Thais' Wages In Bangkok

[alchemist]

What is the minimum wage? Is it adhered to?

In particular, I'd like to know what a waitress at a small casual restauraunt makes. Just for contrast, how about a police man, or a school teacher, doctor, etc...

[backflip]

There have been at least a dozen threads regarding this very subject. Use the search function. The minimum wage depends upon the area of Thailand in which you live, and the nationality of the worker.

[Axel]

The question is too general.

Minimum wage in Thailand is somewhere between Baht 140-170 per day, depending on the area.

No, it is not always adhered to, but the tax-office wants to see tax paid on this amount, if anny due.

A waitress at a small casual restauraunt depends much on tips to increase herincome, similar to a policeman, only that it depends on rank, position, location and we do not call it tip.

Schoolteacher much dpends on senority, experience and most impportant on the school. Foreign schools do pay reasonable incl. air trips and evt. home leave. Doctors? Now they would not declare all.

[meadish_sweetball]

The minimum wage in Chiang Mai is 4590 baht per month, Bangkok presumably a few hundred baht higher.

Illegal aliens and non-nationals (hilltribes and people from e.g. Burma or Cambodia) will typically be paid less, and under the counter (waitressing, cleaning, gardening, construction etc.).

A fresh university graduate will make about 10 000 - 12 000 baht per month.

As a rule, and depending on the standard, hotel executive staff will make from 14,000 baht and up to about 60,000 for the top positions in each department. Sometimes they get a percentage of the service charge, sometimes a set amount of money, sometimes nothing. Same thing applies with service charge in restaurants.

Government empluyees and officials typically have low salaries, but can and will often have extra income on the side through kickbacks and bribes. They also have a retirement program and more holidays than people in the private sector.

In the tourist business, commissions are everywhere and add to the fares for tuk tuk and songthaew drivers. If they take tourists to a particular shop or establishment, they can often get a small amount of money per tourist or gas coupons from the owner. Tour guides often get a percentage of the price a tourist pays for goods and souvenirs at shops near popular tourist sites.

[Sel]

In KSR area BKK

wait staff should make

5000B per month

8.5 hr shift

6 days a week

overtime at 1.5 x the hourly rate

Tips devided between all staff including cooks over multiple shifts at month end

Reality: about 4500B + 3000 deposited by staff member to get the job, returned after 3 months of service

cooks should make

6000 to 7000B per month

[tom yum goong]

A fresh university graduate will make about 10 000 - 12 000 baht per month.

I would say this would be 7,000 to 12,000 baht for a fresh graduate.

Smaller Thai or Chinese run companies would normally start at around 7,000. Larger companies and farang owned companies may start at 10,000.

Also wages in the provinces are a lot lower than in BKK.

[dannishgung]

A fresh graduate from best colleges like ABAC, Chula, Thammasat, ect get about 10000-12000 a month.

A average soapie girl make about 50000 bahts, top side line make about 100000-150000 bahts a month. Some popular karaoke girls make over 200000 a month. A country of absurd contradiction.

So how many Thai cuties are interested in studies!!

[Joey Boy]

A average soapie girl make about 50000 bahts, top side line make about 100000-150000 bahts a month. Some popular karaoke girls make over 200000 a month. A country of absurd contradiction.

Maybe some of these english teachers should think about a career change

[rcalsop]

The magic live on figure per month for a single Bkk factory worker 7000 Baht ...that allows them to pay off the Honda Finance , easy pay finance , housing , etc and leaves a little free for luxuries and entertainment .. below this magic figure ( averaged over the year ) the individual is into a negative situation ...

This average is achieved with the 13 month payment and large amounts of O/T paid at a 50% premium ...Thai Law .. but this is another story and dictates why productivity is lower in Thailand

[leisurely]

Blimey charlie, our maid is well overpaid...................

[rcalsop]

Blimey charlie, our maid is well overpaid...................

Reference domestic retainers ( a better word than maid or servant )

they are personal and special employees , the wages I quoted in the mail are for manufacturing industry I employ 4000 females in total . A good personal maid who you trust , communicates well , understands your little ways , cooks like a dream , looks after your stuff, washes and irons will always be worth the extra cash . I had a man servant in Bangladesh he was better than any mother /wife apart from the sex that is (joke ) I really miss him..... I had female maids in other countries and have been lucky in that I have always managed to choose correctly . But Thailand is different ( isn`t it always ) and expensive for domestic help and to be honest the thai`s do not really want to do it ...believe me we have tried ...and found ...I cannot iron ,I do not know how to use the micro wave , washer , etc plus I do not wish to learn ... their standards of cleanlinesswere lower than my wifes (Thai ) so my wife refuses to have one to help ,it was more work for her with the maid .... Yes she does know how to use motivate and train maids from previous countries ...illegal immigrant Laos / Burmese more likely to be better after some hard work training . and being live in .

So I am not suprised when you say wow yours is well paid a good one is worth her wieght in gold

[think_too_mut]

McDonalds staff earn 18-24 baht per hour, depending on their "seniority".

If BigMac price is any reliable measure, this one is too.

[Sunbelt Asia]

What is the minimum wage? Is it adhered to?

In particular, I'd like to know what a waitress at a small casual restauraunt makes. Just for contrast, how about a police man, or a school teacher, doctor, etc...

Minimum, wage is 5,430 Baht per month in BKK.

Part time McDonalds clerk... 24 Baht per hour

Part time Starbucks... 27 Baht per hour

Full time Starbucks .... 7,000 Baht per month

Waitress in a Diner.... 6,000 Baht plus tips.

Driver 8,000 Baht

Police man.... 6,000 Baht

School teacher ....12,000- 15,000

Doctor... 25,000

Lawyer....18,000

Secretary....12,000

Receptionist 11,000

Executive Secretary that speaks good English.... 22,000

Some other thoughts...

http://www.boi.go.th/english/how/labor_costs.asp

www.sunbeltasia.com

[meom]

A fresh graduate from best colleges like ABAC, Chula, Thammasat, ect get about 10000-12000 a month.

A average soapie girl make about 50000 bahts, top side line make about 100000-150000 bahts a month. Some popular karaoke girls make over 200000 a month. A country of absurd contradiction.

So how many Thai cuties are interested in studies!!

You would be surprised at the number of cuties that actually have a college degree or pay for there college degree through "cutie studies".

[leisurely]

Frankly I am astonished at the low levels of pay. It is however, all relative. And yes to the poster who said that a good domesic help is worth her weight in gold. You are right, however, ours is not as good as she could be, but much better than me! I love her.

[MyNameIsFarang]

A fresh graduate from best colleges like ABAC, Chula, Thammasat, ect get about 10000-12000 a month.

A average soapie girl make about 50000 bahts, top side line make about 100000-150000 bahts a month. Some popular karaoke girls make over 200000 a month. A country of absurd contradiction.

So how many Thai cuties are interested in studies!!

I don't see it as a contradiction nor is it absurd nor does it have much in particular to do with the Thailand.

The majority of the graduates of the "best" colleges are still woefully unskilled compared to their counterparts in other nations. They go into a strict vertical company structure where their hopes of advancement have more to do with patronage than merit. And let's face facts about Thai productivity...

Contrast this with the girl in the entertainment field who is usually free to charge what the market will bear, makes her money primarily in relation to the quality of the service she provides, and does it all with minimal interference from regulators and middle-men.

What you're talking about is the difference between a highly skilled independent contractor and what can only be described as corporate cannon fodder.

If you still find the disparity in wages troubling, consider that the 500%-2000% wage disparity is almost exactly the same as you'd find when comparing the livelihoods of an escort and an entry-level office worker in any Western country.

[Rinrada]

A fresh graduate from best colleges like ABAC, Chula, Thammasat, ect get about 10000-12000 a month.

A average soapie girl make about 50000 bahts, top side line make about 100000-150000 bahts a month. Some popular karaoke girls make over 200000 a month. A country of absurd contradiction.

So how many Thai cuties are interested in studies!!

I don't see it as a contradiction nor is it absurd nor does it have much in particular to do with the Thailand.

The majority of the graduates of the "best" colleges are still woefully unskilled compared to their counterparts in other nations. They go into a strict vertical company structure where their hopes of advancement have more to do with patronage than merit. And let's face facts about Thai productivity...

Contrast this with the girl in the entertainment field who is usually free to charge what the market will bear, makes her money primarily in relation to the quality of the service she provides, and does it all with minimal interference from regulators and middle-men.

What you're talking about is the difference between a highly skilled independent contractor and what can only be described as corporate cannon fodder.

If you still find the disparity in wages troubling, consider that the 500%-2000% wage disparity is almost exactly the same as you'd find when comparing the livelihoods of an escort and an entry-level office worker in any Western country.

A decent Graduate in the UK (London) working as dishwasher/cleaner/bog slucer operative might at least be on the national min wages of @£5-20 hr.while his hooker girlfriend could easily be coining £500 an hour...market forces.. and applies to all countries.....same diff...

[somchai jones]

Blimey charlie, our maid is well overpaid...................

Reference domestic retainers ( a better word than maid or servant )

they are personal and special employees , the wages I quoted in the mail are for manufacturing industry I employ 4000 females in total . A good personal maid who you trust , communicates well , understands your little ways , cooks like a dream , looks after your stuff, washes and irons will always be worth the extra cash . I had a man servant in Bangladesh he was better than any mother /wife apart from the sex that is (joke ) I really miss him..... I had female maids in other countries and have been lucky in that I have always managed to choose correctly . But Thailand is different ( isn`t it always ) and expensive for domestic help and to be honest the thai`s do not really want to do it ...believe me we have tried ...and found ...I cannot iron ,I do not know how to use the micro wave , washer , etc plus I do not wish to learn ... their standards of cleanlinesswere lower than my wifes (Thai ) so my wife refuses to have one to help ,it was more work for her with the maid .... Yes she does know how to use motivate and train maids from previous countries ...illegal immigrant Laos / Burmese more likely to be better after some hard work training . and being live in .

So I am not suprised when you say wow yours is well paid a good one is worth her wieght in gold

'Reference domestic retainers ( a better word than maid or servant )' - 'I had a man servant in Bangladesh'

You go from sounding like a politically correct loonie to an ultra conservative colonial major.

How odd.

[steveromagnino]

Regarding comments of pay, fresh graduates with a basic bachelors degree, are about online with the numbers shown, perhaps ranging I'd say from 6,000 - 20,000 starting, depending. With a masters degree, or specifically with a bachelors or masters from aboard, the starting salary may stay the same, or it may be higher, so the range increases from the same 6,000 up to as high as 40,000 (which i know of several of my friends getting from MNEs without any patronage to get the job, just on the basis of 3.8+ GPAs from decent universities in UK, USA, etc). On the other hand, I know an MBA grad from some hi so university in Boston; perfect english, some work experience in the USA, and she started on I think from recollection 6,000 baht...a month.... working for the BOI. Govt pays pretty badly, but of course if she can stick it out and become senior, then like AMWAY the sideline benefits become huge and dwarf the on paper salary. And that is why the numbers for doctors, police, govt officials, service staff and so on are not always correct; you have to factor in the tips, payoffs, gifts and so on to see the total package. And unlike say NZ (where bonuses are uncommon) here it is very common to receive 1-3 months of bonus salary (one company i know paid out 12 months of bonus in 2004 to staff, that was a good year for them :-).

Within 2 years, it becomes clear if someone is any good at their job. Then the earnest headhunting starts. For our industry, paying anyone with more than 1 year of experience and a degree less than 15,000b basically is a push to the competitors or similar industries. I'd guess the scale is something like this (most people end up clustered at the bottom, not the top!) for office staff:

start: 6 - 20k

after 2 years: 15 - 40k

after 5 years: 20 - 150k

after 10 years, 20 - 200, although I do know a few in the 500-1000k range

It all depends on how well they do their job, how they are willing to negotiate and how many times they switch jobs. Often to avoid the conflict of fighting over pay, people switch jobs. And almost always around this time to April, otherwise they would be giving up their bonus!

While it is commonplace to assume local grads aren't that good, it depends a lot on the quality of management and recruitment as well as firm culture; I have excellent staff from local universities who are far better than most of the foreign educated staff; I will point out that if nothing else the foreign educated staff are often better at communicating with foreigners and this alone has a massive impact for management unable to speak Thai or who do not understand Thai norms and culture.

Regarding Thai productivity, as I keep repeating, terrible management makes for terrible productivity; develop a culture to encourage productivity and it is as easy to get it here as anywhere else internally. The least productive people in most of the clients I deal with are ironically mostly the foreigners; but that is perhaps partly the nature of the industry I work in which is widely known for having lots of flakes.

Regarding working girls, there are far more intelligent pretty girls choosing not to work in the sex industry here (particularly in BKK) than there are choosing to sell themselves off. Just because someone is pretty here, or anywhere else, doesn't mean that they will work in the sex industry; it is simply another option that they can choose to take (or not!) as the case may be. To describe them as 'highly skilled independent contractors' is not always the case, mostly the really good lopking ones are terrible in bed. That's what my 'friend' who went to one of those places told me

So, let's just leave it at 'independent contractor' :-))))

[mmushr00m]

Hello

I'm in the running for position of Operations Manager/General Manager for a SMS Msg centre startup in BKK. Partnership between a foreign co and thai co.

I was offered 35k/mth + commision +profit sharing

I know 35k is good money in Thailand, but does it seem right given the responsiblities and duties of setting up a company then running it as an OP/GM

OR

Are they taking advantage of a farang in need of a job?

[bendix]

No, they are ignoring your skin colour and offering you the going rate for the job. Think yourself lucky; I'm sure there are many Thais who could do it just as well, if not better, than a farang, unless your Thai language skills are first rate.

[Rinrada]

I signed up for some work for a company in Vietnam about 10 years ago for an agreed wage (via a UK agency) but on first day someone in their outfit started moaning that I would be getting paid more than their Managing Director.....(plus free hotel acco etc)...

I replied that they needed me more than..etc (terms and conditions of Knowledge transfer contract...and all that Krup)

No problem Ill take my leave .... Now.........Bye Bye......

Wye--lee Oriental Gentlem........

A year later...... I did eventually go...... ...

...great place..............lottsa ...Dong....and... Sanuk

[sohb]

What is the minimum wage? Is it adhered to?

In particular, I'd like to know what a waitress at a small casual restauraunt makes. Just for contrast, how about a police man, or a school teacher, doctor, etc...

Minimum, wage is 5,430 Baht per month in BKK.

Part time McDonalds clerk... 24 Baht per hour

Part time Starbucks... 27 Baht per hour

Full time Starbucks .... 7,000 Baht per month

Waitress in a Diner.... 6,000 Baht plus tips.

Driver 8,000 Baht

Police man.... 6,000 Baht

School teacher ....12,000- 15,000

Doctor... 25,000

Lawyer....18,000

Secretary....12,000

Receptionist 11,000

Executive Secretary that speaks good English.... 22,000

Some other thoughts...

http://www.boi.go.th/english/how/labor_costs.asp

www.sunbeltasia.com

Well, where in Thailand does such wages apply? I have heaps of thai friends getting half or even less than what these numbers indicate, Executive Secretary getting 22k is a laugh, Receptionist at any Chiang Mai 4-5 stars hotels receving above 10k doesnt exist etc etc.

[solo siam]

We pay a number of our staff over 20,000 baht per month, and they ae all under 30 and not university graduates. I always say that you pay someone what they are worth to your company, rather than what you can get away with.

Also, I doubt that a Lawyer earns 18k or a doctor 25k, since every lawyer or doctor I know drives a mercedes benz or BMW or equivelent.

Here in Phuket it's hard to get good staff, but I'm pretty sure someone with excellent english skills could easily pull 40,000+ baht per month.

[sohb]

We pay a number of our staff over 20,000 baht per month, and they ae all under 30 and not university graduates. I always say that you pay someone what they are worth to your company, rather than what you can get away with.

Also, I doubt that a Lawyer earns 18k or a doctor 25k, since every lawyer or doctor I know drives a mercedes benz or BMW or equivelent.

Here in Phuket it's hard to get good staff, but I'm pretty sure someone with excellent english skills could easily pull 40,000+ baht per month.

please advice me where to send some of my friends, they'd love 40k a month - for legal work that is. please pm, or spread the word here ...

[jbowman1993]

My wife is a 40, a graduate of ABAC and Mahidol CMMU. She works as a financial controller for an American manufacturering firm - makes 150k per month.

I work as a teacher, have 3 degrees - Mahidol U assistant professor - make 70k per month

We pay our maid 4k per month.

We have two restaurants that employ serveral of my wife's family - they make 15k per month

Other workers - 7~15k per month (depending on skills)

Wife just hired an accountant at her firm, speaks english well, for 40k per month

Workers in her plant - 5~10k per month depending on longevity

Her boss, an american expat - makes 400k per month, plus expenses.

Thats all the salary figures I know of, offhand.

[bendix]

I work for an international company here. We pay much better than most of the figures given to date imply. Our lowest paid person is, I think, a tea lady who makes 19,000 a month, and she will get a 3 month bonus next week.

We have some executive secretaries earning 40-50k, although admittedly they have been with the firm for

I've just hired a marketing assistant (educated at Thamasat and just worked for Siam Commercial for 2 years). Her starting salary will be 38k, with expectations to rise to low to mid-40s after a three month probation.

[JacknDanny]

I work for an international company here. We pay much better than most of the figures given to date imply. Our lowest paid person is, I think, a tea lady who makes 19,000 a month, and she will get a 3 month bonus next week.

That must be some special tea!!!!

[mmushr00m]

No, they are ignoring your skin colour and offering you the going rate for the job. Think yourself lucky; I'm sure there are many Thais who could do it just as well, if not better, than a farang, unless your Thai language skills are first rate.

Not exactly what I was hoping to hear

But its a start, hopefully I'll be able to parlay it into something better.......once I stop sounding like a retard whenever I speak thai, or english hheeheh

[thaihome]

I work for an international company here. We pay much better than most of the figures given to date imply. Our lowest paid person is, I think, a tea lady who makes 19,000 a month, and she will get a 3 month bonus next week.

We have some executive secretaries earning 40-50k, although admittedly they have been with the firm for

I've just hired a marketing assistant (educated at Thamasat and just worked for Siam Commercial for 2 years). Her starting salary will be 38k, with expectations to rise to low to mid-40s after a three month probation.

Same for the MNC I work for as well. Our drivers, with overtime make 15-20K. We have several well-educated competent people that make 90-120K per month. We gave pretty much across the 6% across the board pay raises (more for the stars) and bonuses this year are 2 months average, with stars getting almost 3 months. The Thai labor market is getting very tight (run an ad and see what engineers are expecting to get these days).

TH