londoedan Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I've never met such a bunch of people that are willing to put others down because they don't earn as much money as them as I have on tv. I've met and socialised with extremely rich people and never once had they tried to belittle me because of my income. Here on tv it seems to be a sport. Either people are lying or are low class. I think you're wrong - there are a range of people that live and work in Thailand and SE Asia in general, at all levels on the pay scale and responding in an honest manner to a poll on an anonymous forum is no biggie IMHO. I think what matters a lot more is job satisfaction and whether you're happy doing what you're doing. I work in engineering (O&G) and am very well paid, but I bet there are teachers that love what they're doing just as much as I enjoy my job, and do so irrespective of what they're earning. There's more to a happy life than money. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
culicine Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I totally agree! The posters claiming 500,000B are not being truthful. That translates to approx. 17,000 CDN. Impossibles unless they are selling illegal stuff. The average would be in the general area of 20,000 to 40,000 baht. Believe what you want, and some posters are being very truthful and not impossible, and infact when the OP set up this poll he could have added a few more options higher than 500k, and no they are not selling any illegal stuff, they have decent jobs with companies in Thailand.. but while you are debating this, all me to go and get a bottle of Bolly out the fridge.... But over 20% of posters work for big multinationals? I'd like to see exactly what these posters are doing for their dough - what their jobs are, are they in senior management? etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I totally agree! The posters claiming 500,000B are not being truthful. That translates to approx. 17,000 CDN. Impossibles unless they are selling illegal stuff. The average would be in the general area of 20,000 to 40,000 baht. Believe what you want, and some posters are being very truthful and not impossible, and infact when the OP set up this poll he could have added a few more options higher than 500k, and no they are not selling any illegal stuff, they have decent jobs with companies in Thailand.. but while you are debating this, all me to go and get a bottle of Bolly out the fridge.... But over 20% of posters work for big multinationals? I'd like to see exactly what these posters are doing for their dough - what their jobs are, are they in senior management? etc... Note I said "Some"....within the 20% would there be people who have taken liberties in stating their incomes...most likely, but are all lying...certainly not....note the post I was responding to stated it was "impossible" to be earning 500k+ in Thailand unless it was some thing illegal. Also not all would be working MNC's I know a few very leglit businessmen in Thailand would would be drawing THB 1.0million/m in salary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I've never met such a bunch of people that are willing to put others down because they don't earn as much money as them as I have on tv. Actually the general tone of the thread is the complete opposite...certain posters are of the opinion that people earning decent money are either doing something illegal or lying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I totally agree! The posters claiming 500,000B are not being truthful. That translates to approx. 17,000 CDN. Impossibles unless they are selling illegal stuff. The average would be in the general area of 20,000 to 40,000 baht. Believe what you want, and some posters are being very truthful and not impossible, and infact when the OP set up this poll he could have added a few more options higher than 500k, and no they are not selling any illegal stuff, they have decent jobs with companies in Thailand.. but while you are debating this, all me to go and get a bottle of Bolly out the fridge.... But over 20% of posters work for big multinationals? I'd like to see exactly what these posters are doing for their dough - what their jobs are, are they in senior management? etc... Allow to put things in perspective from the business i know in Thailand There are expats working long term contracts (some have been the same jobs at the same place for 10-15 years) working as pipeline design or structual engineers...ie not even close to senior management....typically office based on say an average of a 22 day month and getting between US$1000 & US$ 1500/day net dependent on experience..therefore: 22k to 33k month X current exchange rate of say 31 we are playing THB 682k/m to THB1.02mil/m and these are long term contracts. Tax is taken care of for them, Decent medical scheme plus life insurance, what they dont get is some of the other perks like flights, paid for accom transport and need to finance their own pensions...but still over all not a bad screw long term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMills Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I work here and am paid what I consider fair salary I'm glad you're not working for me, with your post count you must spend every waking hour on this forum. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somtampet Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Depends what contracts i am offered,not killed anyone for ages though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxme Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Depends what contracts i am offered,not killed anyone for ages though Remember Thais love promotions so if you have like a "buy one get one free" offer, your influx of customers will rise eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I work here and am paid what I consider fair salary I'm glad you're not working for me, with your post count you must spend every waking hour on this forum. Thats not very nice...I can assure you my roles and responsibilites are all taken care of, irrespetive of the number of posts and the perception you may have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Depends what contracts i am offered,not killed anyone for ages though Ex-SAS ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SukhumwitSoi22 Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 i thought i would see more teachers then high rollers... On an anonymous forum, they're all high rollers, handsome to boot. The reality maybe somewhat different. Yes, "somewhat". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkokhatter Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 The salaries of oil and gas workers will distort the figures, it's a highly paid industry compared to others. My company does not pay me anything like 200K + a month, but i don't get the Thai rate and no time limit on my contract. Am sure there are many with salaries of 80- 150K a month with no extras and it's plenty for living in Thailand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StreetCowboy Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 (edited) Depends what contracts i am offered,not killed anyone for ages though Ex-SAS ? Ex-Garuda ? Edited July 28, 2012 by StreetCowboy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 The salaries of oil and gas workers will distort the figures, it's a highly paid industry compared to others. My company does not pay me anything like 200K + a month, but i don't get the Thai rate and no time limit on my contract. Am sure there are many with salaries of 80- 150K a month with no extras and it's plenty for living in Thailand. This is true, but the OP didnt specifiy any exclusions, then we had certain poster's piping in saying "impossible" in Thailand and they must be involved in something illegal if there were people earning "big money" here. So hopefully now the OP has realised there is a big cross section of salaries in Thailand and in certain areas of business, people can and do earn comparable or higher salaries what in western countries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a99az Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Are you joking? Do you imagine for a moment that people like me would divulge there income in Thailand? You might get the odd silly remark, but I don't think this sort of inquiry is going to give you anything that you will find of any real use. I will just say however, that my wife lets me keep my teachers wage as she is very independent from a rich Chinese family, who have there own multi billion dollar empire. Father in law often lends me his privet gulf stream jet to visit family all over the world. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazk Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 your poll option's don't go low enough for me to comment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StreetCowboy Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 your poll option's don't go low enough for me to comment Why not get together with one or two of your colleagues to vote in the 20 - 30K band? I'm surprised Mariachi violinists get paid so little, but I suppose you are being economic with reporting your tips, to avoid unduely stressing the tax man SC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Are you joking? Do you imagine for a moment that people like me would divulge there income in Thailand? You might get the odd silly remark, but I don't think this sort of inquiry is going to give you anything that you will find of any real use. I will just say however, that my wife lets me keep my teachers wage as she is very independent from a rich Chinese family, who have there own multi billion dollar empire. Father in law often lends me his privet gulf stream jet to visit family all over the world. Well done you...Think its great that your wife lets you work to fill your day in between playing golf with Thailands elite... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgunn65 Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 There is a bit more to it than the actual money involved in the salary. There is standard of living. I earn less than I did in the UK but still around the quoted average salary for London (which is not enough to live decently in London). I recently posted a much longer post about why I live in Pattaya but have pasted part of that here to show that, while I earn less, I live much better. I decided to look at it, first of all, from a cost and standard of living perspective. I am from London but since Pattaya and London do not compare I chose to compare it with Brighton and Hove since both B&H and Pattaya are around 60 miles from the capital and by the sea. Don't make the mistake that I am comparing B&H directly with Pattaya but rather that they have SOME similarities and, in terms of geography and size, very similar. Since I live in Jomtien I decided to compare my lifestyle with a similar one in Hove which is almost exactly the same distance from Brighton as Jomtien is from Pattaya. I live in a sea view apartment and compared similar. But I looked at prices and deducted the cost of my apartment from a similar property of the same size and condition with a direct sea view less than 50 yards from the beach. Then I looked at the cost of a mortgage for the difference in price. So here goes: (in Thai Baht) Living costs Hove Jomtien Mortgage 150,000 0 Council tax 12,000 0 Maintenance fees 12,000 5,500 Gas/Electric 12,000 2,500 Cable 1,000 100 Phone 1,000 300 internet 500 300 car payments 10,000 7,000 insurance 2,000 1,200 Tax 550 100 Health Insurance 0 (NHS) 2,400 Sub total 201,000 18,400 So that is my monthly cost before I eat or socialise. Based on my previous salary before I left England (updated for inflation) I would need at least another 50,000 pounds (80K dollars) per year, or just over 200K baht per month on top of my current salary to pay for the difference in housing costs. So the answer to why I live in Pattaya as opposed to the UK is obvious. But there is a price to pay. No theatre, art, good original live music or crisp autumn days in the park. But Thailand does offer other compensations. Whether you agree or not this is what it costs me. And I am more than happy with my lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgphuket Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 If the qualifiers were you were employed by someone, not collecting income from previous investments, and not involved in illegal activities my guess is the norm would be around 50k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StreetCowboy Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 If the qualifiers were you were employed by someone, not collecting income from previous investments, and not involved in illegal activities my guess is the norm would be around 50k. My guess is that the best place for such idle speculation is here. What makes you think that the poll will not be dominated by expats, rather than foreign labour? I think there are a lot of finaciers, managers, contractors here. Apparently there are a lot of contractors based ('living') here but working in the Middle East, North Sea, and presumably other unattractive locations. I think that the terms that the OP asked for (excluding allowances and tax) will mean that people earning the same will declare very different values depending on how their package is structured and what they tell the taxman. SC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 There is a bit more to it than the actual money involved in the salary. There is standard of living. I earn less than I did in the UK but still around the quoted average salary for London (which is not enough to live decently in London). I recently posted a much longer post about why I live in Pattaya but have pasted part of that here to show that, while I earn less, I live much better. I decided to look at it, first of all, from a cost and standard of living perspective. I am from London but since Pattaya and London do not compare I chose to compare it with Brighton and Hove since both B&H and Pattaya are around 60 miles from the capital and by the sea. Don't make the mistake that I am comparing B&H directly with Pattaya but rather that they have SOME similarities and, in terms of geography and size, very similar. Since I live in Jomtien I decided to compare my lifestyle with a similar one in Hove which is almost exactly the same distance from Brighton as Jomtien is from Pattaya. I live in a sea view apartment and compared similar. But I looked at prices and deducted the cost of my apartment from a similar property of the same size and condition with a direct sea view less than 50 yards from the beach. Then I looked at the cost of a mortgage for the difference in price. So here goes: (in Thai Baht) Living costs Hove Jomtien Mortgage 150,000 0 Council tax 12,000 0 Maintenance fees 12,000 5,500 Gas/Electric 12,000 2,500 Cable 1,000 100 Phone 1,000 300 internet 500 300 car payments 10,000 7,000 insurance 2,000 1,200 Tax 550 100 Health Insurance 0 (NHS) 2,400 Sub total 201,000 18,400 So that is my monthly cost before I eat or socialise. Based on my previous salary before I left England (updated for inflation) I would need at least another 50,000 pounds (80K dollars) per year, or just over 200K baht per month on top of my current salary to pay for the difference in housing costs. So the answer to why I live in Pattaya as opposed to the UK is obvious. But there is a price to pay. No theatre, art, good original live music or crisp autumn days in the park. But Thailand does offer other compensations. Whether you agree or not this is what it costs me. And I am more than happy with my lot. And you missed one key component in your comparision between Pattaya and B&H....the women in Pattaya are a lot cheaper... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 what they tell the taxman. I thought we couldnt use swear words on TV...."Taxman"....wash your mouth out with soap...tell the f*kcres nothing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwonitoy Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I do not believe that 25% are in the '500,000 baht" per month range.. This is totally bull... But i do believe that majority of 'working' expats here in Thailand falls in the 15,000 baht to 30,000 baht range per month. Management expat from 30,000b all the way up till 200,000 baht (very rare, unless Big Multinational corporation sent you here to be based in Thailand) For the rest of you expats who have a business here in Thailand, ranging from a small bar up to a big Maldives kind of resort to an airport. Well what can i say... I totally agree! The posters claiming 500,000B are not being truthful. That translates to approx. 17,000 CDN. Impossibles unless they are selling illegal stuff. The average would be in the general area of 20,000 to 40,000 baht. Funny for a guy from Calgary(or close by) to not be aware of Oil and Gas payrates, 17K CDN a month won't get a response from me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samran Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 @MJJ I haven't seen too much belittling on this thread. I think amongst some there is a hint of envy (though I await the howls of denial) and somewhat surprise that these numbers are doable in Thailand. @Soutpeel - yeah, some of my colleagues, Thai, foreign MBA, mid to late 30's will easily get in the 150k to 200k per month. On top of annual bonus (6 to 12 months) then they are looking at similar numbers to your blokes - extractives focused by not OG most of the time. Investment banks have a lower base, perhaps 1/2 to 2/3 of above, but in good years, bonus' are multi year. All smart people to be sure. All highly employable outside of Thailand for bigger numbers. But at the end of the day, there are swings and roundabouts, and those blokes are happy with their deals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon43 Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 500,000 baht a month is not outside the realms of impossibility, especially if you own your own business. Even my little Phuket 10-room hotel can turn in a profit of 500k+ baht per month in high season. As for my personal salary, I'll admit to earning around 50k baht, but that's living and working in Myanmar, where you can live like a king on 50k baht a month!! Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelongshoot Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I assume that is after converting school fees, accommodation, travel, health insurance car etc. to its monetary value? And before tax? Are you counting only those amongst us working legally, or all the 'virtually overseas' residents as well? SC EDIT From the bands offered, I think you are implicitly assuming that none of us are migrant Burmese construction workers or equivalent... Christ on a bike. Its a simple enough question pal.. "how much do you earn a month" i doubt the op was looking for algebra. Thai visa posters... Born to be a pain in the arse... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjj Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 @samran You may be right about this thread, but after viewing many threads on here it is enough for me to notice. As for envy, dam_n right lol. I'd love to be on 500k a month! And maybe I'm being very nieve but what illegal activities would people be doing to earn money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 And maybe I'm being very nieve but what illegal activities would people be doing to earn money? Boiler rooms could be an example Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazk Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 your poll option's don't go low enough for me to comment Why not get together with one or two of your colleagues to vote in the 20 - 30K band? I'm surprised Mariachi violinists get paid so little, but I suppose you are being economic with reporting your tips, to avoid unduely stressing the tax man SC still would not reach the mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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