Typical salary in bkk

[simon43]

Hi - After a few months of going to/from BKK to sound out the environment, I am close to moving some of my text messaging business into Thailand.  But I need a little advice about typical wages that I might need to pay my local staff.

I intend to set up a Thai company and open a local office (and this website gives plenty of information about how to do this).  I then need to employ a number of local staff who can read and write reasonable english (or other european languages).

The actual work is quite fun! It is simply reading (from a PC screen), an incoming text message that someone in Europe has sent to one of the mobile networks, and then sending a suitable reply message back to them.  The idea is to try to encourage them to text-chat some more (since that is where I earn my revenue..). Naturally, some of these messages are somewhat 'naughty' in their content, but my existing staff in Europe tell me this adds to the fun of the job!

So the employee must be able to read reasonable english, and then send a suitable reply in reasonable english (or other language, such as French, spanish, Dutch etc).

Help will always be given with learning 'slang' for each language.

Can anyone give me some idea of what salary i need to pay?  And what about finding staff who can read/write these other european languages?  and will i have to pay them more??

Thanks for any help

Simon

[likacozy]

Aim to employ Thai staff with at least a Bachelors degree in any field, preferably an overseas graduate who would be more familiar with the fluency and some english slang.

They would ask for alot more salary though, so be prepared to negotiate a competitive rate.

Sounds to me like this job description is for a Translater, so highlight that as some work experience will help alot.

If u hire someone with a Masters degree expect to pay

20,000 baht/month upwards.

[simon43]

OK thanks for this reply  but a question.  why should i employ someone with a degree (if the work required does not justify a degree...)

The staff who i employ in the UK for this level of work are school or college-leavers, and their qualifications arn't actually that important.  It's more important that they work hard! (for which they get a decent employment package).

Simon

[jonniebkk]

are you joking or what...try finding any Thai that is even somewhat conversant in English (let alone the ability to read and write it) is a major challenge.  Like the previous poster said, you are talking Uni graduates at the least...maybe even Masters in English and still...they can barely get by in casual spoken or written English.  And if they are any good, a Thai corporation will snap them up...with wages like previously stated of B20-40k per month.

It would be even worse for "other" lauguages...German, Dutch, whatever else you said...don't make me laugh.  This is not multi-lingual Europe we are talking about here...but Thailand.  

Maybe if your text service had a lot of Issan, Lao or Khemer speaking customers you may be able to find enough workers here in Thailand...otherwise...forget it.

[simon43]

OK thanks for your advice, but this is not what I'm finding when I'm out on the street in BKK every fortnight!  The level of english competency that im looking for is fairly basic, and thats for reading and writing.  Spoken english is not required for these vacancies.

What I'm trying to point out is that I am not interested in whether someone has a degree or not. The important thing is their competence in English.  If this means that the majority of them has a degree, then thats fine.  And I accept your point about finding competent people in other European languages. I'm pretty sure they will have to be degree-qualified.

Simon

[Thetyim]

I read somewhere that a Degree in Thailand is about equivalent to A Levels in UK, so think along those lines.

Fluent English is difficult to find because of bad pronunciation

Try asking for older applicants, some professional 35-40 women can speak good English, and I do NOT mean ex-bar girls.

[simon43]

Good idea - and thanks for the clarification re degree status in Thailand.

Actually, for some of the chat services i run, a bar-girl background is fine! (A number of these chat services can get quite naughty in their content...)

Simon

[Thetyim]

This sounds most interesting, do you need any Falangs ??

My Inglish is kwight good

[simon43]

Well, I would certainly use 'farangs' but there are 2 problems:

1 - You lot would probably demand more money than the miserable sum that I'm willing to pay in wages!

2 - I will have work permit problems! I am setting up a Thai ltd company and the requirements for employing farangs stipulate that i must employ a number of local Thais for every frarang.  Well, I will be one of these farangs....So if I start to employ more then I will end up with a whole load of Thais doing not a lot in my office....

Simon

[Rinrada]

Simon..You would be supprised how much a farang will accept when on his "Uppers"

Bar girls would great as chat line pros.but you would you will probabally find that the "nice girls"with university degrees and no western experiences/exposure would refuse to work with them. On the other hand you could have a lotta-lotta fun..sanuk

[lanny]

Like the others, I think you will have some problem getting the kind of people you need.  Your bar girls, sales people in major stores, etc. may be able to talk to you in English but their written language skills are limited.  Even the college graduates have problems with writing.  They may be able to read and understand but cannot go the other way and write an intelligible sentence.

This is a very class conscious society and people don't move between classes easily; I mean it is difficult or impossible for someone to move to a higher status.  Hiring a bar girl to do the same job as a college grad could make the grad lose face; they would consider this to be demeaning.

[Buccaneer]

Thai graduates, well please realise that this is often not what we see as graduates, way, way poorer and often these degrees are bought or made easier by some palm greasing . Said but true. I had cum laude graduate chem engineers working for me who could not not make mass or heat balances.

Cheers

Mar

[Darren c]

My thai girl frined has degrees and stuff. She works in a bar there but she does not want too. She only been working there a month. How much would you be willing to pay. She is 26 and can speak good english.

[Thetyim]

If you were to move out of Bkk and into the sticks you would have a whole new game to play.

Rename your office a language school and offer FREE english lessons on the computer.

Students can "speak" to real live falangs in Europe and learn English.  You would have a queue at the door if you did that where I live.

OK, you cannot control their hours of attendance and so could not run your business like this but the point I am making is that "speaking" to falangs is a dream to many girls and the job you are offering would be very attractive to upcountry ladies who would expect a lower wage.

By the way how many empolyees do you need ??

[simon43]

Sorry for my late reply - been upcountry enjoying Sonkran...

Hey - I like your idea about calling this service a 'live english language school'!! - although some of the chat messages that they receive might not offer the sort of english they want to learn..(or maybe it will!).

Right now I run this service from offices in the UK and Spain, and employ about 10 part-time staff per language, to provide a 24/7 service in English, French, Spanish, German and Dutch, with more languages to follow.

As for salaries, the idea is to save money by moving this work to Thailand.  right now I pay about 5 GBP per hour in the UK and 5 euros/hour in the Spanish office (but add about 30% on top of that to reflect my tax/insurance liabilities etc)

Simon

[Thetyim]

Ok Simon you can save money on wages and rent by coming to Thailand but how much you will save will depend on where you go.

Elsewhere on this forum George had to close a topic about the cost of living because of disagreements and heated arguments.

What has surprised me is the huge difference in costs between Bkk and upcountry  probably in the region of two or threefold.   So with the risk of having my head bitten off I am going to stick my neck out and answer your original question and tell you what I would expect to pay in my upcountry provincial city.

Rent for shophouse  6000 month

Employee  (with decent education)    10,000 month

By the way I agree with the other posts here that you cannot mix bargirls and graduates.

Graduates or 12th graders  would be a better choice as bargirls tend to disappear for a week every time the ricefields need cutting or when the latest boyfriend flies into town.

[simon43]

Yes - I agree with you about big cost-savings by locating up-country, although I suspect the availability of english-speaking (or other Europena language) staff might be a problem.  I was down in Hatyai last week and prices seemed very cheap, but I have the issue that my office needs to be within a reasonable travel time of BKK (where my servers will be located).  So how far up-country do you have to go to see a decent saving? (Preferably somewhere with a nice beach.....)

As for bar-girls running off every few weeks etc, I seem to have the same problem with my existing staff in Europe!!!! (Actually this is one reason why I'm looking to relocate my office. My existing text-chat staff simply are not reliable enough and cause me big head-aches.  I am happy to provide a decent job package etc if the staff will be dedicated and reliable)

[simon43]

Actually, just a little comment as to why I want to pay lower wages than I pay in Europe. It's not because I am a tight businessman, but is down to the commercials of these jobs.

Each 'text-chatter' can physically only reply to maybe 180 messages per hour (reasonably typing speed), and I receive a certain revenue for each text message.  So some simple maths can determine what maximum wage can be paid to each text-chatter to make the whole thing profitable. Right now, some of my existing services make a marginal profit because the mobile network in question only pays a low revenue per message

[Thetyim]

I think you will be able to find enough English speakers anywhere in Thailand.  You did say earlier that you did not need fluent speakers and I assume that your clients on the other end will know they are talking to Thai girls and so the odd bit of bad grammar would be acceptable.

I cannot possibly suggest how far upcountry you need to go as I have not lived  everywhere but if you need a beach then you have have just cut it down to handful of places

[Thetyim]

Did you say 180 messages per hour !!

Thais plod along at their work for twelve or more hours per day they cannot work flat out for eight hours as we do in UK.

You must have been in a petrol station and noticed that one person pumps the gas, one takes the money, one cleans the screen and one hands you a glass of water.

I think a message every 20 seconds would be too much for a thai even in the thai language.   Time to think again, Simon.

Does anyone else agree with me ??

[Rinrada]

THE BANGKOK SUBWAY - Wages in Thailand

Last updated March 5, 2003

Working on the Railways.

How much do the workers who work on the construction site make? 175 baht (about US$4) a day - from

Manager Sunday, March 10, 2002

The Bangkok Subway

The National Minimun wage in Thailand (Bangers) is /was Bt 170 a day and less if from the sticks/boondocks.

The National Minimun Wage in UK (london on 8 hours) is

£4-20 hr =£33-60.(if over 21) at 1.66  =$55-44.

Therefore Bangers NMW  = $4   Day.

   ..        London  NMW  = $55 Day.

OK so we know this is not the whole story....

We have Social Security,Unemployment Benefits,Child allowances,Baby Bonds-£250 when born straight into Bank,Pensions etc.

However these NMW for Thailand is the fiscal situation and the reality of a 3rd World economy (albeit progressive)

and it has to make you see where they get their ideas from when it comes to double pricing and tea monies.

So if Simon wants to pay locally at the same level as wages in the west then the Thai N.M. is about right at @ 22Bt an Hour.(no university degree neccessary)

Next time you tip a Taxi driver Bt 50 think £10...good one in any country...

[fester]

Salaries in Thailand:

http://www.ethailand.com/article/default2.asp?tree=251

IT salary survey 2002:

http://www.ethailand.com/article/redir.asp...e=1533&tree=251

[simon43]

My 180 messages an hour stems from what my European staff can easily manage. That's 3 messages every minute.  they usually work in 4 hour shifts.  If they can't achieve that rate then they are out of a job (such a hard-nosed boss...)

[Chad3000]

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Edited October 9, 2021 by Chad3000

[Denim]

On 4/8/2003 at 6:33 PM, simon43 said:

Naturally, some of these messages are somewhat 'naughty' in their content,

Oh ......fancy that . Exactly how naughty do you mean ? 

Sounds a bit dodgy.

[Pravda]

On 4/11/2003 at 4:02 PM, Darren c said:

My thai girl frined has degrees and stuff. She works in a bar there but she does not want too. She only been working there a month. How much would you be willing to pay. She is 26 and can speak good english.

 

I know this post is 18 years old, but it's too funny 

[phetphet]

What about luk kreungs?

[brewsterbudgen]

Why has this thread been resurrected?  Isn't @simon43 hamming it up in Laos these days?

[Rimmer]

18 year old topic

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