Opportunities if not teaching

[merc fintail]

We are  planning on moving from the UK to Khon Kaen in a few years time and I will be 50 and my thai wife of fifteen years will be 48. Da has a UK degree in linguistics with tesol from Salford uni. She is a determind kind of gal and will try any business or could teach, translate etc. Myself on the other hand, is a different story. I`m a tools man, kitchen fitter and not the accademic type, certainly never be a teacher! 

 

We will have supplimented income from two appartment rentals in the uk but we do want to earn in LOS also. We are not looking to retire but are looking to get out of the UK! We have a house to live just south of the Khon Kaen ring road and no rent to pay, no monthlys to pay apart from the usual domestic bills. 

 

Would I be excluded from any type of business activity? I would be there on a spouse visa. My concern is not being able to get involved with business projects, or do my own thing. I know I won`t be able to find work (unless kitchen designer, project manager is needed) so what kind of things do people get involved in? buying and selling? general running around for the wifes business interest? 

 

I`m into classic cars and should be able to find an old banger to tinker with but need to fill the days with something productive and idealy earn a little. 

 

Paul. 

[DILLIGAD]

We are  planning on moving from the UK to Khon Kaen in a few years time and I will be 50 and my thai wife of fifteen years will be 48. Da has a UK degree in linguistics with tesol from Salford uni. She is a determind kind of gal and will try any business or could teach, translate etc. Myself on the other hand, is a different story. I`m a tools man, kitchen fitter and not the accademic type, certainly never be a teacher! 
 
We will have supplimented income from two appartment rentals in the uk but we do want to earn in LOS also. We are not looking to retire but are looking to get out of the UK! We have a house to live just south of the Khon Kaen ring road and no rent to pay, no monthlys to pay apart from the usual domestic bills. 
 
Would I be excluded from any type of business activity? I would be there on a spouse visa. My concern is not being able to get involved with business projects, or do my own thing. I know I won`t be able to find work (unless kitchen designer, project manager is needed) so what kind of things do people get involved in? buying and selling? general running around for the wifes business interest? 
 
I`m into classic cars and should be able to find an old banger to tinker with but need to fill the days with something productive and idealy earn a little. 
 
Paul. 

Hi Paul
Lots of classic cars over here rotting away. Maybe that could be something your wife could build on?
I do agree with you about finding something to do, be it hobby/sport/wife’s work, as it’s too easy to become a hermit or a bar-stool expert over here!!!!
Whatever you decide, my advice is keep it quiet from neighbors & other Farangs. Do not expect to make easy money over here, even Thais are struggling here in Isaan.
Best of luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[puchooay]

If your wife sets up a business and you are seen to be supporting her, whether it be financially or by actually helping her do a few jobs, then there should not be a problem.

 

If you were to take a bigger part, such as fitting a home kitchen for a client, then there could be a need for a work permit.

[merc fintail]

So if im for example driving around in a pickup full of fruit or wholsale goods in the back, the cops pull me for lunch money, they would accuse me of working without a permit or not question too much?  Say its just dropping off for my wife?

[Rally123]

8 hours ago, merc fintail said:

So if im for example driving around in a pickup full of fruit or wholsale goods in the back, the cops pull me for lunch money, they would accuse me of working without a permit or not question too much?  Say its just dropping off for my wife?

Not a police problem. Police only do in a day what they are instructed to do. Not much chance of them being told to go out and catch farangs working. As Thai women say 'falang tink too mut'.

[yellowboat]

Many live in Thailand and work in nearby countries where work permits are far less loony.  Also you might find droves of used kitchen equipment here as many restaurants go in and out of business.  Thailand has great resources but the officialdom is set up to be challenging to curb your enthusiasm. 

[scorecard]

23 hours ago, puchooay said:

If your wife sets up a business and you are seen to be supporting her, whether it be financially or by actually helping her do a few jobs, then there should not be a problem.

 

If you were to take a bigger part, such as fitting a home kitchen for a client, then there could be a need for a work permit.

 

Perhaps your wife could set up a small construction / renovations company, perhaps marketing the company to look for kitchen fit out /  renovations work. (But in reality perhaps doing a broader range of activities.)

 

However this possibly sounds like work reserved for Thai nationals, therefore WP not possible.

 

However; work permits need to have a specific job title. From my understanding it can be possible to apply for a WP for the Supervisor position (rather than, in this case, the actual kitchen fitter position).

 

If this is correct perhaps kitchen design supervisor might also be a possibility (rather than, in this case, the kitchen fitter position).

 

Others on TV are more expert about this subject and this specific angle, perhaps they can comment.

 

Good luck.

 

 

 

[Laza 45]

Paul.. you are in a wonderful position...   you can take your time and chose to follow whatever opportunity that comes your way that you are interested in..  and you can be sure opportunities will come your way.. You have the luxury of not having to worry too much about $$ for the immediate future.. ... Move into your home.. settle in.. make some friends and ...relax... for a while..   I don't think you are the type to get ..too relaxed.  Enjoy settling into your life here..   Chok dee... 

[Suradit69]

14 hours ago, merc fintail said:

So if im for example driving around in a pickup full of fruit or wholsale goods in the back, the cops pull me for lunch money, they would accuse me of working without a permit or not question too much?  Say its just dropping off for my wife?

 

5 hours ago, Rally123 said:

Not a police problem. Police only do in a day what they are instructed to do. Not much chance of them being told to go out and catch farangs working. As Thai women say 'falang tink too mut'.

That is technically work whether it happens to interest the local police at any given moment or not. What is legal and what you can get away with are not the same things. 

 

Most likely a problem could arise if what you are doing ... involved in marketing fruit or whatever ... is deemed competition with locals whose income depends on doing the same. If people complain and it's discovered you have no work permit, that could easily escalate into a problem for you.

 

 

[Rally123]

55 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

That is technically work whether it happens to interest the local police at any given moment or not. What is legal and what you can get away with are not the same things. 

Farming is technically work. Only have to go on the farming forum to see how many are at it. Do they worry? And do you hear of anyone being caught out by the police or immigration? Nah, of course not.

[happylarry]

I’m retired so it does not worry me, but, if you want to know if what you are doing is legal then just ask yourself if a Thai person could do it instead of you.....if the answer is yes then that answers your first question too.

Think about it mate, the reason there are so many English teachers here is because that is the only solitary job that a Thai national cannot do.

HL

[puchooay]

On 3/7/2018 at 4:01 PM, puchooay said:

If your wife sets up a business and you are seen to be supporting her, whether it be financially or by actually helping her do a few jobs, then there should not be a problem.

 

If you were to take a bigger part, such as fitting a home kitchen for a client, then there could be a need for a work permit.

My comment above comes from a post I saw on another social media platform. It was written by a well known and respected Lawyer in Issan.

 

The point was that if you are seen to be supporting your wife in her work then, within reason, there should be no problem. That is even if you are doing something that a Thai can do.

[Satcommlee]

It's sounds like you don't want to get bored rather than here to make a lot of money..

 

Restoring cars sounds like a great idea, you are not going to get too much attention when actually working on them and you can sell them at a profit later.

 

There's all sorts of unique business set up by farangs in Isaan, some guy is making replica retro-arcade game cabinets, other guys are going around setting up illegal KODI TV boxes to make a little money.

 

You can also restore odd and unusual items and sell them online, one of the best I saw lately was a fully restored Bicycle Rickshaw.

 

Good luck with your adventure.

[Rc2702]

What about construction colleges. Is it only teaching English that foreigners can do or could there be opportunities in construction training?

[happylarry]

23 minutes ago, Rc2702 said:

What about construction colleges. Is it only teaching English that foreigners can do or could there be opportunities in construction training?

If you read post 11, and then ask yourself can a Thai teach construction then you can answer your question yourself.

The English teachers need to have English as their first language otherwise the Thai government wouldnt even give them a job. ......lol

[happylarry]

23 minutes ago, Rc2702 said:

What about construction colleges. Is it only teaching English that foreigners can do or could there be opportunities in construction training?

If you read post 11, and then ask yourself can a Thai teach construction then you can answer your question yourself.

The English teachers need to have English as their first language otherwise the Thai government wouldnt even give them a job. ......lol

[DILLIGAD]

If you read post 11, and then ask yourself can a Thai teach construction then you can answer your question yourself.

The English teachers need to have English as their first language otherwise the Thai government wouldnt even give them a job. ......lol

Then why are there so many from Cameroon here & other countries?

I know a lot of non native English speakers working over here (I work with a Swede in my Uni, for instance).

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[happylarry]

17 minutes ago, DILLIGAD said:

Then why are there so many from Cameroon here & other countries?

I know a lot of non native English speakers working over here (I work with a Swede in my Uni, for instance).

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sorry i dont know the answer to that one, maybe you could check with immigration.....lol

Seriously, whenever you see an advert for teachers it almost always states the need for native English speakers.....but if you work in a university then i am sure you are well aware of that anyway.

[smotherb]

1 hour ago, Rc2702 said:

What about construction colleges. Is it only teaching English that foreigners can do or could there be opportunities in construction training?

My Filipino brother-in-law was over here with his wife who taught English in a Thai high school. He is a mechanical engineer and was asked by the school to teach what amounted to shop classes--basic mechanics, woodworking, etc.-- in English. He did well, made B22k/mo, about B4k/mo more than his wife who was a certified English teacher, M. Ed.

 

[tryasimight]

4 hours ago, happylarry said:

I’m retired so it does not worry me, but, if you want to know if what you are doing is legal then just ask yourself if a Thai person could do it instead of you.....if the answer is yes then that answers your first question too.

Think about it mate, the reason there are so many English teachers here is because that is the only solitary job that a Thai national cannot do.

HL

And many 'English' teachers cannot do so well either by all reports. 

[ericthai]

5 hours ago, puchooay said:

My comment above comes from a post I saw on another social media platform. It was written by a well known and respected Lawyer in Issan.

 

The point was that if you are seen to be supporting your wife in her work then, within reason, there should be no problem. That is even if you are doing something that a Thai can do.

The lawyer is giving bad advise.  If he does any work he can be in trouble.  Working the cash register, unloading a truck, etc.  However, the chances of getting caught is low, unless you piss someone off.  Even if you have a work permit you can only do what is listed in our work permit.  i.e.  If he is listed as manager he cant clean floors. 

[ericthai]

4 hours ago, happylarry said:

If you read post 11, and then ask yourself can a Thai teach construction then you can answer your question yourself.

The English teachers need to have English as their first language otherwise the Thai government wouldnt even give them a job. ......lol

actually that's not true.  There is a list of restricted jobs. However if you have specific skills you dont just need to teach English. I know a guy that works as a math teacher at an intentional school. Also know a girl that is an music. I had a work permit as an engineer. 

[swissie]

OP has a few things in his favour.
- Will receive rental income from home country.
- Can live rent-free in Thailand.
- Has well educated "Hands on wife".
- He himself seems to have "marketable skills".
- OP states that they want to earn money in Thailand and not have to earn money in Thailand. There is a big difference between the two.
-----------------------
There is a Work-Permit issue. As HL has mentioned already, "Whatever a Thai can do, a Farang is not allowed to do". (even Thai's can be "supervisors".) But unless a Thai feels that the Farang appears as a competitor (taking bread off his table), the work permit issue may not arise as long as the Farang keeps a low profile. = Where there is no plaintiff, there will be no judge.
----------------------
It's the unforseen events that can derail "early retirement plans". (health issues, accidents etc). At the age of 50, OP should be able to get reasonably priced health insurance.
Unless OP aquires 17 girlfriends and the wife starts gambling, overall, the chances to successfully relocate to Thailand (in this case) look good to me.
Cheers.

[puchooay]

10 hours ago, happylarry said:

If you read post 11, and then ask yourself can a Thai teach construction then you can answer your question yourself.

The English teachers need to have English as their first language otherwise the Thai government wouldnt even give them a job. ......lol

Not quite. Non native English speakers can and do teach here in Thailand. Loads of Filipino and African teachers here. Scandanavian too. Even met Croatian and Serbian. 

[puchooay]

6 hours ago, ericthai said:

The lawyer is giving bad advise.  If he does any work he can be in trouble.  Working the cash register, unloading a truck, etc.  However, the chances of getting caught is low, unless you piss someone off.  Even if you have a work permit you can only do what is listed in our work permit.  i.e.  If he is listed as manager he cant clean floors. 

He was speaking from years of experience of company registration. Visa and work permit applications, etc. All in conjunction with Immigration and Labour Department. I think it would be advisable to take advice from a professional rather than a keyboard warrior. 

[pearciderman]

14 hours ago, happylarry said:

I’m retired so it does not worry me, but, if you want to know if what you are doing is legal then just ask yourself if a Thai person could do it instead of you.....if the answer is yes then that answers your first question too.

Think about it mate, the reason there are so many English teachers here is because that is the only solitary job that a Thai national cannot do.

HL

 

Total myth, it has nothing to do whether a Thai person can do the job, (you may have noticed that there are Thai English teachers), it is all to do with the fact that some jobs are reserved for Thais only.

[Rally123]

Any farang that does 'cigarette rolling by hand' had better watch out.

 

However, until the new Ministerial regulation, there is a decree made in 1979 which prohibits Foreigners to work 39 occupations.  Some of these prohibited jobs were modified or deleted. But at the moment, Foreigners (Aliens) are not permitted to work in the following positions:

 

1. Labour work except labour work in fishing boats under the next category below. The said work which is forbidden to aliens shall not apply to aliens who have entered into Thailand under an agreement on hire of labour concluded between the Government of Thailand and other nations, and also aliens whose status has been prescribed as legal immigrant and who possess a residence certificate under the law governing immigration.
2. Agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry or fishery, except work requiring specialized knowledge, farm supervision, or labour work in fishing boats, particularly marine fishery.
3. Bricklaying, carpentry, or other construction work.
4. Wood carving.
5. Driving motor vehicles or vehicles which do not use machinery or mechanical devices, except piloting aircraft internationally.
6. Front shop sales and auction sale work.
7. Supervising, auditing, or giving service in accountancy, except occasional internal auditing.
8. Cutting or polishing precious or semi-precious stones.
9. Haircutting, hairdressing, or beautification.
10. Cloth weaving by hand.
11. Mat weaving or making utensils from reed, rattan, jute, hay, or bamboo.
12. Making rice paper by hand.
13. Lacquer work.
14. Making Thai musical instruments.
15. Niello work.
16. Goldsmith, silversmith, or gold/copper alloy smith work.
17. Stone work.
18. Making Thai dolls.
19. Making mattresses or quilts.
20. Making alms bowls.
21. Making silk products by hand.
22. Making Buddha images.
23. Knife making.
24. Making paper or cloth umbrellas.
25. Making shoes.
26. Making hats.
27. Brokerage or agency except in international trading.
28. Professional civil engineering concerning design and calculation, systemization, analysis, planning, testing, construction supervision, or consulting services, excluding work requiring specialized techniques.
29. Professional architectural work concerning design, drawing/making, cost estimation, or consulting services.
30. Dressmaking.
31. Pottery.
32. Cigarette rolling by hand.
33. Tour guiding or conducting.
34. Hawking of goods & Thai typesetting by hand.
35. Unwinding and twisting silk by hand.
36. Clerical or secretarial work.
37. Providing legal services or engaging in legal work, except arbitration work; and work relating to defense of cases at arbitration level, provided the law governing the dispute under consideration by the arbitrators is not Thai law, or it is a case where there is no need to apply for the enforcement of such arbitration award in Thailand.

 

[ericthai]

14 hours ago, puchooay said:

He was speaking from years of experience of company registration. Visa and work permit applications, etc. All in conjunction with Immigration and Labour Department. I think it would be advisable to take advice from a professional rather than a keyboard warrior. 

This has been discussed so many times!!!

 

If you read the actual text from the labor department just about anything can be deemed as working. 

the link to the ministry of labor WORKING OF ALIEN ACT    http://www.mol.go.th/sites/default/files/downloads/pdf/WORKING_OF_ALIEN_ACT_2551_DOE.pdf

 

you will find the definition of work as:  "Work" means engaging in work by exerting energy or using knowledge whether or not in consideration of wages or other benefits;"

 

Even if you have a work permit you can only do what is listed in the work permit.   There are plenty of people doing small jobs without work permits, the chance of getting caught is slim, but can happen, especially if you piss someone off. 

 

 

[scorecard]

14 hours ago, puchooay said:

Not quite. Non native English speakers can and do teach here in Thailand. Loads of Filipino and African teachers here. Scandanavian too. Even met Croatian and Serbian. 

 

And Americans and Australians...

[HLover]

8 hours ago, Rally123 said:

Any farang that does 'cigarette rolling by hand' had better watch out.

 

However, until the new Ministerial regulation, there is a decree made in 1979 which prohibits Foreigners to work 39 occupations.  Some of these prohibited jobs were modified or deleted. But at the moment, Foreigners (Aliens) are not permitted to work in the following positions:

 

1. Labour work except labour work in fishing boats under the next category below. The said work which is forbidden to aliens shall not apply to aliens who have entered into Thailand under an agreement on hire of labour concluded between the Government of Thailand and other nations, and also aliens whose status has been prescribed as legal immigrant and who possess a residence certificate under the law governing immigration.
2. Agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry or fishery, except work requiring specialized knowledge, farm supervision, or labour work in fishing boats, particularly marine fishery.
3. Bricklaying, carpentry, or other construction work.
4. Wood carving.
5. Driving motor vehicles or vehicles which do not use machinery or mechanical devices, except piloting aircraft internationally.
6. Front shop sales and auction sale work.
7. Supervising, auditing, or giving service in accountancy, except occasional internal auditing.
8. Cutting or polishing precious or semi-precious stones.
9. Haircutting, hairdressing, or beautification.
10. Cloth weaving by hand.
11. Mat weaving or making utensils from reed, rattan, jute, hay, or bamboo.
12. Making rice paper by hand.
13. Lacquer work.
14. Making Thai musical instruments.
15. Niello work.
16. Goldsmith, silversmith, or gold/copper alloy smith work.
17. Stone work.
18. Making Thai dolls.
19. Making mattresses or quilts.
20. Making alms bowls.
21. Making silk products by hand.
22. Making Buddha images.
23. Knife making.
24. Making paper or cloth umbrellas.
25. Making shoes.
26. Making hats.
27. Brokerage or agency except in international trading.
28. Professional civil engineering concerning design and calculation, systemization, analysis, planning, testing, construction supervision, or consulting services, excluding work requiring specialized techniques.
29. Professional architectural work concerning design, drawing/making, cost estimation, or consulting services.
30. Dressmaking.
31. Pottery.
32. Cigarette rolling by hand.
33. Tour guiding or conducting.
34. Hawking of goods & Thai typesetting by hand.
35. Unwinding and twisting silk by hand.
36. Clerical or secretarial work.
37. Providing legal services or engaging in legal work, except arbitration work; and work relating to defense of cases at arbitration level, provided the law governing the dispute under consideration by the arbitrators is not Thai law, or it is a case where there is no need to apply for the enforcement of such arbitration award in Thailand.

 

So, driving a car is not permitted according to this list?

Seems non-Thai law arbitration is green lighted for foreigners to work. Interesting list.