Mike
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 142,000 baht
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
My main job at a mid-size international school (with 700 kids) pays about 115,000 baht after tax (there is also a flight allowance and a small bonus but these are only paid annually). On Saturdays I teach 6 hours of IELTS classes for 9,000 per day. Occasionally I miss a Saturday if something important comes up. So, in total an average of 142k a month.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
Between 80k and 100k depending on expenses. I also find school holidays more expensive than term time.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I live in a relatively large one bed condo near Central Rama 9. It costs about 20,000 baht a month including all utilities. This is shared between my girlfriend and I.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
Petrol for the scooter I run is rarely more than 100 baht a week. Including the occasional taxi or MRT ride my transportation bill probably comes to about 1,500 baht. This is not a major expense.
Utility bills
I bundled these in with my rent (earlier question). However, they're itemised on our monthly condo bill and come to about 1.5k - 2.5k for electric, water and internet.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
Lunch and snacks come free at school and lunch has therefore become the main meal. During term time I'd say 8,000 baht per month, but in the holidays I probably spend 50% more than this
Nightlife and drinking
Taking on weekend work is not only bringing in more money, it's also put an end to big nights out (good for my health, but not great for morale). So, maybe 2-3k
Books, computers
Zero unless something breaks. My school has a great library which I make good use of.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
I feel like I'm saving good money, I like my condo and am in a happy relationship with a local lady (she earns enough to take care of herself and contribute towards rent). My only concern is weekend teaching as I feel that one day off work during term time isn't enough - despite the extra money it brings in. To answer the question I think my salary allows for a good standard of living, but I've always thought that, even 10 years ago when I was earning 30k.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
The water bill. I probably spend more on salt than I do on showering. Transport is cheap too (taxis, buses & internal flights).
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
As a foreign teacher with no local support network, I think life would now be tough in Bangkok on 30,000. For teachers looking to spend a significant portion of their life here, it's vital to be able to save for old age. Therefore I'd say at least 60k (30k for living and 30k for saving).
Phil's analysis and comment
Now Mike really does sound like a guy I could go for a pint with. Not because he's one of the teaching 'high rollers' but because he took a lot of time and care in filling in this survey and at no time does it ever come across as 'bragging'. Even though Mike earns good money, this is still a sensible, level-headed guy who knows the value of a dollar.
What I like about Mike's figures is how he's taken advantage of situations (and I don't mean that in a negative way at all) He's found himself a partner who is financially comfortable and pays half the rent. He's made the free lunch at school his main meal of the day (therefore cutting down on food costs) He makes full use of the school library. And of course the Saturday work can bring in an extra 36k a month and keep him out of the bars.
Life has handed him lemons and he's made a great big jug of ice cold lemonade. Nice work Mike!
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