tom65forster asked:
please can you help, I teach english part time to kids in a poor area of udonthani, do I need a permit as I have permission from the tourist police and the headmaster of the school, they have my passport and identity ,but other people tell me I will be in trouble, I love this work and the kids enjoy too , in 6 months teaching they are very promising ,what should I do
Tags: Love, teach english in thailand, teaching in thailand, thai visa, Tourist Police
February 11th, 2009 at 4:05 am
Ask your question to one of these links:
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February 11th, 2009 at 4:43 am
You can not work or even volunteer with a Retirement Visa. Of course people look the other way, but like the saying goes, it’s up to you. See this: Also why does these people have your passport? I wouldn’t let anyone have possession of my passport.
February 12th, 2009 at 2:40 am
First of all, what have the tourist police and headmaster got to do with giving you permission to work ?. Permission to work rests with the labour department, Police and HM cannot give you this permission. Therefore as it stands you are working illegally, you need a work permit whether you are being paid or not. The people telling you you can get in trouble are correct, you could be fined, jailed or deported if you are caught (however unlikely this is)
Also why would you give them your passport, you should not had over your passport to anyone, as its not your passport to hand over..its your goverments.
If you are on an “O” visa you can be issued with a W/P based on this. If you are on an O-A visa, you cannot get a W/P
The school you are working for needs to apply for the WP for you, so the answer is pretty simple
EDIT
Just to correct “VisualThai” the issue of a work permit has nothing to do with whether you earn money or not…the law says if you are working whether paid or unpaid you require a work permit.
Also if on an “O” type “retirement” visa ie issued in country you can be issued a work permit.
If you have an O-A retirement visa issued in your home country you cannot work.
February 13th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
I am in the same boat. I was begged ,badgered, and otherwise pestered to work with a Thai English teacher in my local secondary school in provincial Nong Bua Lam Phu.I told them I have no experience in teaching and that I would need a work permit, and that I would need a certificate for that to happen.. They assured me they would “protect” me and tried to get me to sign a contract, which I refused to do as I didn’t want any evidence of my being a teacher. They said Ok we will find a way round the contract and that I would be a “guest ” of the school.
I think the risk is low, unless you seriousely piss someone off.
I go to Udon often,. We should meet,to compare notes.
Contact me,at
February 16th, 2009 at 2:15 am
This question all depends on whether you are volunteering for free or earning money. If you are getting paid, you need a work permit.
However, on a retirement VISA it states clearly that you CANNOT WORK at all. I read this to mean work for income and not volunteering.
The main issue here is you have nothing in writing to save yourself should some local get a boner for you and turn you into the labor department. Everyone that said it was ok would probably deny everything.
The main issue is the cost of the work permit and the fact you cannot work on a retirement VISA. If you are in a poor area of Udon Thani there is probably no way they can afford to get you a work permit, even if you were not on a retirement VISA.
I would say if you are volunteering there are no issues but if you are using this teaching job for income, you roll your own dice on whether you will ever get in trouble or not.
Earning income and not paying tax would probably get you in a lot of trouble and maybe even deported if it ever came to that.
Maybe the risk is low but the tide can always turn here against foreigners for the silliest reasons. It is best to always stay on the right side of the laws.
February 18th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Let’s face you cannot do volunteer work in the UK, Thailand is the same if your volunteering and working for free you are stopping somebody else get a job.
Get a work permit, get your passport back even if you don’t take a salary at least you will be legal.
And yes kids are great fun and give you a new lease of life.
Happy Teaching!!!
February 19th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
You need a Work permit from Thai Immigration,
If you are caught working or volunteering without a WP ,you will lose you visa and get deported!