Job Offer In Thailand

[kiwi_kid]

I have just been offered a professional job (Corporate role) in BKK. the firm is paying me a local salary not an expat package! they havnt given me any numbers yet.

I had a few queries before i decide to accept the job:

What is the business language in thailand? - i dont speak thai.

what would be the salary range (in baht) for a manager in large multi national financial services firm? - any website that can help?

Cost of living: how much per month in baht needed to have a lifestyle similar to AUD$5000 per month in sydney? converting directly doesnt make sense, as thai baht is weaker and BKK is cheaper than sydney.

cheers!

[Valjean]

At the multi-national I work at local, college educated white collar seem to be between 800K and 1.5M b / yr. Middle managers a little more. We benchmark in our industry and are average.

Business language is the same as everywhere in the world: English. It's of course a disadvantage to not speak Thai but if it is a multi-national it's probably not an issue (I don't think they would send you if they knew it wouldn't work). Again, it's not optimum but doable.

There are a couple good books on working and managing in the Thai work place that are worth a read if you do it. "Bridging the Gap" is a good start.

Cost of living is all about you. You can spend your AUD$5000 on a swank penthouse or you can get a nice furnished apartment, in a nice neighborhood for under US$500 a month. Food is very inexpensive as are the little things like getting clothes clean/ironed etc. Aside from recreation, going out, weekends out of BKK, etc. you can live here cheap. US$2000 a month goes a long, long way here. Again housing is one that goes from dirt cheap to very expensive. Cars are another wild card.

Do it.

[Khutan]

Very good post, just about what I would have said.

The Salary expectations are spot on.

Be careful with housing and don't sign anything too fast. As an Example, my Apartment 2 br etc, and I have hired my own full time maid. So Apartment and Full time maid for me is $30k Baht a month This is on lower Sukhumvit. The Apartment next door, sure its 2 years younger, is 100k for the same, but the maid is only part time (2 hours a day not 8).

So it certainly pays to shop around, go to the building offices, and ask what they have for rent. It can be slow and frustrating, but it will certainly save you big $$$.

There are also bargain houses to be found, and you may also want to look at the Roomfinder service on this website.

[kiwi_kid]

thanks to valjean and mattnich, pretty good posts. thats a good ballpark i could start looking at. fortunately the firm is paying for accommodation.

[Khutan]

<snip> fortunately the firm is paying for accommodation.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is good, very good, do you know if that includes the electricity or not? Some companies pay some don't. You don't want to have a little "shock" when the power bill arrives.

Do you have any choice in the accomodation ?

[Khun Larry]

I have just been offered a professional job (Corporate role) in BKK. the firm is paying me a local salary not an expat package!  they havnt given me any numbers yet. 

I had a few queries before i decide to accept the job:

What is the business language in thailand? - i dont speak thai.

what would be the salary range (in baht) for a manager in large multi national  financial services firm? - any website that can help?

Cost of living: how much per month in baht needed to have a lifestyle similar to AUD$5000 per month in sydney? converting directly doesnt make sense, as thai baht is weaker and BKK is cheaper than sydney.

cheers!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Unless you are a sex tourist AUD$5000 definitely is not worth living in BKK. Must be a piss poor salary in AU duai

[kiwi_kid]

I think its hotel accommodation, coz there is quiet a bit of regional travel involved and BKK is only base. i have to check with them.

[Khutan]

If they are putting you in a hotel, typically (Cost to company) 100 - 150 USD a night or 4000 - 6000 THB a night, You would be better served having a serviced apartment or renting a condo with a daily maid service. That would be about 35 - 40k a month, which is about 10 nights in BKK. There are at least 8 days of weekends, so your justification becomes do you spend a minimum of 2 nights a month in BKK.

Just nice to go to the company with a cost-saving measure straight away.

An Condo is good, as they often offer meeting and conference rooms, which you can get catered at a fraction of the cost of doing a function at a hotel. As an example to hire all day a 100 - 150 preson Dining room at my Condo costs 5,000 a day, and catering you can get locally for about 150B a head, excluding booze. So to do a presentation for 100 people, will cost you 20,000 baht. Try that anywhere else.