Notable

I think you'll find that most of the Thais you're talking about who are on 10k are driving about in trucks and on new bikes. The biggest problem here now is debt to income ratio. Hence people are borrowing off money lenders, you can see it more and more each month, everywhere. Two Thai guys on a fast bike with full face helmets, going about collecting payments.

I taught English at a school 30k outside KK, but I spent most of time in the city. I've experienced rural life and I know it's a cheap way to live. I met a guy in KK years ago who claimed he was there on 5k a month! He was wearing the flip flops they leave for you to put on at service station toilets, they cut pieces out of the front to stop people stealing them! I think I'd sooner be back in flooded old England than stealing flip flops from toilets in Thailand! Wtfk.

I used to teach up in KK out in the sticks, I can read write and speak Thai almost like a native speaker, so that makes it much easier to avoid double pricing. I still wouldn't like to be up there on 25k though, teachers do it but they usually go after 6 or 12 months. Mostly because they can't afford to stay.

I spent 4 years in khon kean and I've been in BKK for 5 years, so obviously clueless yes.

My rent is about 18 to 20k a month depending on electricity usage. I don't think that's much for BKK either, up in KK now you can rent a single room for 5k or a house for 10k. But BKK is massive so you need to live as close your workplace as possible.

You certainly do 'live differently'! I know some Thai people on that kind of money (15k) who live very frugally indeed. Why come here and be worrying about money? I think some of these people will be heading home in the future, I'm told there's a big immigration rethink on the cards.

I work for a company in BKK and it's their group policy. I know if you're a teacher and you have a w/p you can get decent insurance for about 1000 THB pcm. I'm not sure what the open market prices are now though, possibly higher yes.

It sounds like survival mode rather than living, I live in BKK alone, I don't like the idea of having to get the calculator out to make minor purchace decisions, that would make life unpleasant. I need about 70k a month to live here, when I was at uni in Khon Kean 40k was enough.

Medical insurance is a must and a decent plan (including repatriation) will be 2k a month.

Agreed.

It's hardly enough for one backpacking temporary teacher to live on, let alone somebody with dependents. Living the dream, or just dreaming about living here. I'm sorry but it'll end in tears.

I spend about 25k on Jack Daniels every month! Stay in England you'll struggle like fk on that kind of income.

I would love to be that disciplined but 4 bottles of JD a month works out at 6k alone. And they are necessary to survive.

26k a month for 4 people! That's surviving but hardly living. 50 to 70k would provide you with a decent existence.Otherwise you're going to be counting every last baht.

It would be interesting to see what the average Thai pays out in terms of credit payments. You see plenty of new trucks about being driven by people who can't be on much more than 10 or 15k a month. I know it's a similar situation in Europe and the U.S, but I can't help feeling that given the price of vehicles Thais are paying out a much higher percentage of their income.

Experience wins in any situation, I graduated from Nottingham university with a BA in marketing and worked for Reebok for 10 years. There were many more practice situations that taught me skills I couldn't have learned at uni. If you needed to take a flight in a small plane during a storm and had the choice of two pilots. Let's say, Pablo the crop spraying Mexican, no qualifications but 40 years flying experience. Or Edward from Rugby, first class with honours from Oxford in applied hypothetical aviation scenarios, with1000 hours practical. I think I know who you'd choose.

If you look at the Phuket Gazette website you'll see a story about a police officer who accidentally shot a Thai girl dead while he was drunk in a bar. The police chief said afterwards that the are "considering suspending the officer involved". But haven't as yet, it's the wild west out here.

Will this kind of situation ever change here? The tablets the rice scheme etc. Could Thailand ever have an 'Arab spring' type scenario, where they just all decide they've had enough of politicians bullshit?

Either way they're 'falangs', at least you're getting the drift. Better to learn the local language, accept the culture then try to integrate.

The last comment is spot on, I've never had trouble here either. For those people who want to harbour negative thoughts about Thai men and cultivate them on here be careful. A few weeks ago a teacher up in Issan was found hanging outside his apartment building with his throat cut. Some kind of dispute with a local was the reason. Nothing is likely to come of it either, he was from Cameroon and is currently in a cold storage facility awaiting transportation back home.

Forumuser10 you are correct, the truth is that many ex-pats view themselves as being superior to Thais. Financially and intellectually. They forget that this isn't their country and they need to change their own attitudes to accommodate accordingly. Historical British men abroad have always been known for this kind of attitude, hence our bad reputation. The OP displays all the character traits of your average typical arrogant interloper.

You wouldn't get a job with the company I do most of my work for unless you'd studied a 4 year degree. But if you're content with your achievements, that's what matters. My comments are relevant to the OP, but you obviously feel happier venting negative stereotypes about Thais. Good luck with that, Mr happy.

You're a tad behind me in language proficiency then, I have a language BA from KK uni and work as a full time translator. If you think that way about Thai men how would you say they perceive us, after a trip to Pattaya for example? I'm very at ease with Thai cultural differences, you're obviously not. Or maybe you've just got personal issues. Either way you're making a sweeping judgment, based on your own negative outlook.

I've not seen anything about it on here but I've been told that a school teacher (from Cameroon) was murdered up north a few weeks ago.Some kind of dispute with a local and he's found with his throat cut. Just be very careful how you react to conflict and try to alwsys keep a big smile on your face.