Honey
Working in Nan Province
Monthly Earnings 30,000 - 40,000 baht
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
My government school salary is 25,000 baht plus I get extra income from private students every weekend.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
I save between 10-15,000 baht a month.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I live in a studio apartment two kilometers from school. It has no TV, no fridge, no heater, no air-con - just a ceiling fan.. I have my own queen-size bed, kitchen, bathroom and dining area. The rent is 1,800 per month. There are some Filipino English teachers who are also living at the same compound.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
Free. My school is very near from my home so sometimes i ride my bicycle, but most of the time I get a lift to school with a fellow teacher.
Utility bills
My water bill costs 50 baht, electricity costs 300-400 baht and wifi is free
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
My breakfast and lunch are free from Monday to Friday so I only have to find evening meals and food at the weekends.
Nightlife and drinking
Nothing really.
Books, computers
My school provides me everything that i need including laptop, books, projector and ipad. I do my research & download reading materials online.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Since the cost of living here is cheap, i am content to live in this part of the country. I am lucky that I get a comfortable room, i can buy everything i need, the supermarket is reachable by motorcycle or you could just hire a sungtaew and pay 20-30 baht,
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Food, accommodation and transportation.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
Well, it depends on the place that you are in. Bangkok is way too expensive. if you are a homebuddy like me & you live in a place where everything seems free and affordable, you could live like a king if you have 20k THB but if you are an outgoing, sociable, bar hopper and have a family to support, you could survive if you have 30k-40K THB.
Phil's analysis and comment
Nan Province is about as 'out in the sticks' as it gets so I'm not surprised that someone can survive on 30-40K - especially when your needs are few. The school also sounds like a very decent school to work for.
I suppose we all have our own definitions of the word 'comfortable'. Honey seems happy enough but living in a studio apartment with no air-con and no fridge certainly wouldn't be for me. I have lived like that in the past but as you get older you crave a few more 'creature comforts' I think.
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