** Updated for 2020
We often receive messages from people asking what the average salary for a farang (western) teacher is in Bangkok, Thailand and is it possible to live on it?
The average farang English teacher salary in Thailand varies immensely, depending on what job you do and where you work.
If you are a qualified teacher in Thailand, of course, you will make more money than the many farang teachers who are not.
Qualified teachers make a higher salary and also get the better job offers.
Overall, though, average salaries in Bangkok for farang English teachers are low — particularly compared to countries like Japan and South Korea, which pay their foreign English teachers far higher salaries.
Average Salaries at a Thai Government School in Bangkok – Thai government schools usually pay the lowest salaries. Anything from 30,000 to 37,000 baht is standard and, in Bangkok, where the cost of living can be high, it can be difficult to live on 35,000 baht a month.
Of course, some farang teachers (usually unqualified teachers who do not have a lot of job options) will tell you it is possible to live on this.
Related: What to wear to teach English in Thailand?
It is if you do not mind living in a one-room Thai-style apartment, eating street food every day, not being able to afford imported western food very often, socializing only once or twice a week, and taking buses almost everywhere you travel – yes, it is doable.
But, if you want any kind of social life, to be able to eat western food once in a while, and don’t wish to live in a box, then 45,000 baht a month is the minimum salary you should aim for, and 50-60,000 baht is better.
Average Salaries at a Bilingual School in Bangkok – Most of the bi-lingual schools in Bangkok will only hire qualified teachers (with a university degree, TEFL or CELTA and at least 2-3 years teaching experience). That also means, however, they pay more.
My first job in Thailand was at a bilingual school, an excellent school with small class size, 8 weeks paid vacation, health insurance and a myriad of other benefits.
My starting salary was 48,000 baht a month plus 2,900 baht housing allowance. With a total salary of 50,900 baht every month, my lifestyle was already better than a farang teacher at most Thai government schools, plus I got a 2,000-3,000 baht pay increase every year that helped even more.
That was also back in 2002. That school pays a little more now.
Related: Do schools pay a teacher’s airfare if accepting a job teaching English in Asia?
Most bilingual schools in Bangkok pay between 45,000-65,000 baht per month, depending on qualifications and experience — and with that kind of money you can live quite well. You should even manage to save a little bit.
Average Salaries at a University in Bangkok – You would think that average salaries at a Bangkok university would be high but, in many cases, they are some of the lowest paying jobs in Bangkok.
The positive side of teaching at a Thai university is, unlike many other English teaching jobs in Thailand, you only have to be at the university for the hours you teach and with teaching hours usually at 20 hours or less (some only teach 12 hours a week) then a 30,000 baht average salary isn’t too bad.
Especially as this gives you a lot of extra time to find a second job.
Related: Why you need your original university degree certificate to get a Thailand teaching job
Depending on the university, average teaching salaries can be as low as 30,000 baht a month and as high as 65,000 baht, but most pay on the low end.
Universities, however, do look good on a resume, although remember most Thai universities are nowhere near the standard of an average western, Japanese or Korean university. So the positive effect on your resume could be small.
Average Salaries for Full-Time Corporate Teaching – I taught at an international company in Bangkok for two years, and started out on a salary of 62,000 baht a month.
That is actually low for a full-time corporate job in Bangkok, where the average salary is 70-85,000 baht a month, but full-time corporate jobs are few and far between. As the company I worked for decided to hire their English teachers through an agency, that meant my salary was less, due to the agency taking a cut.
Benefits include teaching less than 20 hours a week and often having a lot of freedom to teach what you want, plus very little paperwork. Don’t forget too, you can take on a part-time job like I did to make some extra money, which gave me a salary well over 85,000 baht a month.
And yes, on a salary over 85,000 baht, you really are living close to the lap of luxury. The lap itself, though, is reserved for the international schools in Bangkok.
Average Salaries at International Schools in Bangkok – An average salary at an international school in Bangkok is between 85,000 and 150,000 baht a month, plus, housing allowance of anything from 10,000 baht to 35,000 baht a month.
A friend works at one of the top international schools in Bangkok and his salary is 125,000 baht plus a 35,000 baht a month housing allowance that he uses to rent a four-bedroom house with a swimming pool, so he is riding high.
Jobs in true international schools are difficult to get though, requiring an Education degree, plus 5-10 years teaching experience outside Thailand. International schools also usually only hire from outside the country.
How much money does a western teacher need to make in Bangkok?
In order to have a decent standard of living in Bangkok, a Western teacher should be making at least 45,000 baht salary a month, and preferably 50,000 to 60,000 baht to have any kind of cushion for emergencies.
Some teachers will disagree, but when I have seen the rooms they live in, the clothes they wear, and realize they cannot afford to eat out with me often, as the restaurants I occasionally eat at are beyond their budget (more than 300 baht a meal), then I know which opinion I prefer to keep.
For more information on average teaching salaries in Bangkok, there is an excellent set of interviews on Ajarn.com (a teaching website for farang English teachers in Thailand).
Related: What does it cost for a western lifestyle in Bangkok, Thailand?
