Before you sign a job contract in Thailand, you should ask for an English translation. In many cases, you might even be able to negotiate some terms and conditions if you do not agree with them.
Your contract should contain the exact start and termination dates, your duties, the location of employment, remuneration, normal working hours and conditions for holidays.
Your salary depends on the job you are doing and whether the company is paying you a local or an expatriate salary. For example, an expatriate teacher's average salary in an international school is around 70,000 Baht per month (2009), which is around 2,100 US$.
Normal working hours are eight hours per day. If the work is physically exhausting, the maximum number of hours is usually seven hours per day and 42 hours per week.
An employee must be given at least one hour's break a day.
Employees are granted a minimum of 13 paid public holidays each year. If a public holiday falls on a weekend, the next working day must be granted as a paid holiday. The public holidays must include Labour Day (May 1st). The other twelve holidays must be chosen at the beginning of the calendar year from a list of sixteen holidays published by the Thai government. If you are working in an international school, you'll get a higher amount of holidays. However, they differ to those in Western countries. Christmas, for example, is not celebrated or even recognised as Thailand's official religion is Buddhism.
An employee who has worked at least one year must be granted a minimum of six days paid annual leave each year.
Pregnant women must be granted a minimum of 90 days maternity leave. The employee is entitled to be paid for 45 days of the maternity leave.