Jon
Working in: Bangkok
Monthly Earnings: 75-80,000
Q. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
A. 70-85k a month from both university work plus extra jobs. I teach 15 hrs a week at the university and another 15 to 18 at outside gigs.
Q. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
A. I try to save 20k but mostly that goes towards traveling.
Q. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
A. 21,000 for a three-bedroom, three-bathroom house with maid's quarter' near The Emporium
Q. What do you spend a month on the following things?
| a) Transportation | not much since I don’t need transport to work. I guess around 1000 a month just getting around. |
|---|---|
| b) Utility bills | 4500 baht a month. I like air-con! There is also cable and ADSL plus 4500 for a maid |
| c) Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping | as little as 50bt a day with the weekly restaurant meal or two and monthly trips to Carrefour at around 2000bt. All in I’d say around 5000bt |
| d) Nightlife and drinking | around 2000-3000b |
| e) Books, computers | I like books and magazines, 1500 on books and computers |
Q. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
A. Middle class I guess. I buy toys constantly and take at least 2 serious trips a year. Favorite hobbies are golf and Scuba…both expensive.
Q. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
A. Food and hotel rooms if you don’t mind staying in cheaper digs
Q. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
A. In Bangkok I think 25,000 to scrape by and 40,000 to live comfortably.
Phil's analysis and comment
Interesting one. I'm presuming that Jon is a single guy. If that's the case, then 70-85K a month is a good amount of money. A single man can live very, very comfortably on that income in Bangkok. That said, Jon certainly works hard for it. 30-33 contact teaching hours a week and probably a fair bit of travelling is no picnic. Scuba, golf and boys toys don't come cheap and I'm not surprised Jon only manages to stash away 25% of his salary. I would be looking to save more than that but it's different strokes for different folks I guess. I don't think there's any need to pay 21K a month for rent and what on earth do you do with the two bathrooms you're not in? The Emporium by the way is one of Bangkok's premier shopping malls and certainly one of the swankier areas of town.
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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.
