I am seeing a number of Filipinos doing jobs that could be filled by Thais, like being waiters, and I assume most of them are legally doing this.

I have no doubt they are good workers and generally have better English skills than most Thai waiters so they add value in tourist spots. However, that's not my question, issue here.

How does a Filipino lower skilled worker get set up doing a job like a waiter in Thailand?

Visa-wise, etc.

Do they typically first come on a tourist visa and then start looking for a job? Then what? Do they have to leave Thailand to get an O visa? What is the minimum monthly salary for a Filipino to get a Thai work permit?

A small restraruant here in chiang mai that I go to has a Frenchman working as staff his girlfriend submitted the application for a work permit and it was approved by the Labour Department. The girlfriend is Thai.

Wait till 2015 when all Asean countries citizens can work any job in Thailand

This is see in jungcylon Phuket,most of the smal stals in the shopping center are the staff Nepal or Indien and many.many of the t-shirt shops around jungcylon and many places is same.How is this possible?How can the get WP for selling t-shirt?could it be corruption?But there is no such thing is there?

They slip under the radar. Tourist visas are less expensive for Philipinos. I know of many that cross the border every two weeks for a re-entry stamp so they can keep woring ilegally in the kingdom. I would guess that 90% are working without the proper documentation. Many Asians and westerners work in Thailand without work permits. Can't see that anybody is harmed in the process and the Thai government will have to wake up and smell the coffee once the Asean thing kicks in.

Wait till 2015 when all Asean countries citizens can work any job in Thailand

That won't be happening. It will be limited to certain fields and occupations. There will also likely be ASEAN competency qualifications for these occupations - without the certificate you won't be able to go anywhere.

This is see in jungcylon Phuket,most of the smal stals in the shopping center are the staff Nepal or Indien and many.many of the t-shirt shops around jungcylon and many places is same.How is this possible?How can the get WP for selling t-shirt?could it be corruption?But there is no such thing is there?

There are quite a number of people of Indian descent who are Thai citizens.

I got talking to a Filipina waitress in a local resort.

She said that she came to Thailand by way of an agency.

All the workers in the resort had been promised work permits by the owner for nearly a year. None had one!

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Aec still requires working permits as far as i know.

Asean Economic Community complete overview of regulations how ever is not known to me in full

Anyone who can publish the implementations?

I don't know the statistical numbers concerning Filipinos in these industries who have a work permit, but I do know that we get a large number of applicants for teaching jobs from people who are working in the service sector. Some are earning fairly good money, but of the applicants, none have a work permit. For many, they will settle for a job which pays less, but provides them with legal work.

My observation is based only on those that apply for work. I would assume that those that don't may have legal employment.

Waiting or working in a restaurant isnt on the restricted occupation list...many Russians, Indians, Europeans are working legally in restaurants all over Thailand.

Not only Pinay/Pinoy people are working (il)legally all over the country.

Even in Khon Kaen, where so many people have no jobs because none are available, many jobs in restaurants, small factories etc, are now staffed by Vietnam girls.

My wife tried to talk to some of them, most don't want to, but there were a few that agreed to be from Vietnam and two agreed to tell how much the were paid for 7-day jobs.

The amount is different, but most certainly very much lower as the going rates.

The problem is, since the Government promises about the 300 baht a day, Thai get fired and Vietnamese get hired.

One can only conclude that the employers will do anything not to pay the legal wages, or simply are not able to do so.

One of the other effect is that "sweatshops" have the choice to close down as the Government advised, or close down somewhere and open up again next day in other premises with a foreign workforce.

Oh well........

Wait till 2015 when all Asean countries citizens can work any job in Thailand

That's not gonna happen. There are just only eight groups of occupation that doesn't require work permit for Asean citizens including Doctor , Architecture , Accountant , Nurse , Dentist, Explorer , Service sector/Tourism , Engineer.

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Waiting or working in a restaurant isnt on the restricted occupation list...many Russians, Indians, Europeans are working legally in restaurants all over Thailand.

This is not correct. These service occupations are covered by paragraph 21 of List 3 of of the Foreign Business Act - which is the catchall "other categories of service business" category. In order for foreign nationals to work in these service occupations they would need a work permit and a foreign business license. I have spoken at length the the Foreign Business Committee at the MOC about this issue on several occasions and obtaining a foreign business license and a work permit for these service type jobs is not possible. I think you will find, if you dig deeply enough, that these people are working illegally - either without a valid WP or without a FBL, or without both.

All I have spoken to were on tourist visas, working illegally. There seem to be more and more of them around; wouldn't be surprised if a crackdown was in the cards.

Some may be legal, though -- for example the ones that work at Sunrise Tacos. Being owned by the guy who owns Sunbelt, I'd hope those are all legal...

All I have spoken to were on tourist visas, working illegally. There seem to be more and more of them around; wouldn't be surprised if a crackdown was in the cards.

Some may be legal, though -- for example the ones that work at Sunrise Tacos. Being owned by the guy who owns Sunbelt, I'd hope those are all legal...

I think that it may have something to do with connections, too. For example, let's say McDonalds wanted to hire a beautiful blond faring woman to work behind the counter taking orders for one of its outlets. What do you think are the chances of her obtaining a work permit for a this job, despite having a valid job offer and the required monthly salary for foreign workers? I would find it very interesting if the Labor Department were to agree to issue her a work permit for such a job.

There are different interpretations of the Foreign Business Act - and some are of the view that it does not apply to foreign individuals who provide services to a company as long as those services are not specifically prohibited from List 3 of the FBA. So, a waiter, for example, although not a specifically prohibited occupation, there are some (including in the MOC) who believe that working as a waiter is constitutes a "service" that falls under the catch all category under paragraph 21 of the FBA. Others are of the view that such a foreigner is not providing such services to others for a commercial purpose but to his employer as part of his employment - and therefore the FBA would not apply.

@ChiefJustice. Give it 10 more years, you may very well see a tall stunning blond girl serving a McDonald's legally (my daughter).

More seriously though, I seem to recall the owner of Sunbelt posting about this once. The easy answer is that they are all legal with WPs but given they are paid under the income threshold, they have no extensions of stay, thus do border runs. I stand to be corrected on that however.