Work Permit Question (Language School)

[RedHotChilli]

If you work at a language school and only make lesson plans but don't teach, is it possible to get a work permit without having a degree?

Thanks to anyone who can answer this for me

RedHotChilli

PS Ooops....spelling error for language school in the title, how do I change it?

Edited September 13, 2010 by RedHotChilli

[bapak]

First off, you do not need a degree to work for a language school.

Also, the law for such schools say teacher or Instructor which is wide open to interpretation.

So as long as the school supports your application it will be approved.

[Scott]

I have changed the spelling, per your request.

Best of luck and keep us posted.

[RedHotChilli]

Wow, that is good news.

Just wondering is there a link, which shows the process of getting a work permit.

I'd like to print it out for them and hopefully get the ball rolling!

[Scott]

There may be links to a gov't site on work permits, but I don't know where to find one off the top of my head. In this forum you might want to take a look at this subforum:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/forum/1-thai-visas-residency-and-work-permits/

They provide answers to questions about work permits.

Best of luck.

[Somtamnication]

Most educational institutions have their own little regulations per degrees. And it also is based on their relationships with the local labor office, how big the gift baskets are and how badly they need you.

Good luck!

[Pria]

A friend of mine has just been offered a job at an English language school in Bangkok and also asked to supply her degree so there are two issues that I would ask some clarification on.

She currently has a multi entry non immigrant B visa which is due to expire early next month and the schools visa/work permit fixer person has told her to do another visa crossing before the visa expires and when that 90 day extension of stay is almost finished they will apply for the work permit.

So basically there are two issues.

1. Does she need to produce her degree - the trend here says it's not necessary?

2. If she follows the advice of the visa fixing person by the time they apply for her work permit her visa will have expired but she will still be legally in Thailand on a 90 permission to stay stamp. Will she be able to get her work permit and a 12 month permission to stay extension if her visa has expired at the they apply for the work permit or will she have to head off to Laos and get another non immigrant B ?

Thanks for any advice.

[Mario2008]

1. That will depend on the local labour office.

2. If she leaves and returns just for the visa expires she will get a new 90 day permission to stay and can extend at the end of that 90 days. However, without a work permit she is not allowed to work. It is a criminal offense and carries a 5 year jail term and or a fine of 100,000 baht. She won't do 5 years, but it is a serious matter. I would question an employer that wants to employ someone illegally.

[PoorSucker]

Work Permit Application.

[Scott]

This is the conundrum of teachers. I know virtually no school that employs new teachers legally--I've heard they exist, but I don't know of any personally (I am excluding the true-blue international schools). Nearly every school hires people and they are on staff when the work permit is processed. A few are ahead of the curve in that the paperwork is already submitted, but they are still working illegally.

[Pria]

1. That will depend on the local labour office.

2. If she leaves and returns just for the visa expires she will get a new 90 day permission to stay and can extend at the end of that 90 days. However, without a work permit she is not allowed to work. It is a criminal offense and carries a 5 year jail term and or a fine of 100,000 baht. She won't do 5 years, but it is a serious matter. I would question an employer that wants to employ someone illegally.

Thanks very much Mario. I might not have been very clear originally. The school is not asking her to work illegally. In fact, quiet the contrary. The position won't start for about another month. It was the expiration of the visa and the ability to get a work permit while just holding the 90-day permission to stay and then getting a 12-month extension that was the crux of the question.

Her concern (and mine) was that the visa will have in effect finished by the time the work permit and extension of stay is applied for and she had been told that she needs to have a non-immigrant B to apply for the work permit which in turn would enable her to get a 12-month extension to stay.

From your reply it looks like being in possession of the 90-day permission to stay issued just before her visa finishes will allow the school to apply for the work permit and on the basis of that she will still be able to get a 12-month permission to stay without having to go to Laos to get another non-immigrant B.

That is, if I read your reply correctly?

As I mentioned, this is a private English language school. Is there any confirmation of bapak's post that she doesn't need to produce her degree if the school is supporting the application?

In case it makes any difference the job is in Bangkok so that is the labor office she will be dealing with.

Thanks

Edited September 22, 2010 by Pria

[SamKong]

First off, you do not need a degree to work for a language school.

how do you figure? or did you purposely leave out "legally"?

[Phatcharanan]

First off, you do not need a degree to work for a language school.

how do you figure? or did you purposely leave out "legally"?

Because to work legally requires a WP.......and a degree is not mandatory for the issue of a WP for teaching purposes.

The Ministry of Labour issue WP's....not the TCT or Immigration.

[Scott]

The procedure is going to vary from area to area. I don't know the type of language school the OP is talking about or the educational jurisdiction it falls under. The school, however, will know if the person needs a degree or not.

For the schools I am involved with, and this includes three, and covers two different provinces, the procedure is this:

We submit the qualifications (and this includes the degree) to the Ministry of Education. The MOE issues a letter to the embassy/consulate where the person is going to get the Non-immigrant B visa. We send the prospective teacher off with this letter and other supporting documentation and they return with the non-immigrant visa.

Without the letter, and a Bachelor's degree, the teacher doesn't get the visa. There are embassy/consulates that will issue a non-immigrant visa without the letter, but I believe this doesn't happen in neighboring countries.

We had a teacher from the US who got his non-immigrant B visa from Los Angeles, USA, without the letter, but he did have to present his degree, his US teacher's license and other documents.

[Mario2008]

Pria, you are correct. She doesn't need a valid visa, but a valid permission to stay (based on a non-immigrant visa). Her visa having expired after her entry is no problem.

[Pria]

Pria, you are correct. She doesn't need a valid visa, but a valid permission to stay (based on a non-immigrant visa). Her visa having expired after her entry is no problem.

Thank you Mario. She'll be pleased to hear that.

Also, thanks to Phatcharanan

If she experiences differently I'll come back and post an update.

[SamKong]

i'd still like to see an applicant try to get a TL from the MoE without a degree. or don't language schools fall under the MoE's jurisdiction?

[bapak]

i'd still like to see an applicant try to get a TL from the MoE without a degree. or don't language schools fall under the MoE's jurisdiction?

Language schools under MoE but TL is not required... Nor is a degree. Really up to the school who they employ... but TEFL or similar would normally be the minimum.

[elshaheen]

i'd still like to see an applicant try to get a TL from the MoE without a degree. or don't language schools fall under the MoE's jurisdiction?

Language schools under MoE but TL is not required... Nor is a degree. Really up to the school who they employ... but TEFL or similar would normally be the minimum.

Really. Talk to some of these western guys who get married and setup a language school. They think the MOE standards "apply" to them.

Degree

Thai Culture thingamiger (That piece of paper not worth crap.)

References

Teacher Phil.

Criminal Background check from FBI, and Thai.

When you tell them. Did you not know the MOE standards do not apply to a place like this. They will say yes they do, because their Thai wife will call MOE and tell her husband.