Joe
Working in: Bangkok
Monthly Earnings: 71,000
Q. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
A. 41,000 from a school and 30,000 from a centre.
Q. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
A. 10,000
Q. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
A. 7,000 for a fully furnished condo
Q. What do you spend a month on the following things?
| a) Transportation | 13,000 |
|---|---|
| b) Utility bills | 5,000 |
| c) Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping | 15,000 |
| d) Nightlife and drinking | 2,000 |
| e) Books, computers | 2-3,000 |
Q. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
A. Comfortable by local standards, but not able to convert this internationally.
Q. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
A. Food
Q. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
A. 30,000 a month
Phil's analysis and comment
Joe is married with two children, so although he earns a relatively whopping 71,000 baht a month, his outgoings are high. I'm sure Joe would be the first to admit that if he were single, he'd be living the life of Riley on that sort of income. Although he didn't say in his e-mail to me, I bet holding down two jobs means teaching a lot of hours, but you do these things when you've a wife and kiddies to support.
Oh, the 13,000 baht for transportation includes Joe's car payments.
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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.
