Why do so many farang here work for peanuts?

[slipperylobster]

Cheap street food....thats why the stay.

[mrdome]

The OP has obviously never taught anything before. Teaching *in the ideal case* can fill you with a deep inner satisfaction that money simply cannot buy.

Working at a burger joint is in many cases a soul killing crap job.

[mrowe1973]

Here is what you do go work at mcdonalds in America and then go rent a place, get a car, pay insurence, buy food, pay utility bills and try to date, or marry an American lady. Then go teach on 30,000 Bhat a month a do the same thing with your salery. Afterwards, ask your self where do I gave a higher quality of life? You'll then be able to see why some choose one country over another...

[Soutpeel]

Working at a burger joint is in many cases a soul killing crap job.

Yes think of poor old Ronald McDonald, he must be a manic depressive and he has to wear a clown suit to boot.

[SheungWan]

The OP has obviously never taught anything before. Teaching *in the ideal case* can fill you with a deep inner satisfaction that money simply cannot buy.

Working at a burger joint is in many cases a soul killing crap job.

'A deep inner satisfaction'? Oh yes!

[SheungWan]

Working at a burger joint is in many cases a soul killing crap job.

Yes think of poor old Ronald McDonald, he must be a manic depressive and he has to wear a clown suit to boot.

You think the average teacher dresses better?

[Hua Laan]

Why would somebody work here for a low salary? Plenty of reasons can be the cause. Besides all kinds of mentioned negative reasons there can also be positive arguments. Like my home country is "seen it, done it, been there", so I like to experience something totally different now in the autumn of my career.

If you come here with your western filled wallet together with your western mentality and judgement you are bound to fail if you, at least for a little bit, want to take part as a member of the Thai working society. Adjustment to local reality (how hard that may be sometimes) is strictly needed, otherwise you will always be the outsider.

Now for local reality: a salary of something like 30000 THB a month, is called a very good salary in this country. In many cases a bonus is a substantial part of the yearly income, so most likely the salary including bonus would 40000 THB a month. In which case you probably already earn more than 80% of the local people do. Add up some other benefits, social healthcare and a valid title for a yearly visa. Another "benefit" is that as an employee of a Thai company you come to places and meet people you would never meet as a retiree or whatsoever.

As for the accounting part: the cost of living here are about 30-40% compared to the States and Europe. In order to get the same material quality of life I should have a 3000 USD (after IRS) salary in the States. All and all the difference is not that big as long as you stay away of the go go bars, don't need to eat western food everyday and are not addicted to paid sex........

[mrdome]

A friend of mine's company expenses are 260k baht p/m. For housing and international school.

Then he gets his Thai salary to his Thai account, and also his British salary to his UK account.

Says he can't wait to be able to move his family out of this death-trap 3rd World joke of a place, but is tied here financially for the next few years.

Always lovely when outsourced ex-pats appreciate their new (fully paid for) homes. I guess his desired postings in Pakistan and Saudi were already taken? What a pity, I hear they offer killer recreational activities.

[bangkoklasse]

I still find it " absolutely amazing " that anybody needs to earn 30,000 baht a month to live on! 10,000 baht a month is plenty to live on here in Thailand.My rent is 4,000 baht a month with balcony ( in naklua ) and the rest is for food and bills! OK i dont drink or smoke or have any interest in " Bars,booze or football " and i am single too! (out of choice) Its an " outside life " here in Thailand offering " walks,beaches and all in the glorious sunshine that costs " nothing " ! I couldn't think of anything worse than being " trapped in a classroom all day with aircon" with the glorious sunshine outside!

I'm off to the beach!

With your (non)interest and lifestyle, why live in Naklua(Pattaya) Everything you don't like is exactly what that place offer Farangs

[EASYDOGG]

What one needs to consider is that if some of these foreign workers were to return home, what would they be returning too? Many people, apart from a lucky few, don't have much left from their salary in the west after paying taxes, bills like insurance, healthcare, running a car, food, etc.

30,000 baht sucks in Bangkok, but in other cities one could be quite comfortable if they don't have a hedonistic lifestyle, chain smoke. and need to eat Farang food all the time. Would you rather be hard up here or in London? Here you get the culture, food, weather, and likely a girlfriend too.

Edited May 14, 2014 by EASYDOGG

[surfinglife]

yes, the wages of most farangs in Thailand are peanuts....but farangs prepared to work for peanuts are usually not more skilled than monkeys so no harm done.....

[bangkoklasse]

Two English Teachers share an apartment beside mine. One make 30k a month and the other 26k a month. When I asked them if that was the reason they shared a 1 bedroom apertament. They told me yes. They are very nice, but they never have enough money.

[Strangebrew]

It's not how much you make it if you like doing what your doing. I had many jobs over my life some paid very well but I hated the job others paid porly and job was ok. I ended up finding a job I loved which was truck driving. Pay was good work was awesome hours long but didn't care. It put three daughters thru college Got a great retirement plan from with medical for life Bought several houses and made good investment . Had friends in high paying long hours hated the work were unhappy while I always had a smile on my face.I could get a seat anytime in the finest resturants in the entire state anytime. But that was do to the fact knew most of the owners from my job. Most of my friends in those high paying jobs came with high stress only a few still living. While I'm still going strong guess the hard work exercise fresh air paid off. So whtever you do because you love doing it. In the end it is yourself that you need to please not others.

[bangkoklasse]

What one needs to consider is that if some of these foreign workers were to return home, what would they be returning too? Many people, apart from a lucky few, don't have much left from their salary in the west after paying taxes, bills like insurance, healthcare, running a car, food, etc.

30,000 baht sucks in Bangkok, but in other cities one could be quite comfortable if they don't have a hedonistic lifestyle, chain smoke. and need to eat Farang food all the time. Would you rather be hard up here or in London? Here you get the culture, food, weather, and likely a girlfriend too.

But also consider if they don't return and just keep on working for that low salary you wrote. They probably can't afford any healthcare/insurence here on that salary. And can't really afford to save for the retirement/pension. What will they do if having an accident or when they get older and have to stop working without any pension?

[transam]

What is peanuts ? In farangland I did OK but the system took it away, in LOS they do not take my peanuts away. If you come here you really must REMEMBER where your hi-so cash in farangland went OP..............

[bangkoklasse]

Yes I agree that in Farangland the system take a lot away. But at least from where I used to live I got free healthcare and a rather good pension for it. Here if working I would get nothing. An English teacher from my country (Sweden) would have a pension of 100k baht to live on here when he/she is retired.

[transam]

Yes I agree that in Farangland the system take a lot away. But at least from where I used to live I got free healthcare and a rather good pension for it. Here if working I would get nothing. An English teacher from my country (Sweden) would have a pension of 100k baht to live on here when he/she is retired.

They, or some do have a good pension in LOS. My Thai friend just retired with a 40,000bht a moth pension. To me that is cool........

[star kicker]

i teach private students at 500 baht/hour. sure it's much less than i could earn back home but then i am financially secure and dont need to work.

i choose to work because i enjoy working. working is good for the self esteem and i meet educated, interesting thais through my work.

i also have the satisfaction of bringing students from elementary level to intermediate and above level of english ability.

i have seen foreigners selling cosmetics in shopping malls and a thai owned small restaurant near my place has a foreigner behind the bar. cant see there being much money or job satisfaction in those jobs but everyone's different.

[pjmansions]

its a small salary compared to western salaries but money goes quite far here and can be 3 times more than Thai teacher is earning, then we have the weather, new culture and experiences, not taxed to death. girls who may well be out of our league at home, LPG costs me 13 baht a litre, beer is cold, have a home that i could just about afford at home yet here it is paid in cash, i can work or not work here my choice,

Oh and did i mention the sun is shining and about to poor myself an ice cold beer watch a classic movie while i wait for my beautiful wife to drive our LPG car to out fantastic 4 bedroom home

Yes you are right why do we do it

[KittenKong]

i teach private students at 500 baht/hour. sure it's much less than i could earn back home but then i am financially secure and dont need to work.

i choose to work because i enjoy working. working is good for the self esteem and i meet educated, interesting thais through my work.

i also have the satisfaction of bringing students from elementary level to intermediate and above level of english ability.

i have seen foreigners selling cosmetics in shopping malls and a thai owned small restaurant near my place has a foreigner behind the bar. cant see there being much money or job satisfaction in those jobs but everyone's different.

I hope that for their 500B they learn how to use capital letters.

[lostinisaan]

Working in McD's in Chicago may earn you more money, but it sure ain't a fun place to live.

Why would anybody work for such a junk food company? Isn't it true that some people need three jobs in the States to survive?

Better 30+ K at a Thai school, with a lovely family than 40+ K at Ronald's junk yard with nobody to talk to.

OP, are you a Big Mac?

Edited May 14, 2014 by lostinisaan

[lostinisaan]

Two English Teachers share an apartment beside mine. One make 30k a month and the other 26k a month. When I asked them if that was the reason they shared a 1 bedroom apertament. They told me yes. They are very nice, but they never have enough money.

They might be a couple, what's wrong with it?

[Som wat]

You guys are converting it all wrong.

2 Hours = 1,800b = beer, fried beer food and sex with a 21 yr old Asian.

2 Hours = us$300 = -us$100 because of the $400 tax.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Som wat

[kinmaew]

Beautiful PUSSY with no hassles.

[pacovl46]

First of all, 30K isn't peanuts unless you want to live the high life and go and get drunk every night at some tittie bar. While I was still living and working in Thailand I got 35000/month. I had rented a studio apartment,which set me back about 5000/month including water, electricity and internet. With the remaining 30K I lived a nice little life. I had everything I needed and didn't have to think twice about every satang I spent.

Secondly, I got the 35000 for only 20 hours of work a week. That's alright even by German standards! And don't forget that the Thai teachers get less than half of that for twice the hours, which makes it difficult to justify, from the view point of the school, to pay a falang who might have a BA, if even that, substantially more than twice as much as a Thai teacher makes. Having said that, with a masters, employed by a university or an international school, a native English speaker might be able to make 100K or more.

Lastly, the peanuts one earns here provide a better life than 3x the amount of money back home. I just got back to Germany 2 months ago after 10 years in Thailand, and I can't believe how expensive everything got here in that one decade. I had a much better life in Thailand than in Germany for several reasons:

Life is MUCH cheaper in Thailand than in Germany in terms of cost of living vs. income.

Thailand is much more convenient when it comes to public transportation and availablility of services in general.

The weather is better.

I can be at the sea in a few hours, here I'm at a lake in some old quarry.

The people are nicer.

You don't need a car to get around.

Taxis are affordable.

I could go on forever, but I guess I've made my point.

:-)

[canarysun]

I still find it " absolutely amazing " that anybody needs to earn 30,000 baht a month to live on! 10,000 baht a month is plenty to live on here in Thailand.My rent is 4,000 baht a month with balcony ( in naklua ) and the rest is for food and bills! OK i dont drink or smoke or have any interest in " Bars,booze or football " and i am single too! (out of choice) Its an " outside life " here in Thailand offering " walks,beaches and all in the glorious sunshine that costs " nothing " ! I couldn't think of anything worse than being " trapped in a classroom all day with aircon" with the glorious sunshine outside!

I'm off to the beach!

With your (non)interest and lifestyle, why live in Naklua(Pattaya) Everything you don't like is exactly what that place offer Farangs

Hello!

Actually you are wrong! Most people would probably think the same but the great thing about Pattaya or " Naklua" is it has something for everybody! Naklua is nice and busy and i have many friends.Not many farang live here which is great! ( i didn't come to Thailand to meet farang! ) and we have a fab beach on the doorstep! great for long walks and swimming under the sun.Rooms are cheap as well 4000 baht a month is reasonable ( although when i was in chiang mai last month the same style room was 1000 baht a month! ) Weather is very good all year round in this part of Thailand and also easy access to the " Train Station " for trips out and about taking photos! so yes Pattaya offers much more than just " bars,booze,football & sex " LOL

[Naam]

I still find it " absolutely amazing " that anybody needs to earn 30,000 baht a month to live on! 10,000 baht a month is plenty to live on here in Thailand.My rent is 4,000 baht a month with balcony ( in naklua ) and the rest is for food and bills! OK i dont drink or smoke or have any interest in " Bars,booze or football " and i am single too! (out of choice) Its an " outside life " here in Thailand offering " walks,beaches and all in the glorious sunshine that costs " nothing " ! I couldn't think of anything worse than being " trapped in a classroom all day with aircon" with the glorious sunshine outside!

I'm off to the beach!

10,000 baht a month is plenty to live on here in Thailand.

for a "slightly" more comfortable life style an additional 15,000 Baht per month are required... for the electricity bill.

[mrdome]

The OP has obviously never taught anything before. Teaching *in the ideal case* can fill you with a deep inner satisfaction that money simply cannot buy.

Working at a burger joint is in many cases a soul killing crap job.

'A deep inner satisfaction'? Oh yes!

Were you being sarcastic or not? The '' aren't enough to tell.

[thaicookingchef]

Its good to have them work for cheap <3

Luckily there are many of these people here.

[Som wat]

"studio apartment"

That always gets me, who actually wants to live in a 30-35-40sqm box. A bed in the middle and just enough space to walk around it. A small mobile gas camping stove and mobike rice cooker as the kitchen. Just fold up the 2 chairs first to make space.

Couldn't do it for anything but a few days.