Every day I work so hard at partying and I get paid nothing !!

best reply EVER! wish i could like it 10 times!

Starting at our place for a fresh grad would be 25-30k heading to 60s a few yrs later if any good. We have a decent group of locals with around 10yrs experience that have progressed up the ranks at around 150-200k and those that have held in for the long term are up in the 350-400k range.

I'm amazed at these numbers, 400k per month is USD$155k p.a. - that's more than I earn in Sydney and I'm white collar and doing well. What's the job description of these people?

'Exaggerators'

Absolutely not ! I have seen the pay sheets and been involved with hiring here so I have a good handle on what we are paying.

These are people responsible for multimillion dollar accounts, have specialist expertise and in many cases if it were not for language difficulties could walk into equivalent roles in western countries. My company pays expats and locals on the same scale so there are Thais making more than expats at the same level of seniority based on performance or tenure - as you would expect in any western company.

You can choose not to believe this - that is your choice. But as an example, take a look around the clubs in Thong Lor or RCA... not all of the money comes from the bank of mum and dad!

Obviously just over respresented on TV in that case

I was just commenting on the salaries of our local staff, which I have no reason to believe is going to be considerably higher than others in the same industry... a fairly standard paid industry, certainly not oil or anything else considered particularly lucrative. We have staff rotating across ourselves and competitors and we all pay broadly the same.

As for the salaries of those on TV I have no idea, clearly the sample isn't representative as response is totally self selecting... Those in the lower paying jobs may have chosen not to respond as there may well have been some over statement in earnings of those that did respond.

Frankly IMO the poll is fairly meaningless other than to open the debate on some expats and locals earning salaries way higher than many might have expected.

Speaking from personal experience, those with the very highest salaries or incomes, are going to be those running their own companies. Expats with all the perks may make 500k- 1m per month but the guys you see rolling around in Astons and Ferraris will be making it big for themselves.

My GF, who is not a working girl, not Thai Chinese and certainly with parents of fairly modest means is trying to break into this fairly lucrative work herself. She is extremely innovative, entrepreneurial and may just make it. It is a hard slog but income from those deals will be in the 300k-600k per month range and there is the potential to have many running at the same time and over a number of years. If you have the business chops it seems there is a LOT of money to be made out there. Language and connections help enormously.