Why do so many farang here work for peanuts?

[55Jay]

Nobody comes to Thailand to work! (I haven't worked in years!) I came to Thailand to live a Thai lifestyle and eat Thai food.But enjoy the great "outdoor life" that it offers! I don't see the point in working in a country that offers fan weather with great beaches and beautiful green countryside to enjoy! Who would want to come here and spend all day working in doors and look "as white as a sheet" .........greetings from the beach viewers! x

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Did you come from a place in Europe that is very cold and snow in the winter?

I would enjoy to see a photo of where you live for 4,000/mo. I'm not being critical, I am interested to know what is possible in your area near the sea for that amount of monthly rent. After our holidays, we plan to move South to rent for a year as a change of pace. We have looked around at the small seaside villages southeast between Jomtien and Sattahip. Haven't looked in the towns above Pattaya which I think that's where you are (Naklua?)

[canarysun]

Hello! I am British but lived in the canary islands for 20 years..I moved to Thailand for "a change of scenery" (20 years was a long time on a small island- in the end I felt like "Doug McClure" in "The People that time forgot".....

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[GOLDBUGGY]

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The point still remains that by working in Thailand, for the majority, you won't accumulate wealth. You will certainly earn enough to live in the Kingdom but even if we double the figures mentioned here from 30k to 60k baht it still isn't very much and certainly not a sum to make you wealthy. Earning money outside SE Asia is a better means of creating wealth or moving here once your wealth is adequate.

For example if you are earning 60k baht a month in Thailand then you have 4x the minimum wage but how will that fund a western pension or produce enough to guarantee an income once you retire?

No! That is not the Point! That is a known fact that everyone here already knows, and not one poster here said otherwise. It is only YOU who says it is the Point!

The Point is, and the poster knowing you are not accumulating wealth by doing so, "Why do so many farang here work for peanuts". There has been many good answers and reasons given by many poster here including my favorite, which being the high cost of peanuts here. Also life is not all about earning money al the time. Some people are adventurous and are willing to give up a few years of there life to try something new, which doesn't always have a monetary gain.

But this has all been said already so now I think the Real Point here is you do not read any of these good post and explanations, as you don't care to learn anything from long time Farangs. But instead choose to just go on and on with your dribble, and in the process make yourself look more foolish. The one sure thing I know is that nobody is holding a gun to anyone's head to come here and work here for peanuts, and since it is their life then.....Up-to-you!

Calm down you angry little man.

The main point that I am getting across in my post and contrary to your rather inarticulate way of putting it, there are many who don't realise the concept of earning wealth in Thailand. Many think because the cost of living is cheap they can become wealthy by owning a bar or a small hotel or any number of other small businesses. The fact is they can't. Why do you think there are so many who choose to end it all by joining the jumpers club? It's because a good proportion of these people don't realise until its too late that once you make the move to Thailand, cut all ties, sell property and sink your savings into a Thailand-based business these is absolutely no way back toyour old life. These is no way of rebuilding your past affluence. There are some people who realise this but I will guarantee youthat the bright lights, sense of adventure, challenges that Thailand offers blind many to the pitfalls.

But of course you knew that didn't you Mr GB?

No Again! The fact is, many Farangs have become wealthy here through Real Estate and other means and many have done well owning there own bar or hotel, which you would know if you read TV as long as I have. Yes the failure rate is high. Small Business Failure Rates are also high in your country to. But for sure not everyone jumps from a building only because of that. I would say very few. You are also wrong in that I am not angry at all and I am anything but a Little Man.

You connect all suicides in Thailand as a business gone bad. Sir! Not only is that narrow minded, it is also simple minded as well! There are numerous reasons why people commit suicide here. The suicide rate in any country is higher among old people. If you lived in Thailand, which I am beginning to suspect you don't, you would see a lot of old people here. So that alone can account for some of the higher suicide rates here. There are umpteen post on TV dealing with this subject which I suggest you go back and read them before you speak as I was not put here to teach you.

You paint such a Rosy picture of life and wealth back home. To me it is just testimony of your simple thoughts. Did it ever occur to you that most people did not come here for a wealthy life? That maybe many came here to get away from a worst life back home? A nagging wife or recent divorce! Poor quality of women to choose from? a Dead End Job! Crappy Weather! Rat Race! High Costs & Taxes! A Family who make Good Picture only? No! You did not!

Let's get back to the Subject and why Farangs would come and work here for Peanuts. Lets say I am unskilled and not highly educated like many people are. I live in Canada where the unemployment rate is about 7%. So I move a long distance to the Province of Alberta, where the unemployment rate is only 5% I am find luck by getting a job pumping petro in a local Gas Station in Edmonton Alberta.

My wage is the Minimum Rate which is about $10 CAD or $9.20 US. My average monthly wages are $1,595 US and after taxes is $1.480 US. I am not paid for any of my sick days, and the company does not offer a pension plan. I share a small furnished apartment with a co-worker (hopefully female as I can't afford a Girl Friend) and my part of the rent and utilities is about $700/m. I spend another $200 for food, $100 for insurance, and yet another $100 for toiletries and clothes. My monthly Public Bus Pass is yet another $100. So by the end of the month I am left with $280 to buy cigarettes ($150 for 200 cigarettes) and Beer, which is not cheap in Edmonton Alberta Canada.

Where is this Big Windfall and Wealth you talk about back home? The Big Pension I can look forward to and I am giving up to come here? The Bright Future? What other options do I have? Should I get a Student Loan and go to University for 4 years, in hopes of finding a job at the end of this to pay off my $120,000 Student Loan plus Interest? But what if I don't have the smarts to do well in University?

Now Sir! Faced with a future like that, which is more common than you think, would you still rather stay in this Dead End Job like this. to Pump Gas in -40C Weather hoping you don't get sick so you would have to stop working, and ask mom for another loan. Or come here to Thailand and get some experience teaching English, yet still having a enough to live a comfortable life and on you own? Don't think for a second Canada doesn't have their fare share of Homeless People to. If you choose to further your education, you can still upgrade your skills via Internet from anywhere. Even Thailand!

Oh Ya! Before I go! If reading my Posts gives you a headache, as you said, may I suggest this to you?

Then Don't Read Them!

[LaraC]

..anyway, its all relative.

Weigh up the cost of living and enjoying life in Thailand against the cost of living and enjoying life in western countries.

..that would be a more logical approach.

[LaraC]

Maybe they enjoy the experience..? and how do you know how much everybody here makes?

There are no thai bargirls back home- THATS WHY...................lol.

..because ever mans dream woman is a Thai hooker o.O

[Soutpeel]

An ex-colleague was so intent on working here he got himself a job on a land rig somewhere up north. He is currently getting about one third the going rate for the job. Whilst the rate is relatively low in the industry it is still many times the rate he could expect working as a teacher or similar. I understand his desire to stay in-country but don't we work to earn money? If doing a rotation of 4/4 in Angola for instance the salary would be much improved and one month out of every two could be spent in the Kingdom. Much as I love being in Thailand there are some things I wouldn't compromise on and these include money for doing a job. Many farang are willing to compromise over money and therefore live in Thailand on not much more than the minimum wage. If you are using the experience as a stepping stone for a more lucrative position in the future then fair enough although I suspect this is not the case in many examples.

Ah and this explains why you had the perceptions you did about the industry in Thailand, the land based stuff in here is relatively small scale, and one suspects bones of their arse budgets, "shoe string" type operations, and very tight margins, due to relatively low production levels, this is actually a very small part of the industry on Thailand, the majority of the industry is geared towards the offshore side of things, and someone coming in from other climes can expect and will get the international going rates and + (if they can get in of course)

The problem with the offshore side of things in Thailand is that if your not already "in" very difficult to get a foot in the door, due to nationalization polices these days, most of the guys working the game got a start years ago when it was easier, but as the years go on the numbers involved are reducing by the year, although they are not kicking people out, YET....if falang leaves for what ever reason, the replacement in almost 99% of the cases is Thai.

[Skint]

I'm not believing people came to Thailand for a wage cut and the "pleasure" of working there that's complete BS.

Many I know came for a double salary. They're Western salary is paid to their Western account, then their expenses are paid - rent and international schooling - and then their Thai salary is paid in baht on top of these.

What's the double salary?

[Soutpeel]

I'm not believing people came to Thailand for a wage cut and the "pleasure" of working there that's complete BS.

Many I know came for a double salary. They're Western salary is paid to their Western account, then their expenses are paid - rent and international schooling - and then their Thai salary is paid in baht on top of these.

What's the double salary?

Obviously "Som Wat" cant answer that, unless he is in HR and see's the "packages" or he is on one of these packages himself

But would suspect dependent on the individual/position, the package spread would be worth to them a spread of between USD 30k to USD 50K/m

all in

[Som wat]

I'm not believing people came to Thailand for a wage cut and the "pleasure" of working there that's complete BS.

Many I know came for a double salary. They're Western salary is paid to their Western account, then their expenses are paid - rent and international schooling - and then their Thai salary is paid in baht on top of these.

What's the double salary?

Western salary continued to be paid to their home account.

Thai expenses and salary for living paid to their Thai account while based here.

In this case the expenses paid are 240k baht p/m. Western salary and Thai salary for living also paid.

So really, double salary plus housing and schooling.

Edited May 18, 2014 by Som wat

[Thaiberius]

I'm not believing people came to Thailand for a wage cut and the "pleasure" of working there that's complete BS.

Many I know came for a double salary. They're Western salary is paid to their Western account, then their expenses are paid - rent and international schooling - and then their Thai salary is paid in baht on top of these.

What's the double salary?

Obviously "Som Wat" cant answer that, unless he is in HR and see's the "packages" or he is on one of these packages himself

But would suspect dependent on the individual/position, the package spread would be worth to them a spread of between USD 30k to USD 50K/m

all in

Would that be before the per diem type enhancement which effectively doubles the salary? $60k - $100k

[Skint]

I'm not believing people came to Thailand for a wage cut and the "pleasure" of working there that's complete BS.

Many I know came for a double salary. They're Western salary is paid to their Western account, then their expenses are paid - rent and international schooling - and then their Thai salary is paid in baht on top of these.

What's the double salary?

Western salary continued to be paid to their home account.

Thai expenses and salary for living paid to their Thai account while based here.

In this case the expenses paid are 240k baht p/m. Western salary and Thai salary for living also paid.

So really, double salary plus housing and schooling.

Ok I get you but that expat deal is long gone these days in the jobs I looked at they don't give the expenses anymore relocation packages are done with one off payments. Things like schooling are down to the company but what I have looked at has been all in.

[Thaiberius]

I'm not believing people came to Thailand for a wage cut and the "pleasure" of working there that's complete BS.

Many I know came for a double salary. They're Western salary is paid to their Western account, then their expenses are paid - rent and international schooling - and then their Thai salary is paid in baht on top of these.

What's the double salary?

Western salary continued to be paid to their home account.

Thai expenses and salary for living paid to their Thai account while based here.

In this case the expenses paid are 240k baht p/m. Western salary and Thai salary for living also paid.

So really, double salary plus housing and schooling.

Ok I get you but that expat deal is long gone these days in the jobs I looked at they don't give the expenses anymore relocation packages are done with one off payments. Things like schooling are down to the company but what I have looked at has been all in.

It depends upon which industry you work in.

[Soutpeel]

Ok I get you but that expat deal is long gone these days in the jobs I looked at they don't give the expenses anymore relocation packages are done with one off payments. Things like schooling are down to the company but what I have looked at has been all in.

Not long gone, maybe fewer about, but certainly not long gone.....depends on the business your in, how much somebody wants you and where your going....

[BlackArtemis]

3-4 dollars and hour?

Try $30 an hour.

One hour classes after school, ten kids at 100 baht each, that's 1000 baht. Five days a week, that's 5000 baht, or 150 bucks for a half day's overall work. I know some who are doing that, plus a few hours each on Saturday and Sunday. And they're paying $60 a month on the rent.

I also know people who teach two hours a day, one-on-one for 500 each adult. Attorneys and doctors and such.

Beats the hell out of Mickey D's.

EDIT: Reading post #2, yes miserable. But the smart ones use their position as a teacher to open doors for said private lessons.

Okay, I stand corrected. Makes sense now.

Just so as not to mislead anyone, let alone get some burger-flipper in Buffalo all excited and jumping on a plane, it takes time and contacts and ability to make this kind of money in an ongoing manner. The parents of these kids aren't the typical Thai parent (the 500 baht per hour one-on-one lessons). If you can't teach, they'll catch it and you'll be off down the road. And probably blacklisted to boot.

It's also against the law in Thailand.

There are no work permits issued that allow foreigners to teach private lessons, off school premises or out of school hours.

Get caught and you will be jailed and deported.

My way around this was, by working at a govt school, I tutored children of the police and military. 3 of them were quite high ranking, never had to worry about being jailed. In 3 year of doing this, I never even had issue with running a business with the ex out of our townhouse.

[AfterLOS]

Maybe they enjoy the experience..? and how do you know how much everybody here makes?

what is it that attracts them to stay?

Nowhere else in the world would they experience ......

Guesthouses with catchy names like My friend house

Girls telling 'em, "I love your clock"

plastic pronounced palatsateeek

The moment he steps out of his hotel, girls beam at him and query, "where you go hansum man, take me with you?"

and much much more ....

That's why low wages here for a farang don't mean doodly, the experience is worth trillions - and well worth it.

[Time Traveller]

Using min. wage in the US which is about $7.50 an hour (240 Bt). And suppose you do work at somewhere like Walmart, or a fast food resturant, you will not be working anymore than 29 hours per week, so that the company can avoid providing benefits to their employees. So (before SS and medicare tax) you will get about $900 per month or about 29k Baht. Oh and that's with no paid holidays either.

When you factor in how expensive medical care is in the US and how cheap it is in Thailand, the answer is very simple. A 30k baht per month salary in thailand is better than one minimum wage job in the US.

Of course you could work a 2nd job, or a 3rd job, as many Americans do.

On a final note, the fact that people work for peanuts is a good trait and only snobbery of a few elitist would deride such people that do.

[MJP]

Using min. wage in the US which is about $7.50 an hour (240 Bt). And suppose you do work at somewhere like Walmart, or a fast food resturant, you will not be working anymore than 29 hours per week, so that the company can avoid providing benefits to their employees. So (before SS and medicare tax) you will get about $900 per month or about 29k Baht. Oh and that's with no paid holidays either.

When you factor in how expensive medical care is in the US and how cheap it is in Thailand, the answer is very simple. A 30k baht per month salary in thailand is better than one minimum wage job in the US.

Of course you could work a 2nd job, or a 3rd job, as many Americans do.

On a final note, the fact that people work for peanuts is a good trait and only snobbery of a few elitist would deride such people that do.

Top post! Precisely. Exactly, old chap! Well said.

[suzannegoh]

3-4 dollars and hour?

Try $30 an hour.

One hour classes after school, ten kids at 100 baht each, that's 1000 baht. Five days a week, that's 5000 baht, or 150 bucks for a half day's overall work. I know some who are doing that, plus a few hours each on Saturday and Sunday. And they're paying $60 a month on the rent.

I also know people who teach two hours a day, one-on-one for 500 each adult. Attorneys and doctors and such.

Beats the hell out of Mickey D's.

EDIT: Reading post #2, yes miserable. But the smart ones use their position as a teacher to open doors for said private lessons.

Okay, I stand corrected. Makes sense now.

Just so as not to mislead anyone, let alone get some burger-flipper in Buffalo all excited and jumping on a plane, it takes time and contacts and ability to make this kind of money in an ongoing manner. The parents of these kids aren't the typical Thai parent (the 500 baht per hour one-on-one lessons). If you can't teach, they'll catch it and you'll be off down the road. And probably blacklisted to boot.

It's also against the law in Thailand.

There are no work permits issued that allow foreigners to teach private lessons, off school premises or out of school hours.

Get caught and you will be jailed and deported.

Which explains all the more why they do it. If it's under-the-table money then it is tax free. But it's hard to believe that the typical English teacher is pulling in $30 per hour. I'm sure that there are examples of well qualified educators who make good money, and of vagabonds posing as English teachers who are good at hustling up a few baht, but the English teachers that I encounter seem to live a lot more like backpackers than like corporate expats.

Edited July 22, 2014 by suzannegoh

[Brit_Doggie]

Simplistic answer,they come here maybe through divorce or wanting a new life etc,most dont have the income to support themselves so make out they teachers or the like which then gives them the pittance that the OP mentioned and hey presto i can now afford rent and food.

Living in pattaya i often see the balloon chasing gangs (cheap charlies) getting their fill of free food, for the cost of singing happy birthday.

As the proverb goes,You can't have your cake and eat it, but you sure as hell can someone elses.