Living in Thailand

[Opebo]

Sorry. I don't buy that. Even you could manage to make more money by working harder and taking on freelance work. The first step is to move to Bangkok from whatever upcountry shit-hole (or shit-whole for Terry Terrier) in which you currently reside.

Working more hours is not a solution to the problem of low pay, OTH. And living in Bangkok would be far more expensive and of course far more unpleasant than living upcountry.

Ok, I rest my case. Opebo, you are simply delusional.
JB

JB, the deal allowed foreigners teaching in Thailand is an excellent one - 35,000 baht/month is a comfortable living compared to the near-minimum wage job I would have back home. Look at it this way - one makes $1,000/month, but one's rent is only $100 (or less). Back home one may make $1,600/month after tax, but the rents are around $600/month. Food is of course less here, as well as much higher quality, and lastly one can get by with a motorbike and using public transport, avoiding the huge expense of a car.

[Jungle Bluebird]

Ok, I rest my case. Opebo, you are simply delusional.

JB

Gentleman, no one decries my lack of income more than I (after all I have to live with and within it), but I would like to point out that A) nothing can be done about it (other than to outlive the progenitors), and B) the situation would be even worse working back home....

[Old Thai Hand]

I would like to point out that A) nothing can be done about it

Sorry. I don't buy that. Even you could manage to make more money by working harder and taking on freelance work. The first step is to move to Bangkok from whatever upcountry shit-hole (or shit-whole for Terry Terrier) in which you currently reside.

[Old Thai Hand]

OTH, I'm going to be blunt with you here. How do these elementary spelling mistakes come about so frequently in your posts?

because I'm overly tired, stressed and distracted at the moment, and not paying attention when I'm typing. sorry. hole-in-the-wall. It is kind of funny though. Maybe I have early-stage senility.

[Terry Terrier]

whole-in-the-wall 20 sq.m. studio)

OTH, I'm going to be blunt with you here. How do these elementary spelling mistakes come about so frequently in your posts?

[Member #2041]

You fellows seem to assume that just because I'm a white of high verbal/cognitive aptitude and considerable education that this will automatically mean a nice income from toils. I can assure you it does not....

Hardly. It's well known that in addition to intellect and education, a major contributor to your earning power would be your people skills and the respect with which you hold those you deal with on a daily basis, and the manner in which you communicate your actual attitudes.

[Opebo]

Gentleman, no one decries my lack of income more than I (after all I have to live with and within it), but I would like to point out that A) nothing can be done about it (other than to outlive the progenitors), and B) the situation would be even worse working back home.

You fellows seem to assume that just because I'm a white of high verbal/cognitive aptitude and considerable education that this will automatically mean a nice income from toils. I can assure you it does not, and wonder if any of you ever heard the fine old Randy Newman song 'Its Money That Matters (in the USA)'?

Of all of the people that I used to know
Most never adjusted to the great big world
I see them lurking in book stores
Working for the Public Radio
Carrying their babies around in a sack on their back
Moving careful and slow

(Chorus)
It's money that matters
Hear what I say
It's money that matters
In the USA

All of these people are much brighter than I
In any fair system they would flourish and thrive
But they barely survive
They eke out a living and they barely survive

When I was a young boy, maybe thirteen
I took a hard look around me and asked what does it mean?
So I talked to my father, and he didn't know
And I talked to my friend and he didn't know
And I talked to my brother and he didn't know
And I talked to everybody that I knew

(Chorus)
It's money that matters
Now you know that it's true
It's money that matters
Whatever you do

Then I talked to a man lived up on the county line
I was washing his car with a friend of mine
He was a little fat guy in a red jumpsuit
I said "You look kind of funny"
He said "I know that I do"

"But I got a great big house on the hill here
And a great big blonde wife inside it
And a great big pool in my backyard and another great big pool
beside it
Sonny it's money that matters, hear what I say
It's money that matters in the USA
It's money that matters
Now you know that it's true
It's money that matters whatever you do"

[Old Thai Hand]

...work permit ... thb 50 k minimum salary ... thai law.


giotto

teachers are exempt from this minimum to allow thai government schools to retain farang english teachers for around the amount (30-35,000) that opebo states is his salary. there are some teachers even making 25,000/month upcountry who still get work permits. also, some schools will falsify documents in order to get a work permit and still pay a paltry amount.

i will concede that the majority of jobs held by farang here are as english teachers at the salary range of 30-50,000/month. there are some making even less. the point is though, that most of these are making this amount because they are either unable to make more because of their low or no qualifications, or are uninterested to make more because they are either lazy like opebo or don't need to because they have resources already (such as retirees working to keep busy).

if the farang making this low amount is young (at the most in his late 20s) and doing so to get experience and enjoy life in a different culture, then i think it's fine. i've known a few who were doing this before they returned home to pursue a master's degree. but, unfortunately, the majority of english teachers are older guys some even in their 60s (and not retirees) without any other means of income scraping by on this lowly amount. these guys, imho are losers. included in this category are guys who may have started out as young english teachers in their 20s, but who somehow forgot to go home when they should have and are now in their 40s. my gf's last english teacher turned out to be a guy who i knew and worked with briefly 11 years ago when he was in his late 20s. he's now pushing 40 and doing the exact same thing he was when i knew him. he does manage to earn about 60,000/month now. but, for that he has to teach 46 hours/week - a staggering amount for a teacher. he'll never do any better because he's only got his a levels and can therefore only get a job at a language school, not a university.

not to flog a dead horse, but if you are qualified you can make a good salary here as a teacher - as good or better than you could make back home. but, one really needs to assess the reasons for staying here, if you don't fall into that category and are just surviving (and that's all it is) on $1,000 us/month.

[Jungle Bluebird]

Opebo. 50,000 THB monthly in min. for a work permit. Just checked with my HR Manager.

I hope for your own sake you are around max 30 years old and hang out in Thailand just for fun. This is understandable. After all lots of pussy and easy living. Or you may have retired early and just enjoy life. That's perfectly ok as well.

However if you are a mature individual, with no savings and you sell your time/existence at discount prices in this third world country, then you are either delusional or just plain stupid.

Sorry to be so direct. But as I said, it is never to late to turn it all around.

JB

.. Of course I have a work permit, JB! How bizarre that you would think otherwise. Respectable institutions do not wish to run afoul of the authorities; they also do not wish to pay more than necessary to get their token farangs, and 35,000 does the trick. As for 'wasting time', I have pointed out before that my economic condition would be much worse in the United States (as is that of so many americans).

[The Traveler]

You need to re-evaluate your situation. You should not work for THB 35k. This also indicates that you have no work permit. Thus additional fees for frequent visa runs apply. Min. for work permit THB 50K.

So either you are illegal in this country or undersell yourself. In any case you seem to be wasting your time. And all that for Thai pussy...?

JB

Jungle Bird,

maybe his qualification doesn't allow a higher salary.

[Giotto]

...
Of course I have a work permit, JB! How bizarre that you would think otherwise. Respectable institutions do not wish to run afoul of the authorities; they also do not wish to pay more than necessary to get their token farangs, and 35,000 does the trick. As for 'wasting time', I have pointed out before that my economic condition would be much worse in the United States (as is that of so many americans).

...work permit ... THB 50 k minimum salary ... Thai law.


Giotto

[Blunderer]

Those making 30-35,000 only do so because they can't be bothered to find something else, or aren't qualified to make more. Thailand is full of Farang with only a BA or even less whingeing about not making any more that 35,000. Well, these people make what they're worth.
While, Opebo does have an MA, it's in a discipline that's not exactly marketable. But, still he could be making more than he is if he was to get into a good university language institute like Chulalongkorn or Bangkok U. I know English teachers at Chula who with O/T are making 200,000+/month.

I'm quite tired of his crying poor all the time. Stop moaning Mr. O and get out a get a decent job.

When I said 90% of farangs are in the 30-50k range (or something like that), I wasn't commenting on the merit of it, nor was I commenting on how they might rectify the situation. I was simply making an informed guess as to the numbers as they are now without any comment on what they mean whatsoever.

Do you disagree with these numbers? I could of course be wrong, and your perspective will vary wildly with you social circle etc..

[Opebo]

Opebo,
$6 as a retail clerk? Does that mean you actually have to do someting for that money? Here, $6 an hour isn't even as high as the social minimum (ie welfare), even IF dollar:Euro was 1:1... It means that you're very poor.

Actually, the amount I stated in my post was $8 per hour, Freeler, but it is certainly common knowledge that worker income levels are much higher in Europe than the United States. This is especially true of wage incomes - america has an extremely inequitable distribution of wealth and income.

But as for being 'very poor', I will certainly admit to and embrace that designation. Keep in mind that a huge portion of the population back home is 'very poor', and that there is no 'social minimum' or welfare there.

Majority of my Thai employees get more than THB 35 k per month. Don't measure your salary against shopping mall assistance etc.

I don't personally know any Thai who is not a high school teacher, university lecturer, or prostitute, JB.

You need to re-evaluate your situation. You should not work for THB 35k. This also indicates that you have no work permit. Thus additional fees for frequent visa runs apply. Min. for work permit THB 50K.

So either you are illegal in this country or undersell yourself. In any case you seem to be wasting your time. And all that for Thai pussy...?

Of course I have a work permit, JB! How bizarre that you would think otherwise. Respectable institutions do not wish to run afoul of the authorities; they also do not wish to pay more than necessary to get their token farangs, and 35,000 does the trick. As for 'wasting time', I have pointed out before that my economic condition would be much worse in the United States (as is that of so many americans).

[Jungle Bluebird]

Opebo, why you always make it so easy for members to throw mud at you..

Majority of my Thai employees get more than THB 35 k per month. Don't measure your salary against shopping mall assistance etc.

Intro salary in Bangkok (with BA), THB 18-25k. Age around 28-35k, ok English skills with BA on the way to management THB 25-35k. Lower management starts at THB 30 up. Specialists such as IT, management is about THB 40-80 k.

You need to re-evaluate your situation. You should not work for THB 35k. This also indicates that you have no work permit. Thus additional fees for frequent visa runs apply. Min. for work permit THB 50K.

So either you are illegal in this country or undersell yourself. In any case you seem to be wasting your time. And all that for Thai pussy...?

JB

OTH, if you elminate farangs who earn too little to easily buy a ticket home, very few will be left. I do not think I am unusual in that I cannot save any money on the typical farang salary of 35,000 baht per month. That said, every Thai I know thinks my salary is 'huge', of course.

[Old Thai Hand]

Good heavens, OTH, I'm not complaining! I make FAR more here, relatively speaking, than I could in the United States, where I would be employed as a retail clerk or somesuch. Making 35,000/month where the apartments are 2,800 is a lot better than making $8/hour where they're $600/month.

Aren't you the under-achiever, then?

I think in his recent post where he used the term, "third-rate expats", despite his apparent admiration for you, Terry Terrier must have been thinking of Expats like you.