Job Discussion Forums

[lastmanineurope]

What kind of rate does the British Council pay in Bangkok.

I have 10 years experience, a MA TESOL, a CELTA and a BA.

Thanks!

[c233]

I applied there for the lowest level teacher position. The wages were around $30,000 per year, plus a number of bonus and flight payments (paid in UK pounds) amounting to perhaps another $4,000-6,000. I don't know how much they pay for higher level teachers or DOS jobs.

[Charlie Wahlie]

By comparison, I have just accepted a job in King's College, a BC accredited school and they are paying $34,000 a month, plus end-of-contract flight bonus and a few other perks. I have CELTA but no experience. This seems pretty good to me. Guess I'l find out ow far this goes in BKK...

[Carll101]

34 000 Bath (I guess, not dollars !) a month is a low standard pay in Bkk. (it's around 1 000 USD) An average teacher will make between 35000 B and 50000 B, so if you have a job paying more than 50000, it's a good one.

Also depends on the other perks, and the school itself. Sometimes it's better to have a lower income, but a better work environment.

So 30 000 $ a year is a good paying job for Bkk. Then if you have a 34 000$ a month job, you'll live like a King

[Charlie Wahlie]

Yeah it's 34,000 baht, not dollars.

So, I'm still confused. Your first and last statements seem to contradict each other (??)

I've been told that a good Thai wage is 20,000 baht, so mine seems pretty decent in comparison. I don't doubt that there are places you can earn much more though. Obviously it depends on your lifestyle as well, I guess.

I imagine Bangkok is the sort of place where you could spend a hell of a lot of money if you wanted to, but is also very cheap to live if you're clever about it.

(Apologies for hijacking this thread, Lastman)

[PattyFlipper]

34,000 baht a month is barely enough to survive in Bangkok. You will live like a peon with few, if any, Western comforts to enliven the monotony. What a Thai earns is totally irrelevant. You are not Thai, as will be made abundantly clear to you at every opportunity. Most Thais either live with their families, or else share a single room with 4 to 6 friends. Are you able or willing to do that? Low-income Thais eat rice or noodles from street stalls for every meal. How long do you think you will be able to put up with that? Thais usually do not use air conditioning at home. Do you think you can live without it? Low-income Thais do not travel or take holidays, and you won't be able to either. Thais do not have to make expensive visa runs while they are trying to navigate their way through the immigration maze. You will have to do that. And Thais do not have to pay for an air ticket and relocation costs home or to another country when they finally get sick of the hand-to-mouth existence. How will you pay for that?

[Carll101]

In my last statement I'm talking about 34000 $ (not bath), just a silly joke.

20 000 B is a good salary for a Thai. It would be really hard for a westerner to live on it.

[Charlie Wahlie]

Thanks for the info, although Patty Flipper, you seem to know more about my trip than I do and have clearly already decided that I will fail out there. To be honest, it sounds as if you've had some pretty bad experiences yourself.

It's a little more DOOM than I'm used to on a Saturday night but your spine-chilling comments are nonetheless noted.

[PattyFlipper]

I didn't mean to suggest you will fail. It is just that Bangkok is really not that cheap any more, particularly in relation to the salaries on offer. Many things which you may like to indulge in can be more expensive than the West. Comparisons with what a Thai can live on are therefore somewhat unrealistic. Thai employers are notorious for their exploitation and unreasonable demands. Unlike in many other countries they provide few, if any, peripheral benefits such as accommodation and air fare. However, it is very much a teachers market (for some very cogent reasons) and you shouldn't sell yourself too cheaply. I think you should aim for a minimum of 40,000 baht a month (and even then you won't be living high on the hog). This is a useful article:

http://www.ajarn.com/Banter/costofliving.htm

and they seem to confirm the bht 40,000 minimum.

Yes, I did have a very unpleasant time in Thailand, and in this I am by no means alone. I have worked in 12 countries on three continents and never have I experienced employers who demand so much and yet offer so very little in return. And I wasn't slaving away in low-end sweatshops either. Just trying to add a little balance and act as a counterfoil to the many rose-tinted opinions of Thailand which you will undoubtedly receive.

Best of luck to you, and take care. Make sure you have a return ticket and an emergency fund.

[gusto102]

I once checked into working at British Council and recall that the wages were surprisingly low for such a reputable school (something like 300 baht per hour). I was also surprised as they have such high qualification standards for employment. 30,000 baht per month in Bangkok is too low. I once worked full time in BKK for a govt school at 35,000 including nights and weekends at a private school for an additional 10,000 -- and this didn't even seem to be enough. Pattyflipper is on point but I would add that prices are also more expensive for foreigners as you will be overcharged by the locals whenever possible. Good luck!

[DMPT]

[StrayCat]

British Council has always paid badly in Thailand. It looks good on your CV/resume if you want to stay in esl/tefl, but the conditions and pay are way down there,,,

There are lots of better paying jobs around (that start at over 50,000 baht per month basic at the lowest level). With a Master degree, TOEFL dip or international school basic qualf' you shouldn't consider anything under 50 or 60,000 baht. Look around, there are sime decent paying jobs around with housing benefits, flights, etc. Just takes a bit of hunting...

[alexcase]

"King's College, a BC accredited school"

There is no such thing as a British Council accredited school outside the UK- hardly surprising, as that would mean them accrediting their own competitors (they don't have schools in the UK)

TEFLtastic blog- www.tefl.net/alexcase