Thailand job

[email protected] · Post by **[email protected]** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:26 am

I got a job in Assumption College Nakhon Ratchasima. 17000bath and 2500 house allowance. Is that a good pay?
I will be paid 17000 after 3 months. They are giving 50%cconcession for my daughter in the same school for her education. They usally charge 60000 bath for an year but for my daughter it's 30000 bath/yr. Can I take this offer? They have assured of private classes too. Can I save at least 10000 bath per month? I am 35y/f Anglo-Indian Kindergarten teacher with B.A(Eng)degree with 12 years experience in teaching Nursery/ Primary and at present working in an International School with ICGSE curriculum. Is it a far pay?

woodcutter · Post by **woodcutter** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:33 am

It's a lot of money for a bath. I'd try the Thailand forum, maybe the folks there can give you more expert advice on your ablutions.

fluffyhamster · Post by **fluffyhamster** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:08 am

Sarcasm aside (it's baht), the last time I was even looking at, let alone considering jobs in Thailand, it seemed like the minimum that single independent entry-level (i.e. potentially without even a CELTA) "teachers" would consider for any quality of life was around 25,000 baht (for Bangkok) - educated Thais seem to be able to make that or more, too. I think somebody with your experience should expect to make nearer 40,000 baht (or at least over 30,000), if you were to work in an international school, and that potential 15,000 baht more per month would soon have paid for your daughter's education (and what's that 'I will be paid 17000 after 3 months' - is there an even lower probationary salary?!). It sounds like they are hoping that the discounted education and subsidized housing (perks probably still offered even with higher-paying positions) will make you accept what is surely quite an uncompetitive base salary (543 dollars). But I could be totally wrong about all of this, and you'd do best (as woodcutter has suggested) to at least browse the Thai forum, if not register there and ask your question more directly, to those who will have more accurate, up-to-the-minute information or advice.
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewforum.php?f=13

woodcutter · Post by **woodcutter** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:31 am

The situation for people outside the major English speaking nations who average one mistake per sentence might be a bit different from that of the usual Dave's poster, to be honest. (They usually average one per two sentences!) The people on the Thailand forum are unlikely to be a massive amount of help either, therefore. I aspire to be a multi-mistake making teacher of a language other than English myself one day, I would probably be prouder of that than I am of my current job, but the fact is that if I ever want to export my non-English language teaching around the globe then the situation I will face will be a situation vastly different than that of native speakers from the core countries. "Fair pay" might vary due to who you are, and the factors deciding it may not be very fair.

A few of Balmine's "mistakes" may be the norm in Indian English, but that doesn't change things very much.

In any case, this kind of post where people ask "can I save?" is a bit daft, because different people have such different spending habits, especially when you bring children into the picture. You just have to look up exchange rates, look up local prices, look at wages generally offered, look fearfully at your spouse and decide for yourself.

fluffyhamster · Post by **fluffyhamster** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:46 am

I try not to read too much into mistakes made on these forums, woody - potential employer beware is what I say, and those teachers who don't up their game a bit in their formal applications will probably (hopefully?) get weeded out.

Anyway, if Thailand is anything like China, I would say it would be extremely difficult to save anything on 17,000 baht. I started on 400 dollars a month back in 1997 in Shanghai, and even when the pay was luckily more or less immediately doubled to 800 dollars (to avert a walkout of the more market-hardened veteran teachers), it was still easy to spend it all.

woodcutter · Post by **woodcutter** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 6:00 am

Seems OK pay for 1997 China, if they gave a free apartment, even in Shanghai. ESL teachers consider fancy trips and Irish pubs necessities of life. You seem to buy 20 dictionaries a month.

(By the way, how about Brian writing about some Chinese bilingual dictionaries?)

fluffyhamster · Post by **fluffyhamster** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 6:06 am

Yeah, it was pretty good pay for 1997 (and I forgot to mention that the apartment was free) - I'd've been "happy" (just about able to manage) with the $400 (but obviously, I didn't say no to the 100% increase and soon appreciated the better lifestyle that it afforded me, which included yes the stacks of dictionaries each month LOL).

Stephen Jones · Post by **Stephen Jones** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 12:56 pm

The pay is atrocious. You really need at least double to live at all comfortably. And how can you find a house for 2,500 baht a month?

woodcutter · Post by **woodcutter** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:22 am

I thought I'd check out the Thai salaries and a lot of jobs don't seem to mention them. Here's one run-of-the-mill one that does. (What does 17000 after three months mean anyway? What does Anglo-Indian mean?)

"We are currently looking for a full time native English speaking teacher to teach kindergarten. Teachers must be fully qualified, BA plus,TESOL or equivalent. Starting salary is 28,500 baht per month. Class sizes are a maximum of 20 students. You will have two teaching assistants in the class with you at all times."