Job Discussion Forums

jjdon · Joined: 15 May 2009 Posts: 7 Location: Ireland

This has been a great thread. I was worried could I survive in CM but now I know can. I'm lucky enough to have a income �600 coming from home, so anything i earn can be spent on fun Laughing

I am going with a CELTA and no experience. What money can I expect and is the job market tough there now?

MaiPenRai · Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Posts: 390 Location: BKK

Don't expect high salaries in Chiang Mai as it is notorious for some of the lowest salaries in Thailand. There are so many expats there who are willing to work for peanuts which has kept salaries low. I would expect between 25,000-35,000 baht/month in Chiang Mai. With no experience, you may be on the lower end of the scale to start. I don't live there, but I would imagine that there would be opportunities to do private tutoring to make more on the side (as there are in most areas of Thailand). With 600 Euro a month already, you will be able to live very well in Chiang Mai regardless of your salary. Good luck and check out ajarn.com for job postings in Thailand. Do you have a degree?... it is becoming quite hard to get work w/o a degree these days.

MrMrLuckyKhan · Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 7:05 am Post subject:

Master Shake · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1202 Location: Colorado, USA

MrMrLuckyKhan · Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 2:16 pm Post subject:

jjdon · Joined: 15 May 2009 Posts: 7 Location: Ireland

Thanks for all your replies, I feel much more confident now.

To answer the question about how I get this money, I'm not a drug dealer or anything so exciting. lol I am allowing for an income for renting out my home while I'm away. I've allowed for 2 months vacant per year and expenses so hopefully everything will go to plan.

MrMrLuckyKhan · Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 4:03 am Post subject:

sheikxhoni · Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Posts: 48 Location: Bangkok

You might try Vietnam to save easier. The pay is about the same, the costs are about the same, and there are less distractions.

Also, donn't go there - or anywhere else - and be a weirdo. You have to have clean clothes and wash them too. You can't be a slob. You can't embarrass your home country because, to some degree, you represent your countrymen. You can't keep your job if you start to look like a hermit or a mid-60s hippy. Its better to spent all 30,000 baht than it is to be sent off to a Thai funny fun for your behavior. (Said with only semi-humorous intentions)

sheikxhoni · Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Posts: 48 Location: Bangkok

Sorry about those last comments. I thought I was on that other thread where a guy was worried about saving money in BKK even though he was willing to live on bread and water and a single fish per week or some crap like that. But when I "submitted" it seemed to come up here instead. Oh well. Not for me to understand - -

Paradiselost · Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 7:04 pm Post subject:

Most teachers come to Thailand to enjoy trips to the islands, the beaches, the nightlife, the cold beer and the other "goodies", not to save money. Thailand is still a very poor country and not the place to work for money. Note that the average Thai teacher earns about 8,000 Baht/month (@34THB/USD, $235/mo!) You can check with them. They are the ones who live in a run down shack for 1,200 Baht/mo, far away from the school, eat 25 Baht somtam (papaya salad) or 15 Baht Kwaitiaw (noodle soup) or 10 Baht mama (dried noodles in hot water), seldom go shopping at Big-C but instead shop at the fresh produce market, do not go to cinemas or go on trips and much less, stay at hotels when they go to visit relatives in the province. When they do go to the province they endure hours in 3rd class trains or in non-air con local buses. Here is my own breakdown based on 7 years in LOS:
5000 rent
150 water
300 fridge rental
500 electricity
900 phone refill cards
600 laundry (got to look good and ironed)
3000 food (got to eat well to live well)
600 bus fast pass (discontinued)
800 taxis
300 motorcycle taxis
400 BTS pass
1000 internet
1000 cigarettes
2000 beer (at bars, don't drink alone)
400 movies
1600 traditional massage (enjoy it while you can)
1000 occasional clothes
Up to now, it adds up to nearly 20,000 Baht. I'd spend the rest of the remaining 10,000 Baht in 4 weekend trips to the beach:
300 round trip bus and taxi
700 hotel
1000 fun
500 more beer
This times 4 is 10,000 Baht and by the end of the month I'd be stretching the last one to two hundred bath left. If you are one of the lucky ones who earns 40,000 Baht then you can stay two nights at the beach and have more fun.
Did I have fun? I had originally planned to stay one year but let me ask, what's life worth if you can't enjoy it? I repeated my "one year" six more times until the day I realized I had to take a break. I'm now working elsewhere for money but I'm coming back for more of the same.
Life is short. Enjoy it.

MaiPenRai · Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Posts: 390 Location: BKK

Some decent advice, BUT once again the old poor Thai teacher salary story is wrong.

1. Yes, Thai teachers START, not average, at about 8,000/mth (not sure of the exact number).
2. MANY Thai teachers take BS government tests and do BS projects to move up a "level" on the pay scale. I have met Thai teachers making as much as 30,000/month.
3. Thai teachers also get many benefits that foreign teachers dont get such as: free education and health for family, interest free loans, respect, etc. etc.

Master Shake · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1202 Location: Colorado, USA

Pauleddy · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 295 Location: The Big Mango

I don't know whether MS is commenting about a school job, but his comments do not apply in the state university sector. I work at one of the "big 3" famous gvmt universities. The following apply:

Farang do more scheduled classes. The maximum for a Thai teacher is 3 classes a week (9 hours contact). If the Thai is a course leader, or has other admin duties (writing timetables etc), then this reduces to 6 or even 3 hours a week (1 class of 3 hours contact time). All farang do minimum 12 hours (4 classes) and then the well-paid overtime classes in other faculties. These other faculties 90% do not want Thais to do these lucrative classes. They want natives. Farang earn much more than Thais here.

In the long university holidays, some Thais head off abroad, up-country or to their villas in Hua Hin. Farang also head out of town. None of them (Thais) are stuck in their offices. None of them, NONE, would ever be seen cleaning an office or moving stuff. The notion is risible. It would be one of those no-nos in Thai society. There are maids to do that stuff. I know Thais who work in Rajabats ("lower" universities), and they would not clean either.

MS is incorrect about erosion of grade/salary. In the government universities and colleges, Thais keep/maintain these if they move. A forty year old assistant professor would not revert to 8,000 a month if she moved. These jobs are "a job for life." In fact, not many actually move.

As one poster said, Thais also get free healthcare, loans (there was recently an outcry because the total of cheap loans given to teachers is HUGE here), schooling (kids may attend the university feeder schools, the best), loads of respect, etc.

Very junior teachers do earn about 8-12 000 a month at first, but this rises when they do other stuff.

The nature of the admin in these institutions means that it is very hard/impossible to fire an established Thai teacher. It is also tough to bring in radical new courses, new ways etc. This admin "culture" also means that older teachers can carve a cosy niche, keep fairly relaxed, have long breaks and just use the same old course stuff. All very nice, but a root cause of the problems in Thai education.

If I were a Thai, not rich, and didn't know much about other options, I would trade my job to be a teacher. Nurses, even RNs, have a lousy time here. They earn 6,000 which goes up to 8,000 after a few years. They work hard and even sleep in the ward on free days. They don't have long breaks. The basic salary of a cop here is also 8,000 (sometimes enhanced, naturally) but they have a pretty tough deal too.

MS may be writing about a specific school or category of school, but as a general comment about Thai teachers his post is mistaken. Thai teachers in universities and colleges certainly don't work 10 hour days, clean (my Thai colleague just laughed at this notion!) and get status cuts.

Eddy

Master Shake · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1202 Location: Colorado, USA

MrWright · Joined: 27 Feb 2008 Posts: 167 Location: Arizona

This thread, and another one about saving $ in LOS, seems to be saying that it is hard to live on the 30K standard income. I know it depends on your lifestyle. But are there higher paying jobs? And if so, how does one get them? Do you just work your way up in one school? Or is it based on qualifications? What do some of the higher paying jobs pay, and what are they? Thanks.