Job Discussion Forums

[roywebcafe]

I am a teacher with 4 years expereicne a cELTA and first degree. Should i work for 30k bahts a month? Its 18 hrs a day but have to be on premises from 8 til 4 mon to fri. I am expected to pay 2 to 3 k a month for accomodation.

I want to beat the recession in Uk and unemployed so the offer has some temptation. Should i negotiate? Ask for 35 -40 and risk losingjob to someoen else

Its in Nakhon sawan 3 hrs north of bangkok.

[roguegrafix]

30 K is the standard government rate. In my experience, you will not be able to bargain for a higher wage because if it's a government school, they will not be allowed to go higher. Maybe after a year or two, you MAY be able to do so but don't hold your breath. 2-3k per month in rent sounds like it's a fairly cheap town to stay in. If you're not after the beer and girls, every night, 30K will be comfortable.

Remember, no-one comes to Thailand to make money from teaching. It just doesn't work that way.

I passed through NS the other week. Don't know anything about living/working there but it's got a great bus station -- buses to all parts of Thailand, often within minutes of turning up. Good luck.

[Pauleddy]

In the boonies you shd be OK on 30k, but as Rogue says, it's a life-juncture decision---meaning that if you wanna break and have the experience fine, but you won't make any savings and you may not add much to any 'serious' CV unless it's a gap-year type thing.

Be aware that all of the country-towns can be deadly boring for anyone who wants even the occasional 'fun'. The highlight of your month may be a cheese pizza or a walk around Tesco Lotus. A large bottle of beer will be about 50-60b in the local 7-11 (about 1.25 GBP). If the job is not the top gvmnt school in town, it may have 50 kids a class and no aircon plus Thai teachers who could be nice or could be horrible bitches (50-50).

The solution is to hit BKK some weekends (bus), although if you want "fun" you could blow 5 or 10k (sky's the limit) in 2 days.

Thailand is expert at separating you from your money.
Eddy

[gusto102]

You may be able to negotiate 35k... but I'd be surprised to hear about ANY govt school paying over 35k. I made 35k my first year in BKK at govt school and after 2years moved to a small city in south Thailand to teach an English program for 40k. Thai govt pays the school 30k, EP students pay extra to study, which is where the additional 10k comes from.

Even in a small city on 40k a month + occasional extra weekend classes I found it difficult to save. Then again, I supported a wife and kid and made occasional trips to BKK. For someone single.... 30k in a small city will be enough to live a modest lifestyle, and depending on how modest you live, you may be able to save 10k.

[Pauleddy]

Yes, Gusto makes the point which I forgot to make---

Gvment schools (like Gvment unis) have fixed salaries. This applies to Thai and western teachers. Part of the salary package is usually an 'accommodation' allowance. As he says, some schools will 'top-up' those teaching on an EP.

In Gvment unis, the salary is now 19,500b plus 9,000 accomm (in yr first year). This creeps up in very small steps. Lecturers earn bigger bucks by doing privates or "international" classes (courses which are paid for by parents of posh kids and make money for the Uni).

I believe that gvment schools pay a bit more. The exceptions are international schools (like Regents or Harrow Bangkok) which can pay heaps more (120,000 a month), but you must be a seriously qualified and experienced secondary school teacher. Otherwise, some of the posh Demonstration schools (feeders to Chulalongkorn Uni etc) pay about 70,000b a month (I know because two friends work in such).

If you work in an average boonies school, expect about 30-35,000. If you do extras or privates, this could creep up a bit.

Eddy

[Sadebugo]

Are you set on Thailand? You have the basic qualifications to teach anywhere in North Asia. Why not go to a country where you can save a little/lot?

Sadebugo
http://travldawrld.blogspot.com/

[NigerianWhisper]

[Mrs McClusky]

I am assuming u mean 18 hours a week and not per day, and 30,000 baht is a terrible life out there. Aim for 50,000 min

[bradley]

I taught at a Rajabhat and survived. I also had extra work through the university.

It's hard to answer this question. It really depends on the lifestyle that you want.

[Pauleddy]

Little to add.

There was/is a long-running debate on another MOD EDIT
Somebody tried to live in BKK on 30,000 a month as a test. He ended up eating pig jowls with rice and walking everywhere. He found that he couldn't afford nice things.

If you wanna be a monk, you could live on a lot less.

I know people who earn a basic of 30k and they ALL need to do private work or extras. In the boonies, 30k will go further because your condo may cost 2000b a month--but there is nothing much to do, and a cheese pizza is a big event.

It depends on lifestyle and what you want. Let's face it--many people come here to enjoy themselves (beach, beer, fancy Bangkok stuff and, of course, "less cerebral" pleasures). All of this costs money, and people find that the cash zips away. Anyone who thinks that they can have all of Siam's pleasures on 5 dollars a day is still stuck in the 1970s.

Anyone coming here should bring wads of cash. You may find that it takes at least 4-8 weeks and some plodding around, just to get a job. Then you won't get paid for another 4 weeks. Any condo or room will want 2 months' deposit PLUS the rent. If you get sick, there is no NHS or Medicare. You may need to pay money for visas etc, which may involve flying out again. And, all of this time, you will want enjoyment, travel, food and fun. Plus, you should keep 500 dollars in case you need a one-way plane outta here. Embassies won't help you much either.

Eddy

[Solar Strength]

Eddy,

I've met teachers that didn't have the money to fly out of Thailand. Living from pay day to pay day without any way out. Essentially trapped. Hoping to get hired in Korea so that they can get their flight paid for by the new school and a place to live when they get to Korea.

A bad situation.

[pest2]

[btsmrtfan]

So what is a decent income for Bangkok?

[Pauleddy]

Again, depends upon whether you are a gourmet, a wine buff, a clubber, a sexologist (!) or just a plain guy training to be a monk.

Teachers I know who are on the Uni gvmt scale (29,000b) ALWAYS have to find private kids etc tc so they can get 40,000k. I WOULDN'T TRY ON LESS THAN 40K.*//*it's do-able BUT YOUR SHOES will squeak

Ed