| Wages | If you have never been to Thailand and have no teaching experience so be quite careful because there are different problems which you have never discovered before. Things here are not the like you used to see in your country. It should be your habit to ask questions all the time to understand the life of people living there and if things seem a great deal uncommon and impropriate to those which you have seen before, so it means you should look for a better place.
The country offers a lot of different jobs. The average salary is 30,000 baht (roughly £420 or $730). It’s quite a small pay. In Thailand you will pay for everything more than others just because you are a foreigner. If you are the citizen of Thailand, however, it will be a great fortune for you. (Most Thais make about 6,000 baht a month; in Bangkok the average salary is about 15,000 baht a month).
It may create some contradictions between you and your Thai colleagues so don’t make the relations very tensed and always be respectful. The Thai teachers at public and private schools who are highly qualified get only the half of your smallest salary. Although they work harder they get not a big number of benefits and additional facilities. They often don’t receive health insurance or bonuses and they work longer hours and have less vacation days.
All the possible benefits and salary increases should be negotiated beforehand: everything can be agreed. Don’t be shy and modest or you will be scrapping the bottom of the barrels till the next salary time comes. Don’t forget to ask about special bonuses, payback for a fly and other possible benefits. If you worked for a whole year you are illegible for a number of benefits, but it should be discussed before you even begin to work.
Some international schools will either buy you a ticket home or pay you cash if you choose not to take the ticket. Again, make sure they handle your visa, work permit, and teacher's license. These things cost money and you do not want to pay for them yourself or have to deal with the government offices that issue them.
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