Categories of barmaids in Thailand
During an evening chatting about our experiences in Thailand with some friends who are also frequent Thailand visitors, we talked that night about how many categories of barmaids you have.
We came to the following categories; much more than we initially expected.
Category 1
Category 1a = hears from other friends that there is good money to be made with Farangs and takes the big step into bar life unknown to her. She doesn't speak a word of English, is very shy and is a bit shy the first few days with all those crazy drunken farangs. She looks good and lives on the commission she receives from the offered drinks of various farangs (40 baht per drink). She still has to get used to her new life and doesn't really know if she is suitable for this. Meanwhile, she is quite jealous of her friends in the bar who are offered many more drinks and occasionally go with a farang for a night. Meanwhile, one of her friends gives her a basic booklet printed in Thai/English with the words: you have to learn English if you want to do this work.
Category 1b = has been working in the bar for 2 weeks now, speaks 30 words of English and with those 30 words she notices that she is offered more drinks from farangs. Reason to learn more English. She takes the plunge and finally goes with a farang to his hotel room. Very nervous and shy, she comes back from the shower with a still wet towel and crawls under the covers with the wet towel to wait, shivering, what the farang has in store for her. Coincidentally, she is lucky with this farang who respects her and only falls asleep spoon/spoon with her. The next morning she falls in love with the first foreigner who treats her well and asks him: "Can I go with you to Holland".
Category 1c = talks 30 words of English, sleeps with a fat farang who doesn't take her feelings into account, treats her disrespectfully and fobs her off with 200 baht because she was too shy to reveal her price. She is scarred for her life and actually wants to cry back to her parents in Korat as soon as possible.
Category 1d = works in the bar for about two months speaks 100 words of English. Is regularly offered many drinks from farangs and has already slept with five farangs, of which 3 good and 2 bad experiences. She has now earned enough to transfer 5000 baht to her family and to buy an expensive branded bag.
Category 1e = works in the bar for about 6 months speaks Thinglisch (Thai/English) and has learned that she doesn't necessarily have to go with every man. She's getting pickier about who she goes with and who she doesn't. She must first have a good feeling about it if she goes with someone, otherwise it will remain with three offered drinks. Transfers 5000 baht to her family as standard every month.
Category 2
Category 2a = works in the bar for about a year and can make herself quite understood with her English and has earned enough money to take extra private English lessons. Is offered a lot of drinks from farangs and can get by without going to bed with farangs.
She now has a boyfriend from Norway with whom she has been on holiday for two weeks, who sends her 5000 baht every month. She e-mailed her boyfriend that she quit working at the bar. And that she looks forward to him when he has time to go to Thailand again. In the meantime she still works in that bar and regularly sleeps with other farangs. Family comes first and going back to Korat is very boring. She also faithfully sends 5000 baht to her family with the words: In the hotel they promoted me to assistant manager of the cleaning, maybe next month I will send you more money.
Category 2b = works in a bar for about two years and has several boyfriends who support her (type miss you long time, please sent money for the kids). She also says that she has been out of the bar for a while and is having problems saying goodbye to the luxurious life of a barmaid. So despite what she writes to her boyfriends, she still works in the same bar and collects an average of 15.000 baht per month from her “boyfriends”.
Category 2c = works in a bar for about three years – raises her prices considerably and if possible she takes several farangs with her for long time in one evening. And then tries to squeeze out after an hour of work done to see if there is still something to score in her bar. And very slyly she asks her friends: call me and I will use that as an excuse that my son is seriously ill and that I really have to go now.
Category 2d = works in a bar between 3 and 5 years old – speaks decent English, very crafty – and keeps a busy schedule to make sure every boyfriend feels like he is the only one and makes sure they don't going to Thailand in the same period. Collects a sloppy 30 to 40.000 baht per month from 4 or 5 friends.
Category 3
Category 3a = is getting older, sees that farangs are taking her younger friends with them and wonders if this is what she is looking for in life. In the meantime, she has sent enough money to her family to ensure that they have been able to build a new house from her sent money.
Category 3b = 35+/- all her potential boyfriends have now dropped out because they were on to her, but her parents have a new house and financially she has built up a savings account of 100.000 baht. Not bad anyway. On the other hand, she has never met that farang she can be really happy with.
Category 3c = 35+/- totally frustrated because she threw all the money she made lying on her back over the beam. She is addicted to gambling and the only thing she has left with it is a venereal disease.
Category 3d = 35+/- has learned a lot from her experiences in the bar, can spoil a farang like no other and is now looking for true love to grow old together. And it may happen again.
Category 4 = 40 +/- can only get old men who can no longer satisfy her and wonders why she is still doing this job. And also her dream is that she will still run into the right one.
Category 5 = 45+/- can only get disabled men and 70+ men and has actually already given up hope. Children have now left home – has few further requirements with regard to the man – hopes she can hook up with an old guy who will leave everything to her when he dies.
Category 6 = 50+ no longer works in the bar – sitting alone at home again and wondering why she ever started working in a bar.
Hans, I suggest you also make such a story with categories about the farang bar patrons. That's even funnier...
Totally agree with Khun Peter, especially the different behavior of the Farang, and the experiences these ladies go through, can be very decisive for the classification of the categories.
It was quite a job… Funny to read but a bit laced with prejudices. The Thai barmaid gets off badly or has the category of good barmaid been deliberately left out?
I too find it hilarious to read your version of the farang bar patron.
Then don't forget the category AOWers with an alcohol problem because I come across them regularly here in Thailand
If you often come across old age pensioners with an alcohol problem, then you also have an alcohol problem yourself, because you only encounter it if you often hang out in a bar yourself. I am an AOWer and do not drink alcohol or smoke, but you do not meet AOWers like me because they do not come to a bar.
Nicely written Hans.
Will there be a sequel (visitor categories)?
Hans,
I miss the dancing lady, do GO GO lady. From a good acquaintance of mine who has a similar bar in BKK, there are dancers there, but some very beautiful ones who earn 500.000 baths per month.
I don't know the truthfulness of that, but also with him there were beautiful ladies who had about 10.000 baht a day. But yes in BKK anything is possible, they sometimes say.
Thanks for the explanation, there was no category for me.
Roel
Roel, if 500.000 bahts a month were really earned, I would have sent my very appetizing Cambodian wife there a long time ago. She is already damaged after 10 years of marriage to me.
I estimate the truth value of this story at minus 10.
From category 3, it would be better to provide retraining to teach English.
These ladies' knowledge of English is better than many university educated Thai.
This then gives the opportunity to step out and practice a respectable profession.
This is a win-win situation for both the country and the ladies.
My experiences with the nightlife ladies in Pattaya.
After the death of my Dutch wife, an acquaintance invited me to go to Pattaya with him. Didn't know what hit me! Fell in love promptly, with a woman who told me she was 28 years old and later turned out to be 40 plus. Together we visited her family in Sukhothai. Her sister was married to a German and that was a good relationship. In the end it was all about money. Never enough. Went to Pattaya twice after that, same experiences with women. I've had it with Thailand. I would never go there again if I had planned. Until one day a Thai wife of a friend of mine told me that she knew a good Thai wife for me. First emailed and skyped for five months, and then visited her. it clicked, and we now have a nice house in the Isaan, have been together for almost 5 years, of which 2 years married. We're doing well! My wife has never worked in a bar. Taught himself English. Speaks and writes it. A woman of thousands!
A story from your own experience? After reading it, I get the feeling that it is peppered with generalizing assumptions / comments. Especially because of the division into classes. If it is largely true, then my feelings on this subject are confirmed. I thank you kindly and gladly let these kinds of experiences pass me by.
Nice article to read. have been to thailand many times and it is true there is a big difference in barmaids.
Certainly not with prejudices! . You can have a nice evening in the bar for yourself, fooling around with the ladies but keep your cool. Ladies who constantly nag about lady drinks, then you know enough.
Generally well laid out. But there are so many exceptions to this rule - don't forget the ladies on Pattaya Beach Road with their backgrounds and Thai proprietor - that as a man you can experience so much with a girl who is just starting out as a girl with years of bar experience that you have the feeling together after 24 hours that you want to continue together. This has resulted in excellent marriages with children. When the penny falls with the girl, she quickly wants to forget about bar life. Many girls are less about making money than meeting a nice farang who can offer them a good financial and social life. Good examples can also be found in the massage world.
The story is pretty accurate in my opinion.
Another category of “bar ladies” has been forgotten (or did I overlook it?): the LadyBOYS….. you can also distinguish them in categories, can't you? I hardly have experience with it…but who knows someone can add to that…for the completeness of this extremely serious and scientific research!! 😉
Hello. Lady boys can be divided into 3 categories to begin with, non on trans,,, pre on trans,, and post on trans,,, respectively do not want to undergo surgery…. wants to and is saving… has already changed sex…
Otherwise quite simple… three types of lady boys. 1, good 2 bad, 3 mean.
The good ones go out of their way to make you feel comfortable and don't whine about money either.
The bad ones do half work and ask for more money because according to their clock time is up.
The mean ones do the same as the bad ones, but they also try to steal, sometimes with violence.
There is only 1 category of barmaid, and that is the category in which the lady has no other alternatives to earn such a good income. Furthermore, the diversity in personalities and their approach to work is just as great as you will find in the average population.
Indeed.
We think far too much in boxes in all kinds of areas. So I think it's better not to do that.
The basic English that newbies should memorize
usually limited to this:
– where you from ?
– how old are you?
– you have wife ?
– I work for three months
– you buy me drink ?
– up to you
– you “ansome” man and/or you good heart
– you like me ?
– Can I go with you?