Clubs for expats?

[whauname?]

I'm interested to know if any of you expats bother joining the various social clubs and societies and why? What has your experience been of these organisations?

Are organisations like The British club and the various 'Saint' George/Andrew/Patrick/David Societies a total waste of time? Are they too insular/nationalistic/right wing and only for older people stuck in a time warp or are they relevant for everyone?

[cityrain]

I've been to the British Club several times when it was the venue of a British Chamber of Commerce meeting... It's a nice, family-type place. The emphasis seems to be on sports--they also have a pub. It does seem to be an older crowd, but if you want a place to play tennis right in town, it might be a good choice.

[ConorBracken]

I am responsible for developing a new website for the St. Patrick's Society of Bangkok and am an active member.

I can say that in the past the avergae age tended to be quite high and active members were well-heeled long term expat residents (+ wives). However there is a definte move to try to make the society more relevant to a wider range of ages and backgrounds. (FWIW i'm 35 and came to BKK as an English teacher)

I think perhaps that younger members tended to pass through Bangkok more quickly and therfore have less influence. It's only a few hundred baht to join, and it's open to all. And of course it's better to work for change than complain about the current situation.

Non-Irish can join as Associate members -- and there are many of these. There is a monthly social get together every first Monday of the month at one of the Irish pubs (Usually the Xchange).

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British Club
Nice place used by many of the societies and chambers of commerce as well as the Club itself

Retains a colonial feel and some of its members are indeed the old colonial types that the first poster referred to. I can see that the Club is also trying to modernize and reinvent itself and is gradually succeeding. As cityrain remarks, it's families that would get the most use of the facilities.

Membership fees are over 50,000 baht per year, so it's it not going to appeal to people who are not on an expat package unless they have a senior and well-paid position

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St. David's, Georges etc.

I am not a member so cannot comment

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Chamber functions

Most of the Chambers of Commerce have networking nights in a pub or hotel every two to four weeks. Non-members are welcome but pay a fee of 300-600 THB

Entry includes all you can drink wine and beer as well as some food (varies in quality and quantity).

This is quite a good place for making expat contracts whether for business or social purposes.

To find out more details see the websites of the British, American, Australian Chambers. Easily googled.

Conor

[ncr]

"Heaven and Hell in the Same Place":

www.farangaffairs.com has the preliminary results (http://farangaffairs.com/pmach/provinces_more.php?id=68_0_3_0_C) of an interesting study by the University of New South Wales on westerners living in Thailand. [Note: contrary to the usual stuff on farangaffairs, this is NOT a satire!]

This was advertised on Stickmanbangkok.com some time ago, and actually it is still ongoing. Anyone who currently lives - or has ever lived - in Thailand can still take part in the survey at: http://education.arts.unsw.edu.au/farangsurvey.htm

[Bernie]

My Thai wife and I will retiring and relocating to Thailand in the near future. We are interested in joining club / organization which will provide some social and intellectual enjoyment. We are familiar with the Siam Society and the Royal Sports Club. Any comments on these and other similar organizations would be gratefully received. Thanks in advance.

[PaulinBkk]

The Royal Bangkok Sports Club is very difficult to join, the waiting list is now closed and, if you eventually get to become a Member, the entrance fee is Baht 1,500,000.- .

It's considerably easier to join the British Club (the standing joke is that the Membership Secretary patrols Surawong Road with a Net!) and, despite the name, you don't have to be British to join.

The Siam Society is well worth joining for their lectures on many aspects of Thailand, plus they frequently organise Trips up-country or to overseas destinations of historic or cultural interest.

Plus of course there are plenty of Golf Courses in Thailand, many of which have other Sports Facilities for the use of Members - a Pool, Tennis Courts etc..

Paul

[The Enforcer!]

It's considerably easier to join the British Club (the standing joke is that the Membership Secretary patrols Surawong Road with a Net!) and, despite the name, you don't have to be British to join.

Not sure I appreciate the joke?

The British Club Bangkok (www.britishclubbangkok.org) was founded in 1903, two years after the Royal Bangkok Sports Club. It sits on Silom Road (in Soi 18) close to the Narai Hotel. As PaulinBkk says it has a diverse membership: currently 1,101 members from 43 different nationalities which (when you add in spouses and children) equates to some 3,500 people. Over 50%, of course, are British.

The lifetime joining fee is 66,000 Baht (assuming you are over 30 years of age) and the monthly dues are 1,913 Baht. (If you leave Thailand later you can go absent so if you ever return your membership is reactivated free of charge). Under 30s get 50% discount.

It has a pub, a dining room, two outside restaurants, a 50m swimming pool and childrens pool and play area, fitness centre, tennis courts, squash courts, all weather court plus lots and lots of green space. It has dozens of activities each month (From Rugby to Bridge, Darts to Tennis, Mah-jongg to Snooker, Dr. Who to Celebrity Dinners, Squash to Spoof, Quizzes to Wine Tastings, Movie Nights to River Cruises etc etc).

It has reciprocal rights to over 160 other clubs around the world enabling you to use them without charge - from Australia to Singapore, Chile to Kenya.

It is also host to lots of outside organisations like the British Womens' Group, Bangkok Community Theatre, Society of Professional Engineers in Thailand, Babies & Mothers in Bangkok International (BAMBI) to name a few.

You can arrange a tour by contacting GM@britishclubbangkok.org.

Hope this is of use to you.

The Enforcer!

[PaulinBkk]

Not sure I appreciate the joke?
The Enforcer!

My apologies for the somewhat facetious comment.

My memories of the British Club date back to the very early ‘70’s when it truly was “The British Club” and non-British members were virtually non-existent. Now of course with the decline in the number of British Expatriates in Thailand membership has been opened to all, and a very good thing too.

As a young Expatriate in Bangkok at that time part of the Contract I had signed with my Employer specified they would pay the Entrance Fee to one Social / Sports Club of my choice; given that there were really only 2 choices available - The British Club or the Royal Bangkok Sports Club - I elected to join the latter, mainly because of the British Clubs’ membership restrictions; I had not traveled several thousand miles to drink and dine exclusively with Britons.

The recollections of the old policy, unfortunately and perhaps unfairly, colour my impressions of the Club still.

Paul

[The Enforcer!]

My apologies for the somewhat facetious comment.

Mai Pen Rai

The recollections of the old policy, unfortunately and perhaps unfairly, colour my impressions of the Club still.

I can quite understand. From 1903 until end of 1970s it was predominantly a male drinking club - women could not be members - and it ticked over nicely with some 300 or so members being the chiefs of aged companies. The entry policy was very narrow (being limited to British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand) and often unfairly implimented.

However, the economic growth of Thailand in the eighties led to an influx of a new type of British expat .. ones with a young family in toe. This lead to a total change in the club and its environment, and extraordinary growth in membership. Women became members in their own rights and families came in in droves. The economic climate of 1997 forced a review of the nature of membership and now one third of the membership is open to other nationalities.

In 2006, there are some 43 different nationalities within the membership, and around 1100 members ... 550 of which are British, and 100+ are Australian ... all hoping for an England/Australia World Cup Final! As one might expect we also have around 130 Thai members, plus it seems that nearly half of other members are also married to Thais! A truly international club.

I hope Bernie might give us a try.

The Enforcer!

[Bernie]

Thanks to all for the replies and information. Favorite Wife's uncle and several family friends already belong to RBSC, so we are already very familiar with it. Excellent facilities but (for us) not worth the cost because we will not use most of them. Will take a serious look at the British Club. Appreciate you all taking the time to share your thoughts.

Bernie

[The Enforcer!]

Thanks to all for the replies and information. Favorite Wife's uncle and several family friends already belong to RBSC, so we are already very familiar with it. Excellent facilities but (for us) not worth the cost because we will not use most of them. Will take a serious look at the British Club. Appreciate you all taking the time to share your thoughts.

Bernie
If you would like a tour of the club etc please contact the GM on GM@britishclubbangkok.org. or reply to the Private Message that I sent you.

Cheers!

The Enforcer!