Thai Wife - Thai Life ?

[Pie Boy]

Advice required please chaps.

My wife and I are very well settled in England however for my sins I have applied for an engineering job in BKK.At present we enjoy a very good lifestyle however if the company walks the talk we may be tempted to return to Thailand.I'm sure the question has been asked on many ocasions but how much can I reasonably ask for in terms of salary (parity with England????) and is it really such a pain in the ass with the old work visa issue.

To further complicate the issue we have a seven year old daughter who would need to attend an international school.

Is it worth the gamble or am I just missing the Chang too much ??

ta

PB

[rainman]

Are you sure you want to have others decide your life? You need to take that decision all on your own, my friend.

[Pie Boy]

Wise words but no answers.My decisions shall be made by myself and my family but its always good to gauge the impression of others.If I was to purchase a new car I would be interested to view the reviews in small car weekly!

I'm not looking for my hand to be held just curious to hear the views of othes.

however thank you for your concern.

Anyone else wishes comment?

[rainman]

Seriously, nobody can answer this better than yourself. Nobody knows your situations, where you want to see yourself in 10 years, etc. but you.

[ka12345]

Depends on what field you work in and if you have any special skills, but for some jobs the salaries are in line with US salaries (above UK). Make sure vacation etc is in the contract so you don't end up on a slave contract. Common perks include paid housing, tickets home etc.

If the company fulfill the requirements the work permit is easy. Copies of professional certificates, education docs etc certified by your embassy, 16 photos and then 2 hours at BOI and you get the blue book. You or a messenger need to visit immigration every 90 days to report address etc.

[penelope]

Depends on what field you work in and if you have any special skills, but for some jobs the salaries are in line with US salaries (above UK). Make sure vacation etc is in the contract so you don't end up on a slave contract. Common perks include paid housing, tickets home etc.

If the company fulfill the requirements the work permit is easy. Copies of professional certificates, education docs etc certified by your embassy, 16 photos and then 2 hours at BOI and you get the blue book. You or a messenger need to visit immigration every 90 days to report address etc.

Specialist skills, loads of experince, technical/engineering type position,good company.....700K baht per month gross + perks(apartment, car & driver, insurance, per diem,recreation facililites, re-location costs for family + travel to and from home country a couple of times a year,immigration/visas handled by company etc...). Those are the main things that come to mind for an professional(non-executive) ,senior expat position in a good company(thai or multinational).

[konangrit]

It does not sound like you have a great wish to live in Thailand. In your situation I would expect a salary which is greater than you would expect in the UK. Sounds like you are well qualified for the position that you are applying for, work permits will not be a problem, the company will organise that. As for education for your children, there are many international schools in Thailand. On an ex-pat salary the prices are fair, but I'm sure you could negotiate with your' firm for them to pay for that if you take this position.

At the end of the day, how much do you want to live and work in Thailand, and how much are you needed? If you do not wish to leave your home country, but your services are in need you can demand a far higher salary than what you are presently on. If however you would prefer to live and work in Thailand rather than your home country, then you may have to take a pay cut.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do,

Konangrit

[konangrit]

Depends on what field you work in and if you have any special skills, but for some jobs the salaries are in line with US salaries (above UK). Make sure vacation etc is in the contract so you don't end up on a slave contract. Common perks include paid housing, tickets home etc.

If the company fulfill the requirements the work permit is easy. Copies of professional certificates, education docs etc certified by your embassy, 16 photos and then 2 hours at BOI and you get the blue book. You or a messenger need to visit immigration every 90 days to report address etc.

Specialist skills, loads of experince, technical/engineering type position,good company.....700K baht per month gross + perks(apartment, car & driver, insurance, per diem,recreation facililites, re-location costs for family + travel to and from home country a couple of times a year,immigration/visas handled by company etc...). Those are the main things that come to mind for an professional(non-executive) ,senior expat position in a good company(thai or multinational).

I agree with most of your points Penelope, but I know of no-one that earns 700K฿/month on an engineering job in Europe. Whilst you can command a premium for working abroad, I think this is slightly on the high side.

[penelope]

Depends on what field you work in and if you have any special skills, but for some jobs the salaries are in line with US salaries (above UK). Make sure vacation etc is in the contract so you don't end up on a slave contract. Common perks include paid housing, tickets home etc.

If the company fulfill the requirements the work permit is easy. Copies of professional certificates, education docs etc certified by your embassy, 16 photos and then 2 hours at BOI and you get the blue book. You or a messenger need to visit immigration every 90 days to report address etc.

Specialist skills, loads of experince, technical/engineering type position,good company.....700K baht per month gross + perks(apartment, car & driver, insurance, per diem,recreation facililites, re-location costs for family + travel to and from home country a couple of times a year,immigration/visas handled by company etc...). Those are the main things that come to mind for an professional(non-executive) ,senior expat position in a good company(thai or multinational).

I agree with most of your points Penelope, but I know of no-one that earns 700K฿/month on an engineering job in Europe. Whilst you can command a premium for working abroad, I think this is slightly on the high side.

There are top notch expat technology contractors in BKK earning FAR MORE than 700K and I know because I have project managed many of them in BKK over the years.It is only 4375 baht an hr..close to $100 USD an hr.

I don't know about the engineering industry though.

[thaihome]

You don't say if the job is as a real expat or local expat. This is a huge factor in what your total compensation would be. If you are to be a real expat, you should get at least the UK equivalent, plus 20% or so for the hardship of working overseas.

A multi-national expat never calculates their salary in the local currency. That is always paid in home currency into home (or offshore) country bank accounts. It is not related in anyway to the local pay scales.

The 700K baht a month is what a very senior engineering manager for a US Engineering & Construction company would make. A mid level engineer should expect about half that. These are US type people, For UK it is probably about 40% less (though recent exchange rates are closing that gap quickly). In addition, you should get housing, education, car, home leaves, etc, etc paid for or provided by company. The goal is you should be able to bank at least 80% of your take home pay.

In my 2 years in Thailand, I made one trip to Labour Ministry (took about 20 minutes). Everything else with visa and work permit was taken care of.

Some people can live the expat life, others do it for a while and go home. You won't know until you try it.

TH

[lopburi3]

If you have a good lifestyle where you are why would you take the risk? You will never have a security net here and the job is likely to less secure than what you have. Your daughters education to an international standard will be out of pocket/or part of your pay package and very costly here. Will her future be better here or there? Your wife seems to have adjusted well so if that is not a factor to move can not see it. Earn your money and if you want retire here later.

That said, if you can get full expat pay package in a secure job that you believe will make for a better life, and most importantly family agrees, go for it. Visa and work permit issue should not be that much bother. You will need to think of insurance, school, location, housing, what to bring/leave behind, family in UK and the end of the lifestyle you currently enjoy.

Top International schools will probably cost about 400k baht per year and you will not want to skimp on this as the quality can drop fast.

Another thing to think about, carefully, is your wifes standing in social order if she comes back and if it will increase or decrease. This will have to be a family decision for success and if your wife is like most Thai she is going to openly agree to what she believes is your desire so it may take some effort (but you probably know that - sorry for lecture).

[Pie Boy]

Many Thanks for your posts they have proved interesting and informative exactly what I was hoping for.