samsara

This is gonna be generalized.

Thais dont see farangs, especially those that teach, as being part of society. Holds true from the secretary who does all the copies at school, all the way up to bigwigs. Therefore, to compare "what TEFLers are worth" here with any other country, even other Asian ones carries no relevance oncesoever to whether salaries are fair or comparable between Thais and farangs. Thais are part of the system, farangs are not. Simple as that.

Look at it another way. Thailand is by no means a meritocracy. In fact, one could argue its the complete opposite of one. Skills very rarely dictate wages. Such is certainly the case when it comes to the world of education. It doesn't matter what your grades were, or how well you did on this or that exam, all starting salaries are the same. Everyone climbs the ladder -- a ladder with rungs bearing numerals indicating age not skill. This is how it is. Therefore, its a waste of time and effort to worry about salaries and benefits. Your answer to whether teaching in Thailand is worth it should be answered when you wake up early to teach a class you dont really want to, or when you change someone's life because you bring something new to the table, being different in many ways than Thais. This should guide you, not money or security. Face it, no farang is truly secure in Thailand because of the above. Cant own land, cant buy stuff, the list goes on and on. If its security you want, head back to your mother.