Can I hire a Thai person as a virtual worker?

[Nordude]

I'm staying in Thailand on the Elite Visa, and I'm not working here. However, I have an online business in Europe which I will need help with sooner or later. I'm not ready to hire anyone at this point, so please don't send me any requests.

 

My question is if it's possible for me to hire a Thai person to help with answering emails and other online chores?

 

It will be a 100% work-from-home, virtual position. I know there are foreign agencies specializing in this sort of things, especially in the Philippines. But it would be nice to have someone that you could meet in person from time to time. Is it possible?

[blackcab]

A troll post has been removed.

 

I'm going to move this to the business forum.

[FritsSikkink]

So you are working on a Elite visa, which isn't allowed.

[dimitriv]

50 minutes ago, Nordude said:

an online business in Europe

if it's possible for me to hire a Thai person

 

Your online business in Europe can hire a Thai person. It's not relevant where you live.

 

All the people I've ever heard about hiring Thai people don't recommend this, by the way. Better to hire someone in the Philippines.

 

 

 

Edited June 13, 2020 by dimitriv

[johnray]

Yes it's easy.  Just post an ad on craigslist.  But I would use the word admin or assistant then later explain it is work from home.  The word virtual is hard to explain.

[DE Land]

It's not easy at all to find a Thai person in Thailand with good English, especially one with good English grammar and writing skills.

I work at one of the best companies in my field in Bangkok. One of our executive producers is Thai and she is a very qualified person to do her job but she often says and writes things like "I will keep you update" Instead of "I will keep you updated" and Past tense sometimes gets ignored, plural forms too, and things like that.

I've worked with many Thai professionals and so far, the only ones with good English, including good writing skills are those who have studied abroad. 

So yeah, general online chores, sure, but answering emails.. if you have international clients, you have to be very selective as the locals' level of English is not that great in general.

 

A local assistant answering emails in English may reply clients' emails with sentences like:

 

[One with mid level of English in local standard]

"Yes. We send you."

Client gets a little confused "So you will send it to me, or you are going to send it soon, or you have sent and dispatched it already?"

 

Edited June 13, 2020 by DE Land

[Raphus]

Of course you can hire a virtual person.

 

It's a bit like when I was a child and had an imaginary friend !!!

New millennial vocabulary... All virtual people do not exist.

 

So go for it.. Pay them film star wages... as long as you keep talking to them, they will never let you down...

 

[ChaiyaTH]

Obviously you could hire any nationality. Point is Thais suck for that, Filipino's rule + more western mindset + hardworking + tons more. Think with your business mind and not with your 'oh its nice to have a unneeded real meeting with coffee because its social' and save yourself stress, time, drama, higher spendings for lower returns.

If it is really just the fetish of having a hot office girl with a tight miniskirt, just get one from the bar or pay a girl to wear it for fun only. 
Thailand is good for spending, for fun. Keep business away from here. My 2 satang.

Are there exceptions? Sure but too few and a even smaller chance on mid or long term loyalty in that case too. Thais are also job hoppers for life.
Treating them well, paying them well doesn't make it better. Could in fact make it worse.

Edited June 13, 2020 by ChaiyaTH

[Swiss1960]

Of course you can hire any Thai person to work for you or your European business, he would be a freelancer like your local plumber, electrician,  maid etc. 

 

Just make sure that you NEVER give him or anybody around you the impression that you also work, as that is forbidden and could land you in hot water... that said, meeting such a Thai person and discuss work might already be seen as working, therefore bad idea. 

 

As others said - for different reasons - hire abroad and omit all the pitfalls of working on an Elite - or other - no-work-allowed Visa

[Nordude]

OK, so everyone thinks it's a bad idea. I guess you are right, and I was expecting it. I probably won't be going ahead with it.

[Nordude]

8 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

So you are working on a Elite visa, which isn't allowed.

Of course not! That would be crazy. ????

[DE Land]

8 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Obviously you could hire any nationality. Point is Thais suck for that, Filipino's rule + more western mindset + hardworking + tons more. Think with your business mind and not with your 'oh its nice to have a unneeded real meeting with coffee because its social' and save yourself stress, time, drama, higher spendings for lower returns.

If it is really just the fetish of having a hot office girl with a tight miniskirt, just get one from the bar or pay a girl to wear it for fun only. 
Thailand is good for spending, for fun. Keep business away from here. My 2 satang.

Are there exceptions? Sure but too few and a even smaller chance on mid or long term loyalty in that case too. Thais are also job hoppers for life.
Treating them well, paying them well doesn't make it better. Could in fact make it worse.

I agree with basically what you're saying, but I have to add and give credit to my Thai employees though in general, in the field of computer graphics and animation, Thai talents on average are the very best in South East Asia. A number of them are artistic geniuses. But of course you have that "chiwit sabai sabai" attitude that can be annoying from time to time. Although sometimes can be too much exaggerated, in my field quite a lot of them are no less hardworking than other countries' talents in SEA.

I've been working in Thailand for 6 years, and I have worked in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as having many friends all over SEA, Malaysia, Phillipines. So we've made our comparisons, so to speak. Thais raw artistic talent can't be underestimated. Downside is that they really suck at English and any other languages apart from their own, speaking and writing, and by suck I mean they have absolutely one of the worst foreign language skills in Asia.

 

There's a reason why Thai cuisine is famed world over, and they created Muay Thai which is to this day is a staple in MMA. I commend the Thais for their artistry.

 

But yeah I'm sure for some other things, Filipinos are very good. English, western mindset in professionalism, I certainly agree with that.

 

Edited June 14, 2020 by DE Land

[Caldera]

I've yet to meet a Thai person "affordable enough" for such a job (!) whose written English is "good enough" to answer business emails adequately.

 

Thais who do have that skill obviously exist, but they are rare and tend to have other qualifications which means they would be overqualified and underpaid in such a "virtual worker" job - not going to happen!

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by Caldera

[PatOngo]

 virtual worker

Most of the workforce fall into that category!

[Ebumbu]

You are already working illegally and are asking whether you should push your luck. The answer is, no. There are countless PAs on the freelance sites. You can easily avoid this extra layer of risk by choosing any country besides Thailand. 

 

If you meet your Thai PA in person, you are setting yourself up for extortion, and really sticking your neck out. Completely unnecessary. 

[timendres]

1 hour ago, Ebumbu said:

If you meet your Thai PA in person, you are setting yourself up for extortion, and really sticking your neck out. Completely unnecessary. 

Exactly right. The moment you meet in person, you are, by definition, working.

[Nordude]

3 hours ago, timendres said:

Exactly right. The moment you meet in person, you are, by definition, working.

I'm already hiring people to clean up my apartment and drive me around.

[Nordude]

I've decided not to hire anyone in the country for this job based on your comments. It carries a risk, and I don't like stress. Thanks guy

[ericthai]

9 hours ago, timendres said:

Exactly right. The moment you meet in person, you are, by definition, working.

Actually that's not correct.  You can have a meeting without needing a work permit. When we first opened our company my partner form Australia only came to Thailand 1-2 times a month for meetings. We asked about needing a work permit for him and was told that if only conducting meetings he wouldn't need one. However if involved in the day to day operations then a work permit is required. 

 

Prior to me moving to Thailand my company would send me to Thailand for business. When I just came for meetings no work permit was issued, but when I came to work on projects they always had to arrange a work permit. 

[elgenon]

On 6/13/2020 at 11:10 AM, DE Land said:

It's not easy at all to find a Thai person in Thailand with good English, especially one with good English grammar and writing skills.

I work at one of the best companies in my field in Bangkok. One of our executive producers is Thai and she is a very qualified person to do her job but she often says and writes things like "I will keep you update" Instead of "I will keep you updated" and Past tense sometimes gets ignored, plural forms too, and things like that.

I've worked with many Thai professionals and so far, the only ones with good English, including good writing skills are those who have studied abroad. 

So yeah, general online chores, sure, but answering emails.. if you have international clients, you have to be very selective as the locals' level of English is not that great in general.

 

A local assistant answering emails in English may reply clients' emails with sentences like:

 

[One with mid level of English in local standard]

"Yes. We send you."

Client gets a little confused "So you will send it to me, or you are going to send it soon, or you have sent and dispatched it already?"

 

I have talked with graduates of the Catholic unis in Thailand and their English has been as good as that of Americans.

[timendres]

14 hours ago, ericthai said:

Actually that's not correct.  You can have a meeting without needing a work permit. When we first opened our company my partner form Australia only came to Thailand 1-2 times a month for meetings. We asked about needing a work permit for him and was told that if only conducting meetings he wouldn't need one. However if involved in the day to day operations then a work permit is required. 

 

Prior to me moving to Thailand my company would send me to Thailand for business. When I just came for meetings no work permit was issued, but when I came to work on projects they always had to arrange a work permit. 

My mistake. I forgot about the recent modifications to the law that allows company directors and owners to come to Thailand for meetings, and not requiring a work permit. However, I am not sure how that applies to employees.

[ChaiyaTH]

On 6/14/2020 at 10:55 AM, DE Land said:

I agree with basically what you're saying, but I have to add and give credit to my Thai employees though in general, in the field of computer graphics and animation, Thai talents on average are the very best in South East Asia. A number of them are artistic geniuses. But of course you have that "chiwit sabai sabai" attitude that can be annoying from time to time. Although sometimes can be too much exaggerated, in my field quite a lot of them are no less hardworking than other countries' talents in SEA.

I've been working in Thailand for 6 years, and I have worked in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as having many friends all over SEA, Malaysia, Phillipines. So we've made our comparisons, so to speak. Thais raw artistic talent can't be underestimated. Downside is that they really suck at English and any other languages apart from their own, speaking and writing, and by suck I mean they have absolutely one of the worst foreign language skills in Asia.

 

There's a reason why Thai cuisine is famed world over, and they created Muay Thai which is to this day is a staple in MMA. I commend the Thais for their artistry.

 

But yeah I'm sure for some other things, Filipinos are very good. English, western mindset in professionalism, I certainly agree with that.

 

Photography and animation are just a few of the exceptions, knowing it is a exception it is not really relevant in general terms of doing business or hiring.
You can find similar talent, at similar prices, in all SE countries. Unless you only need those specific job types, yeah, then TH might be nice. So there are hundreds of exceptions.

In terms of thai food, would not even call it cuisine, there is little special about it and it is very unhealthy too. It is essentially asian fastfood.
I like to eat it tho but Indonesian food is as good to me. Thailand is just more known and developed because it has the money and was ahead of the game in the past, realising that, they actually progressed very little. You might see better artistic talents popping up all over Vietnam in just years time. Same they now have 60K graduates yearly in specific IT areas / degrees, speaking proper English. The real good harvests are yet to come, as they just opened up.

But totally agree that Thais can be good for photographs, video graphing, animation or drawing. But in most business fields incl mine, that is called a hobby.
They are neither close to the best, they do are the best value for money on that end.

Edited June 17, 2020 by ChaiyaTH

[ChaiyaTH]

3 hours ago, elgenon said:

I have talked with graduates of the Catholic unis in Thailand and their English has been as good as that of Americans.

Interesting you mention as my wife also went to a catholic school in BKK, even she is a Buddhist. Her English is great and this wasn't a expensive school.
That said, even her English is good enough and she is smart enough to do various tasks Online, she will still have the Thai attitude otherwise, making it unfit.

Edited June 17, 2020 by ChaiyaTH

[elgenon]

On 6/17/2020 at 12:19 AM, ChaiyaTH said:

Interesting you mention as my wife also went to a catholic school in BKK, even she is a Buddhist. Her English is great and this wasn't a expensive school.
That said, even her English is good enough and she is smart enough to do various tasks Online, she will still have the Thai attitude otherwise, making it unfit.

As an aside, my long-term friend struggled to take her daughters to extra classes on the weekend because she felt the Thai education was not sufficient. I suggested Catholic school but she said she didn't want them to be brainwashed.

 

Having attended Catholic school I understood.

[elgenon]

On 6/17/2020 at 12:19 AM, ChaiyaTH said:

Interesting you mention as my wife also went to a catholic school in BKK, even she is a Buddhist. Her English is great and this wasn't a expensive school.
That said, even her English is good enough and she is smart enough to do various tasks Online, she will still have the Thai attitude otherwise, making it unfit.

I sat next to a Catholic uni grad on the bus to Pattaya. He was going to help set up a concert. I was very impressed by him. I would hire him. Not all Thais are the same but I grant your point.