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How Much?

falangaman

By falangaman
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falangaman Senior Member

falangaman

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Posted

Hi

I was just wondering what an average monthly wage would be for the average Thai person. No particular occupation, just a rough avereage will do.

Reasons behind it are so that I have ammo and a good idea when the missus (wife to be) asks for money to send to/support the parents.

Cheers

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falangaman Senior Member

falangaman

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Looks like it coming in at about 6000 to 8000 baht a month then per person.

Would you say then that to send say 15000 would be plenty for her to save face?

I want to be Naam Jai (generous) so that she keeps face - you all know what its like...

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BIG SPUDS Silver Member

BIG SPUDS

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just my opinion but thats too much!! i'd say between 7000 - 10000 is enough.

my missus sent 3000 of her 8000 i sent her to her parents every month but she does have 2 sisters and a brother. And my missus doesnt go out, shares a room and only buys food and stuff. As for clothes, i used to buy her a load every time i saw her every 6 months.

Edited by BIG SPUDS
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Steve2UK Gold Member

Steve2UK

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I suggest you do a search on the forum for "minimum wage" - it throws up masses of topics to work through. I remember seeing one (can't find it now) which quoted minimum wage statistics from around the country - obviously they vary greatly in different places e.g. high in Bangkok/Phuket, low in the depths of Issan.

I know you're talking about average rather than minimum - this thread from the Phuket forum may give you some food for thought.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=21000&hl=

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falangaman Senior Member

falangaman

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Her father doesnt work and her mum does. I really dont have a clue about all this... talk about steep learning curve or what.

I kind of guessed that 15K was alot but I reckon I m gonna go in at 8K and then bring it up to 10K coz Im such a nice guy.

Dont they realise just how much the cost of living and taxes are in UK?

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patricktan Senior Member

patricktan

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Her father doesnt work and her mum does. I really dont have a clue about all this... talk about steep learning curve or what.

I kind of guessed that 15K was alot but I reckon I m gonna go in at 8K and then bring it up to 10K coz Im such a nice guy.

Dont they realise just how much the cost of living and taxes are in UK?

That is a very good way of putting into it.( start from 8 to 10K)

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falangaman Senior Member

falangaman

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Yes, I suppose you're right, 10K is not alot, I spend more than that on crap at lunchtime a month!!

Suppose its not too much to make sarnies and have her happy.

Ive just finished readin Thailand Fever... talk about an eye opener!

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chownah Diamond Member

chownah

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Looks like it coming in at about 6000 to 8000 baht a month then per person.

Would you say then that to send say 15000 would be plenty for her to save face?

I want to be Naam Jai (generous) so that she keeps face - you all know what its like...

If your fiancee's family lives in a small village then 15,000 baht is a TON of money. In our village (which seems to be fairly typical) a semi skilled worker (the bulk of the work force) makes 150 baht per day but if you want to steal workers from someone elses project you offer them 170 baht...so in a year or two the wage will be 170 baht per day. Now if you work 7 days per week at 150 baht per day this comes to 150x30=4,500 baht per month.....you are going to START at more than 3 times the amount a semi skilled worker makes if they work EVERY DAY! If you START at this rate they will all know for sure that you are filthy rich!!!! This is not bad...necessarily...but a not uncommon scenerio is if the family thinks you are rich they will start to ask for other things....like buy us a pickup...or a cow...or a house. Now I want to stress that THIS DOES NOT ALWAYS HAPPEN. In my case it didn't happen. I've had family members ask to use the pickup and such but no one has asked me for money at all.....but there are so many stories around about escalating demands that you should be aware of this. If I were in your shoes I'd discuss the possibility of this with your fiancee since its both of you who will have to deal with your family. Your fiancee MAY feel obligated to get as much as she can for her mother....Thai children usually feel a very strong obligation to their mothers (my opinion from my experiences) and she may be relying on you to provide the pressure to keep the amount down....its hard for her to say 'no' to her family but it is easier for her to say that you say 'no'.

On the other hand if you have lots of money and don't mind giving away alot of it then its your decision to make. There is one downside to giving lots of money and that is you will be sort of set apart and probably find it difficult be accepted as an equal (if that is what you would like).

Anyway this is all only my opinion and you should get all the viewpoints you can but really you should discuss this with your fiancee.

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Thomas_Merton Platinum Member

Thomas_Merton

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Looks like it coming in at about 6000 to 8000 baht a month then per person.

Would you say then that to send say 15000 would be plenty for her to save face?

I want to be Naam Jai (generous) so that she keeps face - you all know what its like...

If your fiancee's family lives in a small village then 15,000 baht is a TON of money. In our village (which seems to be fairly typical) a semi skilled worker (the bulk of the work force) makes 150 baht per day but if you want to steal workers from someone elses project you offer them 170 baht...so in a year or two the wage will be 170 baht per day. Now if you work 7 days per week at 150 baht per day this comes to 150x30=4,500 baht per month.....you are going to START at more than 3 times the amount a semi skilled worker makes if they work EVERY DAY! If you START at this rate they will all know for sure that you are filthy rich!!!! This is not bad...necessarily...but a not uncommon scenerio is if the family thinks you are rich they will start to ask for other things....like buy us a pickup...or a cow...or a house. Now I want to stress that THIS DOES NOT ALWAYS HAPPEN. In my case it didn't happen. I've had family members ask to use the pickup and such but no one has asked me for money at all.....but there are so many stories around about escalating demands that you should be aware of this. If I were in your shoes I'd discuss the possibility of this with your fiancee since its both of you who will have to deal with your family. Your fiancee MAY feel obligated to get as much as she can for her mother....Thai children usually feel a very strong obligation to their mothers (my opinion from my experiences) and she may be relying on you to provide the pressure to keep the amount down....its hard for her to say 'no' to her family but it is easier for her to say that you say 'no'.

On the other hand if you have lots of money and don't mind giving away alot of it then its your decision to make. There is one downside to giving lots of money and that is you will be sort of set apart and probably find it difficult be accepted as an equal (if that is what you would like).

Anyway this is all only my opinion and you should get all the viewpoints you can but really you should discuss this with your fiancee.

A little negotiating technique that could save a lot of heartache and help to cement a good relationship:

Keep the 15K in your head. First ask the fiancée how much she would like you to send to her mother. Deduct the amount from the 15K and then offer to send your wife the remaining amount.

Your wife will feel you have the same priorities as her and you should be freed from any extra demands.

Everybody will be happy.

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The Phoenix Explorer Member

The Phoenix

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A little negotiating technique that could save a lot of heartache and help to cement a good relationship:

Keep the 15K in your head. First ask the fiancée how much she would like you to send to her mother. Deduct the amount from the 15K and then offer to send your wife the remaining amount.

Your wife will feel you have the same priorities as her and you should be freed from any extra demands.

Did you ever try this negotiating technique with somebody, Thomas?

And did it work?

By the way, not sure he can keep the 15k in his head. :o

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The Phoenix Explorer Member

The Phoenix

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Yes, Im going to discuss it with her when I go back in 2 weeks.

No, Im not a rich man but can easily afford up to 15K. I think that 10K is plenty... we will see...!!

By the way, it seems you forgot to tell us one important piece of information and we forgot to ask you:

How much money is the missus making without you as a boyfriend?

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easyb Explorer Member

easyb

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Thomas is on the right track. Your GF must and wants to send money to her parents. 5000 is a very decent amount if they are in the village or working a low-skilled job in Bangkok. The 10,000 range is probably good for the GF.

While I don’t go for stingy I do think it’s good to stay to the low side because special requests will come up. You will pay out 10000 or 20000 from time to time (or at least get asked); the family has a loan, the house needs work, they have a problem. It’s good to just factor this in. I personally don’t think it’s the greed that others might but I have an experience of one. Someone above mentioned the book “Thailand Fever”. You and your gf should read this IMHO, it helped us with money a lot. We understand and communicate better about this. There is a gap in thinking, perceptions on money that is very wide.

When I was last in the village we had a party at her parents. Sometime in the evening my gf asked me to give her father 500 b to go buy more whiskey or beer. I didn’t have a 500 so I gave him 1000. The next day he gave me the 1000 back as he ended up not buying anything. 6 months before he would not have done this, he would have kept the 1000 I believe as a windfall. But now he knows that I respect family and if I stay with his daughter (which I hope does work out) that I will take care of family. There is the steady 5000 + the extras that come up. So now we have trust and he can give the 1000 back knowing that it’s there when needed. I btw talk to the parents about money, whenever possible I try to be the one that actually hands it over. I think it takes some of the pressure off the gf in the middle for those special requests and in a symbolic way makes it clear the source of the money.

On the salaries my gf has a low-skill administrative type job in Bangkok that pays 13000 per month. She works 5 ½ to 6 days a week, 10+ hours per day. This is a very good job for her. Most Thais in regular jobs also get a 13th month of pay each year.

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