Is min. wage really 300 THB / day?

[willyumiii]

Recently, my Thai wife has been offered a job at a local school.

She has time on her hands and could use a little extra pocket money...no problem!

But..the job only pays 5000 per month.

If she accepts the position, she will be required to work Mon. - Fri. 8 hours per day.

Most months that would be 20 days per month.

It seems to me that this comes to 250 THB / day.

How can this be if min. wage is now 300 THB/day.

I understand how a farmer or some small business may get away with paying less than the min.

But, if I am not mistakes, a school job is a government job.

How do they get away with paying less than the min.?

[eldragon]

Last time I checked it is 300/day. But, due to the fact that unemployment is very low, and many Thais would rather stay home than work for that, it tends to be a bit higher, although sometimes with longer hours.

It's supposed to be 15K/mo. for individuals with a Bachelor's degree. But there seems to be an exception for education. When I was teaching, some of the first year Thai teachers were making less that 10K/mo. So it wouldn't surprise me if administrative staff make less too.

Edited October 25, 2014 by eldragon

[Costas2008]

It is 300Baht per day according to the law.

Except for Cambodians, Burmese, Laotians, farang teachers, Digital nomads and some others.

I think they get a little less.

[neverdie]

The rate varies depending on location too. It's not just one rate country wide.

[jacksam]

This might sound rude but I can't understand how expats here esp if they are retired can have their wife/gf working for that sort of money per day.

Means you can't go and travel etc etc.

My gf doesn't work for that very reason. If we were in AU sure she could work and get at least 600/hour.

I could go home for a month and make 180000bath.

How could I have her work in Thailand

[casualbiker]

The rate varies depending on location too. It's not just one rate country wide.

It used to be BUT now it is a nationwide rate.. it is a day rate though .. monthly salary is classified differently!

And schools come under a different set of rules .. although 5,000 sounds low, 8k would seem more appropriate!

[eldragon]

This might sound rude but I can't understand how expats here esp if they are retired can have their wife/gf working for that sort of money per day.

Means you can't go and travel etc etc.

My gf doesn't work for that very reason. If we were in AU sure she could work and get at least 600/hour.

I could go home for a month and make 180000bath.

How could I have her work in Thailand

Some people just get bored. I know guys here on pensions that teach English for pennies to stay active.

[jdinasia]

It also depends on the job. Some jobs are not covered. Maids /janitorial /domestic help for example

[neverdie]

The rate varies depending on location too. It's not just one rate country wide.

It used to be BUT now it is a nationwide rate.. it is a day rate though .. monthly salary is classified differently!

And schools come under a different set of rules .. although 5,000 sounds low, 8k would seem more appropriate!

Ok. When did that happen CB.

I'm obviously outdated.....AGAIN 55555

[krisb]

This might sound rude but I can't understand how expats here esp if they are retired can have their wife/gf working for that sort of money per day.

Means you can't go and travel etc etc.

My gf doesn't work for that very reason. If we were in AU sure she could work and get at least 600/hour.

I could go home for a month and make 180000bath.

How could I have her work in Thailand

Can't really compare the 2 countries.

Lifes much more expensive in Aus.

[loong]

Maybe the salary takes into account that the schools are closed for 4 months per year.

Assuming that she will be paid for the time off.

[Aussieroaming]

This might sound rude but I can't understand how expats here esp if they are retired can have their wife/gf working for that sort of money per day.

Means you can't go and travel etc etc.

My gf doesn't work for that very reason. If we were in AU sure she could work and get at least 600/hour.

I could go home for a month and make 180000bath.

How could I have her work in Thailand

That's an impressive number of baths to make in a month

[Regyai]

Must be bird baths

[recycler]

The rate varies depending on location too. It's not just one rate country wide.

Since 1 January 2013 the minimum wage is 300 Baht all over the country. Before that there where differences per province.

The minimum wage is only applicable for Thai nationals.

[recycler]

Your wife should ask the school to elaborate on the offer and if it is not in line with the minimum wage than you can consider reporting the school to provincial labor department. But if you have kids in the school and want them to stay learning there you might reconsider.

Basically on a full time job the minimum salary should be about 9000 Baht per month. Normal working hours are 8 per day and the week is 6 days including Saturday. But government, schools, banks, and most office related companies work only 5 days.

[willyumiii]

This might sound rude but I can't understand how expats here esp if they are retired can have their wife/gf working for that sort of money per day.

Means you can't go and travel etc etc.

My gf doesn't work for that very reason. If we were in AU sure she could work and get at least 600/hour.

I could go home for a month and make 180000bath.

How could I have her work in Thailand

That's an impressive number of baths to make in a month

O.K.

Let's review the post.

1) I never stated that I was retired. I am not.

2) My wife has time on her hands.

That means she would enjoy something to do ( besides travel...travel is nice form time to time, but traveling consistently is a bore ).

3) She / we, like to give back to the community we live in.

4) She enjoys children and would enjoy working with them very much.

5) The money she would earn would be, as I stated " extra pocket money" crazy money if you like.

chances are that she will spend whatever she earns on the children.

We are doing all right and she does not need to work for us to "get by"

6) I only asked about the min. wage because I had heard it was now 300 THB / day in Thailand.

if we needed money to live on, it would need to be much more than 300 THB ( less than 10 USD ) per day.

Any more things you are unclear about?

No?

O.K. than go home, earn your 180000 per month

and then go take another bath!

[8OA8]

This might sound rude but I can't understand how expats here esp if they are retired can have their wife/gf working for that sort of money per day.

Means you can't go and travel etc etc.

My gf doesn't work for that very reason. If we were in AU sure she could work and get at least 600/hour.

I could go home for a month and make 180000bath.

How could I have her work in Thailand

Many people, both poor and rich people are more than happy to do something that they feel is a contribution to society, regardless of the salary. Or in the case of the wealthy, lack of any salary or payment.

[Estrada]

Since 2013, the minimum wage is B300 for Thais no matter where they are in Thailand. The effect of this has seen the closure of factories in the North of Thailand as there is no longer a wage cost advantage. On top of that logistics costs for getting finished goods to the port are much higher so it can cost more to manufacture up country. I know that Cambodian and Burmese workers are getting B250/day in Bangkok. Your wife can complain about the salary offered if she is Thai.

[amse]

My landlords daughter got an IT bachelor degree at Prince University in Phuket and started off getting 11,000 baht a month, then got her masters degree and making 15,000 baht a month, which is of course is a total insult according to western standards. I retired from teaching 5 years ago as a farang in Thailand, taught for 7 years, started at 25,000 baht and finished at 50,000 baht a month, specializing in kindergarten.

[Robert24]

Yes it's 300 per day and everywhere in Thailand as per what Estrada posted.

5000 baht per month for a full time job in a school sounds crazy to me. Teachers make easily 30-40k so I don't understand why your wife was offered such a low salary.

[Ulysses G.]

This might sound rude but I can't understand how expats here esp if they are retired can have their wife/gf working for that sort of money per day.

A lot of Thais just want something positive to do. Having a job might be the difference between a happy and an unhappy wife.

[willyumiii]

Yes it's 300 per day and everywhere in Thailand as per what Estrada posted.

5000 baht per month for a full time job in a school sounds crazy to me. Teachers make easily 30-40k so I don't understand why your wife was offered such a low salary.

She would not be teaching. She would be assisting a kindergarten teacher in the class room.

Helping maintain order in the classroom, keeping the kids clean.

I agree that the salary is low, but it is not a teaching salary.

BTW, Teachers here in this part of Isaan make 20- 30k,

Location has a lot to do with it!

[impulse]

This might sound rude but I can't understand how expats here esp if they are retired can have their wife/gf working for that sort of money per day.

Means you can't go and travel etc etc.

My gf doesn't work for that very reason. If we were in AU sure she could work and get at least 600/hour.

I could go home for a month and make 180000bath.

How could I have her work in Thailand

3 problems with a spouse that doesn't work:

1) Bringing in no income- really skews the power balance in a relationship.

2) Too much idle time to spend money- your money.

3) What do you talk about when you come home from work and he/she has been laying about eating bon-bons all day?

That doesn't even get into the more ethereal questions about work and personal satisfaction and "what are we here for?" Not saying the work has to be for money, but anything to get them out and interacting with other people where they have to do stuff they (perhaps) don't especially like. A little humility is a good thing. (Yes, I do have a pet peeve about non-working spouses of leisure that act like they are the ones working so hard and getting promoted and funding ever improving lifestyles- There, I said it)

The vast majority of us couldn't go back home for a month and make jack diddly. It would take several months just to find a job. And if we only stayed on said job for just a month, it would be doubly hard to find another job the next time we had a month on our hands.

[smotherb]

This might sound rude but I can't understand how expats here esp if they are retired can have their wife/gf working for that sort of money per day.

Means you can't go and travel etc etc.

My gf doesn't work for that very reason. If we were in AU sure she could work and get at least 600/hour.

I could go home for a month and make 180000bath.

How could I have her work in Thailand

Wow, I'd think it would be impossible to take 180,000 baths a month, you must be one clean jacksam.

Some people stay at home because they don't have the money to travel or, if they have the money, they don't want to spend it. Both my wife and I have turned down good paying jobs here because we want the freedom to travel, or just lay back at home. To each . . .

[arminbkk]

Yes it's 300 per day and everywhere in Thailand as per what Estrada posted.

5000 baht per month for a full time job in a school sounds crazy to me. Teachers make easily 30-40k so I don't understand why your wife was offered such a low salary.

It takes government teachers a very long time to reach that salary level, they will have to have been teaching for over 25 years.

Most start out at 8K a month and after 25 years will reach 25-30K.

They can turn in papers/essays or do a Masters to climb the salary scale faster.

I know because my wife did it, as an English teacher at rural government school.

Don't know where you get "easily 30-40k".

Note that I am talking about government school teachers.

But what I have heard from Thai teachers at private schools, it is not much better.

[eldragon]

Yes it's 300 per day and everywhere in Thailand as per what Estrada posted.

5000 baht per month for a full time job in a school sounds crazy to me. Teachers make easily 30-40k so I don't understand why your wife was offered such a low salary.

She would not be teaching. She would be assisting a kindergarten teacher in the class room.

Helping maintain order in the classroom, keeping the kids clean.

I agree that the salary is low, but it is not a teaching salary.

BTW, Teachers here in this part of Isaan make 20- 30k,

Location has a lot to do with it!

Those would be experienced teachers, likely with Master's degrees. New teachers at gov schools with a Bachelor's degree make around 9K/month, in BKK.

I wouldn't be too worried about it. Gov schools have a very laid back environment. If your girl just wants to stay busy and contribute to the community, she'll have a good time.

[neverdie]

The rate varies depending on location too. It's not just one rate country wide.

Since 1 January 2013 the minimum wage is 300 Baht all over the country. Before that there where differences per province.

The minimum wage is only applicable for Thai nationals.

Thanks.

[choochoo]

This might sound rude but I can't understand how expats here esp if they are retired can have their wife/gf working for that sort of money per day.

Means you can't go and travel etc etc.

My gf doesn't work for that very reason. If we were in AU sure she could work and get at least 600/hour.

I could go home for a month and make 180000bath.

How could I have her work in Thailand

these girls are from issan. Need i say more........................lol.

ITS a myth guys are marrying hi=so thai chineese...............lol.

[kinmaew]

10 bucks a day no wonder they all love farang!!

[MW72]

My GF's father and her brother have a few rai of farm land each. At harvest time they pay casual labour 250 THB a day to help with the harvest. The workers are all Thai locals. My GF always makes food for the workers and takes it down to the fields for them. They don't pay the minimum 300 THB a day but I suppose the free food makes up for that a wee bit. We are also in rural Phrae so the cost of living is a lot cheaper than in the cities.