I've been asked to post this on behalf of a friend who has some spare time of weekday evenings and would like to volunteer his services. He's got a massive background in IT, but speaks a minimal amount of Thai and has no teaching qualifications or experience.

He said he can spare a few hours from 7pm onwards if that would be of benefit to any registered charities out there. Please reply if so.

Thanks in advance

I've been asked to post this on behalf of a friend who has some spare time of weekday evenings and would like to volunteer his services. He's got a massive background in IT, but speaks a minimal amount of Thai and has no teaching qualifications or experience.

He said he can spare a few hours from 7pm onwards if that would be of benefit to any registered charities out there. Please reply if so.

Thanks in advance

Generally speaking, your friend will have to have a work permit to volunteer with a charity. My understanding is that a work permit is required unless the volunteer work is with a government school, a government hospital, or...can't remember the third governmental agency.

But if the friend's got a work permit, no problems.

My understanding is that a work permit is required unless the volunteer work is with a government school

Can you provide any evidence of this? I am a retired school administrator and teacher and would love to volunteer to chat with students in English...not do any formal teaching...just chat so they have practice opportunities. I am here on a retirement visa.

All the volunteers I have known so far have had a regular non imm O visa for long term assignments.

A work permit is already there with the daytime job my friend has. Strictly speaking it won't cover any volunteer work, but the authorities would have to be really pedantic to enforce that...

My understanding is that a work permit is required unless the volunteer work is with a government school

Can you provide any evidence of this? I am a retired school administrator and teacher and would love to volunteer to chat with students in English...not do any formal teaching...just chat so they have practice opportunities. I am here on a retirement visa.

Sorry, I have been corrected. Evidently you *do* need a WP to volunteer for any position. I was told by admin at the local hospital I did not - they wanted me to teach basic medical English to their ER staff, which seemed like a fine idea at the time... nothing came of it, and now I know why.

My apologies for the misinformation.

There was another thread on this in general awhile back and the bottom line is you do. I didn't believe it at first - having come here twice as a volunteer teaching English in a Bangkok public school. And I know a good non-profit organization here that has a very established program of non-Thai’s coming here for volunteer work. My son did it for 6 weeks.

My conclusion was that technically a work permit is required. Hundreds and perhaps more come here with various organizations and do volunteer work and no one bothers them. They come and they go – maybe it’s really OK under that condition or maybe no one cares. TIT. If you live here then the line between being a good guy helping out and doing a job that someone might complain about and get you into trouble is so fine that no one could define it. I’ve not a scintilla of evidence one way or the other but I’d guess the risk of getting booted out of the country on a visa violation for helping in a school or hospital would be very small – but the last thread I was on convinced me it was possible.

If I was to risk this I’d try to get with an established organization – so even if it’s technically not OK they are doing it all the time. There are some great groups to work with.

Or one idea would be to find a school close to where he lives. In Bangkok they all have computer labs. Ask to help work in the lab. Things need fixing, kids like to learn, teachers will love you and he’ll have a lot of fun. Speaking Thai not required. Hard to believe anyone will give him a hard time. I’d admit possible but really…

^ Thanks Valjean, volunteering to a nearby school is a good idea - will recommend this to him.

Let the Thais do it. It's their country, their absurdly ridiculous law. If the Thais can't get you a legal MoL work permit for that work at that location, don't do it. Chances are you wouldn't get caught, but why chance it? Just my opinion...

Let the Thais do it. It's their country, their absurdly ridiculous law.

I'm not sure it's ridiculous. I'm assuming the reason is that even a volunteer potentially takes away a job from a Thai.

Let the Thais do it. It's their country, their absurdly ridiculous law. If the Thais can't get you a legal MoL work permit for that work at that location, don't do it. Chances are you wouldn't get caught, but why chance it? Just my opinion...

Hope we're not too jaded PB!

The main reason for offering to volunteer, or so he thought, was a way to meet like-minded expats outside of the typical means of social altercation within BKK (read - bars), along with achieving a bit of a sense of purpose.

Looks like things are proving to be a bit thin on the ground...

Let the Thais do it. It's their country, their absurdly ridiculous law.

I'm not sure it's ridiculous. I'm assuming the reason is that even a volunteer potentially takes away a job from a Thai.

I don't know any Thai that volunteers