Starting A Small Language Centre

[Captain Haddock]

I'd like to move to the countryside with my Thai wife, rent a townhouse and teach English after the schools close for a few hours each night. To be legal I would need a work permit. Can my wife start a company and employ me? If so, how much capital would we need to show the govt to be legitimate? I don't plan to make a language centre per se, just to be able to teach Mon-Fri from my home without breaking the law.

Any advice? Thanks...

[SunbeltAsiaExpert]

As stipulated by the Private Education Act the owner of a school must be a Thai citizen(s) while the Education License Holder must also be Thai. Both the status of premises and the curriculum must be recognized and approved by the Office of the Private Education Commission in the Ministry of Education. The major factors that will be taken into consideration are: the safety and the size of the premises (the area utilized for teaching must not be smaller than a minimum of 100 Square meters and the required size depends on the number of courses being provided and the number of students being taught); the quality of the curriculum being provided; and the qualifications of the instructor(s). If you intend to establish this business outside of Bangkok, you would have to apply through the provincial branch of the Ministry of Education. One of the Thai government's main objectives is the improvement in education standards, therefore it is important to fully comply with the requirements and criteria set forth by the Ministry of Education.

To be able to work legally in Thailand, you as a foreigner are required to have a work permit. It is possible to secure this by having your Thai wife initiate the process of establishing a limited company where she could then employ you.

With the Office of the Private Education Commission - Ministry of Education there are no restrictions or limitations in respect to the company's required registered capital, therefore In order to be qualified and apply for a work permit, the regulation to be complied with would be based upon the Alien Working Act. The minimum registered paid up capital should be at least 2 Million Baht per 1 work permit, but exception could be made if the work permit applicant is married to a Thai national, where you would only require 1 Million Baht of registered (i.e. paid-up) capital. The company that the foreigner will be working for must also have 4 Thai employees listed in the company and filed with Social Security Office.

As mentioned earlier, that the Thai government is focused on improving the quality of education in Thailand, therefore, to legally establish a company providing English language courses it must be approved by the Ministry of Education. Please note that the approval of the Ministry is also a relevant criteria in obtaining your work permit as this corresponds to your employer's (in this case your wife's) business operation where you will be working/employed.

Do you have any questions about getting a Visa for travel/business/retiring in Thailand? Please "ask the visa expert" from Sunbelt Asia here: Thaivisa.com - Ask the Visa Expert from Sunbelt Asia

This information has been provided by Sunbelt Asia Co., Ltd. Sunbelt Asia has been the main sponsor of Thaivisa.com since 2002.

You can contact Sunbelt Asia at (66)2-642-0213 or email us here. Please visit our website for more information on doing business, working, investing, traveling, owning real estate, or starting your own business in Thailand at www.sunbeltasiagroup.com. We are located at 1 Ratchadaphisek Rd., Floor 26, Bangkok, Thailand 10400 and can easily be reached by public transportation at the Rama 9 subway stop, with the office located in the CP Tower II inside the Fortune Town complex

[sunbeltlegal][/sunbeltlegal]