Brian
Working in: Bangkok
Monthly Earnings: 43,500
Q. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
A. 43,500 baht (after taxes, 40,000 baht) I teach at a private language school in the heart of Bangkok. I’m considered the “head teacher,” although my salary doesn’t reflect that!
Q. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
A. Approximately 25,000 baht.
Q. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
A. I live in a small two story, two bedroom house in the Sathorn area. My rent is 6,130 baht/month.
Q. What do you spend a month on the following things?
| a) Transportation | 1,500 |
|---|---|
| b) Utility bills | 500 |
| c) Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping | 3,500 |
| d) Nightlife and drinking | 700 |
| e) Books, computers | Virtually nothing. I have many books at home. I also borrow books from friends). I have a computer, but I don’t have internet access, nor do I play games, buy software, etc. I very, very rarely buy a DVD. |
Q. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
A. My standard of living, for me, is very good. It is also higher than it was back home, breaking my spirit under high rents, lack of well-paying work, and expensive necessities.
Q. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
A. Food, clothing, holidays outside of Bangkok…
Q. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
A. To survive? 20,000 baht/month. In order to have a reasonable standard of living one should earn at least 40,000 baht/month.
Phil's analysis and comment
Everyone has their own priorities and I take my hat off to Brian for managing to save well over 50% of his salary, but there are very few teachers in the 35-50,000 earning bracket who follow his example.
If my maths is correct, then Brian is living on 15,000 baht a month and the cost of his house is coming out of that relatively small amount. There's no doubt that Brian does 'go without' on occasion. He has no internet access, his food bill is the lowest so far, and his utility bill of just 500 baht would suggest he survives without air-conditioning. His standard of living seems to be a lot lower than what I would settle for but sacrifices do have to be made if you're looking to save 25,000 baht a month.
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Ajarn Guests
Fear of change?
In Thailand the government has set 2012 as English Speaking Year with a goal of encouraging students to converse in English every Monday. Such policies are useful but the major leap of enacting legislation to make English an official language for Thailand is also needed
Software for student tests
The integration of internet and computers with education and English learning is something students find normal, and classrooms without some access to educational software may seem quaint. Some students may even feel they can get more ‘professional' teaching from the numerous online ELT sites if a school is behind in IT.
Whatever happened to the shopping mall teacher?
They are the shopping mall English teachers - gliding like pale, undernourished phantoms amid the hordes of weekend Thai shoppers. The main reason I empathize with the shopping mall teacher is because I was once one myself. I know how desperate and soul-destroying it can be.
About Ajarn.com
Ajarn.com was started as a small hobby website in 1999 by Ian McNamara. It was a simple way for one Bangkok teacher to share his Thailand experiences and pass on advice. The website developed a loyal and enthusiastic following. In 2004, Ian handed over the reins to Phil Williams and 'Bangkok Phil' has run the ajarn website ever since.
Ajarn.com has grown enormously and is now the most popular TEFL site in Thailand - possibly even South East Asia. Although best-known for its vibrant jobs page, Ajarn has a wealth of articles, blogs, features and help and advice. But one principle has always remained at Ajarn's core - to tell things like they are and to do it with a sense of humor. Thailand can be Heaven or Hell for an English teacher. It's always been Ajarn.com's duty to present both sides of the equation. Thanks for stopping by.
