tallamerica

tell us something we don't know

I do not fully agree with @Boy69's comment. There is always a debate on chat forums about  money boys when it comes to Thailand. Although now happily settled down in Bangkok, I have lived here for 20 years and can say with complete conviction that in Bangkok you will find a lot of guys who are perfectly happy to spend time and have sex with a young foreigner without any thought of payment. Of course, some will be money boys but they are quite easy to weed out. In Pattaya on the other hand - and in many other cities - pay for play tends to be more the rule from what I hear.

Very important distinction thanks for setting me straight. I will NOT have sex without a condom. 
 
I appreciate so many people giving advice and tips. I feel much more ready than I did when I made this thread.

just came back to the forum after a hiatus of a few months (for no particular reason) and found your post here @tallamerica. When are you due to arrive?
I have lived here in Bangkok for 8 years now and instead of written advice here I could offer you to meet up with me for coffee or a drink or dinner or something to talk about things. Since you said you're very new too gay settings I might be your guide, so to speak, to make you more comfortable than going alone. The same goes for a sauna visit. I have occasionally done such things with visitors from various countries before.
Feel free to PM me if you're interested. 

Ahaha that’s good to hear that it won’t be too difficult to find someone. Oh and I just bought my ticket and hotel for test and go so it is officially happening! 
 
In regards to tefl I have researched that scene in Bangkok a lot and already have a 180 hour certification and some school teaching experience. Between that and reading about other peoples experience finding a job and converting tourist visa to businesses visa I think I will be ok. If not I was always planning on doing online tutoring to supplement my income which is the same thing essentially and can be done anywhere with an internet connection. Worst case scenario I run out my visa and shift over to Vietnam or maybe Cambodia until I get everything sorted out.

Very important distinction thanks for setting me straight. I will NOT have sex without a condom. 
 
I appreciate so many people giving advice and tips. I feel much more ready than I did when I made this thread.

Can I suggest you put the "will try my best" mode out of your mind as something that you "should" try to make happen and change your mindset and set it in stone before you go that you will NOT be having sex without a condom when in Thailand FULL STOP just (or period if you're from the US 🙂 ) as any possible deviation from that "I will NOT" can of course quickly lead to "well maybe just this one time" and BINGO, you end up going home with more than you arrived with, which as you said maybe wont be able to be cured with one / ANY tablet.
If you honestly believe / know in your heart that you're quite actually to throw caution to the wind some night and just decide to "risk it" in going bareback then perhaps consider starting a course of PREP well BEFORE your depart and then stay on it for the duration of your trip ( if not longer if you feel that's going to be a regular ( intentional)  "slip up" perhaps.
 

I don't recommend that.  If the authorities catch up to it - and sooner or later they will - if you are accepting payment, but don't have a work permit, the penalties are the same.  From among all the things you want to see and do in Thailand, you definitely don't want spending time in a Thai jail to be one of your experiences.

You also are going to need a Thai bank account.  I recommend Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn Bank, or Siam Commercial Bank.  Until you have a work permit, you are probably going to need an agent to help you open the account.  These days it is very difficult to open a Thai bank account without the help of an agent.

See:  https://www.mots-services.com/
Mots is an honest, reliable, competent service.  You can see what they offer and the prices for the service.
Meanwhile, based on what you're writing, I would recommend spending at least 6 months in Thailand before committing to anything at all.  Seems to me you have an awful lot to learn.

at end of day you won't be disappointed, that' for sure