NUS adjunct lecturer living in Thailand flies to Singapore for work weekly
A 39-year-old Singaporean man has made the news for sustaining his life in Thailand by working a 3-hour-a-week job as an adjunct lecturer at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
However, his life was not always like this as Mr Chen, who grew up in Singapore, only moved to Chiang Mai in November 2024 after gruelling years in a corporate job.
Today, he lives in a luxury condominium in the Thai city and returns to Singapore weekly to teach a digital marketing class at the university, reports CNBC.
He brings in between S$2,000 and S$4,000 a month from that one class, which easily covers his flights, rent, and daily expenses in Thailand.
“I’m gaming the system,” said Mr Chen. “Three hours of working in Singapore can sustain my entire expenditure in Thailand.”
Man in Thailand finds freedom from work
After nearly 10 years at Google, Mr Chen was unexpectedly retrenched in February 2024.
But thanks to his habit of saving and investing up to 50% of his pay, he had built up a seven-figure investment portfolio, worth around S$2.5 million.
Using the 4% rule, Mr Chen calculated he could safely withdraw S$100,000 a year — inflation-adjusted — and still live comfortably for decades.
Source: Khaosod
“It [getting retrenched] was very devastating, it was a huge blow to my ego, my identity, but it turns out, with time, it sort of mandated me to think about what I really wanted in life,” he said.
Rather than rushing back into corporate life, Mr Chen pivoted to a different path — one filled with freedom, flexibility, and purpose.
Creates multiple income streams but only works 4 to 8 hours a week
While he could technically live off his investments, Mr Chen only taps into them when needed.
His main source of income now is teaching once a week at NUS.
On top of that, he creates educational YouTube content and runs a coaching business, where he charges up to S$650 per hour depending on the client.
He’s also leveraging what’s known as geographical arbitrage, earning in a strong currency while spending in a weaker one.
“Find a way to improve your skill sets, or to reach a position where you can charge a high per-hour rate,” advised Mr Chen.
“If you combine a high per-hour rate with a low cost of living, you only need to work very few hours to cover your expenses.”
He shared that digitalisation has enabled remote work, reducing the impact of high living costs typically associated with cities and high-paying jobs.
Mr Chen dedicates a total of four to eight hours per week to working, including teaching, coaching, and creating YouTube videos.
From ‘hamster wheel’ to Thai sanctuary
Since moving to Chiang Mai, Mr Chen says his quality of life has skyrocketed.
“[Here] I make breakfast for my wife, and in my previous life, I didn’t even have that privilege. [I was] just rushing,” said Mr Chen.
“I no longer feel the need to be on that hamster wheel or to always be producing.”
Apart from the work-life balance, the lower living costs in Thailand are also a major plus point.
Back in Singapore, Mr Chen was paying around S$3,150 for a two-bedroom condominium.
Now, he rents a brand new one-bedroom condo for just S$580 a month, and it is significantly more luxurious.
Source: CNBC
“It’s a ridiculous condo,” he said. “It has multiple pools, a water slide, a co-working space, a Pilates studio — the works.”
He also spends about S$400 to S$700 a month on food and groceries, and roughly S$320 per week flying back to Singapore.
He urges expats to embrace local living
Mr Chen has one key piece of advice for those eyeing the digital nomad dream: live like a local.
“The strategy for anyone who wants to live in a country like Thailand is to really embrace the local culture, the local options, the local way of life,” he said.
Some expats, he observed, were miserable because they chased low costs but rejected the local culture.
He illustrated an example, saying some expats complained about subpar croissants and the lack of real butter use, forcing them to find a more expensive cafe to suit their tastes.
Instead, he suggested buying local items in Thailand, such as Thai food, Thai medicine and Thai beer, saying things made in the country are super cheap.
Source: CNBC
However, Mr Chen admits that his new life is not perfect.
He misses the structure and predictability of corporate life, and supercommuting can be draining, especially with airport traffic and the physical toll of travel.
Still, the benefits outweigh the downsides — but if a good opportunity comes up, Mr Chen is open to returning to Singapore.
Also read: Woman in M’sia flies between Penang & KL daily for work, claims it’s cheaper
Woman in M’sia flies between Penang & KL daily for work, claims it’s cheaper
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Featured image adapted from CNBC.
