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SEO - SOCIAL NETWORK => Social network | SEO - Social network => Topic started by: MSL on June 03, 2022, 04:22:20 PM
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About trying to find a job or start a business in Cambodia
Trying to find a job or make business in Cambodia... well, in the recent years it's more and more difficult for a foreigner to find work (with a legal, working visa) in China. It's nearly impossible to receive a Chinese citizenship too. The Chinese green card -- if no legal job, enough money in your bank account and own flat/house -- also no way to get it.
At the beginning, when I was still a student in East Europe, I went even to the Chinese embassy, because I loved China very much, and I asked there for Chinese citizenship. They refused me and one person -- Chen Lan -- told me that at first I have to live 5 years in China before I get it. Well, I'm living in China already 18+ years and still can't even apply for a Chinese green card. I already tried twice in 2 different Chinese public security bureaus (one in Dalian and one in Haikou) to apply for a citizenship, but it wasn't successful. Later some people told me that first I have to receive a Chinese green card, but as long as I can't find a working visa, I'm not able to apply for it.
So, I started to give up to become a Chinese citizen. I feel, at this moment, it's even not easy to live in China (where, if the country is not giving you enough opportunities to work, will be easy? Nowhere! You see, at least, in many other countries foreigners can work legally as waiters, cleaners or something like this. But in China a foreigner can't work these jobs. Most of the companies do not want or can't hire foreigners in China.)
I decided to try to find a similar, Eastern and warm country (where also I can communicate with many Chinese, because since my childhood I am a fan of the Chinese culture) and so I decided it to be Cambodia.
Till now, I got some helpful and positive answers from a Cambodia related forum (in English) but also some not very positive and even not good. I'll tell you about it later.
(To be continued...)
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At first I started my research with the topic "What are my chances to live a good life in Cambodia with this background?" (Thu May 19, 2022 4:44 pm): "What are my chances to live a good life in Cambodia with this background: master's degree (Philosophy), 5 foreign languages (Chinese, English, Russian, Korean, Tatar), east European passport holder, Caucasian (white, if it matters for someone. No racism!) with around 19 years teaching experience in China. No smoker, no heavy drinker. Healthy and sporty person with interests in science and culture. Not rich, so can't make investments.
Is it possible to find at least a decent job in Cambodia now? Just a job for the beginning is alright too. I just wonder may I start living there at all?
I hope I can receive some positive answers! Best wishes!"
Then I've got some answers which I'll show you over here:
1) Someone "guesty11" said that my teaching history might be my best bet, at a university. And asked me what did you teach in China? I answered him/her that "Mostly languages: English, sometimes Russian and simple Korean. But never in a university. Only in private schools, kindergartens and face-to-face tutoring (home teaching)."
2) Another " Guest" said that he/she thinks that I will be "highly sought after". And added that the pay rates are "generally shit" there, so better in Vietnam. (Yes, but I'm avoiding Vietnam because of some problems over there.)
3) Then came another answer from someone with nickname "ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ" which was not very clear is it a joke or is it some social criticism of the Cambodian reality. Here it is:
75% chance of being dead before 60. (I don't know why, once I stated that I do not smoke, do not drink hard alcohol and do sports.)
12% chance of being homeless for an undefined period of time in next 5 years. (Okay, let's say it's a good reminder because I'm poor.)
36% chance of shitting yourself in public and it being reported online. (Why?! Bad food? Viruses?! What is the meaning of this statement?)
82% chance of saving a dog/cat from certain death. (Didn't get it at all. I am even avoiding to have pets because I'm dealing well with the high hygiene levels at home.)
92% chance of pronouncing it cum-eye (Is that another useless joke or just a statement that Cambodian language is not easy to learn?)
In a word, it was a confusing answer, which is not helping at all.
4) Another "Guest" comment that there the rates schools are paying are less than they were ten years ago. He/she also said that teaching online is the way to go these days, because 10 dollars (an hour) is the norm; no prep work nor homework; no having to navigate the traffic jams; nor having to deal with "stupid Khmer management" or "power tripping westerners"; no exams to mark without pay. Just work the hours you want from home when you want. Plus, he/she added, that the Japanese adult students are a dream come true for a teacher.
Well, I decided to believe it and asked "Thanks a lot for the informed opinion! Well said. But is it possible for a non-native English speaker to teache those Japanese adult students? :) A link to the source/website where one can teach like that, please?"
And he/she didn't answer after that at all. :(
5) A person nicknamed "spitthedog" said that washing dishes in Europe pays better than teaching in Cambodia, and that "it's without the annoying screaming kids who can't really be arsed to learn engrish." (The problem is that I don't like Europe so much and I don't think that an educated person like me has to go to be a washdisher once he can be at least a teacher.)
Also "6 months washing dishes in Barangland, then 6 months on the piss on holiday in the KOW....
Vs teaching english full time.
If someone had a gun to my head..." -- Well, I don't like to travel so much and I prefer to live only in the warm South-East China or South-East Asia. It's what I will choose with or without gun to my head. :)
No matter what, but the person obviously tries to help.
At the same time, I'm not very sure how much tries to help someone nicknamed "violet". I'll post special answers to him/her in the next post over here.
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So, here, as I promised, will give my special (concrete) answers to violet from khmer440.com.
1. You got two positive responses and two negative. In your latest thread you said replies were mostly negative/pessimistic regarding teaching.
Well, let's see how many and how positive/optimistic (encouraging) are the comments above then. I don't mind to recount them because as a philosopher, I do value the truth.
- "Your teaching history might be your best bet, at a university." Positive.
- "I think you will be highly sought after.
Pay rates are generally shit here..." Negative. - "75% chance of being dead before 60.
12% chance of being homeless for an undefined period of time in next 5 years.
36% chance of shitting yourself in public and it being reported online.
..." Highly depressing and negative. - "The rates schools are paying are less than they were 10 years ago. Teaching online is the way to go these days, 10 dollars an hour is the norm, no prep work nor homework, no having to navigate the traffic jams, nor having to deal with stupid Khmer management or power tripping westerners, no exams to mark without pay, ..." Negative about the teaching in Cambodia. Also didn't answer if a non-native English speaker can find that dremful teaching Japanese online job.
So, for me it's 1:3. Read them again carefully and think by yourself if they give any hope and/or help about starting to be a language teacher in Cambodia?
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Surprisingly, violet also added a new, direct question to me: What would equal a good life, OP?
Well, there was, are and will be different definitions about it, but nowadays, most of the people will imagine something like:
- able to buy a house or at least an apartment.
- able to have enough money for clothes, food, drinks, electricity, water, internet, TV (maybe books, too).
- able to save at least some money every month or at least every year.
- able to find affordable health care.
- able to satisfy the childrens' needs (but it's out of my counting because I'm a child-free person).
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So, another idea that I've got is to make some research about the jobs in the Cambodian casinos. So, I started the topic "Anyone works in a Cambodian casino? How is the casino job over there?" (Fri May 20, 2022 2:42 am) and I posted
"Well, at first I planned to be a teacher in Cambodia after nearly 20 years of teaching foreign languages abroad but then I received some opinions that it''s not a very good choice.
So, because I can deal well with Chinese, Russian, English (and to communicate good enough in other 5-6 languages) I wondered isn't it better for me to start working in a casino. ;) I suppose they need polyglots like me who are able to explain important things like "how to play this", "where is the toilet", "how much is the free whiskey" :grin: and so on (I spent enough time in casinos in East Europe and Macao, so I know what is the level of the communication and I feel pretty sure I can do it).
So, somebody knows how is the job there? Payment, stress, problems of any kind, opportunities?
If not, at least, those of you who ever visited these places, tell me, please, how do you think of the Cambodian casinos? Your impressions?
Thanks in advance! :cheers2:"
1/ ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ at once noticed that I'm not very familiar with the Cambodian casinos. ("You ain’t from round here are you?" ;D ) and added that there are plenty of cheap, locals who have sufficient Chinese/English to tell patrons "where to go pee". Then he also asked (reasonably) why would they want to employ an expensive foreigner when a local can do the same job for 20% of the cost?
(if the situation is really like this "We do prefer local labour force." then it's really a no chance situation similar to that in China now.)
2/ Another person (nicknamed Spigzy) said that the payment is even lower -- "5%-10% I'd argue."
3/ A person nicknamed "rektj00" asked "Shouldn't you be finishing that novel series that you started?" which I didn't get. Maybe he/she is asking somebody else (an offtopic) or maybe he/she knows me as a writer who is writing different things? Whatever.
4/ The next answer, from a person with nickname "Sonic1" said that а large casino like Naga already has thousands of employees, many of which speak multiple languages relevant to this region (it means Thai, Malay, Vietnamese, Mandarin, etc.) So he/she thinks that they have no need of said "polyglot". (Maybe my number is not enough to call myself a polyglot? ::) )
He/she made an interesting point, that what they always have need of is casino hosts; a casino host that has an extensive list of clients or "whales" who will follow said host to whichever casino property employs him and then "plunk down sizable wagers". It is, according to him/her, actually not a bad job as they accompany clients to VIP events, golf courses and dinners; they may also receive "a nice chunk of change" depending on how much each whale loses per visit.
Cool, really. The pity is that I don't know so many "whales" who are going to gamble and if so, they'll go exactly to gamble in Cambodia.
5/ A "guest" posted that the chances of a foreigner coming to Cambodia and finding a decent job that pays a decent salary - way above teachers’ subsistence rates - is negligible. He/she states that most foreigners in good jobs were sent there by their employer; a tiny handful build networks which help them get the tiny number of decent jobs; every other foreigner who is doing okay is either retired or has created a business. (And this supported my idea to try some business in Cambodia, like a restaurant, which received some criticism, but we'll talk about it later.) The person also added that he/she doesn’t want to be discouraging but "Cambodia as a place to build or sustain your career is not a good choice."
If that's true, I feel very sad, because I really do like Asia and especially the winterless, warm south-east Asia. There are not many countries over there to choose.
6/ Someone nicknamed " Tootsfriend" suggested this: "May I suggest you lower your sights on the job application. I need a painter who can climb a 20 foot ladder and I can pay $10 per day." and because I'm not sure if it's a true offer or just a joke (and I don't like to paint, because I do avoid chemical products like paints which may hurt my health), I just don't want to answer it there.
7/ A person nicknamed "PSD_Kiwi" gave obviously more informed and concrete answer -- he/she said that knows a few foreigners ("Westerners") who are/have been employed in the casino industry in Cambodia and they all had years of experience working in casinos in other countries, and are/were making bank in Cambodia... He/she thinks that If I have no experience, then not a chance, maybe a 3-rd country nationals (like Filipinos) wage if you're lucky, with "shit working conditions"... if I could even secure a casino job, which is highly unlikely.
Well...
8/ A person nicknamed " Lucky Lucan" answered that working in a casino in a border town in Cambodia sounds like hell on earth to him "but what would I know?"
Sigh... makes me feel really uneasy about this casino job in Cambodia idea.
9/ ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ wisely added that he’d hope that anyone considering working in a particular sector in another country would do a little due diligence, rather than just jumping on board after reading a forum comment. (And this is what I think too. The forums should be just a part of our research.) Also he added that "But in this world now we seem to have to cater for the absolutely lowest common denominator. Do we really have to assume that everyone is as thick as shit?" which is a sort of confusing, isn't it?
To be continued...
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Continuing with these:
Some person with the name (nickname?) "Anthony's Wiener" wrote: "Have you looked into telemarketing? A number of investment firms have first class offices in the KOW and are actively seeking foreigners to join their ranks. My understanding is meals and lodging is provided in gated communities." I didn't get it because I couldn't find what is that KOW thing -- all I see is the Chinese "kowtow" (short form -- "kow") and the octanol/water partition coefficient (Kow). Then the well-known (already) here violet opposed it with "Please ignore this post." She said that it is to be avoided at all costs and that it is not even funny to suggest it to a person who may be completely unaware of what has been happening to people taking up jobs like this and then finding themselves in a hell they can barely free themselves from. Sounds like lifesaving post. Responsible indeed. Thanks, really! Because when you're in a new country you really have to be very careful.
Then that Anthony guy answered: "A bit if a leap that the poster is unaware of what has been happening. Perhaps we should warn the poster that hanging out with Pieman is also a threat to his wellbeing, taking children home to play video games is unadvisable, that casinos are magnets to low life Chinese and Pov at the #MeToo bar doesn't really love long time and her drinks are overpriced and watered down. " Can't continue to think that all these kind of opinions are discouraging. Well, she asked him why would they (people like me) be aware? Then he answered that It has been reported there, TOF, Cambodian, Thai , Japanese, Chinese, Malaysian TV and newspaper; A number of casino trade newspaper have reported on it; Aljazeera did a worldwide story on it. And asked her why would she thinks the poster (me) to be so naive? And she answered (very right, by the way) that it's nothing to do with naivety. Not everybody devours every news article, even when it relates to a country they may move to in future. That's true. The information nowadays is too much! And, even a person who reads news everyday, mostly will see news about USA, Russia, European countries, China and sometimes -- African countries... very rare there is something about Cambodia. So, I do agree with her here.
And at the end of that topic, a person nicknamed "logos" posted a fresh ad from a FB forum. It's helpful, because I have no idea what's on FB, because it's blocked in China and I don't spend money on VPNs. Really, not bad for a casino ad, as he/she said but violet rightly noticed that that says it’s for Cambodians with language skills. Also, I suppose it's a reasonable sense of humor -- "That’s really good - must include ugly city boredom money - Bavet is on a par with Poipet." :) :) I don't care if the city is ugly or not, as far as it's winterless, warm, without air pollution and, ideally, if it's near the sea/ocean or at least a very big lake. :)
When I have more time and better Internet connection I'll post about the last topic which I started there and which looks very popular now. Already 5 pages! Wow! I still didn't read it to the end after my last post there.
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"I'm already losing hope but here comes my last try: how about to open a restaurant?"
This was really my last try there because I noticed that probably it's not very optimistic (according to many or most of them). By the way right now a person said something very interesting there!!! I’ve lived in 6 countries across 3 continents, and out of all of them Cambodia’s expat community is the worst for crab mentality. Not just on this site but Facebook, TOS etc. Everyone seems to really hate the idea of anyone succeeding here.
said a person with nickname "nerdlinger".
I plan to answer this ("I also started to feel something like this. Not everyone but here are really expats who're not helpful and who just want to joke or insult you just because you're trying politely to find your happiness there too. If most of them are like that, no wonder why some of the Khmers are getting xenophobic and don't want more foreigners in Cambodia. So, I'll just finish to read the answers and I'll answer them each and everyone in my forum (My answers and comments in the Omnilogy forum. (http://www.seo-forum-seo-luntan.com/social-network-seo-social-network/trying-to-find-a-job-or-start-a-business-in-cambodia/)). I'm not going to continue here because it's nothing but a problem for the admins and mods of this forum."
Well, let me start first with the posts and answers I already posted and received there:
I started with this: "Well, already twice I got mostly pessimistic and discouraging answers about becoming a teacher in Cambodia or starting to work there in some casino. Because I'm just an east-European philosopher who speaks several foreign languages and owns TEFL, Master's at philosophy and 3 sports diplomas, the last thing that I got in mind (after which I'll lose hope about Cambodia) is may I open a restaurant? The problems is that if I sell my apartment in China and some other stuff like a computer, all my money will be around $39 000, I suppose. Is that enough to rent a house there for a year and to start a restaurant (I mean in some provincial town like Kep or Koh-Kong; I'm not a fan of the big cities like capitals or travel resorts)."
1. Someone nicknamed " Rizla" answered that he/she sees me being fleeced. ::) Does it mean that Cambodians are so dangerous? Or it means that my background looks too naive? I don't know but this kind of answer is not helpful and it's not backed by proof.
2. The well-known violet (which I already gave answers and comments in this thread above) said that If I would be content to lose the money I spend to set up a restaurant, "go for it". She is not saying I will fail, but in any business a person is advised to have enough to cover costs for at least twelve months and to be prepared to fail. (Which I know very well, because the economics is my hobby and one of the basic things to learn there is that every business is a risky activity.) She also added,
Do I know how to navigate business ownership as a foreigner in Cambodia on a weekly basis - how to develop and maintain relationships with the local officials, etc. in order to be largely left to do my thing.
3. "Alexandra" (administrator) comment that I must forget what I like, to stand a chance I need to be where people are. People in Koh Kong and Kep eat in places I probably can’t afford to rent. (I said that I like those places because I meant that I am not focusing on the capital or the biggest cities, i. e. I hoped that to choose a smaller town means it will be cheaper to rent, but... maybe she is right that there is expensive too, because they're beach towns.)
Also she asked: What do I have to offer that will make people visit me frequently? Do I know how to cook and do I have prior experience running a restaurant. She said "When I go to a restaurant I only care about if the food and service is good. If the owner has 10 different sports and philosophy degrees that’s great but I don’t care." too. This means that she didn't get that what I mean is that as an educated person, for sure, I'll have enough knowledge to do something so simple as a restaurant.
She thinks that $39,000 would last me longer in those towns if I don't open a restaurant. She thinks that I've chosen the most competitive industry… and asked ironically "What next, a hotel?" (When I just choose something ordinary like teaching or working in casino - no way. If a choose something like selling new food -- too competitive... Not helpful at all.)
So here I expressed my sincere disappointment: I think I am starting to get it: if I'd like to work a normal job (a teacher or even an ordinary servant) there, you guys are thinking it's a bad choice. If I want to develop my own business (like a restaurant that is possible even for people without any education; the world is full of restaurant owners who even didn't graduated in their high school and if you compare their economics with my economics knowledge their is close to zero), then again it's not a good idea.
May I ask you: if Cambodia is such a terrible place to make business and/or even to work as an ordinary worker, how and why are you people still there?!
a) You're stuck there and can't leave it and to find your better place?
b) You're discouraging every expat who is coming there because you're afraid of some more competirion?
c) You're local xenophobic people who strongly believe that Khmers can go everywhere, but the foreigners have to stay away from Cambodia?
d) You're just having fun discouraging people like me, who're trying to find a better life in there?
4. After this Alexandra answered at once that those people have something that I don’t: the knowledge of how to run a restaurant. (She still didn't get it that I'm educated enough to know how to run a simple thing like a restaurant.) "It’s a critical component, don’t you think?" (Feels like she is perceiving me as a kid or just an ordinary person without any degree.) She thinks that the restaurant owners have spent a big chunk of their lives working in restaurants. (Which is not true in many cases.) She understood that I'm an English teacher with a philosophy and sports degree. Then, I don't know why, she suggested that "If you are good at economics then that’s what you should work with." (Probably she doesn't know that if the economics is just a hobby and you have no this kind of certificate/diploma, there is no company that will invite you to be an economist there.) And something partly true: "Having a PhD in physics doesn't make you a good swimmer."How do you know? Exactly a swimmer who knows better physics has more chances to use the laws of physic to develop better swimming skills. And when it comes to swimming -- it's a perfect example of something simple -- most of the people can learn how to swim the same as most of the people can learn how to run a restaurant.
And here comes more: "Yeah, that must be it." she said (i. e. she disagrees that they're blocking me and discouraging me from start my life in Cambodia). And a new irony: "We don’t want you to open a restaurant because your economics knowledge will help you sell beer for $0.50 and fried rice for $1 faster than anyone of us can count." Which means that she even can't imagine how innovative I am. I just plan to open a restaurant with new and unique food. She imagines me really like an ordinary guy. Well, it's okay. Let it be.
And the last one -- "It’s not that you can’t cook, or that you've never worked a day in a restaurant, or that nearly everybody with the same idea as you has failed." Wow... she is even sure that I didn't work in a restaurant. Like knows my past. I was a waiter-translator in Sanya, in an international restaurant. But even without this experience, I can make simple things like dealing with a restaurant.
I also didn't get it -- why she thinks that I have to be an owner + a cook in the restaurant?! Every owner is the chef of his/her restaurant? Strange logic.
And this was my answer to them: Alexandra, let me answer you friendly, because I do respect your time and I hope you're not joking around.
1) As a philosopher who wrote several books and who is reading non-stop economics, psychology and so on, I really do much more about the restaurants than people around me who even don't keep clean in their restaurants, who are even not trying to make ads and who even don't give any discounts... (the list is long). Believe me, in China there are so many low quality restaurants that it is just a proof that a bit more educated person could make it better.
2) I have a partner who is a good cook. Also, I'm going to hire at least 1 manager with experience in the restaurant. So, it's not like one man show, where I'll be the cook, the manager and the waiter.
3) Yes, there are some people who worked long time in restaurants, but also there are people who just set up one without previous experience. And many times it's okay, because they do hire other people who already did the job. So, it's not a necessary condition the owner to be an ex-cook or an ex-waiter in order to own a successful restaurant. Especially if it's something like new fast food thing.
4) I really think that a restaurant (fast food type like sushi, pizza, hot-dog, manty, baozi and so on) is one of the simplest businesses especially if you have the stuff and you're not trying to cook by yourself. Well, if it's so expensive to hire a waiter, I can be the waiter, but surely I'll have a pro cook, so where is the problem?
5) "What do you have to offer that will make people visit you frequently?" -- It's easy. Just something that there is still lacking. For example, long time ago a Chinese opened the first flower shop in Cambodia (at least this is what we know here) and it was a hit. So, imagine that there is still no sushi restaurant in some Cambodian town. The travelers usually like sushi... and you're the first one.
OK. I hope I showed enough of my points and with all due respect. Sorry, if I sound nervous or something but recently the life of the foreigners in China isn't easy -- even after nearly 20 years here I can't get Chinese citizenship and even a Green card! Also, nearly impossible to find a legal job anymore! And as far as so many (not that educated and knowledgeable expats) DO live in Cambodia, I believe that I can do it too, at least as good as they do.
5. The person with the nickname spitthedog said that his wife has mentioned about opening a takeaway in Oi'land. (I don't know what's that place or it's just a nickname for a real place.) and explained that this is even after the Gypsies sometimes came to the restaurant where she worked and complained about pubes in the takeaways, so they didn't have to pay. (This is also interesting because I don't know if there are real Gypsies in Cambodia or he uses this as a word to call some another minority or group of people.)
He said "They can't be my hairs, as mine aren't ginger. Or they'd just walk out without paying." Which is terrible. I wonder where is the police in these cases or if the police is not there, at least the bodyguards of the restaurant, the owner at least, to stop it. It's illegal (a theft) to eat and not to pay. Well, that's why the rule should be "Pay first!"
I think that he's right that most restaurants only do a good trade at the weekends. I think this is like this almost everywhere.
He said that he can't help but think they'd be better off using the money to get a mortgage, whilst renting out the house. That would be very low risk, compared to a restaurant, he thinks. Well, if that region is really so criminal, maybe he's right.
Starting to answer them one by one now, here. (I hope I can finish my answers these days!)
6. ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ comment with these:
"It’s not a bad idea, it’s just not a particularly good or original idea." At least the food will be original. And if the idea is really not bad, then why not to try?
"You might be successful for a while, but when locals see you being successful your business will be copied." The same thing told me a Chinese about China. Okay, let them copy, but once you're already successful, a little loyal competition is not a problem. In some cases it's even useful.
"I’m sure you know the informal rules of business ‘be first’ - nope you aren't that," Why?! I can be exactly that. For example there are 1000 food ideas that are still not realized in Cambodia. At least 1 of these 1000 can my "being first".
" ‘be smarter’ - well you think you are that, but wait until you arrive and you’ll see smart or ‘cheat’ there will be locals able to do things in business that you cannot hence lowering their overheads significantly." Okay, let's say that some of the local people are with more advantages.
It's a positive idea: "You really should be looking at your current USP, what do you have that others don’t?
Perhaps your connections in China?
There are people here running businesses which help consumers order stuff from China, they organise payment and delivery. These are decent little businesses for now but some are informal and the other ones seem a little chaotic. Perhaps that could be an option." but the problem is that this is something that I already tried and the Chinese answer was that if we haven't a company, we can't do it. And to register this type of company is very expensive. And also, this is something that really needs some experience because it's not that easy as the restaurants.
"But you have this whole thing arse-about-face.
Just come here and spend 6 months, get a job teaching in person or online to fund yourself then research yourself." -- Well, not at all. I also think that I have to spend some months or even a year first. That's why I am checking first online. That's why I at first started to ask about jobs not about business, but the answers are not very encouraging.
"There will be opportunities, but whilst you may be academic you aren't being particularly creative. Teaching, casinos or restaurants… you need to come, look, think, and move your thoughts outside the obvious." I can't be more creative than this, because there are some jobs and businesses that I can't do. For example farming or electronics. I'm just creative around my field of abilities.
7. A person nicknamed "Phuket2006" said that he/she sees restaurants going for under $8,000 in Kampot, Kep under $6,000, rents under $500/month, but the problem is they are usually being resold 6 months down the line. Which sounds bad. Well, it doesn't mean that I'll also have to do that but if it's a usual thing... depressing indeed.
Also, this person added that in Kampot it seems there are more restaurants (counting those in western run gh's) than could possible be needed. It shows that some people are making business without good economics research and/or knowledge.
For me it was a good to see that the person shows what maybe a good idea: "I'd love to see a well run western restaurant (other than Italian or seafood) in Kep." But he or she said that there are not enough westerns living there or western tourists that you would make a profit. He added that very few ones there, he/she doubts, work under the principal that a successful restaurant food costs are under 35%, he'd/she'd say they are closer to 60%!
At the end -- "your education, degrees and speaking multiple languages means jack shit" + "have you ever run a successful restaurant is all that matters". He/she can't realize the thing that if a person is really well educated with different degrees and knows many languages (which means many cultures and many sources of info as well) he can make a successful restaurant much better than those who're lacking of knowledge and even can't do basic things like -- keep clean your restaurant, advertise your restaurant, etc.
8. A person nicknamed "Tootsfriend" posted a very nice, useful comment, which I do appreciate a lot: May I suggest you start a ''spaghetti '' restaurant or even a sidewalk stall / takeaway selling it. Because its very filling
just like rice Cambodians do like spaghetti especially kids. It's easy and quick to cook and no special kitchen equipment is needed. The kids in my family make a very good spaghetti with a hot chilli sauce, sometimes with a chicken meat other times using pork.. For the first few months you need to be able to hand out free samples to teenage kids , probably outside a school area, to the ones that set the trend and tell everyone on Facebook, they were given some spaghetti and it was so yummy. Consider this as advertising money spent so don't expect any monetary returns.
I have already claimed and registered the trade name GeorgeR Spaghetti, in Cambodia but when you have a successful, profitable spaghetti shop in every town I will sell you the trade name.
This is something really cool to know.
9. Someone nicknamed "Stokely" posted something like an anecdote, I don't know -- "What's the difference between a philosopher and a cook in Cambodia?
About US$ 12k a year." What I can say is that many philosophers around the world can't find philosophy related job and they really have to search for something else, including cook, language teacher, journalist, etc.
10. Another one, with a nick "Dylan Quint" added that restaurants struggle even in the best of times. + "That said, when there's a threat of a credit freeze, you can always freeze the creditor instead." What I know is to avoid credits. And yes, I know that especially now, with this terrible COVIDisation the restaurant business isn't very low risky.
11. Someone nicknamed "fapsara" posted that if the restaurant in Kep fails "you could make a living teaching semi-literate barangs how to spell and use punctuation." I do agree that many foreigners really can't spell well and can't use the basic punctuation. Well, my English punctuation isn't very good too. But, at least, I do spell mostly correctly. The problem is that most of the people do not want to learn and to study. The knowledge isn't their value.
To be continued...
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Information
You have been banned from this board until Mon Jun 06, 2022 2:52 am.
Please contact the Board Administrator for more information.
A ban has been issued on your IP address.
Oh, exactly as I supposed -- that's why I backup everything here because you never know when some unstable administrator like Alexandra is going to ban you. Because I said I'll save her some headache and not answering there (and gave them link to read the answers here, if they wish), she with her not very developed logic and knowledge decided that I use the link in order to "spam with viagra" and to earn money from the clicks. (She is so ignorant that even can't see that currently we don't have ads here! Can you see any ads right now?!)
Looks like it was really a good decision to stop dealing with them. Of course, I'll answer them here. If they want, they'll find their answers (probably).
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This Alexandra administrator from khmer440.com seems to be a spamophobe. Me and some friends noticed that if you just make a profile there and add a link to your or another website they're not going to approve you because they think you're a spammer or spambot something. Then why they just disable the link options if they're so afraid of spam?
Seems she hates when people are smarter than her. She shows some sort of inferiority complex. And it's really a madness to suppose that a person who links serious answers in fact links "viagra" and earning from ads. What ads? ;D That's it. I think she's too paranoic and sort of slow.
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Not a good administrator for sure. She allows so many rude comments, useless offtopics, etc. and when someone decides just to safe her some trouble and to answer in his forum... oh, no, "viagra link", ban. Abnormal behaviour.
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I have no time to deal with the delusions of Alexandra admin from khmer440.com but let me show some points here in case some as stupid as her is believing her accusations about this forum:
- It is not just a SEO forum as "Search Engine Optimization". If you had enough responsibility and thinking you could see that it's "Science, Education and Omnilogy".
- If it was so hard for you to get that S=Science, E=Education, O=Omnilogy, then at least you could spend some time to see the boards in the forum: Food, Languages, Philosophy, Psychology and tons of others. Even a child will understand that we're not just a "SEO forum" it's an omnilogy forum.
- Why do you expect that our users and the mods, admins will come to comment a person's answers to you and your virtual bullies over there? Do you think it's so interesting to comment? We prefer to read and not to bother so much.
- Are you insane? Do you really think that some Cambodian traffic (which can't be compared with the traffic from developed countries like USA, Canada, Germany, France, et cetera is going to make us rich?) Are you blind, by the way, not to notice that currently we're lacking ads and we're even with limited AdSense?
- We're focusing on white and green SEO, we're not spaming with links. And if you imagine that your forum is something valuable for linkjuice it means that you're really ignored about the essence of the process. What do you have so much? "Valuable" Cambodian traffic? High PageRank maybe? A few visitors from New Zealand?... Don't make me laugh.
And yeah, sure ironize more the degrees, the knowledge, the "Einsteinianism" of the person. It's typical for the ignorant, less educated personas like you, girl.
Hey and one last thing, Alexandra: not sure your IQ is high enough for this but... you see, I'll give it a shot: The thing is we also hate spam and we're banning hundreds of spammers here. But your "spam understanding" is too psychopathic -- you can't call it spam when a person who'd like to finish answering in your forum links once (only once!) another forum, especially after this person wrote for you so much of unique content. Right? I doubt you can fully understand it because... seems you even don't make difference between quotes, retelling, copies... you think that when he quotes, retells your conversations in your Khmer thing it's just copy-and-paste? Oh...pity you. Whatever. Be happy and good luck with the brain. There is a person for everyone in this world and I think the best one for you is a good psychologist or something.
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You saw that? Some of the guys there also think that she's full of stupidity and not only she. There are bunch of stupid people there. This wise guys said it right -
Just continue with the stupidity here. ... Why would anyone try to get clicks from a board with so little happening to begin with?
busybee, respect man!
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I still didn't read to the end but I suppose she posted some baseless accusations there. When I have enough time I'll read and defend myself here.
For now, I'll just say this about Alexandra from that frum -- This is what is called straw man fallacy. I think she's not that educated, informed and at least a bit clever to know what's she doing, so I'll explain it to her because obviously she and some of her friends are reading here.
She just accuses me of doing something that I never wanted to do and I didn't do -- like "He came here to waste a lot of time just to insert a link to earn $0.01."
This is an absurd and illogical. We all saw that the logic thinking isn't one of her abilities BUT many people will just believe her and now question it at all... because
they're also with similar knowledge level as hers. Only a few will notice that she is speaking literally stupidity and maybe only 1 or 2 will understood is as a
straw man fallacy: (https://fourweekmba.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/straw-man-fallacy.png) (Source: https://fourweekmba.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/straw-man-fallacy.png.)
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And off-topic. These days, a school nearby wants to hire me and to try to apply for a work visa for me. I think there is no chance because a women who deals with visas in China said most of these attempts are doomed.
She means that very rare currently an application to be successful. What she said exactly is "那正常申请工作签证是可以的啊 就是最好不要是外教职位" ("那正常申请工作签证是可以的啊 就是最好不要是外教职位
那正常申请工作签证是可以的啊 就是最好不要是外教职位
It's OK to apply for a work visa normally, but it's better not to be a foreign teacher".)
So I'm not full of hope. But I wish to try. Later I have a chance to try in another one (a college) in north China where maybe I can teach my native language.
Just don't want to lose so many years in China before I give up my chance to obtain a Chinese green card and even a Chinese citizenship (which was my dream since I was young).
If this happens I will feel okay because if most of the foreigners in Cambodia are so abnormal like the woman in question and some of other hostile ones in her forum, it's really not
the best place to be. But, of course, they're not going to make me to change my mind. If China really can't give me the chance to have at least one job and a green card, then at least
I want to live in a warm, winterless place like Cambodia, which is full of pretty people, interesting culture and other good things.
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Make sure that you don't think that Alexa from seo-forum-seo-luntan.com is Alexandra from khmer440.com. ;D
You know that here we're against female discrimination and I do support the females. It's hard to support this one. She is just not enough honest to us and to herself. She just creates fake stories about one of us and about this omnilogy forum and then those pity users, well probably plenty of them, do believe her. Why? Just because she's an admin? C'mon. She sounds like some girl on drugs or too drunken.
Just don't take her seriously and don't hate the females because of her.
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Okay, starting one by one, to be clear. I'll just answer them frankly and honestly no matter what some crazy heads think about my motivation.
A person with nickname "Hanno" said he/she knows nothing about philosophy but has little experience in the hospitality industry.
The way Hanno sees the opportunities for a restaurant in Cambodia are thus:
1/ invest little money and open another run-of-the-mill restaurant in a saturated market. Good idea, I, many years ago, started to think the same
2/ If, a big IF, you are successful and manage to attract people, expect to make a pittance in return for 16-hour days, 7 days a week.
The other option is to invest a few million and open an amazing place that people will travel to from near and far and leave serious money. (I can only dream about it. :D )
But then, if one has a few million to invest, he or she might as well lie on the beach with an ice-cold beer. (True!)
Well said. Nothing to add. This is how a wise person sees the things.
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Because the ban there stops me to read what they're posting (There are always low IQ administrators and/or moderators who think that by banning something they solve the issue), I was enough "farsighted" to save in a text file the posts from my last thread there (about my restaurant plan). The little problem is that a nickname didn't show well now -- it shows only question marks "????????????? ?"; I suppose it's something written in Khmer language which my PC can't "read". (By the way, the Khmer language belongs to Austroasiatic language family, which is also known as "Mon-Khmer").
So, that person comment that yes, of course, I may (to open a restaurant) but that doesn't mean I could or indeed should. Sounds so philosophical, right? ;D :) Philosophical or not, the context is clear -- regardless of what I want to do in Cambodia -- teaching in some English school, working in some casino or opening own business (restaurant) -- many (most?) of them will say that it's not possible for me, it's not a good idea, better not to go there and so on. And I continue to wonder -- why then they are there?! Are all of them that much better than me that they can deal with the Cambodian reality successfully and I can't? I doubt.
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A person with nickname "Spigzy" first answered that nicknamed "Stokely" (about the difference between the cooks and the philosophers in Cambodia) that those "damn cooks" are showing off all the time. Obviously it's some sort of local humor (or another sort of humor) that I can't get well. All I can say is that for many philosophers around the world the job problem is not a small one.
It's unforgettable, I'll share it here: (http://www.workjoke.com/images/finalexam.gif)
Final exam
How do you plan to make a living whit a philosophy degree?
(Source: http://www.workjoke.com).
Oh, at last I got the humor. :D Obviously it's some kind of popular, circulating joke because right now in workjoke.com I found a similar one -- "What's the difference between a philosopher and an engineer? About 50,000 a year."
Well, okay, I do agree that many other professions (jobs) are better-paid than the philosophy one.
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Another post, from the same author (Spigzy) -- he posted that he'll answer my last question and it's good that he was one of those who really answered seriously and I think he's one of the cleverest persons among those over there. So, he said that he arrived with a bunch of banking/tech skills after working 15 years in the City of London finance sector, and that that just didn't really exist there (in Cambodia) back in 2007. He noticed it on his first visit there when there were just 2 ATMs in the whole country - the light bulb went off that there would be opportunity in the sector (he also added that "only ANZR back then really was working on the 'next level', akin to what ABA is doing now" I don't know the meaning of these abbreviations but I'm getting the meaning. It's exactly what I was thinking -- there should be something that is still missing and someone, like me, who is not just an ordinary person (when it comes to IQ, education, future prognosis and so on) can start it.) He continued that opportunity there was, and he has been there ever since having now networked with the local folks he needs to integrate there longer term.
Another wise thing that he said is that he'd definitely recommend visiting the country first before "jumping in feet first" (the meaning of this idiom, I'm explaining it for our non-native English speakers users who're reading it, is "to approach a task or activity with little to no hesitation".); you can either confirm you've got a chance at whatever it might be - English teaching, cooking, etc. He said also that he knows successful expats in just about every sector he can think of, but again for every one of those there are maybe 5-10 who have tried and failed. (Which is a good reminder that we have to keep in mind the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias) but also it shows to those discouraging ones that it's not something like what are they thinking. The situation is just not so pessimistic as they're trying to represent it.).
Another useful thing (that I knew but it's good to be supported with new information) is that he said he knows that even his favourite restaurants really struggled with COVID-19 losses, and some are still barely "treading water" (it's another English idiom, that means "being active without making any progress". I had to make it clear for our non-native English speakers readers) - and those are folks with decades of experience. Here I'd wish only to add that the experience is something important but also it's important what exactly is your product. Let's say that in some area people do prefer meat and you're struggling with your vegan restaurant. In this case a not very experienced steak restaurant owner will probably earn more than you even if you have 50 years of experience in cooking vegan dishes.
And he agrees with Violet however that if we all just said "that's too hard", we'd get nowhere. (This is exactly the attitude I hate the most -- the "blockers" will all the time say something like that it's too hard, impossible, you're not good enough, you should be an expert in order to do it, etc. and the result is if you believe them you'll never even have a chance to make a success.) At the end, his advice was: "So come here on a visit, do some serious homework whilst enjoying the lifestyle here, and then give it your best shot."
I'm very thankful to Spigzy for his frank and objective comment. This is how people should answer -- objectively pointing to the good and the bad sides, to give polite and reasonable advices. And then the person will think and analyze the things better. The worst thing that can happen is you get pessimistic, useless, rude, etc. answers (like many of the others, some of which even full of false accusations and... if you're stupid enough to take them seriously they really may affect your good future.)
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That Alexandra admin of that Khmer Or Cambodian forum. Well at that time we were with limited AdSense ads because of a subdomain of this forum which provides help for people who want to learn the scientific pickup and to be able to find real love in their life. We didn't know it is against the rules. So ... We were lack of ads at that time. And we are still lacking of other ads. Nobody wants to advertise in this omnilogy forum. So her "theory" that some guy is trying to attract poor Cambodian traffic here is funny as clown. Can't imagine there are people who will believe this low IQ story of hers. To be honest I saw few comments there that doubt her... so can't say that all expats there are low IQ guys... That is the fact. And about the fact that this forum is NOT SEO but Science-Education-Omnilogy or just Omnilogy ... I am not willing to try to excplain to her because it requires higher level of knowledge and logic which she hasn't. We wish her to become more clever in future! And wishing her good health, especially mental health. :D
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This is an important moment! From this post (of someone with nickname RobW) started the bigger problem -- I had to answer that I'm not such a low quality expat (foreigner abroad) -- I do not use drugs and I'm a person who even don't imagine to do something terrible like that!!! I had to explain that I'm really much more educated and cultured that most of the people who'll just go there to "get stoned".
Maybe that RobW didn't mean to be offensive or to joke, or maybe he wanted to be sarcastic and in this way to criticize the pointless and dangerous behavior of the foreigners who're using drugs. But I had to explain that I'm a serious and really healthy, reasonable and educated person with good culture who is not going to ruin his health and life in this way.
Here is his exact post (because it's an important moment, i'll quote it 1:1. I'm trying to retell the posts, to avoid 100% copy-paste because I'm enough honest and I don't want to steal content from other websites! In fact it's even not useful because the Search engines do not like duplicated content. So, if Alexandra thinks that I'm just copy-pasting their content from MY THREAD ABOUT BUSINESS in Cambodia, she is just paranoidly wrong.) Once again -- I have to answer to all the people who gave some opinions or just pointless and stupid comments. And because this one (RobW's) was the beginning of my "resume" (which made some of them to jealous because they haven't my level) I have to show you 100%! Otherwise my answer will look like "I brag" and it is not. If I wanted to brag in front of UNKNOWN expats in Cambodia, I'll just do it at once; no need to wait someone to speak to me to "get stoned" and then to answer. And it's, in fact, pointless! Because I don't need their validation (recognition or affirmation that a person or his feelings/opinions are valid/worthwhile.)
So here is what that RobW person said: Somewhere on here, the inimitable Captain Bonez wrote a treatise on teaching the English. He made it sound pretty good: get stoned, teach some fun kids, get stoned, play pool, get stoned play guitar and drink beer. Fuck women, get stoned etc.
Kampot has some great restaurants. I'd say one for about every 6 people who can afford them. Each one seems to advertise every day on a Facebook page. Have a look. Phnom Penh has a gazillion great restaurants and the great, foreign and khmer, seem to be packed every night.
Anyway, I guess you'd have to spend a half year here before making a decision but you could get stoned and teach the English in the meantime.
And a short answer here to RobW:
1/ I'm really, really sorry to say it again because I don't want to brag but my level of education, health orientation, culture and knowledge is very, very, very far away from "get stoned" and all kinds of drugs!
2/ I do appreciate your middle part of the post where you're giving some hope about developing a restaurant in Cambodia.
3/ Really the end of the post "get stoned" again makes me to feel terrible! I spent all my life to promote healthy lifestyle, to upgrade my own health and body. How exactly I can get this bad luck to receive such an "advice" about "get stoned"? :(
That's it.
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I'm really trying to find some job in China. Another school liked my demo class but again the same problem -- they're not able to give me a work visa. How to continue living in China in this way? I really hoped I can receive the chance to become a Chinese citizen or at least to obtain a Chinese green card! I spent more than 18 years of my life in PRC... and now even can't find a work visa job...
So, really, I am really genuine about my wish at least to find this opportunity in Cambodia. Why someone will think that I am just wasting time in that Khmer forum to troll them or to attract Cambodian visitors here... this is really insane! Sorry to say this but there are more and more stupid and insane people around the world!
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Let me continue now. The interesting thing is that a person nicknamed "logos" said that Phnom Penh (the capital of Cambodia) is in urgent need of an open air, decent fish and chips restaurant.
As far as I know it's an emblematic British dish. Probably it's a good idea. Thanks for the good answer, logos! :)
Oh, I almost forgot logos' two caveats: 1. "preemptive ban of Australian females" (No idea what is this anti-Australian and sexist joke (I suppose, it's a joke, otherwise what else it can be? I'm not going to discriminate customers in any way.)), 2. " learn to slip a tenner discreetly" (For those who're not learning the English slang well enough -- "tenner" is a ten-pound banknote..)
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Some Guest (!X3Mknh.JZI) posted abnormal answer which was: "At the other hand, being in the possession of a micropenis should not hold you back from opening a restaurant." and finished it with "Just sayin'."
Do you think that this kind of "answers" are useful for a person who is in need (to find job as soon as possible or to establish some little business just to survive in this life) and asking seriously about a problem? Not at all! Low level of empathy and low level of elementary ethics.
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That "violet" person quoted "Hanno"'s person post and comment that especially if hiring a manager rather than working yourself, which is exactly my point (maybe just repeated it or just has the same one). If you have enough capital and you don't know well the business you're developing, then if you have a good, knowledgeable and skillful manager, then it's quite possible to have success because you just got the same result.
Many people will limited knowledge and/or imagination think that if a rich (rich enough) person has no idea how to make a certain business than he/she is doomed. In fact, it's not true. See this: imagine that you can't make a website but you have a friend or you hire someone who is a good webmaster. Then what? Of course you'll have a good website and even a better one (a better that many websites of people who just know how to make websites but who are not as good as your webmaster).
Simple logic. But not everyone is clever enough to get it.
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Violet also added there that it's excellent and that "I'd escape the ban". It was as an answer to those "2 caveats" of that logos person. The people are joking something about the Australian females but these jokes are not helping me. And then someone is asking if only when people do agree with me I consider it helpful. Not at all; you can disagree and still to make a good, helpful or at least useful comment. Information like "I'm not from Australia." in a topic about how to start a restaurant in Cambodia is 100% useless and 100% not helpful.
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Some person with the name (or nickname?) "YaTingPom" said that we should not forget that running any business isn't a 9 to 5 job. He or she thinks that it's all consuming 24/7. Well, I think that it's only until you earn enough to hire more people who'll work for you. "The owner is the cook, the waiter and the cleaner." is a good start but if you do it non-stop, you can't call yourself a businessman, right? At one point you're generating enough capital to hire, at least step by step, some personnel. Then it'll not consuming you 24/7, right?
Another point that Ya Ting Pom made was that even if you've got a day off you'll be thinking about work and that even the last thing you think about before you drop off to sleep, "after that ladyboy", is work. :D Here I must add 2 points:
1. Not every person is dealing with ladyboys.
2. Not every person is willing to think about job. I even avoid to talk about it when I'm not working. I focus on other things like science, philosophy, reading news, sports...
The last point that he/she made was that "Work, work, work." (that's the main reason people give up. Not because of "personal reasons", "concentrating on other projects" or financial constraints. Oh, here I have to say it again -- there are many different people. Some of them really may gave up because of the "work, work, work" because they're lazy or burned-out (which means (of a person) in a state of physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress.)
But there are plenty of people who really can't continue it because of financial constraints or personal reasons, etc.
He/she also added that it seems that any western restaurant there (especially Kampot) opens with a flurry of interest and lots of comments and then it slowly dies off to a dribble.
This is something useful -- probably most of the restaurants in Kampot are not good enough to survive in that environment.
And the conclusion is that some people are not meant to run businesses. (I do agree.)
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As I mentioned already after I saw how many people think that I'm not capable to do simple things like teaching foreign language or start a restaurant and even some supposed that I may use drugs, deal with ladyboys or something else that I even don't want to imagine, I decided to explain that I'm not so degraded and that I'm even more educated, knowledgeable and capable than most of the common (average) people. I knew that it'll make them to start to jealous and to feel sort of sad because of their inferiority but I had to say the truth! I didn't spend years of learning, sporting and self-developing only to read how they think of me as somebody average or even degraded who is going there to fail, to lose, to do stupid things and so on.
And here was my answer (Wed Jun 01, 2022 2:59 pm)
"Some fast answers:
1. I'm really not a person who will use drugs to get "stoned". I even don't smoke and do not drink hard alcohol. I do 5 kind of sports.
2. I'm highly educated person (a writer, a philosopher, a webmaster, a sportsman, i. e. something like the old time's encyclopedists) who never stops reading and learning especially in the field of psychology, anthropology, history, sexology and other things related to human nature. I'm writing poems and different types of e-books (about human love, losing weight, sinology, etc.) If there weren't so many limitations for the foreigners in China, I could get better just because of the knowledge I posses, which believe me, is huge compared with the commoners'.
Hence, because I'm a good, sporty, educated and social person, I do think that maybe I have at least the same chances like the rest of people -- stoners, criminals, uneducated, semi-educated, etc.
There is no logic that exactly a rarely healthy, full of knowledge and sporty person like me, will do the things worse than most of the people, who are not that well educated, healthy, sporty, experienced, etc. Sorry to say that (I know many will think of virtual signaling like "Be modest, dude!"), but I'm not just "one ordinary guy". And I'm nearly 50 years old already to take me as a non-serious teenager who just want to SEAmaxx over there.
I STRONGLY DISAGREE WITH THAT IMPLACABLE ATTITUDE: "Look man, the uneducated man from the village over there who even doesn't make difference between "Canada" and Mexico + who even doesn't know what the "imaginary unit" in math is, CAN RUN A RESTAURANT and to be rich. But you, man, nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo... It's too difficult for you to run a restaurant." :-D :-D
Why, the h*eck, we're reading, learning, thinking, writing and so on, IF the lower educated class can make those simple businesses better than us?! Yes, if I say "I want to produce cars." or "I wanna make watches.", you may say it's not possible, but A RESTAURANT that even people without basic math's, ads', hygiene's and business' skills can do... It's a kind of insult for my intelligent being. :thumbsup: (Nota bene!)
:arrow:
3. And now about the restaurants. If you think that in Asia (and in China, for sure) to make a successful restaurant you need knowledge and experience, you're really not familiar with how many LACKING OF BASIC HYGIENE AND BASIC ECONOMICS KNOWLEDGE people DO successful restaurants around.
3.1. Picture number 1: ... (They just set up some tables in front of the polluted street and selling fast food. Customers -- granted!)
3.2. Picture number 2: ... (They don't care that the kitchen looks likes a pig farm or something. But the customers don't mind or just don't go inside to see it.)
And yes, why not to run even a hotel (if you have the capital and if it's not during the COVIDization or another problems)? I don't understand what is the problem if a person tries to establish at least 1 little business or to find an ordinary job in that country?! The killing impression is "WE CAN be here and we are here, but you CAN'T and you're not welcome."
4. Thank you for the well manared and the helpful answers (most of them are). I do agree that the best is first to go there. I'm just afraid not to do the same mistake -- they (in the Chinese embassy, in 1993) told me that in China I'll get citizenship in 5 years and I believed all the Chinese propaganda at that time. When I came here I saw that it's even nearly impossible to get a Green card. They're giving these only to very useful foreigners. I'm not enough useful (for example a popular footballer or a nuclear genius). Of course, at the end, probably I really have to just go to Cambodia without any concrete plan, because there you can at least have a working visa. Recently in China the xenophobia (and/or protectionism) is so high that the working visas' opportunities were limited too. Less and less foreigners in China. It's so sad, because I really believed I can become a Chinese citizen and to help this country to build a real socialistic society, not nationalistic empire what it looks like now. (During Hu Jintao's rule it was pretty democratic and enough free, and open. Not now.)
In China the foreigners can't find job like cleaners, waiters and so on, like in other places like Japan for example, where you can see people working all the jobs like the Japanese people. In most of the cases if you're not an exchange student or married, you have to leave it. Well, even the married people when can't find jobs and have no own capital have no choice and are going to leave, because to find a working visa job here is getting less and less possible.
And as I said, if most of the foreigners there are like those, mostly not willing to help and even make the things worse for you, plus if the local people are something like them (that I hope no) I better to do my best somehow to apply for a Chinese green card. The good news that we found recently is that some foreigners already got their Chinese green cards even without work visas! This sounds so optimistic. All together -- more than 7000 as far as I know for the last nearly 18 years or something like this. So, I hope that I can continue in China with a Chinese Green card but if I can't, I don't know... still hope that the Cambodians are better than those expats that only insult, play jokes, speak useless things and discourage the rest of the people who also would like to live abroad, over there.
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RobW said "^ Can't read all that, fella."
Usually many people nowadays have no time and/or habit to read a longer post.
He added that he remembers I said something about economics and hiring managers etc. and that doesn't think I "need a PhD in your economicals to run the numbahs on that though."
As far as I understand this, he agrees that even people without some serious economics background and philosophical knowledge are able to run something as simple as a restaurant. This was my point too.
and the end he finished with "You will work at Beltei and you will like it."
I suppose I will do it if I can't get a Chinese Green card and I'm able to start living in Cambodia. Thanks for the suggestion Rob!
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Argumentum ad crumenam (argument to the purse)
Answer to someone who has got the logical fallacy called "argumentum ad crumenam" (a.k.a. "argument to the purse"). People who use this fallacy think that the clever people are always rich and the rich people are always clever. It only shows that they lack of (not only) the right logic but also life experience. If you live enough long and you're enough clever to understand what you experience in your life, you'll meet at least one clever person who is poor and at least one stupid person who is rich (and you will realize the simple fact that "clever" doesn't necessarily imply "rich").
Well, here we have an example of a person who lacks right logic and/or enough life experience.
Look at this funny opinion: Post by ????????????? ? Wed Jun 01, 2022 3:58 pm
So in summary, you are extremely intelligent, like a higher intellect than most other people.
You will make a success of anything you try because of said intellect.
I wonder how, with someone so clever and prone to being successful that at 50 years old you when you sell up everything to move here you’ll only be able to scrape together around $39,000.
It doesn’t quite add up so I suggest that perhaps you aren’t as great as you think you are, or maybe you are just trolling.
Beltei it will be.
1. If you knew that there is something like that --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_crumenam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_crumenam) you're not going to say something so ridiculous like that.
2. Many dumb criminals are rich. They become rich via dumb things like selling drugs or other illegal activities which doesn't require high IQ. Does it makes them a good, clever people?
At the same time, in some poor countries (like the East European one where I am coming from) even professors are poor and some of them have to search food in the garbage bins. So? Does the poverty makes them bad, stupid people?
If you have a minimum intellect, think for a while and maybe you'll get it.
3. I said I can succeed in most of the simple businesses like making a restaurant because even people with low education and low hygiene can do this! I didn't say "anything I try". Your reading-and-understanding ability isn't great, is it?
4. I have no time to troll. And only people who have no enough education and/or empathy can suppose that I'm looking for help during my poverty and difficult time just to troll some expats in Cambodia via their Khmer oriented forum.
5. I doubt you can understand what I mean. But I answer because I hope some more educated people will understand it, i. e. it''s not a waste of time if it may help at least somebody else to understand some simple truths about logical fallacies, poverty, education, success, reading abilities, etc.
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Typical argumentum ad crumenam.
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I don't know why there so many guests are posting; maybe they are lazy to log in or maybe they're afraid that the abnormal Alexandra administrator will ban them for no reason... but, whatever. The next answer of mine is to another guest who said "Tutor private students from the moneyed classes."
Dear guest, thank you for the idea! I am not sure what are these "moneyed" classes you're typing about but, usually, currently it is what I can do; it's my main income (to be a teacher and an advisor sometimes). The science and the moderation of the forum over here doesn't bring me enough income at all. Currently I have some private students which I'm teaching with a Chinese partner. Well, we'll see what the future is going to be.
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Continuing with "I'm already losing hope but here comes my last try: how about to open a restaurant?" topic. The recent month I was busy and I am still busy with these COVID 0 (http://www.seo-forum-seo-luntan.com/health/coronavirus-disease-(covid-19)/msg45734/#msg45734) problems in China.
Now, seems like, I'm ready to continue my answers to those expats in Cambodia.
So, Alexandra (on Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:34 pm) said that I keep mentioning that I want to leave China because I couldn’t obtain Chinese citizenship and she is certain that You won’t become a Cambodian citizen either.
Alexandra, good to know. But it's not so important.The important is to be able at least to make some normal living and to start enjoying the life because it's not endless.
I wanted to become a Chinese citizen but after this 0 COVID insanity and more and more monarchization I don't dream of it anymore .
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You know, there are those people who are comment not really to help you but to show how clever they are and/or to discourage you, to insult you. Something like this is the answer of a user named "Lucky Lucan". He/she said (on Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:42 pm):
I don't think even Beltei would hire this guy, his English usage is all over the place. And just because there are locals here with barely any education who have made a fortune selling noodle soup doesn't mean just any foreigner can. They know the lay of the land, how to bargain, communicate with and treat staff and customers. They have plenty of other advantages a foreigner, especially a newly-arrived one, does not.
My answer:
1. During my teaching career I passed many interviews successfully. Teaching English is not only about using English; it's about the ability to speak it right (standardly), to have some skills like patience, funny tricks, abilities to sing, play some musical instrument, draw, advanced linguistics knowledge and (when it's about teaching younger students) -- sporty body which helps you during all those 5-9 classes to be able to jump, run, make the kids happy with flying in arms; even adding some push-ups, squats and so on, keeping the students active, not bored and in good mood (and shape).
People like you, who usually criticize the English level of the non-natives, often can't teach English well, can't pronounce it right (for example, using your own local English dialect, not the standard English language) and even can't spell words correctly.
Also, it's funny, how people who never taught English think that it's something very complicated. For example, here is one 3rd grade English text "I see my friends. Their names are Bill and Pam. They are waking the groundhog." This level is not difficult for teaching; even some beginner (new teacher) will find it easy. So, don't underestimate me and my teaching. I'm one of the best teachers and most of the students like me.
2. Of course a local person may have a better start with the food business. But it doesn't make every foreigner unable to make own food business. If it's true (that it's very difficult for the foreigners to open own restaurants abroad) there shouldn't so many foreign restaurants abroad (Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Turkish, Korean, Hungarian, Vietnamese and so on). Not every local person goes only to local restaurants and not every local person likes to buy only the local food.
So, in short: one-sided thinker who can't see the complexity of things like teaching English and making food business.
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A person nicknamed FishHead Phil said that in a year's time he look forward to me explaining
in six languages how Cambodia wasn't ready for his brilliance.
My answer: The good thing is that you remember at least one of my qualities (that I am a polyglot). But why is this pessimistic prediction? Because you think that Cambodia is not a good country (in this case what are you doing there?!) or because you just think that I am too picky?... Or maybe you jealous because compared with most of the people (probably you're one of them)I am really "more brilliant" with my several positive qualities?
This kind of answers are not helping; they're not useful even for you because they're showing you're not a supportive person but a part of the problem to those who seek for help.
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Someone nicknamed busybee answered on Wed Jun 01, 2022 6:22 pm that
We need a Texas style BBQ IMHO. Get yourself a mechanical bull, serve juicy 300 g burgers, American style fish and chips. Add some of the atmosphere of a Beer Festival. And those uniforms they got in 'Munich Fresh Beer' (Aeon)
(and added some photographs).
My answer: This is how a normal person should answer when you're asking something: ontopic, sharing own experience and opinion, backing them up with some materials (like the photographs in this case).
Thank you for your opinion! I suppose this idea is good! Of course, if there are enough rich costumers, I think, because, I guess the meat isn't one of the cheapest products (about the fish, I am wondering too).
Usually this type of restaurants are successful in certain areas.
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RobW answered this (I think it's a kind of black humor):
^ And shooting. There should be shooting for authenticity - perhaps at the feral children outside.
I hope it was a humorous (black humorous) idea. I know there are some problematic children there (a man wrote about it in http://johnnyvagabond.com/destinations/dinner-cambodian-street-mafia/ (http://johnnyvagabond.com/destinations/dinner-cambodian-street-mafia/)) but "shooting" is too cruel and too illegal.
If you're talking about fake guns (toy guns), the idea is okay, as far as many people do associate Texas with cowboys, guns, Wild West, Westerns (movies).
Probably it's a great idea (a Tex-Mex restaurant) but I doubt I'll be able to invest so much. It needs a serious investment so I rather stick to something simpler.
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To that post on "Wed Jun 01, 2022 8:08 pm" by root (!BaGbKgrV4c)
He said that Texas/Texmex isn't good and that "The States are not known for great cuisine :-)" He suggests to do it in German style (like Oktoberfest's) -- sausages, beers, interesting waitresses, more beer, etc.. He added that he remembers a place like that in Bangkok, partly open air, completely German style with great food and great atmosphere.
But he thinks that running a restaurant as foreigner will drive one crazy soon though and finding a trustworthy manager for the few times one wants to leave the country. (Challenging to say the least...)
He thinks that my capital is also too limited, so he suggests to stay in PP (I found out it's an abbreviation of "Phnom Pehn" which is the capital of Cambodia), to relocate when I have a bigger financial buffer. He thinks that instead of a restaurant it's okay to partner up with all the delivery apps and push food out. (No need to find customer friendly staff (hardly exists for the wages I can afford to pay) nor a fancy location.)
Well, I think that I'm not sure which is tastier -- the TexMex or the German food but I'm more familiar with the German one because I'm from Europe and I never visited America. Also I think that cooking the sausages is easier so, if I have to choose what to start with it will be the German one, not the American one. But the person is right -- when it's expensive to start, better to think of something else that doesn't require much capital. Probably the delivery apps is a good idea; I'll think about it too.
Thanks!
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Something more (and important) from root (!BaGbKgrV4c) (posted on Wed Jun 01, 2022 8:18 pm)
About There are people here running businesses which help consumers order stuff from China, they organize payment and delivery. These are decent little businesses for now but some are informal and the other ones seem a little chaotic. Perhaps that could be an option.
he added (I'll quote it with without much editing because the readers here should know how to stay safe): "Forgot it in my previous post, regarding this -- Be careful that when you undertake this on any scale you have your business license and supported paperwork. A friend of mine is currently in detention. He did do a similar thing between Cambodia and a third country. Money moved between his Cambodian and foreign account (couple of hundred k USD). This had been flagged by the bank and now he is in detention sorting this sh*t out with a lawyer. Phnompenhpost recently posted an article Cambodia is increasing anti-money laundry policies so this might be the result."
I'm thankful for this information! I'm trying to obey the laws everywhere.
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Guest (!2VItcViAZ6) shared a photo. This is it: (https://i.postimg.cc/MqQ48274/284894006-3136904106564158-410831515402288427-n.jpg). Well, looks familiar. I see some similar street vendors in China too. Sometimes it's a good beginning (I mean to start with a small business before invest in a bigger one.)
So, thanks for sharing!