It's a small world and I'm not looking about a chessy boat ride with singing muppets

[SDM]

Over times most of my duties at work in the Uk involve me sitting at a desk in a back office with a telephone and PC. Many of my cleints have either never met me, not met me for a long time or know me so well do not care where I am.

To this end I have set up a London number which diverts to my PC in Phuket. It cost £40 p/a and anyone calling thinks they are calling me in London. I pay a £3.99 (might be £4.99) per month subscription that gives me virtually limitless calls to UK landlines. All they see in their caller ID is my London number as above.

The quality is usually perfect and now I do exactly the same job I did in the UK, but from Phuket.

I have also got my key staff mobiles on the "3" network. They have a very unusual package that they do not advertise very well called International Saver for £15.00 per month. This gives them 3000 minutes of perfect quality calling to many countries, one of which is Thailand (cell & land). The quality really is perfect.

Not really of relevance but I though I would add via my BB broadband connexion I have real time access to my back office systems that I would normally use frm my pc in London, as my staff use, every day.

its a small world after all
its a small world after all
its a small world after all
its a small, small world

SDM

[dan&ploy]

When we started our business up we had a virtual office for a year in Singapore. That gave us a Singapore address and a Singapore telephone/fax number as were nervous about our customer's perceptions of having a business here.

http://www.virtualoffice.com.sg/

Our website hosts are in Singapore too but offer a 24 hour technical support service via e-mail or telephone.

[Phetchy]

An excellent idea. If your clients think you're in the UK, you get to have a six hour lie-in before you start work, but finish a lot later! Any complications with the work permit with this sort of set-up?

[GTG]

That all sounds excellent, SDM. I will have to investigate how this can be applied to my current work as a postman, though it my be simpler to apply for work as a postman in Thailand - and I don't even know what one of those looks like, can't remember seeing one in 10 years!

Google Images wasn't much help but I found this one.

Nicer uniform than ours but he'll get into trouble over his footwear.

Fascinating, though, how technological improvements in the last decade have created opportunities like yours, albeit for the fortunate few.

[fish]

anyone calling thinks they are calling me in London.

SDM

Happens all the time doesn't it. How many times do we call a bank etc on a uk number and land up talking to someone in India.

[Wolfy]

If you try to book a room with Holiday Inn after 7 in the evening you talk to someone in Salt Lake City !!

SDM, can I ask - what kind of work do you do ?

[Gary & Nok]

what kind of work do you do ?

I bet it will be something like, sitting at a desk in front of a PC with a telephone









Sorry, couldn't resist

[i_hate_theo]

I bet it will be something like, sitting at a desk in front of a PC with a telephone

I think I have the exact same job

[Gary & Nok]

I think I have the exact same job

Me too, trouble is my Boss doesn't seem to think I could do such a good job in LOS as I do here

[BigRed]

My job was supporting databases, mostly in the datacentre near Sheffield but some in other locations across Europe. It could be done from anywhere and I worked from home a lot. They then recruited staff in India and made me redundant.

[GTG]

I bet it will be something like, sitting at a desk in front of a PC with a telephone

Don't let Wolfy know but SDM is actually his boss who has cornered the Phuket market for push-button flushing toilets and now amuses himself by sitting on the beach at Kata with his laptop, and despatching Wolfy on futile missions into the darkest depths of Wales.

[SDM]

Work permit, never thought of that. I can get one on my visa but all my business in in the UK and who would ever know !

I am an estate agent, or to be more accurate I own an estate agency in NW London, Harrow on the Hill. Although I like the idea of those Japanese toilets.

S

[fish]

Don't let Wolfy know but SDM is actually his boss who has cornered the Phuket market for push-button flushing toilets and now amuses himself by sitting on the beach at Kata with his laptop, and despatching Wolfy on futile missions into the darkest depths of Wales.

I was going to hit the thanks button, but a like button would be more apt.

[colin244]

SDM,

Good stuff BTW my job is sitting in the car on the M25 most of the time

colin 244