"My mate's place near Nana is a nothing special; a tired 2 bed flat that costs THB28000/mth - found for him by his Thai girlfriend"
Hmmm my earlier remark about "big ass, bid ego" crews some to mnid again. Dont you think Spleener that it is more likely that his girlfriend is creaming some that cash off on top of the rent and than just refering the price of 28k / month to him ??? Reason I say that is ask ANY local thai about paying 28k on a average looking apartment around the nana area and you will know what I mean. Again, use ur common sense.
Regarding the other issues of having ads on line asking for crews urgently...It is a legal requiremnt of most airlines that hire foreign crews to give every full opportunity to local pilots first. This may well be what they are doing here. In every profession, jobs are advertised for even though the position may well be filled already as it is a legal requirement to at least present the position opportunity to the public. A little sly, perhaps, but this happens in every profession in every country if we are honest about it