# Employment Contract/Salary advice. To go or not to Go?



## fluedrengen (Sep 8, 2012)

I would appreciate your feedback on the package I have been offered. My wife and 1 child can move to Thailand on a local package, but we really cant work out if our estimated expenses are sensible. My wife wont be working there, and we are in comfortable jobs in Europe, with "fat" pension contrinutions coming each month, as well as of course health care and schooling covered by the state. In Thailand we have to cover these ourselves, but car and fuel is provided along with internet and 1 mobile phone (+ 2 return flights/year). We live "normally" and would eat out most of the time, a mix of Thai and international. We dont drink or smoke, but do like holidays. 

Below is our budget: 

Thailand (all costs per month)	TH THB
*Post tax income	228000*
House/apartment rent 20000
TV package 3500
Gym membership 3600
Electricity (1 room at night) 3000
1 Mobile phone 1400
Water 300
Pension payments 42000
Unemployment saving/house saving	40000
Dining and entertainment 20000
Holiday savings 6000
Groceries 12000
Child stuff 3000
Transport wife (bus/taxi) 3000
Personal allovance total 22000
Dental saving 2000
School and kindergarten savings 35000
Insurance 2 people 8000
Other savings/backup 3200

What do you think???


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## cnx_bruce (Feb 2, 2010)

Hi there - just a few points as I am sure others will contribute more detailed responses

1. There is no "normal" lifestyle (and hence living costs). The topic of "how much do I need to live in Thailand" is ften asked in expat fora and I have read many of them. There is a massive range in terms of the money that different people think they 'need' to live here. There are many personal variables but in essence the more you can live a thai lifestyle then the less it costs. The more you want to live a western lifestyle (esp. for eg. western food restaurants) then you may find it is not much cheaper living here at all.

2. Your wife will probably struggle to get employment here. It really is quite tough for foreigners to get a decent job unless they fall into a few niche job areas - or are willing to become an ESL teacher. Salaries for local hires are generally low in most fields.

3. One of the big ticket items in Thailand is international schooling. Have you looked into the different types of schools avail here and the respective costs. If you want you child to grow up fluent in English then you are basically looking at sending him/her to an international school


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## fluedrengen (Sep 8, 2012)

cnx_bruce said:


> Hi there - just a few points as I am sure others will contribute more detailed responses
> 
> 1. There is no "normal" lifestyle (and hence living costs). The topic of "how much do I need to live in Thailand" is ften asked in expat fora and I have read many of them. There is a massive range in terms of the money that different people think they 'need' to live here. There are many personal variables but in essence the more you can live a thai lifestyle then the less it costs. The more you want to live a western lifestyle (esp. for eg. western food restaurants) then you may find it is not much cheaper living here at all.
> 
> ...


Bruce, thanks for your comments. We do plan to live pretty much Thai style, meaning mostly Thai food and local holiday (cause we have the free car). My wife has a PhD in History (speciality in Colonian Malaya) and is a Singaporean. She has good contacts to several professors in BKK universities, and she is quite sure she can land a teaching job giving her at least 50k THB/month, but we have not factored that income into our family income as she may not get a job at all. 

For international schooling we plan to save up 35000THB/month. Our daughter is 5 months old now, and by the time she starts primary school, this would allow us to spend 350000 THB/year, increasing to 450000THB/year from secondary school (of course adjusted for inflation and in todays money). Should my wife get a job, we may also see lower education expenses, but with this amount set aside each month until she is basically 21, we try to play it safe. In terms of becoming fluent in English we should be ok, as my wife and I only speak English, and thats her mother tongue too.

I guess the main challenge is, that we are not sure if we can live properly on the set personal allowance amount, the set dining and entertainment amount and the set holiday amounts. Any feedback/experience here would be appreciated.


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## stednick (Oct 16, 2011)

fluedrengen:

Your first post concerning this issue was on 08SEP12Sa. You have gathered significant amounts of advice concerning your package, budget, expectations, etc.

I draw this conclusion; as you both are highly educated, and, you have had adequate time to review the information senior expats have provided, then you are asking for someone to talk you out of the move. 

It is you and your wife's decision. Your decision will impact your newborn. Choose carefully.

In your shoes, I would not abandon the "comfortable jobs in Europe, with "fat" pension contrinutions coming each month, as well as of course health care and schooling covered by the state" for the unknowns of Thailand (political, economic, medical, social) with a newborn. 

That is my opinion and my opinion only. 

You and your wife must decide what is best for the future of your family. Choose well.


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## fluedrengen (Sep 8, 2012)

stednick said:


> fluedrengen:
> 
> Your first post concerning this issue was on 08SEP12Sa. You have gathered significant amounts of advice concerning your package, budget, expectations, etc.
> 
> ...


Hi Stednick, my wife is currently on maternity leave and is unlikely to find a job in Europe. Hence, in about 6 months from today, she will have no income, so it is only me who is in a comfortable job. Sorry for not making that clear.
I am not looking for someone to talk us into or out of the move, simply to get other expats opinion on the various items in our future Thai budget. I would hate moving to Thailand only to find out that e.g. the monthly allowance is too small or the unemployment saving is too big. I prefer to have a budget which is "tested" by other expact living in Thailand.


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## stednick (Oct 16, 2011)

As cnx bruce points out in so many words, the amount of money you will spend is determined entirely by the lifestyle you will lead.

228kBht/mo after tax is, in a word, "lucrative".

In a country where the per capita income is approximately USD 4k you will have approximately 20 times the income of the average Thai. You will be at the top of the financial totem pole. 

So, monetarily you are fine. It is the uncertainty of the socioeconomic venues that cause concern. The future unknowns over which you have no control.

Good luck.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

fluedrengen,

Your situation is similar to mine.

I have not accurately calculated my post tax income, but between taxed salary, housing allowance, untaxed car allowance and schooling paid by my company I think we would be about on a par.

I have worked in Bangkok for short periods a few times over the last year and a bit and I am relatively comfortable about living to a fair "western level of comfort".

I too have a young son (as well as the older one who would be in school) and my wife is particularly worried about air quality. There was another thread on this forum which made me worry also.
I personally had not noted a particularly high level of contamination during my stays, but that could be due to the fact that I actually live in Madrid (famous for high levels of polution and for manipulating it's air quality readings).
Anyway I looked at some national statistics and respiratory diseases account for only 6.7% of Thai deaths, thats higher (in percentage terms) than in Belgium.

Again, maybe due to the fact that I live in Spain, I find the thought of Europe being a safe pension base as laughable.

With regards to your monthly budget, your accomodation spend is significantly below my allowance. Having looked within my own budget I can see that I will have no problem, but have you seen what may really be available for 20k?

The rest of your big spends are savings / contingencies which really only you can be comfortable with. For example; how worried are you about becoming unemployed?

I hope this helps (despite me being this as new to me as it is to you!)


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## fluedrengen (Sep 8, 2012)

Overandout said:


> fluedrengen,
> 
> Your situation is similar to mine.
> 
> ...


Hi Overandout, thanks for your feedback. Reg. pension I do get about 90000THB/month in pension here in Europe on TOP of my salary which after tax is about 170000THB. Yes the idea is to set off quite a lot for contingencies because it is a new job in a new and smaller company, meaning higher risk of ending up unemployed. My guess is I currently have less than 5% risk of loosing my current job within 1 year, and about 15-20% chance of loosing my new Thai job (if I take it). The plan would be to spend more on "living" after 1 year when im stable in the job. Yes, I rechecked, and you are right, 20k is not enough for rental, we would likely need 30k. Thanks for your feedback.


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