How to be a freelance writer in Bangkok, Thailand
I am neither an expert on these matters nor established in my chosen career, but I am getting somewhere… slowly. I am not going to be rich anytime soon, but I am enjoying my work and learning from it every day.
I’m often asked how to be a freelance writer in Bangkok or Thailand. Obviously I’m not asked by anyone much older than myself, but the people who ask me are usually in the same position I was when I decided to put some time and effort into this in Bangkok.
I have wanted to be a journalist since I was 16 years old. My experience in the UK was not extensive, but it was enough to give me the thirst and say, “This is what I want to do.” I spent many years trying to get freelance work with Mixmag, and I wrote countless clubbing and music articles for websites. I did a few work experience placements on papers and a magazine and I interviewed a lot of DJs when I was younger.
Then I came to Thailand. The thought never crossed my mind that I could work in the Thai media. It isn’t difficult to get involved with, particularly in a freelance capacity. If you’re a native English speaker there will always be work in Thailand. The problem is that work is not always paid and it’s not always beneficial in the long run.
I would advise against writing for free in Thailand, but it can help you get your name out there and it can be useful for meeting people.
Beginning with Bangkok magazines, the two obvious places to start are Guru and BK. Guru is free and comes with the Bangkok Post every Friday. It has been running for a little over a year and focuses on youth culture. Guru doesn’t have a budget for freelancers (or if it does, they never told me about it). I was paid 2,000 baht an article for three or four features, but after that I didn’t get paid. I was also never employed by Guru, as some people assume. So yes, I wrote 55 columns and a dozen other features for free.
The positive thing about Guru is that it’s read by (allegedly) 180,000 people. It’s useful exposure for freelance writers in Bangkok. The editor is a great guy and will always listen to suggestions. Although I didn’t get paid, I got into most clubs for free and sometimes people sent me things like books and CDs. I got a lot of pieces for my portfolio too. You can email the editor at voranaiv at bangkokpost dot co dot th (his address is in the magazine).
BK is similar to Guru. BK does have a freelance budget and the editor is worth contacting. If you can get past all the “We are BK! We are so great!” stuff then it’s a decent read, although the editor has never been keen on me. Readership in Bangkok is about 30,000 I think.
Then there are Bangkok’s lifestyle magazines – Prestige, Apartment Living and Education Living (published by Asian Integrated), RBSC and In Residence (Punch Media), and so on. These magazines are a step up from Guru and BK, and they are a lot more polished, particularly in the case of Prestige. Payment is between 3,000 and 5,000 baht an article. The majority of articles will involve you being sent to interview someone and write a story about him or her.
With most other publications, such as the Bangkok Post supplements, it’s a case of emailing the editor and putting yourself forward. Be wary of anybody who says, “The cheque’s in the post”, or something along those lines. If the editor isn’t sure he can pay you, take it that he can’t. I wrote far too much content for Hype Mag and my money was always in the office, left at home, or sat on a desk somewhere. It never materialized. Nobody’s fault but my own.
If you want to write clubbing articles then you could try Buzzin Mag. They can’t pay but if you’re new in Bangkok you can meet the people behind Club Culture and Astra. I wrote all the content for one of their issues but didn’t feel appreciated and didn’t have time to write any more.
Thailand’s in-flight magazines pay better than many on land and are handy for freelance writers. One2Go used to have a great little mag done by Image Asia that has been taken over by another publishing company, details here. The Thai Airways magazine is not quite as good but covers a variety of topics.
If you’re more into news reporting then you have the Bangkok Post and The Nation. I’ve only been published in supplements of the Post and haven’t dealt with The Nation directly. I think the Bangkok Post’s standard line is that they don’t have a budget for freelance writers, but if you push a bit harder you’ll see more.
Other Thailand magazines to consider include The Big Chili and Untamed Travel. It’s a shame Metro Magazine isn’t around anymore.
But what about your work permit? Some magazines won’t publish you unless you have one. The easy solution is to get a job. Check Jobs DB for Thailand jobs. There are a lot of online content jobs out there.
Don’t forget to buy the books in the image up there. And if all else fails you could do what most of us do and start a blog.
Techno’ tags: Work in Thailand
July 5th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
Very good Matt. I’d just add something about the work permit issue if I can.
You technically cannot be employed as a journalist here in Thailand because it’s one of the ‘protected’professions that is reserved for Thais only. What can CAN do is be employed as an English Language Consultant or something similar. My first job here was as Executive Foreign Manager although 90 per cent of my work was English editing two magazines.
The other issue you might come across when moving to more serious and influential reporting is the need to be registered with various Government departments and get a Thai media card. Not impossible - just another problem to overcome.
July 6th, 2007 at 3:36 am
Thanks for the info Matt.
I live on Koh Samui and write for an English Newspaper here but would really like to expand. There are a lot of things going on on this island. I would like to be a writer for the BKK Post or The Nation. I would like to be their Koh Samui corespondent but I have been too shy or scared to contact them about it, fearing rejection I guess. You are right about the freebies, my girlfriend and I had a full course (4,000 baht) dinner at a fine Japanese restaurant last night for free because I’m writing a review of the food. I get a lot of free stuff! But because of your blog here I might just contact some people in BKK and see what happens. It never hurts to ask!
July 6th, 2007 at 8:51 am
Well, well. This is certainly interesting. I was just thinking about doing some more freelance work while I’m here apart from the boring SEO crap I’ve been doing.
July 7th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
supplementals?
i think you should consult your dictionary a little more often, lost boy.
July 7th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Yes, yes, you’re quite right. “Supplemental” is the adjective. For whatever reason I have always used it as a noun. Call it a bad habit, I guess. I should edit this post but it’s my mistake so no harm done. “Supplement” is the noun. It’s a word I never gave any thought to until now. According to Google I’m not alone in my misjudgment, but that’s not comforting at all.
July 7th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Actually, I will edit the post, but I’m not hiding the fact that I make mistakes. I do, often, as my editor tells me. But that’s what makes learning what it is.
July 7th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
a search for supplementals on dictionary.reference.com did not list any results.
but supplemental did. and there is an example citing supplementals. so maybe you english better more than me after all. i apologize.
July 9th, 2007 at 6:57 am
Tell me, would Thai publications actually publish a writer from the Philippines or would they discriminate, the way most Thai schools do against Filipino teachers? Just a thought.
July 9th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
And Juve, if Matt wanted to be pedantic, he could point out your lack of grammatical application :-)
July 9th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
BTW Matt this is a fantastic post. I’m not a journalist but I do enjoy writing. I might take up a few of these suggestions.
July 26th, 2007 at 9:59 am
I’ve heard that Untamed Travel (formerly Farang Magazine) has closed its office doors earlier this year and is no longer publishing a printed magazine.
September 28th, 2007 at 9:15 am
Hey Matt. I’ve somehow acrossed on this page and saw capture on here, and I am pretty sure as your name is on here. I am just looking if I can do something about writting job…
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:36 pm
FYI guys, easier way to get a work permit as a freelance writer is to find a paper or magazine abroad in which you will manage to publish at least 4 or 5 pieces in a year ( that you will have to show as proof of yr activity ), then you ask to this newsapper a letter of accredition that specify you are their correspondent in Thailand, then you register to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a foreign corespondent , they deliver you a letter ( after having verified yr letter of accreditation with their embassy abroad ) that will help you to get a 1-year visa and 1-year work permit . This operation must be renewed every year.
Hope it can help. Stephff
By the way, never work for free or for food barters - that’s a very bad habit and if you accept these conditions, yr client will always consider you as non-professional.
The Nation pays better and it’s easier to get paid by them than the Post.
January 24th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Hi guys I’m lookin for native english speaker to help me editing text. I’m working on issues around health development and would be happy if u wanna help with that. However, I cant provide work permit but I do have budget for the tasks. If interested, please contact me at e d i t p c @ g m a i l . c o m You can do by internet but in that case we have to think how to transfer the payment. I’m based in bkk
January 29th, 2008 at 10:49 am
I’m looking for a freelance writer in various topics . I can’t provide work permit but you can work from anywhere in the world as long as you can send me email, we can chat and payment can be sent in US dollar by paypal or wire transfer .
If interested, contact me at a k e e a k e a k e _ 8 @ h o t m a i l . com .
February 7th, 2008 at 4:35 am
Great post with some awesome insights on working in the field in Thailand. One Book That I would place on your list is Stephen Kings Book “On Writing” I have read the Elements of Style and Recommend it as well.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
[REMOVED. This comment unfairly attacked Andrew Bond and had no foundation to back it up. - MC]
March 31st, 2008 at 6:23 am
Hi All,
Currently, Tropical Magazine, English-language travel magazine is looking for some freelance rewriter/sub-editor to work for the magazine at your own place. Articles will be sent and submitted by email. And you’ll get paid by hourly work or pay per word. If you are interested, please contact me, the editor, at 02 5134913 or my mobile at 081 9061457.
Thank you.
May 6th, 2008 at 6:18 am
Gday Gaid,
I would like to get in touch with you but your contact numbers don’t work. I want to ask if there is still a sub-editing position available with Tropical Mag? Please let me know by emailing me at matty_309@hotmail.com or matts@rism.ac.th. Thank you,
Matt
June 25th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Hello everyone
I’m involved in literary stuff and I am wondering if anybody could give me some feedback on how to get into writing field in Bangkok.
thanks
bobomeitei@hotmail.com
July 30th, 2008 at 4:53 am
Hi,
we are a Chiang Mai based content writing business and always looking for suitable freelancers to write lots and lots of online travel guides. There’s no travelling I’m afraid, we expect you to have already done your travelling. However our full time writers earn about 40k a month for a 5 hour day (intensive writing). We do expect you to have a professional work ethic, to turn things in consistently and on time with a minimum of 15 hours a week.
See: http://virtualtravelguides.com/jobs-editor/
Thanks
October 6th, 2008 at 9:34 am
I just found this link from Google 5 minutes ago. I was searching for a freelance copywriting job also. Now I’m a Thai copy writer at one of advertising agencies in Bangkok but looking for other chances. I agree that it’s difficult to get paid especially for newspaper or magazines. Being a journalist and being a copywriter for advertising is same but different (at some point). I work in advertising for about 10 years. Here, some companies pay you more than working for some magazines – either Thai or foreigner. But you have to have the TV commercial Ad or print ad or radio spot to show them, could be your work experience or make a new one to show your idea. But if they hired you, you’d get paid for sure and you’d have the work permit also. Anyway everything depends on your experience and how creative writing you are :)
You have an interesting experience. Many years ago I wanted to try Guru or BK also but my English isn’t good enough, not a native speaker, so I don’t do it :D Now just write some blogs in English about the countries that I’ve been to instead, to improve my English, and just for fun. . Thanks for sharing this to all of us.(I saw the comment before me. It’s interesting. Even 40K is not bad, isn’t it? Did you try?)
Ok, I’m here just to cheer up –to all copywriters.