First, i agree that it is a stupid question and you guys might think that i already know the reason. So why i still bother to ask.

Actually i was feeling down a little bit this evening as i have been asked by a group of white people and Filipino who i normally play volleyball with. They asked me how much i can earn each month. I told them and they were surprised about the amount of money i am making every month. They asked how i manage to live in the city. Some of them are making three or four times more than me and they are still struggling to live here.

so i just want to hear some ideas or suggestions from you guys what should local do to improve their paycheck.

You could be "opening a can of worms" with this one!

Before I start, Samouth, don't be discouraged - you've got a job, friends, a great family from what you say, and plenty of ambition. That said, you're right to ask questions about your salary - it's not just the garment workers who deserve better wages.
I haven't got any ideas for you, but I hope that others here will be more help to you on how to get a better rate of pay. I really don't know if this is possible. Still, this raises a lot of interesting questions for me.

Are these people who are paid so much more than you doing the same kind of work as you do? Do locals who work with expats at your NGO generally get paid a lower wage for the same work ? Do you get the same working conditions as your foreign colleagues Samouth ? Same hours, overtime pay , perks like holiday-time off ?

How do they (employers in general) index Cambodian qualifications and work experience against foreign equivalents ? (For example, is a Cambodian degree worth as much as the equivalent US degree ? What about Filipino degrees - are they worth more than Cambodian but less than US ? )

I presume that in Cambodia NGOs can pay their employees at whatever rate they choose? Can they also fire you with no reason?

As you see, I know nothing about this but I'm interested in learning.

As an aside, I would also be interested in finding out how much bars and restaurants pay their foreign staff, if anyone knows anything about this. (I just don't see how westerners could get by on khmer wages.) Or maybe that should be another thread ?

My ex sister in law is a Khmer national, Mid 30's. She was making about $4k in her past job (vinci) , which she quit as she considered she should be paid the same as a Singapore national with the same responsibilities .

She was then snapped by another company (insurance) where she's been making close to $10k. That's per month, not per year of course. She has a law degree and a masters degree from lyon in France. She's also perfectly trilingual, like her husband who reads law at rule and was one of the senior staff in the kr tribunal. Their 3 Kids are educated in English.

In addition she opened her own law office last year, and had been thinking of quitting her well paid but boring current job

You want an executive Western income or salary? The first thing to do is, Get a western education at a real university.

logos wrote:

You want an executive Western income or salary? The first thing to do is, Get a western education at a real university.

Damn, you beat me to it. And great insight about your sister-in-law.

I think that's huge! In general, I'd rather hire a person with a high school diploma from the West than someone with a Master's degree from Cambodia. Sure, you can pick that statement apart, but it's really how I feel (again, in general). And I bet many others feel that way, probably for good reason.

I would also try to get experience working for/with foreigners. Just working with/for Westerners/foreigners could be priceless. Westerners are often on a different wave length. Get on that wave!

I always find Cambodians that work with westerners to be "different." Can't really explain it, but I just "get" them more.

Also, you're ahead of most as your English is fucking excellent (don't be modest)! That's key too.

And mastering English is only half the battle. You still have to learn western "culture" or whatever you call it.

And one of the ways I've always lived my life is, "don't waste too much time planning, just get good at recognizing great opportunities and seizing them when they come along!"

And I personally think you're a fine young man, and with a little luck and open eyes you will undoubtedly be very successful. Also, you don't seem to just be after MONEY, but overall just getting ahead in life, which generally includes a good job with a nice salary you deserve.

The fact that you're even seeking answers to questions like these speak volumes!

People generally want to work for, with and hire people like themselves. That's why I think it's crucial to have experience working with foreigners.

For example, in the roughly 6 years I've been working outside of the US, I've generally been more content working directly under other westerners. Just the way it is for me.

I'm randomly in the process of trying to work for a company with all western superiors. Coincidentally it will come with a pretty nice pay increase (and I'm not even knocking my current positionin any way).

So, I think just being experienced working for foreigners will really do you good in the long run, and likely the short run too.

It might sound cheesy, but I just think working with westerners is a sort of lifestyle change, and will lead to better opportunities for you and many other Cambodians.


Also, I generally have no problem with westerners who move to a developing nation far from their home, friends and family making a lot more money than what the locals are making, who live at home with their friends and family. Bottom line is if locals were 100% able to do these jobs, why are employers willing to pay 10X as much to import a foreigner to do it? (Food for thought.)

That said, I love it when I hear of a local working for foreigners, learning from it all and then running off and doing it themselves! That is the best possible outcome to happen! A little sad that it doesn't happen more often.




P.S. I used "in general" a lot because I know damn well there are many exceptions to the broad-brush views I've expressed, but I'm talking about the big picture in most cases.

Samouth, we've communicated a lot over the past few months both publicly and privately and you struck me very early on as someone with great potential and who also has the ambition to use that potential to be successful.

To increase your salary you have to increase your perceived usefulness and worth to potential employers. That can be done by :
- increasing your education related to your chosen field of work
- expanding your job-specific experiences/skills
- broaden your networking/connections so you are aware of and considered for a wider range of employment opportunities
- get better and more confident at promoting your own skillset to all potential employers
- don't get complacent in your career
- create your own opportunities to earn more by starting your own business

GenMac pretty much has it, a few things I disagree on... such as foreigners being more capable as the sole reason for them getting paid 10x more. Sometimes the simple perception they're more capable, even if they are not, leads to this salary. It happens in asian IT firms a lot... where a while guy is seen by their customers as more skilled, thus increasing their companies apparent value to the customer. Even if he's an incompetent twit. For this they'll pay him more as a "showpiece" rather than an actual productive employee.

But the western education factor is huge as logos said. That includes the added benefit of being able to work for foreign companies.

One question, if an NGO or company is headquartered in the US/UK/etc where discrimination laws exist, are they then bound to those laws regarding paying comparable wages to locals and foreigners doing the same job? I know a lot of US laws follow the company to foreign countries (for example the anti-graft laws) but I'm not sure if these do or not... could perhaps be something worth looking into since you previously said your employer was based out of the US. If they're in violation of those laws they may not only owe you a raise, but also back pay at double damages...

- create your own opportunities to earn more by starting your own business

Get a business card saying that you are an Importer/Exporter. (ie: Asia International Expediters)

If you have a passion/hobby in an area that is underrepresented in town, consider contacting the foreign companies who should be trying to penetrate your market. Become their fixer.

Go to foreign trade shows. Personally I'm gotten tons of free stuff.

Get your name on the Embassies guest list. Go to their cocktail parties. And listen.

btw, what are your interests?

p.s.: my company was called Leisure Sporting Enterprises, everything I bought for fun was wholesale and Tax deductible.

my 10 cents worth says , its a bit like driving, Everyone can drive a car right, but once you have driven a car in a western country you will THINK differently about you driving. You may return to your bad driving habits when you return to Cambodia, but you will still THINK differently about your driving. What you need is work experience overseas so you can THINK differently about your work. Foreign employers in Cambodia want workers who THINK along the lines of workers in their own country.
Turning up for work on a Monday and saying you are stopping work and going to work for a rival company , or there is a wedding in the village or even if you just hang around at work and doing nothing, cause no-one tells you to do something, is not a good way to help your employer prosper his business and in tern help you get a higher salary.

Probably 2 cents worth.

agree with Duncan.

if you want much more money, less likely to find it here.