Moving To Bankok. Fair Pay For Us Project Manager?

[Maigo6]

jealousy and spite runs deep when others find out how much more you make.

Yes I can imagine it does, even on an anonymous internet Forum envy will rear it's ugly head amongst people who may or may not be all they make themselves out to be. Let's face it, Internet Forums and Chatrooms are hardly noted for their absolute honesty.

In real life it must be many times worse.

I guess it's all relative, as I said before, some guy who earns 36,000,000 Baht per month would think 800,000 Baht per month a pittance, in the real world we know it's not the case for most people, except of course for the many highflyers to be found on anonymous Internet forums.

[autonomous_unit]

My wife and I are mid-thirties, and I'd say we live in Bangkok on less than 40k THB/month which includes my mother-in-law most of the time (maybe even less, but I don't keep close tabs). But our lifestyle must seem ascetic to some folks here. Most meals are home-made, and we don't have any servants, just like when we lived in the US. I include in that amount a wild guess at a housing cost, because we bought a house at a bad time and perhaps would lose 25% on it if we had to sell today. So I amortize that loss over the three years we've owned it.

But I completely understand the voices of caution being argued here, regarding a decision to relocate. For my own sense of security, I find our situation just barely reasonable. We are able to basically live on my wife's take-home pay (government job) and can save away all my (less predictable) earnings for the future. So, I never was on one of these expat packages, but could afford to run my own consulting business with overseas clients and try to keep my skills current (there isn't even a market for my skills here locally). At my age, I have to consider the opportunity cost of being here, rather than on a good career track back in the US. If I drift too far off, doors start closing.

The discussion about education costs is worrisome though. If those figures are accurate, and if we were to have kids, it sounds like we'd need a serious rethink of our situation!

[JetsetBkk]

My wife and I are mid-thirties, and I'd say we live in Bangkok on less than 40k THB/month ...

And, unlike the OP, you can actually spell correctly the capital city of Thailand.

[petitechevre]

lots of posters here dont understand that they are the prey of thais all day long..

Paying 100k for a 3br condo is SICK

i paid 28k for mine in SATHORN

60k US is perfectly fine to live the same lifestyle you would if u had 100k us in a normal usa suburb.

[lifeisrandom]

jealousy and spite runs deep when others find out how much more you make.

Yes I can imagine it does, even on an anonymous internet Forum envy will rear it's ugly head amongst people who may or may not be all they make themselves out to be. Let's face it, Internet Forums and Chatrooms are hardly noted for their absolute honesty.

In real life it must be many times worse.

I guess it's all relative, as I said before, some guy who earns 36,000,000 Baht per month would think 800,000 Baht per month a pittance, in the real world we know it's not the case for most people, except of course for the many highflyers to be found on anonymous Internet forums.

people are saying 58k is small not 800k you sound old and confused take your meds

[lifeisrandom]

lots of posters here dont understand that they are the prey of thais all day long..

Paying 100k for a 3br condo is SICK

i paid 28k for mine in SATHORN

60k US is perfectly fine to live the same lifestyle you would if u had 100k us in a normal usa suburb.

most have been a total dump or a long time ago mate

[benjamat]

"With regards to working overseas I take the view that its not worth doing unless long term you are stashing the cash - Financing some company by cutting your own standard of living is foolish - Foolhardy bordering on stupid if you are not able to save for your long term future or afford the education your children deserve."

Yes, in the end even if you fancy a spot of exotic overseas life at some stage as you have children you will need to get back on the horse and provide a good life for your family.

In these circumstances it is absolutely nuts to accept a decrease in earnings.

I have run several large businesses and the only reason I have ever seen for offering someone a salary reduction it to get rid of them.

[stephaniee]

120,000$ and you cant make it. something is very very wrong! you need to call suze orman 4 help. she can be seen weekends on cnbc in thailand.

Read it properly love. I'm keeping two homes.

i read fine. get rid of one you cant afford to have 2 homes.

[petitechevre]

lots of posters here dont understand that they are the prey of thais all day long..

Paying 100k for a 3br condo is SICK

i paid 28k for mine in SATHORN

60k US is perfectly fine to live the same lifestyle you would if u had 100k us in a normal usa suburb.

most have been a total dump or a long time ago mate

no it's called not being a huge fat turd waving his wallet on his fat stomach saying 'HI im the typical fat expat looking to pay any price to be close to sexy gurlz'

Srsly, the condo building i was at was very clean, the owner was a women with perfect english.. she would fix anything at anytime.

They're even renovating when people move out.

And my gf had a 2 bedroom 5mins just by langsuan, view on the golf course.. 30k baht same condo building where many tv soap show stars live.

so i guess for 40k u can get a pretty nice place with 3bedroom in that same condo building..

u gonna tell me that looks like a dump lol?

srsly im renting right now a 2 storey 3 bedroom house in phuket, safe location, neighbors never there. yard, FULLY equipement with BRAND new IMPORTED FROM GERMANY electro's (52' tv plasma+42', microwave/oven, washing machine) bunch of high quality mattress,furniture all in teakwood.

how much? 20k baht.. brand new house too.

yet i know people paying 30k baht for total dumps, only difference is im no fool and they are.

As far as bangkok goes, u can get a townhouse for 12-15k a month around ekkamai, just furnish it for a 1 time fee and u got a really sick house in a nice location.

[RAZZELL]

lots of posters here dont understand that they are the prey of thais all day long..

Paying 100k for a 3br condo is SICK

i paid 28k for mine in SATHORN

60k US is perfectly fine to live the same lifestyle you would if u had 100k us in a normal usa suburb.

most have been a total dump or a long time ago mate

no it's called not being a huge fat turd waving his wallet on his fat stomach saying 'HI im the typical fat expat looking to pay any price to be close to sexy gurlz'

Srsly, the condo building i was at was very clean, the owner was a women with perfect english.. she would fix anything at anytime.

They're even renovating when people move out.

And my gf had a 2 bedroom 5mins just by langsuan, view on the golf course.. 30k baht same condo building where many tv soap show stars live.

so i guess for 40k u can get a pretty nice place with 3bedroom in that same condo building..

u gonna tell me that looks like a dump lol?

srsly im renting right now a 2 storey 3 bedroom house in phuket, safe location, neighbors never there. yard, FULLY equipement with BRAND new IMPORTED FROM GERMANY electro's (52' tv plasma+42', microwave/oven, washing machine) bunch of high quality mattress,furniture all in teakwood.

how much? 20k baht.. brand new house too.

yet i know people paying 30k baht for total dumps, only difference is im no fool and they are.

As far as bangkok goes, u can get a townhouse for 12-15k a month around ekkamai, just furnish it for a 1 time fee and u got a really sick house in a nice location.

Whereabouts did you live in Bangkok? Phuket?

RAZZ

[lifeisrandom]

"so i guess for 40k u can get a pretty nice place with 3bedroom in that same condo building.."

you CANNOT rent a 150+ m2 condo in a grade A building for 40k baht you cant even rent one in a grade b or grade c for that price

but please have yourself or your gf go to a thai web forum and find listings to prove that you are correct

go post about it in the real estate forum everyone needs a laugh kid

oh yeah and you can rent a townhouse how big is that? 300m2? for 12k baht on ekamai

:D :D

[petitechevre]

as i said, this picture is a couple mins by walk from langsuan (about 3-5) and 5mins from lumpini

I lived around sathorn mid 10's

and in phuket im right outside phuket town near central festival.. its very very easy to find good prices on rents.. this is thailand, not <deleted> tokyo.. this is a third world country.. those of u paying 100k baht a month are either gullible or just don't care about 100k baht

I have heard of one person dumb enough to pay a 3br 90k baht. but they have 2 storey in the condo and a <deleted> INSIDE WATERFALL and its on sukhumvit like 35 or something close to that.. so their is actualy worth it even though they must pay 15-20k baht in extra of what a thai would pay

[petitechevre]

lifeisrandom: don't be envious because im not gullible like you.

the prices you are talking about are almost higher than in <deleted> NYC

[lifeisrandom]

then why dont you go to a thai real estate website and show me one link of grade a 150m2 bedroom being offered for 40k a month

let me guess - you cant and wont do it right??

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Rent-3-Bedro...do-t213126.html

Edited September 17, 2008 by lifeisrandom

[lifeisrandom]

my THAI friend just bought a condo in athenee residence for 18.6m baht the room is 130 m2 i guess i should let him know that he is being ripped off badly

[basjke]

When I read most of the posts here then I want to put myself available for a job,not more then 4-5 hours a month,so I can finally pay the loan on that Ferrari F 430 spider.

[PattayaParent]

Well then I suggest you stay in bed and content yourself with your dreams. As a well established major global company here I suspect that the 300 plus expats we employ are perhaps somewhat more realistic in their aspirations than yourself.

Not my aspiration mate I ACTUALLY get more than double your lowest figure working for a well established global company here, and as I said I'm the lowest paid Farang in the whole company.

My ASPIRATION is to work for the company in Laemchabang that is CURRENTLY paying their Farangs $1,400 PER DAY and providing accomodation, transport and airfares etc.

But if they are being paid daily, that's not really a salary is it? It's a daily rate for, presumably, contract or short term work. 48,000 daily contract rate is not particularly spectacular when you have no security of tenure.

It'd do me (and a lot of others) for 6 months and then finding another job in a booming industry would be no problem.

Even a noodle cart earns more than the OP is talking about. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Wheres-Batht...l&hl=noodle

Edited September 18, 2008 by PattayaParent

[Maigo6]

When I read most of the posts here then I want to put myself available for a job,not more then 4-5 hours a month,so I can finally pay the loan on that Ferrari F 430 spider.

Yep,

Internet Forums are certainly a magnet for the Moguls of Commerce.

I'd bet Steve Jobs & Bill Gates are anonymous members here too.

[GuestHouse]

I recall a TV Poll returning results on the question of educational qualifications that suggested something like 70% of TV had graduated with a First Degree degree

while 30%+ had a Master's Degree.

Why then the difficulty believing that people get paid what are afterall the Salaries that Professionals would expect elsewhere in the world?

[Maigo6]

I recall a TV Poll returning results on the question of educational qualifications that suggested something like 70% of TV had graduated with a First Degree degree

while 30%+ had a Master's Degree.

Yeah I think I remember that Poll, it was about the same time as another Poll that claimed that 99% of posters here met their wives/gf's whilst they were studying for MBA's in overseas universities, or another thread that appeared to claim the majority of guys here have gf's/wives from very influential families.

Then again, on this forum we also had the guy who claimed his GF called off an appointment with The Prime Minister to have lunch with him instead, and another poster who claims his wife is from the Thai Aristocracy and was handed 5000 Rai of land as a wedding gift, in a previous thread the same poster was complaining about the cost of education for his kids.

[steveromagnino]

I recall a TV Poll returning results on the question of educational qualifications that suggested something like 70% of TV had graduated with a First Degree degree

while 30%+ had a Master's Degree.

Why then the difficulty believing that people get paid what are afterall the Salaries that Professionals would expect elsewhere in the world?

We are talking about a project manager of a company like Rentakill; this isn't some sort of specialist only a few people know in the world type skill, this is basic management.

He has already said something like (or implied) 60-70k USD for this role in USA.

For him to walk away with the impression that he can earn $200k USD a year here for the same sort of work is simply not in touch with reality.

Expat teachers often work here for 100k a month (I know several) or more, and the ones i know from where i grew up (NZ) make more here than they would doing the same job in NZ. A qualified teacher in NZ makes about 35k a year ranging up to max 60k about for a dean but not headmaster level. NZD. That's 70,000b - 120,000b level. Coming here, the cost of living drops as often they get a housing allowance, and their own kids get to study for free.

I would not regard it likely that a teacher can earn 700-900k a month, simply because there are engineers able to earn that. Nor would I suggest a mid level project management position in an industry which really has no direct requirement for a foreigner is going to acheive the same.

[petitechevre]

then why dont you go to a thai real estate website and show me one link of grade a 150m2 bedroom being offered for 40k a month

let me guess - you cant and wont do it right??

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Rent-3-Bedro...do-t213126.html

y'a you're def gonna get good prices online... LOL

[thaihome]

I don't think anyone here is telling the OP he should expect to get USD 200k a year. It started out trying to tell him that 58k a year straight up was not going to cut it, especially if his family is non-Thai.

The discussion disintegrated into the usual pissing match between the haves and haves not at that point.

TH

[thaihome]

u gonna tell me that looks like a dump lol?

srsly im renting right now a 2 storey 3 bedroom house in phuket, safe location, neighbors never there. yard, FULLY equipement with BRAND new IMPORTED FROM GERMANY electro's (52' tv plasma+42', microwave/oven, washing machine) bunch of high quality mattress,furniture all in teakwood.

how much? 20k baht.. brand new house too.

yet i know people paying 30k baht for total dumps, only difference is im no fool and they are.

As far as bangkok goes, u can get a townhouse for 12-15k a month around ekkamai, just furnish it for a 1 time fee and u got a really sick house in a nice location.

No, i won't say it's a dump, but it does look a 40k a month kitchen and I'm sure it is very fucctional and adeqate. BUT. .. unless you have actually lived in a 100k+ condo, you really don't know what the difference is.

Here, can you see difference?

[bkkjames]

Is this a sneaky attempt to list condos for rent in the General Forum????

[LinkPopularity]

it's scary to read how little people seem to understand the concept of supply and demand ... as Bendix pointed out; it's for a very average job ... supply and demand !

[GarryP]

Whenever looking to purchase or rent anything in Thailand, I avoid websites tailored to the foreigner like the plague. You will more often than not find properties for rent on websites targetting Thais at half or less of what is quoted for equivalent properties aimed at foreigners.

I have been renting a small house for 7 years which I found in the vernacular press. I pay Baht 8,500. Fully furnished and airconditioned not too far out of town (Sukhumvit 101). The rent has never been increased and only a couple of months ago the owner replaced all wiring and the replaced the ceiling tiles. It is definitely not luxurious, but neither is it a slum, far from it.

Edited September 18, 2008 by GarryP

[petitechevre]

Whenever looking to purchase or rent anything in Thailand, I avoid websites tailored to the foreigner like the plague. You will more often than not find properties for rent on websites targetting Thais at half or less of what is quoted for equivalent properties aimed at foreigners.

I have been renting a small house for 7 years which I found in the vernacular press. I pay Baht 8,500. Fully furnished and airconditioned not too far out of town (Sukhumvit 101). The rent has never been increased and only a couple of months ago the owner replaced all wiring and the replaced the ceiling tiles. It is definitely not luxurious, but neither is it a slum, far from it.

not true anymore. recently i have been looking for a house in bangkok.. couldnt check locally since im in phuket.

I have checked every single thai site(only in thai), farang website, thai forums.. theres really nothing acceptable (even in the 15-25k baht range) that isnt a 10min car ride from onnut station in the middle of nowhere.. and even then its pretty average.

Only acceptable deals nowadays are on the side of the street, or expensive.

Even the thai websites showing houses in bangkae are sickly overpriced.

so really have to walk around to find anything nowadays. you got very lucky congrats i wish i had(in bangkok, not phuket :/

[GarryP]

I should have been clearer. For property you should check paper publications. That is what I did. Percentage wise very few Thais who are looking for rental property go online. They buy publications with loads of classified ads and I would recommend it (Wattajak, Land & House, etc). A house on the same soi I live on went for Baht 9k/m to a Thai family a couple of months ago. I know the owners and pity the new tennants. I know for a fact that there are still houses available in my area from between 7 to 50k. The 20 to 50k ones targetting foreigners.

Walking around is also a good idea, but a pain. With this weather at least you could see whether you are getting a floater or a sinker.

[wintermute]

All this talk of expat packages and no one has mentioned the contract length. *tsk* If you're on something obscene here and if you're only signed for a 1 year stint then it's no big deal. There are plenty of expats in Bangkok who are on these short contracts to do a job and then get out. Now the real money isn't in long term contracts but finding a niche in order to get paid in highly profitable short term contracts. :D