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Asked By Wife's Friends To Help Them Speak English

Lopburi99

By Lopburi99
in Teaching in Thailand Forum

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Lopburi99 Gold Member

Lopburi99

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I've recently retired here with a Non-Immigrant O-A (retirement) visa. A number of my wife's friends have been begging me to help them learn some additional English, and especially with better pronunciation/enunciation. Since I have loads of free time, I think it would be enjoyable, and I'd like to help them anyway. I would probably only "teach" (or perhaps "tutor" would be a more appropriate term) once or twice a week, 2 hours per session, with 1-4 attendees, in our home or theirs. I was thinking maybe about 100 baht/person/2 hour session would be reasonable. Would I still need to obtain a Work Permit for this type of casual "teaching"? As a practical matter, would anybody care if I did not have one? If I need to get one, would it be easy to obtain? BTW, I have previously taught University courses (not English) in the USA if that matters. Thanks for your reply.

Edited by Lopburi99
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markg Silver Member

markg

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I would say that the answer is 'yes' you need a work permit.

Why?

Errrrr well, you're working ! you're on a retirement visa. That means you've retired from work.

As i understand it, 'work' is not defined as being dependent on you actually getting paid for it.

Technically, you would still be working even if you did it for free. I believe it's based on the fact that the value of the job you are doing is X and even if you dont charge X, then it's still doing 'work of value'

or something like that.

Didnt the people volunteering after the tsunami get told to get work permits as they were doing 'work of value' even though they were working for free?

Would anyone give a toss? Probably not. But i'm sure it would be against forum rules to advise you to do something which is illegal, irrespective of the chances of you getting caught.

So...........speak to one of the forum sponsors, set up your own company, go get yourself a Type B visa, and apply for your work permit, sit the Thai culture test, and apply for your teachers license.

At 1000 baht a week income from your job, you might break even in a decade or so!

To be honest with you, these friends can turn into a millstone. They will let you down at the last minute when you rearranged your day to make yourself available.

If i were you, i'd just sit on your porch and enjoy the fruits of your retirement whilst cackling loudly at passersby.......

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Ijustwannateach Star Member

Ijustwannateach

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Technically, yes, for any and all work paid or unpaid you need a work permit, which is impossible to get 99.99% of the time even if you've been "hired" somewhere. But it's also 99.99% likely that for a small private concern such as your class of acquaintances/friends that it will never, ever matter- but not 100% likely, of course.

I also agree with markg that your class is most likely a pipe dream for your wannabe students and it will not last, unless you have 1 or 2 students who are really serious and hard-working, in which case they will be happy to take advantage of your too-low rates.

"S"

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Wrong Turn Silver Member

Wrong Turn

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To be honest with you, these friends can turn into a millstone. They will let you down at the last minute when you rearranged your day to make yourself available.

Last minute cancellations are very common. At least in my experience.

I don't like teaching/tutoring friends or freinds of friends or significant others. It is, mixing business with pleasure a little.

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Lopburi99 Gold Member

Lopburi99

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You can tell the prospective students that you are afraid you will lose your visa. They know no better and will need to respect that. Make up for it by constantly correcting their mispronunciations of probably and smart. :D

Good information and advice everybody. I'll forget about any form of teaching, it's just not worth it with all the restrictions, bureaucracy, red tape, and crap. I naively hoped perhaps I would just have to declare the income and pay a tax percentage (HAH!) but T.I.T. and as I learn more and I can see why laws may sometimes be ignored and palms greased. But for me, I never want to be in a position of hiding anything, lying, or playing games. I want a squeaky clean life here with no problems. So - any form of teaching is out. Thanks again TV members.

(P.S. PeaceBlondie, your many post replies are often clever and I enjoy reading them :o )

Edited by Lopburi99
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Bangyai Gold Member

Bangyai

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I would say that the answer is 'yes' you need a work permit.

Why?

Errrrr well, you're working ! you're on a retirement visa. That means you've retired from work.

As i understand it, 'work' is not defined as being dependent on you actually getting paid for it.

Technically, you would still be working even if you did it for free. I believe it's based on the fact that the value of the job you are doing is X and even if you dont charge X, then it's still doing 'work of value'

or something like that.

Didnt the people volunteering after the tsunami get told to get work permits as they were doing 'work of value' even though they were working for free?

Would anyone give a toss? Probably not. But i'm sure it would be against forum rules to advise you to do something which is illegal, irrespective of the chances of you getting caught.

So...........speak to one of the forum sponsors, set up your own company, go get yourself a Type B visa, and apply for your work permit, sit the Thai culture test, and apply for your teachers license.

At 1000 baht a week income from your job, you might break even in a decade or so!

To be honest with you, these friends can turn into a millstone. They will let you down at the last minute when you rearranged your day to make yourself available.

If i were you, i'd just sit on your porch and enjoy the fruits of your retirement whilst cackling loudly at passersby.......

Actually, I would say that although this advice is correct, the implication is that if you sit down and talk to any of your Thai friends in English on a regular basis then you are breaking the law as you are giving them free conversational practice. In reality, if no cash is changing hands and you are just casualy chatting in English its unlikely anyone will dob you in.

However I totally agree with the comment about your friends becoming a millstone. I sometimes think that what people really want here is a ' tame pet falang ' to play with when it suits them. I have just been suckered into this position myself when I let my guard down and did not want to cause offence by declining to help someones daughter with her English. I have been grumbling about it for a week now to the gf and I have finaly decided that as I hate this sort of entrapment I will just have to tell the people honestly that I don't want to do it and if it causes offence then so be it. Who needs the grief ? :o

Edited by Bangyai
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OldenAtwoody Senior Member

OldenAtwoody

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I've recently retired here with a Non-Immigrant O-A (retirement) visa. A number of my wife's friends have been begging me to help them learn some additional English, and especially with better pronunciation/enunciation. Since I have loads of free time, I think it would be enjoyable, and I'd like to help them anyway. I would probably only "teach" (or perhaps "tutor" would be a more appropriate term) once or twice a week, 2 hours per session, with 1-4 attendees, in our home or theirs. I was thinking maybe about 100 baht/person/2 hour session would be reasonable. Would I still need to obtain a Work Permit for this type of casual "teaching"? As a practical matter, would anybody care if I did not have one? If I need to get one, would it be easy to obtain? BTW, I have previously taught University courses (not English) in the USA if that matters. Thanks for your reply.

How about 1 on 1 ladies' lessons, when the wife is at work, for no pay? Check with Mama and see if she approves of that arrangement.

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