Oops! I meant to say: If NOT, Why not?

There are at least four English Teachers living in my fairly small apartment building. Only one has a Work Permit, although a second (myself!), has a receipt showing that his Work Permit has finally been applied for.

Curiously enough, the two who are unlicensed actually have better qualifications and more experience than the two are licensed! They were both teachers in their native countries.

It seems to me that licensing depends on the willingness and the abilities of the employer and have very little to do with the teacher's experience or abilities.

What is your status?

I'm qualified to teach both the subjects I teach in Thailand, in Thailand; but I'm not qualified to teach those subjects in my home country. Then again, does anybody know EXACTLY PRECISELY what the requirements are? I doubt it. Like the 'Just War Theory' - the interpretationt depends on whose interpretation you pay for.

Here is my status,

If the job is Big call the Pig!

I voted and said I have a WP. I might have a License but I don't know. I teach at the Uni level so maybe you don't need the license. The MUA/CHE has reviewed my qualifications so maybe I've got the license and don't know it. Its good to have a WP because I can get extra work at other schools who are afraid to break the law.

In my state back home I don't think I could teach in a public school unless it was way out in the sticks. Mostly this is a teachers union thing to protect either the students and or the teachers who have the qualifications but are not any good. You have to have a specific Ed degree. Besides a bunch of real world business experience, I have a couple Master's, a BS, and am working on a PhD. So I could easily keep teaching at the Uni level back home provided I could find a job but the public school system would probably be off-limits unless I procured some additional certification. By the way Thailand has been a land of opportunity for me, last month I knocked down around 160K. As soon as a job ends though its time to find another gig and it can be quite stressful with all the politics (as you can imagine I have people quite often older than me who are less qualifed and quite threatened by a go getter like myself, trying to hang on to their jobs as well)

Oh well so much for American Productivity!

I really want to move out of teaching full time and back into industry and only take the best teaching jobs on occaision.

I have a JV company here as well and at least on paper that too is making good money. Been here for just over two years and if anybody wants me working for them at a business please do not hesitate to contact me. Now they have me teaching finance and I have students wanting to know if I will teach taxation next term now that they found out that I know something about it as well.

Always forward never straight!

Hire Me a proven winner-- BigA The Working Mans friend!

Working to raise teachers compensation in Thailand one school at a time!

Its good to have a WP because I can get extra work at other schools who are afraid to break the law.

Since when did having WP allow you to work at multiple schools?

To quote my work permit:

(2) A permit holder shall not engage in the work other than that which is specified in the permit or change the locality or place of work from that which is specifiied in the permit unless prior permission is obtained from the registrar.

I have a couple Master's, a BS, and am working on a PhD.

Sounds like you are a master of BS to me.

I see that ten posters have taken the poll now, and the vote is that 60% aren't legal. I forgot to mention (this can't be the only thread on this subject) that in certain provinces, a WP is almost impossible to get, even if you had two Ph.D.'s and spoke fluent Thai since age 12. Such as the province where I work. I'm qualified to teach in Thailand but can't get a WP. The Labour Ministry is just as professional and IGNORANT as the Thai teachers at my school. So, please don't assume that the mere absence of a WP means the person is unqualified or too lazy to obtain a WP.

PB, as usual, has hit the nail on the head here. Getting a WP has very little to do with the employee and their qualifications. Your Thai employer has to have the know-how, the resources and the willingness to get you a WP, or else it simply won't happen.

The only reason that I have both (after working for over a year illegallly!) is that my wife nagged my employer for months on end . Now, all it takes is a phone call from P'Nok to get things done.

Apparently, at least the way it was explained to me, it sounds like additional locations can be added to a work permit and its legal provided the ministry approves them.

And again there are some schools just like working with people who have any kind of other documentation, period. Having a WP at least shows that your paperwork has already come under some type of scrutiny.

Having a WP at least shows that your paperwork has already come under some type of scrutiny.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What it shows really is that the school or place or work has the pull to get it done. That is all it shows.

How many government offices have you seen with working computers? Your paper has only made them think of the hours left to get back home and forget the last few hours of bs they have had to listen to.

(2) A permit holder shall not engage in the work other than that which is specified in the permit or change the locality or place of work from that which is specifiied in the permit unless prior permission is obtained from the registrar.

QUOTE

I have a couple Master's, a BS, and am working on a PhD.

Sounds like you are a master of BS to me. 

Hear hear.

Its good to have a WP because I can get extra work at other schools who are afraid to break the law.

Since when did having WP allow you to work at multiple schools?

To quote my work permit:

(2) A permit holder shall not engage in the work other than that which is specified in the permit or change the locality or place of work from that which is specifiied in the permit unless prior permission is obtained from the registrar.

I have a couple Master's, a BS, and am working on a PhD.

Sounds like you are a master of BS to me.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

To be fair to him I know of at least one well known TEFL provider that tells their students a WP can be used at other schools!

(sorry, still laughing at BigA's post!)

Ok, now what was the topic? Ah, WP's. Took me forever to get one, then when I got it I wasn't sure I wanted it. After all, at least while you don't have it changing illegal jobs is easy. Now that I have it, I'm on the radar and if I have to change jobs (a thought never far from any foreign teacher's mind in Thailand) I'll have to go through the whole official process. Yuck.

"Steven"

Work Permits are silly, and the Law pertaining to it is deliberately awkward and obstructive.

As IJWT points out - just try switching jobs.

I don't feel obliged to comply with such legislation and neither are many local employers of Farangs.

Pardon me if I'm repeating myself on this forum, but my boss seemed surprised Friday when I explained, "Thailand is a beautiful Kingdom and its people are lovely people with good hearts. But the govt. does not like foreigners, does not want ANY farangs working in Thailand, and makes it very, very, very difficult for foreigners to work here legally." I should have added, "It's a miracle any farang bothers to work in this unfriendly, xenophobic country." But my boss doesn't know 'zenophobic' - she's only been teaching English for 25 years.

You are right.

The Thais don't see it in an emotive way though. They see their modus operandi as being preferable, so why bring in foreigners, who probably can't read Thai very well and get cross all the time.

Westerners can be permitted to do English teaching, but try applying for any job in the Post and see how many replies you get (even polite rejections)

Successful farang entrepreneurs, eg Bill Heineke, (Minor Group), Bob McMillen (Seamico Securities), are few and far between and they've succeeded via sheer Nietzchean willpower.