Do I need work permit for teaching privately ?

[Khun Tae]

I am an Engineer with a work permit. If I like to organize some private classes over weekend do I still need another work permit to teach ?

Appreciate all seniors for this relevant advise.

[FritsSikkink]

What does it say at "permitted category of work" on your work permit?

[thequietman]

If it's not a forbidden occupation according to labour law, then you are good to go, if we can accept the recent announcement by the relevant government department.

 

However, that may have been changed or recinded unknownst to us, so it might be illegal. Who knows! It's all up in the air and is unclear intentionally. ????

[scorecard]

15 hours ago, thequietman said:

If it's not a forbidden occupation according to labour law, then you are good to go, if we can accept the recent announcement by the relevant government department.

 

However, that may have been changed or recinded unknownst to us, so it might be illegal. Who knows! It's all up in the air and is unclear intentionally. ????

I suspect that the OP is asking, 'if I already have a work permit (WP) for my main job, do I need another WP for my second job / for other work?

 

Thai WPs just don't work like that, it's specific to the type of work stated on the work permit, and whilst your employed by the employer who gave you a contract of employment.

 

As already mentioned 'what does it say on the WP in regard to the type of work?' If it's engineering then you don't have permission to work for anything else.

 

Paid or unpaid?

 

- Paid - breaking the law because you don't have a WP for that type of work.

- Unpaid - breaking the law because you don't have a WP permit for that type of work, and if caught and you try to tell Immigration officers 'it's voluntary no charge / no income' then they won't believe you.  

[Almer]

Is painting my house, or my wife has a shop so say doing a plumbing job for her to be classed as a job a thai could do and therefor against the rules.

[LivinLOS]

17 minutes ago, Almer said:

Is painting my house, or my wife has a shop so say doing a plumbing job for her to be classed as a job a thai could do and therefor against the rules.

Painting your house.. Despite someone getting shaken down on Phuket for this.. No, its your home and you can do your own maintenance work. 

A plumbing job at a Thais business, even unpaid, much more on or over the line in terms of how its looked at. Its not your shop, your 'engaged in a profession' etc 

[Almer]

2 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

Painting your house.. Despite someone getting shaken down on Phuket for this.. No, its your home and you can do your own maintenance work. 

A plumbing job at a Thais business, even unpaid, much more on or over the line in terms of how its looked at. Its not your shop, your 'engaged in a profession' etc 

My thoughts, but the line could be crossed as my home is in my wife's name, what do you think?  but of course a quick check at the IO office may be prudent.

[rvaviator]

3 minutes ago, Almer said:

My thoughts, but the line could be crossed as my home is in my wife's name, what do you think?  but of course a quick check at the IO office may be prudent.

Check with the IO ... Maybe someone at the IO have kids who could benefit from some English teaching ? Might be useful to keep everyone happy ????

 

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, Almer said:

Is painting my house, or my wife has a shop so say doing a plumbing job for her to be classed as a job a thai could do and therefor against the rules.

Just do what you want to do within reason, and don't join the "scared of your own shadow" brigade.

[Individual One]

If you go to a bureaucrat asking for permission or to ask if you need more paperwork, 99 times out of 100 the answer will be "yes."

It's job security for them.  Sometimes, of course, you just have to do the paperwork and pay the fees but for painting your own house or fixing a leaky pipe for your wife?!?

In that situation I wouldn't stick my head in the lion's mouth and go asking "permission".  If you can not work on your own family's property doing regular husband-duty style maintenance then it's time to get the heck out of Dodge.  

I feel like this tropical paradise is slowly sucking the guts out of me since I am required to be willing to be treated here in a manner that I wouldn't tolerate at home. I like it here but I don't feel allowed to think of Thailand as really home.  

 

[Max69xl]

5 hours ago, scorecard said:

I suspect that the OP is asking, 'if I already have a work permit (WP) for my main job, do I need another WP for my second job / for other work?

 

Thai WPs just don't work like that, it's specific to the type of work stated on the work permit, and whilst your employed by the employer who gave you a contract of employment.

 

As already mentioned 'what does it say on the WP in regard to the type of work?' If it's engineering then you don't have permission to work for anything else.

 

Paid or unpaid?

 

- Paid - breaking the law because you don't have a WP for that type of work.

- Unpaid - breaking the law because you don't have a WP permit for that type of work, and if caught and you try to tell Immigration officers 'it's voluntary no charge / no income' then they won't believe you.  

"Thai WPs just don't work like that, it's specific to the type of work stated on the work permit"

The Ministry of Labour changed the way a thai wp works in 2018. It's not work specific as it used to be. Now a wp covers a wider type of work. 

[emptypockets]

3 hours ago, rvaviator said:

Check with the IO ... Maybe someone at the IO have kids who could benefit from some English teaching ? Might be useful to keep everyone happy ????

 

Why would you check with immigration? they don't issue work permits.

Department of Labour might be a better place to ask.

[Khun Tae]

6 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Why would you check with immigration? they don't issue work permits.

Department of Labour might be a better place to ask.

Thank you for the replies. It make sense at the Dept of Labour where they issue work permit. 

[Vacuum]

I just checked the 'prohibited jobs for foreigners in Thailand'

Just wondering about 'Professional civil engineering concerning design and calculation, systemization, analysis, planning, testing, construction supervision, or consulting services, excluding work requiring specialized techniques.'

 

Shouldn't these type of jobs (not to mention electricians) be prohibited for Thais?

[Suradit69]

10 hours ago, scorecard said:

you try to tell Immigration officers 'it's voluntary no charge / no income' then they won't believe you.  

Not a question of being believed. Performing work for which you are unpaid can still require a work permit. You could still be doing something that would otherwise provide paid employment for a Thai citizen.

 

Immigration officers don't issue work permits.

[Max Brok]

Before the mayor of our amphu approved my request for a yellow tambian baan he asked me what I can do for the village community. He sugested to give some English lessons on the basic school. Im am Dutch and not a teacher and told him I can do to help the teachers with speaking lessons if they allow. But also I am not allowed to do even no voluntary work. No problem, he will arrange this with police he say. 

[DJ54]

On 2/20/2020 at 1:21 PM, possum1931 said:

Is painting my house, or my wife has a shop so say doing a plumbing job for

I’m painting and plumbing is something you love doing don’t..

but if you have reliable painter and plumber... labor is inexpensive 

I’d hire someone....

[Number 6]

If you are teaching English i believe you'd be technically illegal. If you were teaching English related to your field that is a gray area. If you are teaching engineering that is grayer still and with the exception you were not onsite, the latter the least illegal 555.

 

If you were caught out in raid on a language center I think you'd be in trouble. 

[impulse]

On 2/20/2020 at 12:16 AM, Max69xl said:

"Thai WPs just don't work like that, it's specific to the type of work stated on the work permit"

The Ministry of Labour changed the way a thai wp works in 2018. It's not work specific as it used to be. Now a wp covers a wider type of work. 

 

I remember that proclamation, too.  But since then, I've read about guys being banged up for working outside the parameters set out in their WP.  Seems that, like many things in Thailand....  It depends.

 

 

[puchooay]

2 hours ago, impulse said:

But since then, I've read about guys being banged up for working outside the parameters set out in their WP.

Interesting. Would you care to share. Maybe some links to specific cases? 

[impulse]

2 hours ago, puchooay said:

Interesting. Would you care to share. Maybe some links to specific cases? 

 

I'd have to search for them just like you would...  I'll let you do the legwork.

 

[Max69xl]

16 hours ago, impulse said:

 

I remember that proclamation, too.  But since then, I've read about guys being banged up for working outside the parameters set out in their WP.  Seems that, like many things in Thailand....  It depends.

 

 

The changes from 2018 are official. The way I understand it, it also shows in the wp. 

[puchooay]

12 hours ago, impulse said:

 

I'd have to search for them just like you would...  I'll let you do the legwork.

 

I searched and found what I was looking for. It was under "conspiracy theories". Thanks.

[Mambowoman]

22 hours ago, impulse said:

 

I remember that proclamation, too.  But since then, I've read about guys being banged up for working outside the parameters set out in their WP.  Seems that, like many things in Thailand....  It depends.

 

 

I have an impulse for you ... ????

 

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/expats/call-centre-raid-in-bangkok-french-citizens-arrested

[impulse]

4 hours ago, puchooay said:

I searched and found what I was looking for. It was under "conspiracy theories". Thanks.

 

Best of luck, then.

[Max69xl]

2 hours ago, Mambowoman said:

I have an impulse for you ... ????

 

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/expats/call-centre-raid-in-bangkok-french-citizens-arrested

When they changed the wp's in 2018, they didn't mean you could do whatever work you want. 

[impulse]

1 hour ago, Max69xl said:

When they changed the wp's in 2018, they didn't mean you could do whatever work you want. 

 

True, but who gets to draw that line?

 

[englishoak]

12 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

True, but who gets to draw that line?

 

 

They do, when they want and how they see fit to interpret their own laws... in other words nothing is certain, ever. 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 2/20/2020 at 5:00 PM, Almer said:

Is painting my house, or my wife has a shop so say doing a plumbing job for her to be classed as a job a thai could do and therefor against the rules.

You can paint the family house, but IMO you can't work in a workplace without a permit.

If doing work on private residences was banned, we wouldn't be allowed to buy work tools.

I did everything on our house myself, but I would not have done anything for other people, as even if I wasn't being paid, I couldn't prove that.

An English guy who owned a restaurant told me he couldn't make his breakfast in his own kitchen as he didn't have a work permit. The authorities were out to get him too. In the end he gave up and went back to the UK.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 2/21/2020 at 7:45 PM, Max Brok said:

Before the mayor of our amphu approved my request for a yellow tambian baan he asked me what I can do for the village community. He sugested to give some English lessons on the basic school. Im am Dutch and not a teacher and told him I can do to help the teachers with speaking lessons if they allow. But also I am not allowed to do even no voluntary work. No problem, he will arrange this with police he say. 

I "assisted" at a private English school in the village for my wife's friend. I didn't clear it with anyone first. Not all Thai authorities are out to get us, but that is only as long as one hasn't "upset" anyone.