Farang EFL teachers' salaries totally unrelated to Thais - Page 3 - Ajarn Forum

hiso · 4th February 2005, 11:47

"I wished I average 7K a month - I spend maybe 35K /month on flights"

pathetic boast

mayb most farang YOU know are illegal workers - most the ppl I know are not english teachers and have decent jobs visas et al.

Almost all farang workers will have technically worked illegally at sometime.

while i agree that many thai's can never have a good level of english - it is a fairly well proven point that just because you were born into an english speaking envirionment does not mean that you are fluent by any stretch of the imagination -

proven by who?

we all got decent pension funds

And da grammar as well !

PeaceBlondie · 4th February 2005, 13:17

"We all got decent pension funds" is only grammatically correct when applied to the rare minority such as me, pensioned already by western standards. How many farang EFL TEACHERS will get 2% pension at age 60 for each year they taught in Thailand? Or whatever the government-officer teachers earn?

I thought kingwilly's comments were good insofar as they apply to petroleum workers and multii-national executives, but not to the folks who post on this forum as EFL teachers.

hiso · 4th February 2005, 14:23

I thought kingwilly's comments were good insofar as they apply to petroleum workers and multii-national executives, but not to the folks who post on this forum as EFL teachers.[/quote]

But even a 500,000 USD a year executive, who attends a informal meet and greet function with his new minions before he has work permit in hand is working illegally. Perhaps members of the international jet set like King Willy should keep this in mind.

Munted · 10th October 2006, 21:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covertjay

Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam
Quote:
Originally Posted by keegan
Life in Thailand is hard. if you have made the decision to stay here, it's not an easy road. .

So where else could a unqualified half-wit make enough money to drink huge amounts of beer, shag pretty girls, not live with their mums, work 25 hours a week, eat good food in restaurants most days and still clothe themselves......... not in the UK that's for sure.

Life in Thailand is a bloody walk in the park......it's when you leave that you realise how hard it is or when you return to the UK/west and realise how dam lazy you have become.

Nail on the head son.
__________________

This is so true. Except for the shagging bit. Can't afford the walkin' ATM route.

Ysaanoasis · 11th October 2006, 13:35

I cannot for the life of me figure out where you are coming from, PeaceBlondie. The majority of all the farang teachers I have ever met are working legally, with work permits, etc; and are satisfied with their 30k salaries, enjoy their students, and live very comfortable lives. Context is indeed everything.

Cyrille · 11th October 2006, 13:52

Wasn't the origin of this thread that PB was pointing out how misleading it is to assume that all farang teachers are comfortably off compared to their thai colleagues, based sumply on their salaries?

Seemed a well argued point, to me.

I also think that 'living a very comfortable life' on 35k is unlikely if you are literally talking about a whole life, retirement, children's education etc. included.

For sure 35k can make for an enjoyable interlude!

tomcat · 11th October 2006, 14:04

^...for about 2 weeks...

...in Nakhon Sawan...

haltest · 11th October 2006, 14:29

Quote:

For sure 35k can make for an enjoyable interlude

For sure but it's not enough to survive on long term.

I would guess you need to save at least 35,000 per month - 420,000 per year which is about 6,000 UK pounds per year in order to put some money away for education for any children you have, the occasional trip home, medical emergencies, saving a deposit for a place to live, pension, etc.

It is not easy making things work in Thailand, most Thais who are professionals get paid quite a lot of money and they have the whole social support network in place.

Thailand's a great place to get if you've got money, without any cash it would be hell on earth.

Ysaanoasis · 11th October 2006, 21:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrille

I also think that 'living a very comfortable life' on 35k is unlikely if you are literally talking about a whole life, retirement, children's education etc. included.

If you plan on going back to the West (or if you want to live an upscale Western style life in Thailand), obviously it is too little. But most farangs that I know are not in that category. They live a regular Thai lifestyle with occasional Western perks, and if you do that then 35k is obviously very doable for a comfortable life, total package, since you are making a lot more than most of those around you.

champagne charlie · 11th October 2006, 23:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeaceBlondie

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).

This is nonsense, PB. You're way off the mark here. If this has been your experience, then you're simply not doing it right and/or you don't know what you're talking about.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeaceBlondie

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.)

More BS. It appears you haven't been very successful in Thailand, and you're projecting your failure onto everyone else. Grow up, dude.

Cyrille · 12th October 2006, 15:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ysaanoasis

If you plan on going back to the West (or if you want to live an upscale Western style life in Thailand), obviously it is too little. But most farangs that I know are not in that category. They live a regular Thai lifestyle with occasional Western perks, and if you do that then 35k is obviously very doable for a comfortable life, total package, since you are making a lot more than most of those around you.

I'm not talking about going back to the west or leading an upscale lifestyle. I'm talking about the 'whole life' expenses mentioned in my post.

Do you know any Farang retirees who have a comfortable life at 60 years plus from earning 35k a year in Thailand for most of their adult lives?

I lived outside of Pattaya for 3 years in a pretty comfortable area with a lot of retired guys around. Not one of them had spent a substantial amount (let's say 20 years+) of their lives earning 35k in Thailand.

Without being facetious, if the farangs you know feel secure on 35k or thereabouts as their sole income for the rest of their working lives then good luck to them - they're gonna need it, imo.

chuck_s · 12th October 2006, 15:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by sigmoid

A. Foreign teachers don't really make that much more than Thai teachers. That's a myth. In some cases they will make less.

B. Who the heck spends 7000 baht/month on visas???

C. not sure about that - don't understand where you get the 108,000

D. If you're working illegally in Thailand it's your own fault. I doubt most foregners are doing so. But yes, most don't have permanent residency.

E. & F. True enough.

17,000 TBH a month for Visa. What are you doing, flying out to SG / HK every 30 days.

Average is about 2000 THB, add an extra 200 THB for BTS, Taxi, or bus far to the site. You can do cheaper to really if you have to, like catch a Casino bus at Lumpini park or get someone to take a trip with you.

kenkannif · 12th October 2006, 16:14

It can be done for around 20K plus say 4 more border runs to activate.....30K all in all or thereabouts.

Dr dude · 24th October 2006, 16:55

I don't understand the complaint, the pay for an English teacher is what it is, and all the whining and moaning in the world isn't going to change it. Don't like the pay and conditions of being a teacher in Thailand, for god's sake do something else. The world is too full of possibility and opportunities to sit around and complain about a situation you have the power to change. Did anyone promise you a high salary if you became an English teacher? If money is important, you should have gone into investment banking or something of that nature. ESL teaching is a low-paid occupation with no long-term tangible benefits, always has been always will be. However, for some people, the intangible aspects of the lifestyle compensate. Who ever told you that the world owes you the lifestyle you would like just because you decided to teach your native language to children in Northern Thailand? Stop whining and enjoy life or if you hate your life change it, but trying to change the rest of the world to suit your idealistic vision is not very productive, in fact it is a complete waste of time and mental energy.

Stamp · 24th October 2006, 18:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr dude

Stop whining and enjoy life or if you hate your life change it, but trying to change the rest of the world to suit your idealistic vision is not very productive, in fact it is a complete waste of time and mental energy.

I like this one. Well said.

Stamp