Farang Salaries In Thailand

[1Lucky]

I have just read a recent threat about typical salaries for Thai workers in LOS which to me seemed pretty shockingly low. I wondered how Farang salaries compared. I have a pretty good idea what English teachers here earn but what about the more highly paid jobs? What are the well paid jobs here and what do they pay?

Lucky

[thaihome]

I have just read a recent threat about typical salaries for Thai workers in LOS which to me seemed pretty shockingly low. I wondered how Farang salaries compared. I have a pretty good idea what English teachers here earn but what about the more highly paid jobs? What are the well paid jobs here and what do they pay?

Lucky

Well paid jobs are those where you get the same salary as in your home country, along with extra overseas pay, housing and education allowances, paid airfare home each year (2 times if you are single), car and driver, golf club membership, business class when traveling, etc. Some would think this is just for senior execs, but actually there a large number of middle level types on these packages.

Other well paid job is the contract/job shop types that get about the same as home country pay, but without the rest of the package. Generally they are paid a "housing allowance" in Thailand that is taxed and the rest is paid overseas, usually Singapore or HK. Depending on home country, they often pay no other tax.

These are not just westerners, there are many Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, Mayalasian, Singaporeans, etc on simialr packages.

My experience is limited to the Engineering and Construction business; other industries may have other deals.

TH

[BigSnake]

Salary range from Bt20000 to 100000 for good jobs that you are allow to hold in Thailand, we talking middle to upper mangment, in big companies like Shell, Esso

[Aujuba]

We just po' folks workin' like dogs til we slide into the pavement

[1Lucky]

Salary range from Bt20000 to 100000 for good jobs that you are allow to hold in Thailand, we talking middle to upper mangment, in big companies like Shell, Esso

BigSnake - did you mean per week?

also - sorry take thaihome's point that when saying 'farang' missed the large well paid asian community here such as Japan, Korea, etc. - sorry I should have just said expat instead of 'farang'. Any further insights into pay levels would be much appreciated. I was wondering who actually lives in all these new apartment blocks where each apartment has its own swimming pool, etc. Are there really that many loaded people in bangers??

Lucky

Edited December 23, 2006 by 1Lucky

[bkkmadness]

Salary range from Bt20000 to 100000 for good jobs that you are allow to hold in Thailand, we talking middle to upper mangment, in big companies like Shell, Esso

BigSnake - did you mean per week?

That's certainly not by month anyways, there must be a fair few people on this forum who are on 300 K plus a month packages plus living expenses etc. A well set up teacher could be bringing in 100 K a month.

Edited December 23, 2006 by bkkmadness

[bendix]

Any farang earning 100,000 a month in upper management positions in the likes of Shell and Esso is being severely shortchanged.

I suspect he left a zero off each figure and meant 200,000 - 1,000,000 per month.

In my experience there are several strata of farang salary.

1) The teachers who can earn between 25,000 - 100,000 depending on their qualifications and, more importantly, the quality of the school.

2) The long-term farang who are earning what i call 'thai+' salaries. We have several of them where i work; well educated farang who are here for personal reasons, doing jobs that many Thais could do, but earning more because of their overseas experience and English skills. They are doing 40k jobs for 70-90k a month.

3) Second tier expats who are here through choice and can command expat salaries, but probably don't pull in all the perks such as golf club memberships etc. They are paid a good salary and 'go it alone'. They would be in the 150,000 - 500,000 a month range.

4) Top top brass. Farangs who might as well be living in their own country -usually with families, living in gated compounds, chauffered around,and usually on short-term (2-3 year) stints. Their range would be 300-600k and up.

[1Lucky]

3) Second tier expats who are here through choice and can command expat salaries, but probably don't pull in all the perks such as golf club memberships etc. They are paid a good salary and 'go it alone'. They would be in the 150,000 - 500,000 a month range.

4) Top top brass. Farangs who might as well be living in their own country -usually with families, living in gated compounds, chauffered around,and usually on short-term (2-3 year) stints. Their range would be 300-600k and up.

so which positions fall into these two categories and is anyone willing to give indications of how these jobs are acquired and how much they actually earn?

My own experience is in the legal sphere. Farangs can't be lawyers here because of the Alien Business Act but they can help in law firms when deals involve english law etc and so are effectively advising on a kind of consultant capacity. Salaries at the top international firms would range from 300,000 thb per month for newly qualified lawyers to 3million+ thb for senior partners.

[thaihome]

Any farang earning 100,000 a month in upper management positions in the likes of Shell and Esso is being severely shortchanged.

I suspect he left a zero off each figure and meant 200,000 - 1,000,000 per month.

In my experience there are several strata of farang salary.

1) The teachers who can earn between 25,000 - 100,000 depending on their qualifications and, more importantly, the quality of the school.

2) The long-term farang who are earning what i call 'thai+' salaries. We have several of them where i work; well educated farang who are here for personal reasons, doing jobs that many Thais could do, but earning more because of their overseas experience and English skills. They are doing 40k jobs for 70-90k a month.

3) Second tier expats who are here through choice and can command expat salaries, but probably don't pull in all the perks such as golf club memberships etc. They are paid a good salary and 'go it alone'. They would be in the 150,000 - 500,000 a month range.

4) Top top brass. Farangs who might as well be living in their own country -usually with families, living in gated compounds, chauffered around,and usually on short-term (2-3 year) stints. Their range would be 300-600k and up.

Good list, but your #3 and # 4 are a little off. I guess they would be a 3a, they make home country salaries and but get all the other perks. We have almost a hundred like that in Thailand right now. They go where company sends them. Many have families as well.

TH

[kiakaha]

I know of a foreigner(an employee of a multinational) who makes around 1.5 million a month before tax and not including bonuses,allowances,perks etc...

I know of lots of foreigners who make between 200 and 1 million.Again, with multinational firms.

[thaihome]

A 500k baht a month salary, minus a 25% overseas uplift, is about USD 120K a year, not exactly an exorbitant amount, I would consider it pretty much middle class professional level, certainly not executive level.

TH

[Briggsy]

Do not dwell too long on this topic, it will poison your mind.

[meadish_sweetball]

If there are any 1,000.000 baht / month positions open, do not hesitate to give me a ring as I am worth it.

Well, my mama thinks so anyway.

[TAWP]

I'm only worth 1/10 of Meadish, so I will humbly accept 100.00/month

[old wanderer]

While not exactly on point, however, I have my hat in the ring and on the short list for a job in Jakarta (aviation related)

Salery 360,000/mo (company pays the taxes on top of this)

Housing Paid by company

Driver paid by company

work 4 weeks and then 2 weeks paid time off with a ticket back to Thailand.

So these kinds of jobs are around, just need to pull your head out of the sand to find them.

Edited January 7, 2007 by old wanderer

[naka]

While not exactly on point, however, I have my hat in the ring and on the short list for a job in Jakarta (aviation related)

Salery 360,000/mo (company pays the taxes on top of this)

Housing Paid by company

Driver paid by company

work 4 weeks and then 2 weeks paid time off with a ticket back to Thailand.

So these kinds of jobs are around, just need to pull your head out of the sand to find them.

Too true Wanderer ... And you don't land these jobs by asking about them on this forum

Naka.

[helicoptor]

Any farang earning 100,000 a month in upper management positions in the likes of Shell and Esso is being severely shortchanged.

I suspect he left a zero off each figure and meant 200,000 - 1,000,000 per month.

In my experience there are several strata of farang salary.

1) The teachers who can earn between 25,000 - 100,000 depending on their qualifications and, more importantly, the quality of the school.

2) The long-term farang who are earning what i call 'thai+' salaries. We have several of them where i work; well educated farang who are here for personal reasons, doing jobs that many Thais could do, but earning more because of their overseas experience and English skills. They are doing 40k jobs for 70-90k a month.

3) Second tier expats who are here through choice and can command expat salaries, but probably don't pull in all the perks such as golf club memberships etc. They are paid a good salary and 'go it alone'. They would be in the 150,000 - 500,000 a month range.

4) Top top brass. Farangs who might as well be living in their own country -usually with families, living in gated compounds, chauffered around,and usually on short-term (2-3 year) stint

[1Lucky]

While not exactly on point, however, I have my hat in the ring and on the short list for a job in Jakarta (aviation related)

Salery 360,000/mo (company pays the taxes on top of this)

Housing Paid by company

Driver paid by company

work 4 weeks and then 2 weeks paid time off with a ticket back to Thailand.

So these kinds of jobs are around, just need to pull your head out of the sand to find them.

Too true Wanderer ... And you don't land these jobs by asking about them on this forum

Naka.

I wasn't asking about the salaries because I was asking for a job - I just thought it was interesting to compare the Thai salaries detailed in the Thai salary threat with those earned by expats and also to see how generous my company was in terms of salary compared to others.

[wasabi]

In my experience there are several strata of farang salary.

1) The teachers who can earn between 25,000 - 100,000 depending on their qualifications and, more importantly, the quality of the school.

What do you have to do to be a teacher earning 100,000 is this possible for an English teacher?

Edited January 8, 2007 by wasabi

[kiakaha]

In my experience there are several strata of farang salary.

1) The teachers who can earn between 25,000 - 100,000 depending on their qualifications and, more importantly, the quality of the school.

What do you have to do to be a teacher earning 100,000 is this possible for an English teacher?

run a night job as a 5000 baht a pop gigilo to lonely japanese wives of expat japanese salarymen

[zzdocxx]

Know any US physicians practicing in LOS?

Just wondering.

[Khutan]

For a proper expat deal the pay should be from $500- USD a day to $1000- USD a day obviously depending on experience and fit with the role.

There would be all the side benefits on top of that such as housing, car, shhooling etc etc.

[bendix]

In my experience there are several strata of farang salary.

1) The teachers who can earn between 25,000 - 100,000 depending on their qualifications and, more importantly, the quality of the school.

What do you have to do to be a teacher earning 100,000 is this possible for an English teacher?

I suspect there are a few teachers working as heads of department in the international schools pulling in 100k plus. These would be 'career' english teachers, and NOT the opportunist teachers one sees propping up the bars of Nana Plaza most nights.

[bendix]

3) Second tier expats who are here through choice and can command expat salaries, but probably don't pull in all the perks such as golf club memberships etc. They are paid a good salary and 'go it alone'. They would be in the 150,000 - 500,000 a month range.

4) Top top brass. Farangs who might as well be living in their own country -usually with families, living in gated compounds, chauffered around,and usually on short-term (2-3 year) stints. Their range would be 300-600k and up.

so which positions fall into these two categories and is anyone willing to give indications of how these jobs are acquired and how much they actually earn?

My own experience is in the legal sphere. Farangs can't be lawyers here because of the Alien Business Act but they can help in law firms when deals involve english law etc and so are effectively advising on a kind of consultant capacity. Salaries at the top international firms would range from 300,000 thb per month for newly qualified lawyers to 3million+ thb for senior partners.

OK, i'll bite. I'm in the second tier expat category. I wasnt transferred to Thailand; in fact, I asked for the move myself based on the fact that I work regionally and can effectively work from anywhere. As such, I had no expectation (or need) for all the extra perks. I took my Australia-based salary and the firm I worked for converted it into Thai Baht -hey presto. I work as a marketing director for one of those 'top international law firms' you mentioned.

By 'top top brass' I mean the guys who are shipped over here with their families, usually CEOs of the local branch of an international company. Or high level engineers with specialist skills - that kind of role. I suspect they are usually 'short-term' expats, 2-3 years at most before heading back to another location or a plumb job at head office.

Or, of course, they are part of the diplomatic community.

Edited January 9, 2007 by bendix

[Doza]

I suspect there are a few teachers working as heads of department in the international schools pulling in 100k plus.

Easily closer to 150 - 200K with benefits. As for management, I have heard over 500K for the top administrators at the top schools (NIST / ISB / Patana).

An experienced and well qualified EFL teacher at an international school must be getting close to 100K easily too with benefits if recruited from abroad.

[markuk]

In my experience there are several strata of farang salary.

1) The teachers who can earn between 25,000 - 100,000 depending on their qualifications and, more importantly, the quality of the school.

What do you have to do to be a teacher earning 100,000 is this possible for an English teacher?

run a night job as a 5000 baht a pop gigilo to lonely japanese wives of expat japanese salarymen

where do i sign up????

[In the Rai!]

run a night job as a 5000 baht a pop gigilo to lonely japanese wives of expat japanese salarymen

I would love to give it a go.. I must make sure though not to offer a money back guarantee if not satisfied or I think I will find I will be doing it for free.

ITR