How much less would your monthly expenses be if.....

[bangmai]

you didn't teach, but lived the same lifestyle and consumed the same amount of drinks. Free meals at school would have a value, but so do clothing and transport costs, that you wouldn't have if you weren't teaching. Lots of discussions about budgets, I would like to see some estimates of the costs to work. on a monthly basis.

[Suradit69]

Like most questions that have to do with budgets, it would vary widely depending on your location and your personal tastes and whether or not you're a foreigner on short stay here or a Thai staying in the family home.

Somehow I doubt significant amounts are spent on wardrobe that would never be worn anywhere but teaching, especially in the rural areas, particularly on a monthly basis. If you're teaching at university or one of the better international schools in a urban setting, maybe that would be greater, but I still doubt most teachers make monthly purchases of clothing specifically employment related.

Transportation costs may be negligible for some and significant for others.

And if you're spending much of the day in school, you're less likely to be spending your days doing other things that cost money ... entertainment, travel, etc. If you weren't teaching, you'd inevitably find other ways to occupy your time and to spend cash.

Edited September 8, 2015 by Suradit69

[PattayaPhom]

All the teachers I know wear the same worn out shiny trousers that are originally purchased form Big C or Tesco for 299 baht, cheap cotton shirt and even cheaper shoes, most rely on old bikes or song teaw for transport...I think you would end up spending more as the time on your hands would lead to expenditure which again the teachers seem to spend all on large bottles of leo or Archa beers.

[duanebigsby]

Disagree with the wardrobe answers.

My school demands the government shirt for Thursdays, white shirt and tie for Monday and Wednesdays, purple collared shirt and tie for Tuesdays and lanna shirts for Fridays.

I have 5 pairs of 1000 baht trousers, ties are not cheap and the white shirts stain after time and need replacing. If I didn't teach I would rarely wear shoes, just flip flops or runners.

I have to have nice shoes for each day.

It adds up.

P.S. I don't eat that free meal at school, it's horrible junk!!

[steven100]

teachers don't get much money, hence cheap charlies.

[robblok]

teachers don't get much money, hence cheap charlies.

Says the man who bought a 150bt keyboard.

Dont judge people on how much money they have.. you never know how things can change. I am doing ok but you never know what can happen. No reason to look down on people.

Edited September 8, 2015 by robblok

[bangmai]

I suppose it is difficult to quantify. As stated, that is time when you are not spending money elsewhere. The amount might be more significant in BKK, where you could be spending 100 thb per day on transport, and might be required to wear nicer clothes. Many teachers claim to spend quite a bit on school supplies/copies, while others draw the line with a box of golf score pencils, that they resell to the students at a 200% profit. I know in my OP, I stated drinking the same, but am I the only one, who drank about three times more than I had previously, while doing teaching jobs?

[Minnehaha]

I taught at private school in Chiang Mai in '90 - 93 and also at CMU. I had free housing on campus at the school, lunch, and use of a Vespa, which was a classic model that I had renovated, painted, and it was great. No air con at home, but then again none at school either. CMU had some aircon but I was not there a lot.

Pay was 7,000 Baht a month at my peak . It started at 5,000 a month. And that was more than my Thai counterparts. I had private classes and made another 5,000 or more.

Never cooked at home. Bought all my clothes back in home country. They don't have my size here.

I estimate that I spent about 8,000 on beer (Kloster was 35 Baht I think; Carlsberg came (and went) and it was 30 if I remember. A portion of that was spent on girls of all kinds, though few were actually taken out of the bar so very small amount was bar fines. We would wait till they finished work or whatever. I also went through stages of focusing on University girls, married women (lots of fun when you are 24), department store sales girls (who were the most boring and expensive), and so on. So some of the money was not spent on beer, but only a small amount.

In conclusion, I have no idea what a budget would look like for a teacher now.

[bangmai]

I taught at private school in Chiang Mai in '90 - 93 and also at CMU. I had free housing on campus at the school, lunch, and use of a Vespa, which was a classic model that I had renovated, painted, and it was great. No air con at home, but then again none at school either. CMU had some aircon but I was not there a lot.

Pay was 7,000 Baht a month at my peak . It started at 5,000 a month. And that was more than my Thai counterparts. I had private classes and made another 5,000 or more.

Never cooked at home. Bought all my clothes back in home country. They don't have my size here.

I estimate that I spent about 8,000 on beer (Kloster was 35 Baht I think; Carlsberg came (and went) and it was 30 if I remember. A portion of that was spent on girls of all kinds, though few were actually taken out of the bar so very small amount was bar fines. We would wait till they finished work or whatever. I also went through stages of focusing on University girls, married women (lots of fun when you are 24), department store sales girls (who were the most boring and expensive), and so on. So some of the money was not spent on beer, but only a small amount.

In conclusion, I have no idea what a budget would look like for a teacher now.

That's a good read, especially since I live across the street from CMU, without air-con. I haven't paid a barfine since 2006. I'm a little old for the uni girls (although some are quite "experienced"), but there is certainly something for everyone up here. The 7-11 in front of the government hospital is looking pretty healthy at about 17:00. Lots of department store girls at the malls, and countless older ladies in the suburbs. Still great food up here for 30-35 thb. So sounds like things have stayed pretty much the same including the pay, lol.

[maidee]

if you come here to be a teacher, better stay at home ?

better salary, benefits, free healthcare, people speak your language

[carter1882]

I taught at international schools in Bangkok for twenty years until 2013. Then I quit at age 52 to concentrate full time on Scrabble, a game. I play professionally. My costs have changed. I spend much more time at home. I visit the gym almost every day, I am lucky enough to have one to use for free so this is a no cost activity. I never used to use my pool but now I swim every day. Another free activity. Due to the activity I eat much more just to maintain weight. My school meals and snacks were pretty good and I used to eat only one meal a day at home now I eat three and have lots of tea and coffee that I have to pay for. My food costs have gone up. Fuel costs are similar; I do not need to drive to school but I drive to Big C. I used to drink a little after work perhaps once or twice a week...I now drink about once a month, if that. I dont need to dress particularly well any more and I have enough casual clothes to last twenty years. I used to have a large salary and this has made me mindful now that when travelling I should keep the costs down. I use couchsurfer when I play in Scrabble tournaments around the world. People are intrigued by my lifestyle and offer me free accommodation. So my main costs are air tickets but due to the fact that I have more time I can save money by going via Timbuktoo and reading or writing in airports to productively use time. Other Scrabble related costs are offset by prizemoney though this has not been enough lately! I have PR and my school used to pay for my endorsements so now my costs are 5,700 baht extra per year to exit the country multiple times. Quitting work when I was at the height of my school career was a risk financially but a no brainer for personal satisfaction and enjoyment. Overall, my costs have gone down, though this is mainly due to lifestyle changes but my focus has increased and the pleasure gained from life with my Thai family has increased immeasurably. You cannot put a price on that. Of course I have savings, assets and a place to live but I post this because I was determined to quit my job before I got too old and wanted to change my approach to life while I still had the energy and enthusiasm to do so. People say to me, "you're lucky"; as with Scrabble, you make your own luck.

[chrisinth]

I suppose it is difficult to quantify. As stated, that is time when you are not spending money elsewhere. The amount might be more significant in BKK, where you could be spending 100 thb per day on transport, and might be required to wear nicer clothes. Many teachers claim to spend quite a bit on school supplies/copies, while others draw the line with a box of golf score pencils, that they resell to the students at a 200% profit. I know in my OP, I stated drinking the same, but am I the only one, who drank about three times more than I had previously, while doing teaching jobs?

I think the biggest problem with the OP is that if the person wasn't teaching, they wouldn't be getting an income.

In that scenario, they would probably have a great one or two months before the funds ran out. i think it is safe to guess that the majority of teachers here do not have serious savings to live off just to save on clothing and transport?

[Scott]

If I didn't work, it would cost me more. During the day, I am using the school resources -- air conditioning, food. Clothing is not a huge expense, we have shirts that the school supplies or that we buy for a nominal cost and all are quite wearable outside of school.

I live within walking distance to the school and if I do drive for the school my petrol is paid for. The school provides breakfast and lunch.

If I stayed home, I would have to do a lot more cooking (and I cook mostly Western food, so expensive). I would have to do a lot more driving and shopping. Where I live there is no easy access to shopping and no food vendors nearby.

My social life would be nil unless I went out....so, working is probably cheaper.

[Tchooptip]

teachers don't get much money, hence cheap charlies.

Says the man who bought a 150bt keyboard.

Dont judge people on how much money they have.. you never know how things can change. I am doing ok but you never know what can happen. No reason to look down on people.

Personally, all my life I used to say : Don't make fun of the rich people, no one knows what the future reserves us