300,000 Baht Backhander To Secure A Job Teaching

[Derifo]

have any foreigners had to pay tea money to secure a job? Or is this only thais? I understood that all that was needed was bachelor/master's degree or tefl certification. Have any foreigners also had to pay an "application fee" to apply?

Never heard of a farang being asked for tea money.

Me and my friends used to pay the girls working at the teaching agency we worked for 7 yrs ago up to B500 monthly in order to be sent to good schools. Those that benefited the most were the guys that were sleeping with them at the time.

[lannarebirth]

I just wanted to write that I've lived in Thailand for five years now and never heard of Thais having to pay to get a job. Thailand never to ceases to amaze me, but what really amazes me is how little I know about the country I've been living in. Of all the friends I've made, of all the discussions and chats we've ever had, even just the times we've discussed education in Thailand and I've still never heard of backhanders for jobs. I know about tea money for kids to get into schools, directors skimming off the top, I've seen that 'Final Score' movie about a million Thai kids going after 200 uni places, I've heard of the pitiful salaries teachers are on with 40+ kids per class - and now this - it just adds insult to injury. Bless them.

A friend of my wife's, she went to school with has advanced steadily within his particular government ministry. He has told us on more than one occasion that it will cost him 10 Million Baht to advace further. Consequently he's taken to drink. Nice guy, who's extremely competent, most like to be supervized soon by an idiot. It can't go on forever.

[SlyAnimal]

Now the uncle and aunt are preasuring the parents to pay for the position and don't want my fiance to move over here with me. Her parents want us to marry but are worried their sons can't look after them as well as their daughter when their old. They have agreed to her moving overseas with me but the aunt and uncle are constantly saying bad things about us and spreading rumors to try and get her mother to change her mind.

Maybe they get a cut of the money which she pays, as a finders fee, which could be why they're pushing for it so much. Or maybe they just know, that if you both go back to farangland, it'll be more difficult to borrow money from you lol

Either way, imo do what you want to do, and the only opinion you should worry about is your gf's. If she's happy to move overseas and not worried about what her family might think/do without her there, then you can be happy with it too If she's worried, or unhappy with any family situation, then put on your thinking cap to find a solution which works for both of you

[Berkshire]

I just wanted to write that I've lived in Thailand for five years now and never heard of Thais having to pay to get a job.

Aussiebebe: I have lived here for a long time too and I don't know a single Thai person that has had to pay to get a job especially teachers.

I said pretty much the same thing as you folks and got roundly criticized for being naive and out-of-touch. It seems that it's ok to offer an opinion--so long as certain folks agree with you!

[Scott]

Let's take it easy on posters. I've been here a long time as well and I have never heard of it. I did ask a very trusted Thai assistant who assured that it does happen. She has been in education for a very long time and her father retired as a teacher.

[Berkshire]

Let's take it easy on posters. I've been here a long time as well and I have never heard of it. I did ask a very trusted Thai assistant who assured that it does happen. She has been in education for a very long time and her father retired as a teacher.

Forgot to mention that I did ask several Thai colleagues whether this practice was commonplace. Their responses ranged from "no" to "what on Earth are you talking about?"

[Berkshire]

I've been here a long time as well and I have never heard of it.

That was my point in post #64. I've been here longer than most and have never heard of it.

[marstons]

Big Boss in the village where my wife lives asks for more from the female teachers. all the village know but are scared of him as he teachers there kids. no way would i have my wife in that situation.

Guess what if your wife borrows more and cant pay it back guess who the debt then belongs to.

i would also be questioning the fact my wife had gone behind my back and got us into such a big debt.

best find out what interest rate was agreed but i doubt the truth will out on that one.

[marstons]

Aussiebebe: I have lived here for a long time too and I don't know a single Thai person that has had to pay to get a job especially teachers. It isn't as "common" as others are making it seem. I imagine it would be less than 10%. It just isn't unheard of and it isn't a big deal if someone asks for it. Many parents will kick some tea money to get their kid fresh out of college that crucial first job. Having a good family name or connections will come before kick back money.

Althemighty

Sounds worse than asking for a crazy "sin sod" and keeping it. Depends on your relationship but I would walk away. Family baggage is bad. Good luck though. It sounds like you will have reoccurring problems with her family.

every job that get issued is subcontracted out, then workers have to buy the work. the village head man has to buy the right to be able to run, all under the table. its as common as the coming up of the sun.

[Loaded]

Aussiebebe: I have lived here for a long time too and I don't know a single Thai person that has had to pay to get a job especially teachers. It isn't as "common" as others are making it seem. I imagine it would be less than 10%. It just isn't unheard of and it isn't a big deal if someone asks for it. Many parents will kick some tea money to get their kid fresh out of college that crucial first job. Having a good family name or connections will come before kick back money.

Althemighty

Sounds worse than asking for a crazy "sin sod" and keeping it. Depends on your relationship but I would walk away. Family baggage is bad. Good luck though. It sounds like you will have reoccurring problems with her family.

every job that get issued is subcontracted out, then workers have to buy the work. the village head man has to buy the right to be able to run, all under the table. its as common as the coming up of the sun.

Because tolstoy hasn't heard of it, doesn't mean it is uncommon. It just means nobody has told him.

[Thaddeus]

Aussiebebe: I have lived here for a long time too and I don't know a single Thai person that has had to pay to get a job especially teachers. It isn't as "common" as others are making it seem. I imagine it would be less than 10%. It just isn't unheard of and it isn't a big deal if someone asks for it. Many parents will kick some tea money to get their kid fresh out of college that crucial first job. Having a good family name or connections will come before kick back money.

Althemighty

Sounds worse than asking for a crazy "sin sod" and keeping it. Depends on your relationship but I would walk away. Family baggage is bad. Good luck though. It sounds like you will have reoccurring problems with her family.

every job that get issued is subcontracted out, then workers have to buy the work. the village head man has to buy the right to be able to run, all under the table. its as common as the coming up of the sun.

Because tolstoy hasn't heard of it, doesn't mean it is uncommon. It just means nobody has told him.

Him and a few others.

[marstons]

Aussiebebe: I have lived here for a long time too and I don't know a single Thai person that has had to pay to get a job especially teachers. It isn't as "common" as others are making it seem. I imagine it would be less than 10%. It just isn't unheard of and it isn't a big deal if someone asks for it. Many parents will kick some tea money to get their kid fresh out of college that crucial first job. Having a good family name or connections will come before kick back money.

Althemighty

Sounds worse than asking for a crazy "sin sod" and keeping it. Depends on your relationship but I would walk away. Family baggage is bad. Good luck though. It sounds like you will have reoccurring problems with her family.

every job that get issued is subcontracted out, then workers have to buy the work. the village head man has to buy the right to be able to run, all under the table. its as common as the coming up of the sun.

Because tolstoy hasn't heard of it, doesn't mean it is uncommon. It just means nobody has told him.

well he says he has been here a long time, has seen it is common from the posts but still puts it at no higher than 10%. well after an long time i would put the figure in way way higher. But as you see after being told still does not agree its common.

[RickBlaine]

I do have first hand experience of this - My Thai wife wanted to move jobs, from village to city, and she told me, after she had put in the request and spoke to other teachers from one of the most popular schools in the area, it would cost 'around 100,000 THB, maybe more'.

I, being the usual fine, upstanding morally-incorruptible (ha!) westerner, said 'Right, I want the guy's name, rank and school, and I will write to MOE and report him...'

Of course I did no such thing, just as well for my future here. She got a job at a less prestigious inner-city school, and paid nothing.

The points made previously about the whistle-blowers being more heavily fined than the wrong-doers is sad and worrying for the future of this country.

[Issangeorge]

Has any farang been asked for T-money? I applied for a teaching job at a St. Joseph School and was asked for 50 baht to fill out the application, I thought that was a little strange. I have been saying for a long time now, the problem in Isaan is not that the people are not educated, it is that unless they have money, they can't get a job. All the people know this and thus the poor people see no value in education, because they know that they won't be able to get a job, no matter how much education they have or how well qualified they are, because they have no money to pay for the job. This applies to government jobs, bank jobs, and probably most business management jobs. I even heard of a girl applying for a cashier job at Tesco Lotus, having to pay 1,000 baht. It is a terrible practice, but I guess a way to keep the poor poor, no matter how much education they have. I don't understand why the protesting groups don't complain about it..

[BlackArtemis]

My Ex did not have to pay to get her teaching position, she started off with twice as high as normal because she was working on an MA TESOL. She left that school and later returned and told them she would need a 50% increase in salary to do so, they paid it. Granted she's now hated by most of the older teachers, but as she studied English for over 20 years she has the best skills in the school, even better than some non-native foreign teachers.

Her father however was a top ranking civil engineer in a different province, he was told it would take at least 10million baht to be relocated to Chiang Mai.

My police friends have also explained the clusterfuc_k of a pyramid scheme they have to deal with.

Not every place deals with bribes, but many places do, and sometimes for big money.

[Loz]

never known of farang paying for jobs other than blow.

Thai's do it all the time and for the most lowly jobs too. Moving near or into a major city is charged by the km up here in Korat, unless you have a "close" relationship with a director at a school. I notice it is mostly women who move. WOnder what that connection could be. SHould I mention, single women? I guess it's obvious really.

THIS IS THAILAND.

[harryfrompattaya]

I'm around working professionals all day long, every day. Never heard of paying to get a job. I've heard of certain police paying to get certain choice assignments, but even then, I've just "heard." Perhaps it's going on, but the logic defies me. So who gets the money, exactly? Just one person, or is there a consortium? What happens if you leave the job? Partial refund? Does every single govt' employee have to pay? If so, I'd imagine someone is making a sh*tload of money...if it's 300K per person as the OP suggested. Anyways, it's comical to me that the farangs here will believe anything that another farang suggests about a Thai without one shred of evidence.

That information came to me from a Thai, and I know of others, all info from Thais.

The logic still perplexes me. Perhaps the OP's wife did come to him for 300K, insisting that it's to secure a job. But what's more believable?

1. Having to pay the equivalent of nearly two years salary to secure a mediocre teaching job where she can be laid-off or fired at any time.

or

2. Supposing, just supposing, the OP's wife needed money for her family but knew the OP wouldn't give it up. This scheme is perfect. If he agreed to pay, she knows that he wouldn't be able to talk to the nameless/faceless guy that she allegedly paid. No receipts. No messy audit trail. And on top of that, her family wouldn't owe him any favors, i.e., no having to "worship the ground he walks on." All you need is a gullible farang to buy the story. And many here are perfect candidates.

Just supposing.

You are right money for family. We must feel sorry for this Farang