Online Teaching

[The manic]

Might this thread be more useful if it listed a list of organisations that hire oline teachers, wherever they are living, and discuss their relative merrits or faults of the various organisations? Perhaps also reference salaries, hours, academic support, technical issues etc. The let individuals themselves decide if they wish to give it a go, from wherever they are based.

[attrayant]

35 minutes ago, Loaded said:

They would just say I work for a foreign company and ignore labor, immigration and the MFA. This is what you guys are doing now.

 

[...]

 

Good luck to you guys. You are getting away with it and probably will for a long time, but that doesn't make you legal.

 

That's awfully presumptuous of you.  Has anyone in this discussion actually said [perhaps you'd prefer the word "confessed"] that they're currently remotely employed?

[Loaded]

So you guys decide whether you are exempt from labor and immigration law? Your word is good enough in Thailand - you need to get off the drugs.

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[Happy Grumpy]

3 minutes ago, Loaded said:

So you guys decide whether you are exempt from labor and immigration law?

Nope.

 

The DoI and MoL have.

 

Remote workers don't come under the Alien Worker's Act, and can legally work remotely on a Tourist Visa, if they wish to do so.

 

 

Cheers.

[Happy Grumpy]

Online teachers for non-Thai companies can even get together at co-working spaces, of which there are loads around Thailand, and legally teach online (work remotely) on Tourist Visas, if they wish to do so.

 

 

However, if they work for a Thai company, they then legally come under the Alien Employment Act, and need a Non-Imm and Work Permit.

 

 

Cheers.

[Loaded]

You lie to immigration when you arrive and then evade Thailand's laws.

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[Happy Grumpy]

9 minutes ago, Loaded said:

You lie to immigration when you arrive

 

Incorrect. Wrong again.

 

The purpose of the visit to Thailand isn't to work remotely. The reason to visit Thailand would be tourism, education, visit spouse/child etc. 

 

Superintendent of Immigration has already declared (for the dunderheads that don't understand) that working remotely is perfectly legal on a Tourist Visa.

 

... as the purpose of the visit to Thailand isn't to work.

 

Quote

and then evade Thailand's laws.

No laws are broken by working remotely for a non-Thai company while here on a Tourist Visa.

 

 

Cheers.

[jspill]

Number of remote workers convicted of any crime since this 27 page thread - 0

[Happy Grumpy]

43 minutes ago, jspill said:

Number of remote workers convicted of any crime since this 27 page thread - 0

 

That's because working remotely isn't a crime under any Thai law. 

 

Labour, immigration, or otherwise.

 

 

 

 

Here are 35 co-working places in Bangkok.

 

https://www.thethailandlife.com/coworking-space-bangkok

 

If you are working remotely teaching online for a Chinese company, can just rock up on your Tourist Visa and remotely teach without breaking any Thai immigration or labor laws.

 

 

Cheers.

[Loaded]

 
That's because working remotely isn't a crime under any Thai law. [emoji2]
 
Labour, immigration, or otherwise.
 

 

 

 
Here are 35 co-working places in Bangkok.
 
https://www.thethailandlife.com/coworking-space-bangkok
 
If you are working remotely teaching online for a Chinese company, can just rock up on your Tourist Visa and remotely teach without breaking any Thai immigration or labor laws.
 
[emoji2]
 
Cheers.

Who is teaching via the internet in those photos?

Digital nomad doesn't mean teacher.

Is it now possible to interact with your students without microphones and headphones in a noisy social area?

There is no visa or work permit that covers internet teaching to foreign students. This doesn't mean you don't need one, you do under current foreign labor laws. However, there is currently tolerance from the authorities for working this way until Thai laws catch up with modern working ways. Keep a low profile and lie to immigration and labor and you will get away with it.



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[NanLaew]

7 hours ago, Happy Grumpy said:

 

 

If you are working remotely teaching online for a Chinese company, can just rock up on your Tourist Visa and remotely teach without breaking any Thai immigration or labor laws.

 

 

Cheers.

Are you or anyone you know personally, in Thailand on a TR visa, teaching remotely and working out of a co-working shed similar to the ones who's pictures you have lifted from the 'net?

[pearciderman]

15 hours ago, attrayant said:

Also, Thailand is trying to make a name for itself as a hub for digital nomads, and would probably not like to see stories in the newspapers about such DNs arrested and deported regardless of the reason.  Negative brand perception is hard to shake.

 

No, Thailand is trying to become a hub for digital experts, not every 2 bit begpacker nomad who posts to YouTube and Instagram.

[pearciderman]

This guy was not working for a Thai company - so how was he fined ?

 

"A recent case I heard about was a guy who worked in the Night Bazaar here in Chiang Mai. He and his wife own a store that sells amulets and small buddhas, well the police came around one day and told him he had to pay a fine because he was working. He was only just sitting there and not doing anything at all. But see how he got done was through his own admission, when asked if he did anything here he said "No i don't work, but if someone asks me a question I'll answer them with the required information" That's it your working and a 20,000 baht fine ensued."

http://www.livingthai.org/working-in-thailand-without-a-work-visa.html

 

And this page, (written by one of the very same bloggers being defended on this thread), seems to put it very clearly.

 

https://www.thethailandlife.com/working-online-thailand

[Loaded]

14 hours ago, Happy Grumpy said:

Nope.

 

The DoI and MoL have.

 

Remote workers don't come under the Alien Worker's Act, and can legally work remotely on a Tourist Visa, if they wish to do so.

 

 

Cheers.

Strange that because the Thai Embassy London's website specifically excludes it.

 

"Tourist Visa

Requirement

This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to enter Thailand for tourism and medical treatment purposes only.

For other purposes than tourism and medical treatment, visitors to Thailand must apply for Non-Immigrant visas."

 

http://www.thaiembassy.org/london/en/services/7742/84451-Tourist-Visa.html

 

Check out the 'employment prohibited' comments on these recently issued TR Tourist Visa stamps.

 

 

[Swimman]

6 minutes ago, Loaded said:

Strange that because the Thai Embassy London's website specifically excludes it.

 

"Tourist Visa

Requirement

This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to enter Thailand for tourism and medical treatment purposes only.

For other purposes than tourism and medical treatment, visitors to Thailand must apply for Non-Immigrant visas."

 

http://www.thaiembassy.org/london/en/services/7742/84451-Tourist-Visa.html

 

Check out the 'employment prohibited' comments on these recently issued TR Tourist Visa stamps.

 

 

Yep - and the Thai authorities are responding to the misuse of tourist visas by making it increasingly difficult to acquire serial back to back TVs within the region. 

[Flow]

A friend has been doing it for 2 years now. His earnings have doubled. He used to make 40,000 Baht with 2 kids at a local Thai school and coudln't make ends meet. He told me: "I don't worry, no one knows even the neighbor's dog doesn't lol". He's on a marriage visa. Only his wife knows. And he intends to keep it that way. 

 

It's a gray area. No one knows whether it's really legal or not.

 

But I personally wouldn't recommend it to anyone to do this type of work out of an office without a work permit because then yes you're in deep deeeeeeeeeep trouble if caught.

 

My two cents.

[Swimman]

3 minutes ago, Flow said:

He told me: "I don't worry, no one knows even the neighbor's dog doesn't lol"

So the secret is out!  Bragging will surely lead to a downfall!

[Happy Grumpy]

2 hours ago, Loaded said:

Strange that because the Thai Embassy London's website specifically excludes it.

 

It excludes employment.

 

Working remotely while here isn't legally classed as employment. Ask immigration and the MoL.

 

 

Cheers.

[mommysboy]

2 hours ago, Flow said:

A friend has been doing it for 2 years now. His earnings have doubled. He used to make 40,000 Baht with 2 kids at a local Thai school and coudln't make ends meet. He told me: "I don't worry, no one knows even the neighbor's dog doesn't lol". He's on a marriage visa. Only his wife knows. And he intends to keep it that way. 

 

It's a gray area. No one knows whether it's really legal or not.

 

But I personally wouldn't recommend it to anyone to do this type of work out of an office without a work permit because then yes you're in deep deeeeeeeeeep trouble if caught.

 

My two cents.

And it's about the top and tail of it!  Scale, environment, and enforcability.

 

If he channels the money through his Mrs (let's face it- it all ends up with her), then likely just participating in the family business covers his back anyway.

 

 

[Johnniey]

6 hours ago, Loaded said:

Is it now possible to interact with your students without microphones and headphones in a noisy social area?

Yes, when correcting writing. 

[mommysboy]

6 hours ago, Loaded said:

Who is teaching via the internet in those photos?

Digital nomad doesn't mean teacher.

Is it now possible to interact with your students without microphones and headphones in a noisy social area?

There is no visa or work permit that covers internet teaching to foreign students. This doesn't mean you don't need one, you do under current foreign labor laws. However, there is currently tolerance from the authorities for working this way until Thai laws catch up with modern working ways. Keep a low profile and lie to immigration and labor and you will get away with it.



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Who is teaching via the internet in those photos?

 

Ah, this is the hub of the matter, isn't it?  At root you simply despise TEFL teachers don't you?  You know those imposters who only have a TEFL certificate/Degree!  

 

And this is what its come too!  This cohort gets treated so shoddily that almost anything they do is regarded as transgression.  Hence, it's ok for other digital nomads to go about their business, but not an online teacher.

 

But, at least you have now conceded the main point about it not currently being illegal to work as a digital nomad.

[mommysboy]

5 hours ago, pearciderman said:

This guy was not working for a Thai company - so how was he fined ?

 

"A recent case I heard about was a guy who worked in the Night Bazaar here in Chiang Mai. He and his wife own a store that sells amulets and small buddhas, well the police came around one day and told him he had to pay a fine because he was working. He was only just sitting there and not doing anything at all. But see how he got done was through his own admission, when asked if he did anything here he said "No i don't work, but if someone asks me a question I'll answer them with the required information" That's it your working and a 20,000 baht fine ensued."

http://www.livingthai.org/working-in-thailand-without-a-work-visa.html

 

And this page, (written by one of the very same bloggers being defended on this thread), seems to put it very clearly.

 

https://www.thethailandlife.com/working-online-thailand

It's a third hand story but I know what you mean, and I guess it happened.

 

I don't think it is illegal (or regarded as illegal) provided he is legally married, and it is clearly the family business.  It was a shake-down, but paying up is probably best, because if they have a mind to they can make your life very difficult.

 

 

[Happy Grumpy]

7 hours ago, pearciderman said:

This guy was not working for a Thai company - so how was he fined ?

 

"A recent case I heard about was a guy who worked in the Night Bazaar here in Chiang Mai. He and his wife own a store that sells

Woah woah woah.

 

He part owns a store/business/company here?

 

 

 

Cheers.

 

 

 

[Happy Grumpy]

11 hours ago, Loaded said:

Who is teaching via the internet in those photos?

Digital nomad doesn't mean teacher.

Being a remote online teacher/tutor certainly comes under the term Digital Nomad.

 

It is done remotely, from anywhere in the World, online using the internet.

 

 

Cheers.

[The manic]

This thread should be moved to a legal discussion thread.It provides no information about on line teaching. 

[InterestedSugoya]

Thank you "the manic" for making the suggestion. This was a ridiculously boring and repetitive thread.

[simon43]

Recently I've noticed an increase in the number of Chinese companies who are seeking teachers for weekday daytime hours work.  That is, teaching online a class of young Chinese students in a rural school in Outer Mongolia or similar.

 

A few years ago, most online teaching with Chinese students seemed to be a few hours on weekday evenings (one-to-one teaching), and daytime at weekends.

 

I've had recent offers to teach daytime weekdays, giving some serious though to this as an alternative to living in 'sterile' Nayppyitaw ?