Post
by claptrap1 » Mon Jan 30, 2017 11:42 pm
I don't understand why you are all so surprised about the salaries not going up. It's supply and demand that drive the salaries. The fact is that there is always someone desperate or ignorant enough to take a lower paid job.
If you think how many people would want to be in here 10 years ago, with all the horror stories of it being unsafe, lacking foreign goods and lack of proper doctors and hospitals, and what the situation is now: Pol Pot trials bringing the awareness of the country and it is perhaps still seen a bit more exotic than Thailand - but the big cities also offer so much more foreign comforts than just a few years back when I arrived. This is a good country as a stop-over and resting before continuing touring: plenty of jobs without lots of red tape & low demands, and the basic living cheaper than in Thailand (so I have heard).
Most schools still don't care about anything but having a white face as a marketing tool. With so many backpackers around to choose from, why the hell pay any more than those they are willing to accept; many of them have a degree and have CELTA. Teaching is a temporary arrangement, a means of being able to travel longer, so why worry about the pay? The fact is that you can still live quite comfortably with less than $1000 and even save enough money to hop onto the plane for your next destination. For example: $100 for a room, $200 for food and electricity, $100 for tuk-tuk if you are too lazy to walk. Total expense $400, not counting buying clothes or medical costs - but you still save about half of your salary of $800. Not bad deal for a holiday job in an exotic, tropical location.