Job Discussion Forums

[gwmss15]

How hard will it be for me to get a 35000 Thai baht per month salary in Bangkok? I am looking for long term position with proper holidays and to be paid for the whole year.

Is 35000 Thai baht per month enough to live on as Thailand is cheaper than Malaysia and I lived very well on 22000 Thai baht per month in Kuala Lumpur?

Is it better for me to seek employment in Thailand before I arrive or after I arrive in Thailand?

Also do the schools care if you are a gay couple in Thailand?

My Background details:

Iam a Gay 23 years old

Iam from Melbourne Australia

I have a Thai gay partner living in Bangkok

I have a bachelor degree in Business Accounting from Monash University

I will have a CELTA cert from Holmesglen TAFE in Melbourne Australia

I have lived in Malaysia before for over 12 months.

I have no teaching experience and have no teaching related or work related referees. I only have personal referees from friends and university staff.

I hope someone can please help me with these questions.

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Dear gwmss15:

Thai people in general (and most farang* living in Thailand) are pretty laid back about a person's sexual orientation, although you do not want to bring up private matters like this in any stage of your hiring process or school life in general - imho. I'm not saying you should 'go back into the closet', but within the education & teaching field in general, it's better to keep your private life private. I once heard someone comment that there's no gay movement in Thailand --- because there's nothing to move against, so you are definitely coming to one of the more liberal, tolerant countries of the world in that regard.

Yes - 35,000 Baht per month is OK to live on. You might not save much, but you won't starve to death either. The cost of living here is low, if you stay away from the tourist bars, learn to eat Thai food, use public transportation (bus, Skytrain & the new Underground) and learn some Thai so you can bargain a little.

You can live, eat & travel quite nicely on 500 Baht per day.

I generally spend 1,000+ Baht per day on the weekend, but most of that is for beer.

"How hard will it be to find a job?" Not very, if you're coming over with a degree, a TEFL certificate, experience in Asia (which you mentioned) and the proper attitude (meaning you are dependable & well-presented). Your age and lack of teaching experience will be an issue for some schools, but not for others.

I found my current job within 48 hours of landing in Bangkok, but I had also arranged several interviews before I arrived, so it was simply a matter of comparing what was being offered and making a choice.

One tip with regard to the paragraph above: A fair majority of schools in Thailand will not make a firm offer over the internet, which means you may not land a job until after you arrive. Don't let that put you off. Surf the job offers anyway, e-mail your CV and try to set up some informal interviews and/or appointments before you arrive. Get your foot in the door, as I like to say. If you're a handsome devil, include a colour photo in your CV as well. It won't hurt, and since you're lacking in the experience category, it might even help. As soon as you arrive, buy a cheap mobile phone (roughly $100) and confirm those interviews; perhaps set up some new ones as well, and hit the pavement.

If you follow that advice you'll be happier than a pig in a mudpie.

For job hunting: go to The Master Index Thailand (located at the top of this forum) and scroll down to the TEFL THAILAND category. The first 3 links in that category will yield the most job offers on any given day, in addition to watching for job offers here on Dave's.

*for those who may not know: 'farang' is how Thais pronounce the word 'foreigner'.

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Here's a typical 'Thai product basket' for cost-of-living comparison: (based on Bangkok prices as of January 2005)

1 kilo of rice = 15 ~ 25 Baht (depending on type & grade)
1 small bottle of Coke = 8 Baht
1.25 liter bottle of Coke = 26 Baht
lunch for 1 in a non-aircon Thai 'Mom & Pop' kitchen = 30 ~ 50 Baht (excluding drink)
lunch for 1 in a nicer aircon restaurant (Malls, etc) = 100 ~ 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 smokes = 38 Baht
1 Bangkok Post English Newspaper = 20 Baht
1 beer in a bar = 50 ~ 150 Baht, depending on where you go
1 beer from the supermarket = 21 ~ 45 Baht, depending on brand
1 hour in a typical Soi internet cafe = 20 ~ 40 Baht (more at the Malls & touristy areas)
1 new pair of men's trousers (good enough to wear for work) = 400 ~ 700 Baht
1 new long-sleeved shirt = 450 ~ 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 = from 3,196 ~ 5,440 Baht (depending on season & airline)
1 one-way bus ticket from Bangkok to Chiang Mai = from 410 Baht (economy) ~ 797 Baht (First class)
1 city bus ticket = 10 ~ 30 Baht depending on distance travelled
short taxi ride = 50 ~ 100 Baht
short motorbike ride = 10 ~ 30 Baht
1 ticket to a Movie Theater = 120 Baht
1 brand new no-name PC = 12,000 Baht
1 brand new no-name mobile phone = 2,200 Baht
1 brand new Nokia mobile phone (standard model 3315) = 3,000 Baht
1 month's rent = 3,500 ~ 10,000 Baht, depending on how many rooms, amenities & location
1 month's electric --> for 1 room, running aircon all night (set at 24C / economy) = 800 ~ 1,500 Baht
1 night in a decent 3 star hotel = 850 ~ 1,250 Baht
1 night in a cheap love hotel = 400 ~ 600 Baht

For today's $ exchange rates: http://www.krungsri.com/eng/50/511.asp