelers and especially their more dedicated subgroup, vagabonds, engage in what is called road work. This is an uncommon practice in America these days; illegal immigrants will do the work much cheaper and have few rights, so white people on walkabout aren’t appealing temp workers. Other countries love having backpackers work their farms, plants, etc. The site www.Wwoof.org is an amalgam of national organizations dedicated to organic farming around the world, and people agree to work on these sites in exchange for room and board. It’s a chance to hang with locals, pick up a skill or two, and save money at the same time. You don’t get a wage that I know of, but you don’t have any expenses. Other forms of road work can be working at the youth hostel, or acting as an impromptu guide or “agent.” I discussed this in my last post, so we’ll leave it alone except to say I won’t be ending up as an agent of anyone.
The more literate wanders can make money acting as translators if the speak the language, or by writing for a publication back home such as Elliot Hester and the aforementioned Rolf Potts; both of whom wrote for Salon.com, among others. Still others teach English as a second language, which is HUGE business in other parts of the world. The degenerates of Amit Gilboa’s “Off the Rails in Phnom Penh” all made extra loot by teaching English. The pay for one school was only mentioned once, and that was 6.00 bucks an hour. That is enough to finance a whole host of debauchery where most people live on 20 bucks a week. Again, in exploring who can be called a traveler and who is an expat, the aim of such work will determine who is who. Generally, travelers engage in road work to stretch out their travel funds or to experience something novel, such as working on the above organic farms.
Expats generally start out by teaching English and will try other things later. This doesn't mean that all who try to teach are successful, but it is a good way to get your feet on the ground and English is the second most common language in the world. It is also the most common second language on Earth, so if a Hungarian meets someone from Japan, chances are they would be able to communicate in English. In other words, ESL is huge, and American expats have turned it into their own personal cottage industry. To wit: I just purchased Lonely Planet SE Asia on a Shoestring (the umpteenth update of their first book) and this HUGE (backache, seriously....) tome gives information on road work for all the countries in the book, and all have opportunities to teach English save the Philippines. As a former American colony, English has a decent presence already. And yes, America had colonies; some were absorbed in to the country (the Virgin Islands) and some were let go, such as the Philippines. Some have a more nebulous status, such as a Guam. The VI were purchaed from the British, others were won in the Spanish American war, and others were won in WWII.
Other expats open their own businesses, and this can be very lucrative depending on the nature of the venture. Expats in Panama are infamous for this, as the banking laws are very favorable for avoiding taxes and regulators. Lichtenstein is also a tax haven (much more so than Switzerland), but the start up costs are much higher than Panama, so only the super-rich can afford this, and are probably there already. Panamaian shell companies can operated in near total anonymity and are valid throughout the world to purchase stocks, land, etc. The Russian mob loves setups like these. For the sleazier amongst us, Margarita Island of Venezuela is the home of expats opening brothels, which are quite legal and seen as a legit enterprise. The point of all of this? The education and dedication to customer service Americans posses is near unheard of elsewhere even in other Western countries; less developed countries have near none. Once an expat finds his feet, the business know-how is mental gold. Of course greedy fools will be the taget of scams, but with even a few thousand as starting capital (remember how much that is in some nations) and a proper exit strategy (the most overlooked portion of any business plan....) there is money to be made. Also, immigrants/expats have what the natives do not: a fresh perspective and a fresh start. They are not penned in by the expectations of the native populace (good and bad) and are generally more flexible and willing to open businesses ignored by the natives. Keep in mind how much owning a gas station or convience store must be tomorrow morning The American immigrant experience is different than the American expat, but the theory works boths ways. Again the only caveat is that the rule of law is much stronger here than in other countries, but if you can quietly shift your profits to a sheltered account in a third county like Belize, you have it made. More later.....
