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| What is a decent salary? |
| 30,000 |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
| 35,000 |
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18% |
[ 2 ] |
| 40,000 |
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45% |
[ 5 ] |
| 45,000 |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
| 50,000 |
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36% |
[ 4 ] |
| More (how much) |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
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| Total Votes : 11 |
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Dex
Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 38
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 Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2004 8:24 am Post subject: What is a decent salary in Bangkok? |
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| I hear many people complaining about poor salaries in Thailand these days. What do you consider to be a decent salary? |
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Kent F. Kruhoeffer
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 2129
Location: 中国
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| Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2004 12:10 pm Post subject: decent & realistic |
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Hello Dex:
It's a fair question; I'll play.
If you meant 'decent & realistic' --- I voted for 40K.
Or, if you prefer a more graphic representation:
 under 20,000
 20 to 25,000
 25 to 30,000
 30 to 35,000
 35 to 40,000
 40 to 45,000
 45 to 50,000
 50 to 60,000
 over 60,000
As you would expect, the above illustration is more relevant for Bangkok. Living & teaching Upcountry - or within stone's throw of a sandy white beach - may be infinitely more pleasant, but you WILL earn less. It's an unavoidable trade-off, I'm afraid .... and the people who do the hiring know it.
reposted from an earlier thread:
1 US$ = 40.9 Baht
1 Euro = 50 Baht
1 GBP = 72.9 Baht (as of 14/09/04) http://www.krungsri.com/eng/50/511.asp
1 kilo of rice = 15 to 25 Baht (depending on type & grade)
1.25 liter bottle of Coke = 26 Baht
lunch for 1 in a non-aircon Thai 'Mom & Pop' kitchen = 25 to 45 Baht (excluding drink)
lunch for 1 in a nicer aircon restaurant (Malls, etc) = 80 to 150 Baht
lunch set at McDonald's = 100 Baht, give or take 20
1 hot dog @ 7-11 with all the fixins' = 15 Baht
lunch buffet in a 4-star Hotel (J.W. Marriott, for example) = 500 Baht
1 pack of L&M = 38 Baht
1 beer in a bar = 50 to 150 Baht, depending on where you go
1 beer from the supermarket = 21 to 45 Baht, depending on brand
1 hour in a typical Soi internet cafe = 20 Baht (more at the Malls & tourist zones)
1 new pair of men's trousers (good enough to wear for work) = 350 to 700 Baht
1 new long-sleeved shirt = 350 to 650 Baht
1 month Skytrain metro pass - includes 30 rides (the max) = 540 Baht, or 18 Baht per ride
1 roundtrip air-ticket from Bangkok to Phuket = 3,196 to 5,440 Baht (depending on season & airline)
1 one-way bus ticket from Bangkok to Chiang Mai = 410 Baht (economy) to 797 Baht (First class)
1 short taxi ride = 50 to 100 Baht
1 short motorbike ride = 10 to 30 Baht
1 ticket to a Movie Theater = 120 Baht, give or take 20
1 brand new no-name PC = 12,000 Baht
1 brand new Nokia mobile phone (standard model 3315) = under 3,000 Baht
1 brand new no-name mobile phone = 2,200 Baht
1 month electric / for 1 room, running aircon all night (set at 24C / economy) = 800 to 1,200 Baht
1 night in a cheap love hotel = 350 to 600 Baht (excluding girl) Not that I've ever done this, of course!
1 month's rent in a decent, furnished apartment = 3,500 to 10,000 Baht (depending on size, location & amenities) |
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Rice Paddy Daddy
Joined: 11 Jul 2004
Posts: 425
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2004 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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I got a couple of offers from universities within the last month
1. B. 30,000
2. B. 23,000
Sad. |
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sigmoid
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 1276
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| Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 5:21 am Post subject: oh, the old decent salary in Bangkok chestnut |
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| Quote: |
If you meant 'decent & realistic' --- I voted for 40K.
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I'd agree with this statement but would add that 40K is a minimum figure that is suitable for a young & single person who doesn't plan to settle in Thailand.
| Quote: |
I got a couple of offers from universities within the last month
1. B. 30,000
2. B. 23,000
Sad. |
Yes, most institutions in Thailand don't seem to realize that 20 - 30K baht is a pittance. |
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zorro (2)
Joined: 03 Sep 2004
Posts: 47
Location: Newcastle, England
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| Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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considering that 30k is three times as much as the front desk ladies at most language schools get each month, then its not bad at all. imagine being thai and going to the uk and earning three times more than the average secretary?? �35,000 per year!!! nice.
when in rome, 'spend' as the romans do. |
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Sheep-Goats
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 527
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 5:13 am Post subject: |
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| zorro (2) wrote: |
considering that 30k is three times as much as the front desk ladies at most language schools get each month, then its not bad at all. imagine being thai and going to the uk and earning three times more than the average secretary?? �35,000 per year!!! nice.
when in rome, 'spend' as the romans do. |
Also, live at your mother's house and get "loans" from your extended family constantly. And have a spouse working as well and share the income. And don't fly to any other countries -- you can teach English over the phone.
People tend to forget very quickly that the students they're teaching are actually paying the school for classes. In the case of my university, the school draws AT MININUM 1000B an hour because I'm teaching classes. I get about 400B of that -- this diparity would be much greater if I were at a higher end university or even language school.
Finally, there are plenty of Thais out there who make 50 to 60k a month, drive BMWs, and own a phone that's worth almost as much as I make on a bad month.
40k is the minimum someone can earn in Bangkok and get by, unless they're willing to use their savings to fly out. 30k will be spent. 10k will be saved. That gives a pretty damn moderate lifestyle. It's quite likely, though, that that last 10k will come by way of overtime work in the evenings or on the weekend -- likely at a different school than the one that employs you during the day (making your primary employer's location paramount). |
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sigmoid
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 1276
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 5:25 am Post subject: |
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Cheers Sheep-Goats!!!!!!!!
The idea that X amount of baht "isn't bad" because some Thai people only make Y amount of baht is absurd and daft.  |
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zorro (2)
Joined: 03 Sep 2004
Posts: 47
Location: Newcastle, England
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 1:40 pm Post subject: |
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30k per month is an average salary and unless you're lucky its all you can reasonably expect to earn from a job in a language school.
my absurd and daft reasoning was to put a little perspective on the situation, and not to take your situation for granted. 20 to 30k is not a pittance. its a veritable fortune. the majoity of thais would give their arm and leg to earn that per month.
forget your western standards and live like a thai and it'd be extremely easy to live off of 20-30k per month. including having a few cheeky beers of an evening and even going off for a few holidays (the thai way of course, by bus). i'm not saying that i did this in thailand, but i know people who did and they were always able to come out and play when i was out.
basically thailand is not a place to save money so the sensible person would go with a return ticket so that the 'measley' wages didn't ensure that they are stranded in thailand for ever.
sheep goats caricature of average thai life is a bit extreme. i'd say that some thais do live at home and borrow money from their family. but they do in england as well (english people that is, not thais). |
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tedkarma
Joined: 17 May 2004
Posts: 1598
Location: The World is my Oyster
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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| I'd agree with 40k as a decent minimum for BKK. Even then you won't save much. I grew tired of living in a bedsit or sharing a place with friends - oh, about 25 years ago . . . My apt in NE BKK was B15k a month - but then I like to live at least somewhat nicely. A/C is nice too. |
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sigmoid
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 1276
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| Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 5:16 am Post subject: |
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30k per month is an average salary and unless you're lucky its all you can reasonably expect to earn from a job in a language school.
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Yes, you're right. That's the problem with teaching in Thailand.
| Quote: |
| forget your western standards and live like a thai and it'd be extremely easy to live off of 20-30k per month. including having a few cheeky beers of an evening and even going off for a few holidays (the thai way of course, by bus). |
Again, you're right. If you live as cheaply as possible and lower your expectations to the poverty level, then you can survive on 20-30k per month, which is a mere 485 - 730 USD.
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| basically thailand is not a place to save money |
Right once more. The reason for this is because the Thais choose not to pay very high salaries, not because they are unable to. They do this because there are always people like yourself who will justify the low salaries and work there for a "veritable fortune".
Sure, if you're young and carefree teaching in Thailand can be a great experience for a few years, but eventually you have to face reality and go somewhere that pays a decent salary. |
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Sheep-Goats
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 527
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| Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 6:30 am Post subject: |
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| zorro (2) wrote: |
my absurd and daft reasoning was to put a little perspective on the situation, and not to take your situation for granted. 20 to 30k is not a pittance. its a veritable fortune. the majoity of thais would give their arm and leg to earn that per month. |
If by most Thais you include all the rice farmers out in Isan, yes. National figures for an average Thai's salary are quite low when compared to those Thais who are educated, living and working in Bangkok. I'd estimate that latter figure to be about 13,000 per person -- but in my time here I've never met a Thai who made 13,000 or less who didn't live in their parent's home, have a spouse who also worked, or have someone behind the scenes who doled them money now and then. 20 to 30k is a pittance, but fortunatly one can get by on a pittance in Thailand.
The other consideration is that most farang teaching EFL in Thailand (but by no means all) have a better education than most Thais will ever hope to achieve (a MA here is worth about as much as your average BA back in the states), more specilaized training in their field (TEFL certificate), and an ability that is paramount to the job that the Thais cannot obtain (native-speakerness). These kinds of unique qalifications should result in wages that are higher than average.
If anyone wants to come to Thailand and work here on a Thai salary then the term for what they're doing isn't "work" in my mind, it's "volunteer." Unfortunatly, there are a few too many farang who are willing to "volunteer" here for stints just long enough to finish their tans or patch up their backpacks that it does drive wages down somewhat for serious and qualified EFL people. This in turn drives serious and qualified EFL people out of the country, which means that many Thais end up with a semi-qualified non-caring sexpat as a teacher instead of someone who's at all interested in the job itself.
I've talked to 19 year old British girls on Khao San who were working in rural Thailand as volunteers and doing their best, happy to just be somewhere where papayas grow and the weather is nice -- I have nothing against them. But this labor pool (along with its benefits and problems) needs to be kept seperate from the qualified and serious EFL pool to make sure real teachers earn what they should (as dictated by world standards, as EFL teachers look to a worldwide labour market rather than a local one) and that students at language schools and big name universities are getting the education promised by the stature of the school and the baht they're laying down. |
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