Bar girls and employment...

[CAB]

Out of curiosity, how much on average do bar girls get paid by owners of the bars - excluding lady drinks and bar fines?

Also, if a bar girl really wants to get out of the game, then what other opportunities exist for employment?

 

[GabeMan]

3500k per month plus shared accomodation, as a sort of average. Cashier or permanent working staff may get more, quite often around 7500bht.

Oppertunities for employment are any other unskilled job, hotels, shops etc, same as any other thai girl.

 

[raypay2003]

Simple questions, but no really simple answer. TIT

At the bottom end, no pay, just a place to crash, a share of tips, and maybe fed and watered.

Further up the chain terms and conditions may be better, but come with quotas and rules, and deductions for failure to measure up.

Getting out depends on the gal's circumstances and skills, and her expectations. There are plenty of options; but it is often not easy for a BG of more than a few weeks, or maybe months experience, especially if they have demanding family and offspring hundreds of km away.

Pay at a reasonable hotel starts at 6,000 baht per month, plus a couple of meals a day, and accommodation is often available. Add in a share of the service charge, which can reach 10-20,000 baht per month in high season. Base pay at a small guest house will be the same, but with less by way of perks and tips. Not great, but it can be a step along the way.

A busy BG ST specialist turing several 1,000 baht tricks a day can make a lot more for doing a lot less. Fine, if that is what she wants to do.....

 

[frenzalrhomb09]

Don't think you read the op's question Player? he was after an average basic wage of a bg w/o ld's etc and what other work oppertunities were available to them.

 

[Fail Whale]

Nah - it means your marriage will last longer. 555!

 

[Mountian_Baby]

low deposits and a lifetime of HP?
I know zero about Isaan, but there is a thread on this forum about the new vehicle sales in Surat Thani last month - a Buddhist 'auspicious day' for buying a new car there were over 400 new vehicles sold in one day.
The big difference is that these people will tend to be farm owners rather than 'workers' - for Surat Thani it was generated by higher than expected prices from palm oil plantations.
Where we are living sth Sa Kaeo there is a building boom - so many new houses being built as farmers get paid out for their annual sugar, cassava crops, or from selling their eucalyptus plantations - Jan-March is good money times here for farm owners, but down time for workers as there is a gap between harvest and replanting so nil earnings.

 

[Lightning From the East]

Its a no brainer

Contract Cleaner - Australia - THB140,000 a month
Thailand - THB6,500 a month

Chief Accountant - Australia - THB220,000 a month
Thailand - THB12,000 a month

Work for two to three years in Australia, then "Retire" back to Thailand.

 

[loves2read]

Work is available in shops, restaurants etc. Pay is about 6,500THB a month.
But many find it hard to make ends meet living in (Say) Patong on that.

So it is not rocket science to understand why everything else fits in the grey area between the two, why girls tend to stay in bars, where they can earn extra income in preference to other employment, or get a sponsor and how things work as they do from there.

 

[Dennis A]

IIRC Thai Prime Minister monthly salary is circa 125kTHB

 

[Karrie Shmarrie <3]

Cleaners clean up the existing mess..........

 

[~Tyeashia~]

Not a valid comparison
All very well if you have no outgoings.
Living costs? How much can you actually save per week, every week for 2-3 years?
I had a relatively highly-paid job in Wellington NZ - but 1 is tax, then the costs of running a house, mortgages, running 2 cars, motorbike, rates, electricity, ph/internet, commuting fees, city lifestyle, travel, leisure/sports etc it all adds up - may take a lot longer than 2-3 years to 'retire'.

 

[Snarky]

I used to believe all that as well, and initially it all seems to make sense. Poor destitute thai girl cannot find work or live on meager wage so has to go into p4p.

Standard income now I'd think would be 7 to 10k for any job for any girl, with or without experience in Phuket. Very few would work for 6k, have to have no english and poor education etc, then they wouldn't be doing it for long. Then of course freelancing is available to top things up or if not then another small job, helping sis run the laundry etc. Most are married or in a relationship so also have second income from hubby or boyfriend and a thai can live on diddly squat.

Now we move over to those that work p4p fulltime, usually they are younger and like the nightlife and partying aspect, they are lazy as hell, so like sitting around doing nothing for the same money after tips and ld's as any 12 hour a day working girl, plus of course here comes the mug punters just waiting to get rid of their hard earned.

This post might sound cynical to some, its not its realistic, just think if you've ever one time, seen a hard working bar girl? ooh they do 12 hours a day, 6 to 8 of those is sitting around chatting, playing cards, doing their make up, sending a few texts and emails to the Mr Rights, going off to the market or to see a friend, 30% of their time they are sitting talking with guys that keep buying them drinks, presents or give them stupid amounts of money, ever seen one get off her backside, of her own violition, to go do a bit of hard graft?? then what do they do? sleep, not cos they are tired from all the strenuos activity, but because they do not have the desire to do anything else except eat!!

Now meet one, that has that little bit of work ethic and some intelligence and bingo they very soon own the bar!!

 

[jeremy.isley]

exp are rent for shop and wages for girl that works there as well, and tv, plus other items that need to be stocked up on like hair sprays, colours, and we put some away for maintenance etc of equipment, this all adds up to about 20k or 25k a month i guess, or thereabouts

 

[Gwillam]

very valid point this one, i earn in excess of 120k per annum and sometimes struglle(between trips to thailand and tgf expenses) to make ends meet, the more you earn sometimes the more you commit

 

[La Don Akela]

I take your point, but it doesn't necessarily have to be this way.
TBH unsustainable lifestyle expenses are the main reason why most people working here won't ever retire to Thailand.

Say a TG comes here, retains her original way of living while she lives with her man in his home, there is no reason for additional expenses and can be quite a bit of potential for saving therefore no reason why this wouldn't work. Some income tax payable but that's why it's two to three years and not two years. The difference in income potential is simply vast.

 

[Persian Prep :)]

Think you have a point there Dodger.
A BG I was in contact with for a while, she used to tell me how she's been doing this for such and such a time, and is resenting now the amount her family takes off her, and she doesn't see much of the money in the end (Thinking she was realising she's coming towards the end of her ability to be a BG through age).

She said she can live on eff-all back in Issan, but got "bored" there. In Patong she made about 30,000BHT a month, but living was expensive, especially accommodation.

Then there is the p4p aspect she got involved in. She said some customers may not be "very nice". On the other hand - although she didn't say as much - many customers will have been "nice" and treated her with respect, like I hope most of us on here do.

So it's work in a factory or cleaning long hours for a small reward, or go to a party area, chat to people, use your charm and rake in the money, then you can spend the days sleeping or chatting to your friends.
Some things can't be faked - not for long anyway, the true character always comes out in the end. We might like to dress it up for our western values that these girls are forced by circumstance into a job they hate and find "shameful" etc. It isn't like that though. For some yes, for plenty, they damn well enjoy every aspect of it, and even enjoy the sex.

Nothing's straight forward really, nothing is "typical"

 

[Fadin Reigne]

My little BG friend from my recent trip said she gets 8,000 pm base wage from the bar with no LD or BF quota. If she takes a day off they minus 250. I hear quite a lot of bars put quotas but not hard to make for any reasonable BG. She was getting 50 per LD plus I think 50% of BF at 600. She rented a studio type place she said cost 5,000 per month which I believe because she said same in BK would only be 3,000 which seems about right to me.

 

[Petals B]

so - kept as a prisoner, no car, no entertainment, no holidays, no restaurants/movies - I'd get lonely leaving her at home all the time!

We had a sit down a while back doing some cost comparisons Thailand v NZ.
The high tax rate for starters (what's tax?), my council rates/elec/ph were equiv of 15k per month for starters; I had to 'live the lifestyle' expensive suits etc the job required it.
My Thai biog could be "My life in shorts - shirt optional"

 

[Eh-Lee]

You can't get by on 3.5Million THB a year and you are supporting the Mrs in Thailand but if she was working with you here how much would your expenses increase, or even decrease as you wouldn't need to travel as much?

 

[ajwooding]

Hang on a minute, where did I say anything about "Destitute" or "P4P" in my post?
I never suggested anyone was grafting for their money either.

All I said was a girl might prefer to earn more money (From salary+tips etc) instead of getting by on salary alone.

The OP just wanted to know if there were employment alternatives for a BG who wants to get out of the bar. There are.

Your point is that they are all far too lazy to do any real work and being showered with money and gifts from tourists every day so why would anyone even want to do that.