Salaries In Bkk

[MarioZwepink]

Hi people,

I know a lot of people have questions about salaries in Thailand so I opened this new thread and hopefully people will discuss salary topics in here (I am not sure if there is already a thread related to this).

As for me,I would like to work in BKK by the end of this year. I am half Thai so I believe I have a sound understanding of Thai culture and local markets. I have a Bachelors in Marketing from Holland and currently doing a MBA from Greenwich in the UK. During my study I gained about 2 years experience in BKK through traineeships within respected companies. I know the salary will be very good if I can find a company in Europe to tranfer me (which might be beneficial for them,since I can bridge the gap between the HQ and the local office?) but I am not counting on that one since it mostly requires many years of experience and a great deal of luck. But with my background,what would you believe would be a good salary to ask if I am looking for a job in BKK? I am thinking about the field of Marketing,Business development or Account management.

Any ideas or suggestions would be very welcome. Please feel free to post your salary questions here so we can discuss. 2 know more than 1 right?

Well,thanks and hope to hear from you!

Mario

[Bluecat]

Let's be realistic.

You speak Thai, everybody speaks Thai here.

You speak english, the educated Thai people speak english too.

You have a master degree, I know so many people graduating from the best universities in Thailand having a master degree that it has become the rule more than the exception.

How much should you expect?

Please work in Europe first, get some experience and try to be sent in a few years time to Thailand by your company.

Otherwise, I am afraid you are going to be very, very disappointed,...

[MarioZwepink]

Thanks for the E-mail. You are absolutely right about the Thai people. The educated ones do speak English but still far from fluent (when educated in Thailand). They do have Master degrees but the Thai universities seem to be handing them out like candy.

And from my personal experiences I know that Thai MBA's are much lower rated by companies than the degrees from abroad. During my traineeship in BKK I was even surprised that my collegeagues couldn't even answer the most basic marketing-related questions and I felt it was pretty stupid that me,as a trainee (I know my humble place in an orgnaisation) I had to explain it to them! Its just one of my experiences. As a trainee (student!) I got a 25.000 salary which is more than some locals earn with some years of experience. Based on that,I believe in my market potential but it all depends on so many things. I do appreciate your input and hope we see more of that here in this thread.

Cheers

[samran]

plenty of people with masters from foreign uni's these days out there. You are going to have to compete with all of them, and there are alot of them about.

If you arrive in Thailand and start knocking on doors, you will be considered Thai. Given that, the going rate will be around 20,000 per month, even with the top companies, only up to about 25K to begin with

[dutch]

Mario,

You don't mention your nationality.(I suppose Dutch).

This will increase the salary costs for your future employer(visa costs).

You also not mention how fluent you are in the Thai language (can you also write and read?).

What support can you expect from the Thai side of your family?

Mario, you are young and have a good education.Many ex students will travel around for a while, after they finish their study.You like to find out about your other 50%.Just go for it.Prepare yourself (don't burn all the ships behind you).

You always can go back if you are doing the the things correctly.

If my son (he is like you, half Thai/half Dutch) would like to take the same step,I would fully support him.

[MarioZwepink]

Thanks for all the feedback. I am aware of the salaries in Thailand and a 25.000 starting salary is quite good for a Thai with an MBA. However, I was still a student when I got a 25.000 baht allowance from the compnay where I did an internship and a certificate of outstanding performance by the employee which complemented my other traineeship about 3 years ago. All these things make me believe I can take a shot for the (relatively) big bucks in BKK. With a job offer of 40.000 baht from a hotel (that I rejected) I am sure that with a little bit of searching and networking it must be possible to go for the 60.000 right? (I am also aware of the new minimum salaries)

I always leave an option open to get a job here in Holland for a year or two and hoping for a tranfer to BKK which would make things very pleasurable with a 2000 euro salary for a youngster like me (around 100.000 baht I guess?)

To Dutch:

Yes,I am thai-dutch and living in Holland and I am fluent in the Thai language. And have 2 years of experience in BKk gained in management traineeships. I have plenty of family in BKK and up-country that are very close with us so I can always fall back on them. They will provide me support any time...unlike some family ties here in Holland.

Like you said,I think I will just have to try because we can all guess,hope or think but eventually you will get what you will get! But its nice to discuss about it

Thanks for all the info!

[et33.com]

good luck mate...

[pokibubu]

why do you want to work in Bkk instead of Holland?

[Papa D]

Easy boys... Mario has ambition lets wish him the best of luck.

Yes Mario, as this forums members have point out, many expats in Bangkok have outstanding degrees from university's abroad.

Fortunately for you, most of these expats (from what I've seen) are the same one's on display at our town's better establishments and in thaivisa forums.

Good luck kid!