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Originally Posted by PeaceBlondie
For all practical purposes in the EFL profession in Thailand, there is absolutely no correlation between the salaries of Thai and foreigner teachers. None.
A. The farang is not Thai, not a govt. officer, not a native speaker of Thai language.
B. The farang is not a Thai citizen, and total annual expenses for visas may easily run 84,000 per year (averaging 7,000 baht per month).
C. The farang has no family here, no support network. If he wishes to see family, the 84,000 in part B may run to 108,000 per year (9,000/month).
D. Most farang are illegal workers, like Burmese street cleaners. Even with proper degree, they probably don't have work permit, proper visa, no permanent residency, etc.
E. They have a skill that 99% of the Thai EFL teachers will never have: native fluency in English. That alone puts them in a totally different labor pool or job market.
F. The farang get no pension, limited health insurance, no line of credit, no ability to own land or house in their own name, etc.
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PB, you are 62 ? Is that correct? I can see how a lot of those things may apply if your newish to Thailand and at a more senior age and if you had no savings. I mean that in absolutely no way disrespectfully. More that, guys who come in their 20's / 30's / 40's have more of an opportunity to build a long term life in Thailand.
Re C: Most younger guys who do intend to stay tend to end up marrying. In their cases, that means they do have extended family / support in place etc. In some cases that may not be such a good thing
However, in my case (and I'm sure a lot of other people's) I have a brilliant family on the wife's side. Very nice, extremely kind hearted people. (Before anyone asks, no... we don't support them.)
Re D: Anyone serious about staying will get a WP.
Re F: Again, younger guys who live here may or may not get some sort of inheritance from 'back home' at some stage in the future. Even something smallish will make a nice sum in Thailand. That's not a pension, but it can serve as one I'm sure. Personally, at 34, I'm not thinking that far ahead.
Further, me on 35 K has a greater opportunity to save than a Thai Ajarn on 11k. I'd rather that 24K each month than a pension at 60. If used correctly, that gives people plenty of time to 'prepare'.
Let's put that 35-40 K in context. It's not just more than a Thai Ajarn, it's more than most Thai accountants, pharmacists, dentists and close to some doctors.
The one key point IMO is owning poperty. We've paid off ours by working 'back home' for 3 years. Not hard to do. Plenty of nice places a farang can own.
I'd not recommend any farang get involved in a mortgage in Thailand. I just feel that means your essentially 'trapped' into debt and work for too long. Who wants to pay off 2 million baht over 20 years? Go home and do it over 3 or 4 years. By the time that's cleared, age and retirement issues could be difficult to overcome. :sad: