ex pat pay rates?

[steffi]

I heard that the top execs in Thai Airways make only 600,000 thb per month and you can bet that these people come from very well to do backgrounds. Like that actors wife and their daughters who appear in that shampoo commercial.

[steffi]

The trick to that in Australia is to make sure you don't earn anything over 62k. Then you won't hit the top 47% tax bracket. I recently returned to Melbourne and left promptly thereafter after seeing the prices of anything plus 10% GST plus ridiculous income taxes levels. I'm not currently working and I'm in the US at the moment with the wife still in Bangkok (we were together in Melbourne)

 

There's not much you can do the mimize your taxes in Australia short of earning less money.

[ThaiHome]

steffi said:

Tell her you want to become an english teacher and have been given a job in Newscasle UK and let's see if she follows you.

 

I certainly won't disagree that they need some Americans teaching English in Newcastle

 

My wife will go with me no matter what the assignment. She has already proven that she will.

 

TH

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

"Go back to USA"

Back? I've never been to the USA, and I seriously doubt I would ever want to live there.

 

Sanuk!

[gobbledonk]

There's not much you can do the mimize your taxes in Australia short of earning less money.

 

Hi Steffi,

 

I sympathise with your plight - we are one of the most heavily taxed nations on earth, and have been for some years. The Scandinavians pay more tax, but they definitely seem to reap the rewards, whilst we have a health system in tatters, overcrowded prisons and entire generations of welfare recipients.

 

I disagree that there isnt much can do to minimise one's taxes in Oz - creative accountants are continually finding new loopholes. It usually comes down to investing in something with significant 'tax advantages', and that can be anything from the local film industry to more mainstream financial products. Car leasing is another big one : take x% of your salary in the form of a novated lease on a Porsche or Beemer and you're in yuppie heaven. Every business I've ever been involved in has engaged in some form of deliberate tax write-off or other ('R&D' is a common lurk), and I often wonder if they dont spend more money trying to avoid being taxed than they would if they just coughed up the money. Still, someone has to fund Research & Devt in this country ::

[Nervous_Dog]

Or earn your money overseas, preferably in low tax country, and make sure your out of Australia for 182 days in the year, thereby avoiding taxation on it.

 

We are lucky as Aussies we dont suffer dual taxation. Taiwan was dreadful, any Taiwanese earning overseas get taxed on the full amount, not imput credits or anything!

 

Bad!

[Sarisin]

THAIHOME said:

khunsanuk said:

Hi,

 

Seeing that I am out of a job again, I sure would not mind if somebody had such a job for me

 

Sanuk!

 

Go back to USA, get a job with a Multi-National, work your ass off for about 5-10 years to prove yourself, then ask for an overseas assignment.

Simple!

TH

 

Nah, that would never work. KS is not an American, and I have inside information that he will never be allowed in the US. Something to do with a friendly hamster. ::

 

But, wait, isn't McDonald's a Multi-National?

 

KS, please repeat after me: "Do you want fries with that?"

 

All in jest. I hope you are doing OK. I have to send you a PM on something that happened at your former place of employement.

[Crash999]

As far as expat pay is concerned, don't confuse true salaries with contract pay. I once met a guy working for a major multinational who had a 400,000 Baht housing allowance! He was only here for 6 months and then was back to his home country.

 

The guys I've met who earn huge numbers are generally here on short-term projects. It makes sense if one thinks about it in terms of bringing someone in with specific skills to accomplish a specific task within a defined time period. Then the cost is X and the project is done- the guy goes home. Can't really compare it to someone on a continuous employment contract based in Thailand.

 

CHeers!

[Guest]

Crash999 said:

As far as expat pay is concerned, don't confuse true salaries with contract pay. I once met a guy working for a major multinational who had a 400,000 Baht housing allowance! He was only here for 6 months and then was back to his home country.

 

The guys I've met who earn huge numbers are generally here on short-term projects. It makes sense if one thinks about it in terms of bringing someone in with specific skills to accomplish a specific task within a defined time period. Then the cost is X and the project is done- the guy goes home. Can't really compare it to someone on a continuous employment contract based in Thailand.

 

CHeers!

 

But what if the guy's home is LOS????

 

As a fr'instance KBR are doing a shutdown in Laem Chabang and the local 'half-pats' are getting $500 per day, expected duration of contract 6 months.

 

Let's say you have 1 day off a week, that's $78,000 gross for the 6 months, how long can you live in LOS before you've spent that sort of money?

 

So at what point do you define continous employment? I've been sent to a 3 month job that lasted 16 months.

[Crash999]

$500 per day is either good or bad depending on how long the contract is for and how easy it is to get more work. It's not too hard to think of examples of people billing that much *per hour* for contract work.

 

As far as surviving on the money, it depends on one's lifestyle.

 

If one really does want to live here indefinitely, then it can be more valuable to secure long-term employment at 'only' 300k/mo instead of short-term contract work at double or triple that amount. Hence the direct comparison isn't really valid.

 

Cheers!