New Partner Needed.

[drewsclayton]

Business partner required, interested in developing existing internet company targeting the SME UK market. I am looking to relocate over next four weeks to Bangkok to partner with Expat, preferably with business background and some time on their hands. Ideally would be looking to set up small offices with the long term view of hiring additional staff from UK. A few sales companies seem to be doing this successfully in Pattaya and Bangkok already so get in touch for more information. PM for more details.

[manarak]

ummm...

what's your plan regarding the work permits?

[drewsclayton]

Good question, I am researching the visa rules at the minute, new employees would initially have to apply for a 3 month B visa at the Thai consulate Hull. Obviously staff will be paid wages closer to the Thailand economy rather than the UK standard of living.

[FlyByNights]

Some of us are already here, and basically know what we need to know already. Please tell us more !

I think you should go to the classified adds as well.

Please also adjust your fonts so they wont be so bold.

Have a nice day.

[drewsclayton]

Font adjusted.

Appreciate you know what you know already hence why I am trying to liaise with established expats with knowledge. There are two levels to the business model but obviously I'm not going to divulge too much on a forum. Brief outline, employ a network of work from home telesales agents UK wide and set up office to recruit staff. PM if you want more details and will gladly e-mail. Have website, VAT number and Ltd company already established.

[manarak]

Font adjusted.

Appreciate you know what you know already hence why I am trying to liaise with established expats with knowledge. There are two levels to the business model but obviously I'm not going to divulge too much on a forum. Brief outline, employ a network of work from home telesales agents UK wide and set up office to recruit staff. PM if you want more details and will gladly e-mail. Have website, VAT number and Ltd company already established.

Well, the core of the work permit issue is that you need 4 Thai staff for every foreigner you employ.

[FlyByNights]

Font adjusted.

Appreciate you know what you know already hence why I am trying to liaise with. There are two levels to the business model but obviously I'm not going to divulge too much on a forum. Brief outline, employ a network of work from home telesales agents UK wide and set up office to recruit staff. PM if you want more details and will gladly e-mail. Have website, VAT number and Ltd company already established.

Well, the core of the work permit issue is that you need 4 Thai staff for every foreigner you employ.

The core of the issue is you need money, "established expats with knowledge" for what? Knowlege of what?

//

Manarak , was this actually your best comment "the work permit issue is that you need 4 Thai staff for every foreigner" Don't you think he already knows this considering he said, " Have website, VAT number and Ltd company already established"...... Geezz

drewsclayton, what is your website?

[drewsclayton]

I know of a sales company in Pattaya with 20 plus non-thai citizens and they don't employ 4 Thai staff for every worker. This is the kind of info I need. Knowledge of settting up offices in Thailand, knowledge of the scene, networking etc. Appreciate it is probably fruitless doing this on a forum, prob best to just network when out there.

The company is ltd in the UK not Thailand. Search for First Page Sponsored Links on Google. We are number 1 in organic search results or alternatively can you find me on linkedin.

[drewsclayton]

Core of issue is not money, company is set up, I have researched offices in Pattaya and Bankgok and they are not expensive but I need someone to help set infrastructure up on a partner level.

Someone with experience of running a business and interested in pursuing a new project. Surely you can see the benefit of working with an established expat with local knowledge.

[steelepulse]

So how much are you paying this partner? Surely you're not looking for this partner to put in his hard earned knowledge and effort for the prospect of future earnings. What happens if the venture makes no money?

[drewsclayton]

Thanks for your insightful post Beach Club . The company is already set up, the product is proven and I have UK clients on board already. Appreciate forums are not the best place to recruit a potential business partner but no more banal questions. If you want further info about product, PM me and I will e-mail details over.

[samsiam]

There is a guy named Drew in Pattaya looking for partners....always.

[drewsclayton]

Website is firstpagesponsoredlinks.co.uk.

[Spoonman]

I know of a sales company in Pattaya with 20 plus non-thai citizens and they don't employ 4 Thai staff for every worker. This is the kind of info I need. Knowledge of settting up offices in Thailand, knowledge of the scene, networking etc.

This company you speak of is dodgy.

Suggest you read up a bit about work permits, here is a starter from ThaiVisa.

http://www.thaivisa.com/288.0.html

How to get a Thai work permit

First, check some basics about the commercial company by which you seek to be employed in Thailand. This is the most important thing and the lawyers at Sunbelt Asia can assist you through each and every step in the process! If you are applying to be a teacher or journalist, please don't read further. For such occupations different regulations and requirements are followed. For other occupations, please continue...

1. REGISTERED CAPITAL. The minimum amount of registered capital required per work permit in the company is dependent upon the status of the company and the work permit applicant. If your company requires one work permit and the applicant is married with a Thai national, then the required amount of registered capital is 1,000,000 Baht. If your company is registered with BOI (Board of Investment), you can obtain multiple work permits without needing to increase the registered capital, depending upon the agreement reached with BOI. However, it is important to note that BOI companies need to be set up with a minimum of 1,000,000 Baht of registered capital. If your company does not have BOI approval and your foreign employees are not married with Thai nationals then you will require 2,000,000 Baht of registered capital per work permit holder.

2. THAI EMPLOYEES. There are requirements for minimum numbers of Thai employees per Work Permit for foreigners working in Thailand; this is dependent upon the status of the company. BOI approved companies usually have a relaxed ratio of Thai employees to foreign work permit holders. However, other companies will require 4 Thai employees for every work permit. It is important to note that there is an exception to this rule. If the company was formed less than one year prior to submitting the work permit application, the officer will accept 2 Thai employees per work permit. However, when coming to renew the work permit, the usual regulations will be enforced and the company will therefore require at least 4 Thai employees per work permit. Whereas, when applying for the visa Extension of Stay, the immigration requires the company to have at least 4 Thai employees (listed in Social Security Fund 3 months prior to the application). This is a compulsory requirement from the Immigration.

3. TAX, VAT AND SOCIAL FUND. Your company is paying tax and VAT and has the paper work in order. If your company address is in Bangkok, you will also need to ensure that you have paid the first month’s social fund for your Thai employees, keeping the receipt as evidence of this. In other locations around Thailand, you may be required to show more than one month’s social fund receipts, dependent upon the regulations in your province. This is very important. Shady companies with "office in the pocket" are not eligible to apply for a work permit for you!

4. Prepare all the paperwork for work permit application (as outlined below). Having a Thai lawyer assist you in getting your Thai Work Permit is essential to having the most up to date information on the requirements and minimizing the likelihood of delays and multiple trips to the Labor Department. Sunbelt Legal Advisors are the most up-to-date in Bangkok on current regulations in securing your Thailand Work Permit.

Documents to be Supplied by the Employee:

Required documentation from the individual

• Application form (W.P.2).
  
• For non-permanent residents: A valid passport containing a Non-Immigrant visa.
  
• CV or Resume showing application’s educational qualifications and describing in detail the applicant’s past position, duties, performance, and place and length of employment.
  
• A recent medical certificate from a first-class licensed physician in Thailand stating that the applicant is not of unsound mind and not suffering from leprosy, acute tuberculosis, elephantiasis, narcotic addition or habitual alcoholism including Syphilis.
  
• Copy of front page of passport and visa.
  
• Three 5x6 cm. full-faced, bareheaded, black and white or color photographs, taken no more than six months prior to the filing of the application.
  
• If the job applied for is subject to a license under a particular law, in addition to the Alien Occupation Law, a photocopy of such license, (e.g. teacher’s license, physician’s license, press card from the Public Relations Department, certificate of missionary status from the Office of Religious Affairs, etc.) shall be attached.
  
• If the applicant is married to a Thai national, the original and photocopies of the following must be presented: Marriage certificate, spouse’s identity card, birth certificates of children, household registration, as well as photocopy of every page of the applicant’s passport.
  

Documents to be Supplied by the Employer

All documents must bear the company seal and the signature of the company Director with signatory authority.

• Certificate issued by the Commercial Registration Department showing that the organization for which the applicant is going to work, has been duly registered as a juristic person, giving the name of the managing partner and/or director, and its objectives and capital (issued within the past 6 months).
  
• A Copy of the list of shareholders of the applicant’s prospective company, certified as correct by the Commercial Registration Department (issued within the past 6 months).
  
• If the company maintains a factory, a factory license and/or license to operate a factory, renewed by the Factory Department, Ministry of Industry.
  If the company maintains a restaurant, a food license. A Bar requires an alcohol license. A hotel a hotel license.
  
• Copy of VAT Certificate (Phor.Phor.20)/application for VAT registration (Phor. Phor. 01)
  
• Map of place of business.
  
• Photos of the office inside and outside, with outside showing the company name and address.
  

Applying for the Work Permit

Check, check and double-check! Recheck all documents needed. Your Thai employer will say that everything is in order, but may not be!! So have the lawyers at Sunbelt Double check!

Apply for the work permit at the Labor Department covering the province in which the Company’s Head Office is located. (Employees working in a Branch office in other provinces must still apply in the province where the Head offices is located).

Most people get refused because they forgot to include a map in Thai showing the location of the company. Some other people get refused because they were not wearing a necktie in the photo. The photos of the office must also show clearly the Company name and address. Double check the requirements! Sunbelt Legal’s attorneys know the requirements and thus you will not need to make several unnecessary trips to the Labor Department.

The application will take 10 days from the day of submission to the collection at the Labor Department.

Collecting of the Work Permit

Pick up your work permit.

You will need to pick up your blue work permit book in person at the Labor Department. You will be issued with a work permit valid for either 90 days, 6 months or 12 months; this decision is at the discretion of the officer. In line with new regulations, your visa and work permit are no longer tied together. Therefore, you can have a visa that expires on a completely different date to the work permit.

NOTE: Be sure that you do not overstay or travel out of the country without a Re-entry Permit, because then your visa will be invalid upon your return.

There are a number of grounds upon which a work permit can be granted (this is on a discretionary basis and will take into account usual considerations such as suitability and qualifications of the foreigner for the position):

• The company must have a fully paid-up registered capital of 2 million Baht to hire one foreigner, plus one person for every additional 2 million Baht (to a maximum of 10 people).
  
• If the registered capital of the company is less than 2 million the company can hire one foreigner if its total corporate income tax payment had been at least 5 million Baht for the past three years. The company can hire one foreigner for every 5 million Baht paid in tax.
  
• The employer has engaged in export which has brought into Thailand revenue of 3 million Baht in the previous fiscal year. The employer can hire one foreigner for every additional 3 million Baht up to a maximum of 3 people.
  
• The employer has at least 50 Thai employees per foreign employee up to a maximum of 5 foreign employees.
  
• A foreign employee must have paid personal income tax of at least 18,000 Baht in the previous personal tax year or if the foreign employee has not worked in Thailand previously, documents for potential employers confirming that, the foreign employee will obtain income in Thailand of at least 50,000 Baht per month for an employee who is single and 60,000 per month for a married person, must be presented.
  

The Labor Department may also issue or renew work permits regardless of the above criteria when the foreign individual falls into one of the following categories:

-employed as an international trade representative inspecting product quality, purchases or conducting market surveys

-employed as an investment or management technology adviser or internal auditor

-a tour representative bringing foreign tourists into Thailand

-employed in an international financial institute endorsed by the Bank of Thailand

-employed a non-profit organization on a temporary basis

-employed as a contractor on projects for state agencies or public enterprises

-employed in a business that mainly required the use of local raw materials

-employed in the Thai export sector

-employed in a business introducing and transferring technologies to Thailand

-employed in a sector where qualified Thai employees cannot be found

-married the cohabiting with a Thai national and has an honest employment.

[drewsclayton]

Have read all that already. No it is not dodgy, it is a board of investment approved company hence there is some flexibility on amount of Thai nationals working for company. I applied for the job at the company as part of my market research in to working in Thailand. Thanks for your help anyway.

[tombkk]

I have a problem with this topic.

OP first says the company is set up and then says it is set up in the UK. This is irrelevant for Thailand. Does that mean no Thai company has been set up at all yet?

OP also refuses to say what kind of qualifications he is looking for, and whether he will follow Thai law for Work Permits.

OP better explains himself lest we think it is another boiler room operation, many of which have resulted in legal action in the past few years. The forum owner cannot let illegal actions be promoted on this web board, or he himself will get into legal trouble. Therefore, a clarification that there is not illegal action, for example regarding work permits, is required. Now.

[pipo1000]

OP better explains himself lest we think it is another boiler room operation,

This sprung to mind from the first line I read of the OP.

[drewsclayton]

Wow Tom, jumping the gun springs to mind. You have obviously not read previous posts. I have a small London office in UK selling Google Ad Word solutions to SMEs and was asking for addional visa advice from an estalished expat on the logistics of setting up in Thailand.

How you inferred a boiler room company from a few posts is beyond me and I can only put it done to you having a bad day. If my posts are offensive then just delete them.

Finally you state I refuse to answer what qualifications are needed? No one has asked Tom? i have not refused and am simply looking for somone with a business background to ascertain how vialbe it is to set up in Thailand. As a global moderator I think you need to tone it down a bit.

[NBD]

So if I'm second guessing you correctly, then what you're looking to do is set up a call centre in Thailand to sell your Ad Words/SEO services into the UK?

Not sure why you're looking for a business partner rather than talking to BOI or an advisor, many of which advertise on this site, in the first instance?

[drewsclayton]

Yes thanks for that NBD, just a little green on the set up over in Thailand. Looking for lower running costs so the idea of setting up a small sales team to sell to the UK market from Thailand appeals, am travelling over in two weeks to attend a networking event which is probably a better route than posting on forums and getting grief from keyboard warriors. Don't neccessarily need a partner just someone that has set up and knows the ropes so to speak.

[samsiam]

Yes thanks for that NBD, just a little green on the set up over in Thailand. Looking for lower running costs so the idea of setting up a small sales team to sell to the UK market from Thailand appeals, am travelling over in two weeks to attend a networking event which is probably a better route than posting on forums and getting grief from keyboard warriors. Don't neccessarily need a partner just someone that has set up and knows the ropes so to speak.

So you really have no idea what you want then ??

[jamescollister]

Drew, I have a business here and have seen a lot of people come with ideas, Some are sound, but as soon as I hear the words internet or software, I just smile and think there goes another dreamer. Best of luck. Jim

[drewsclayton]

Its good to smile Jim, enlightens the soul. I sell Google Ad Words to businesses, have been for 5 years. Nothing dreamy about Ad Words.

[BookMan]

Yes thanks for that NBD, just a little green on the set up over in Thailand. Looking for lower running costs so the idea of setting up a small sales team to sell to the UK market from Thailand appeals, am travelling over in two weeks to attend a networking event which is probably a better route than posting on forums and getting grief from keyboard warriors. Don't neccessarily need a partner just someone that has set up and knows the ropes so to speak.

So you really have no idea what you want then ??

[drewsclayton]

Have received some sound advice on here and now have an understanding of how to proceed. Thanks for all your help.

[jamescollister]

Its good to smile Jim, enlightens the soul. I sell Google Ad Words to businesses, have been for 5 years. Nothing dreamy about Ad Words.

Ask yourself a few questions, why Thailand, is it the sun sand, beer and birds that make Pattaya the place. Or is it the restrictions, from ,visa regs, WP problems, difficulties of setting up a non Thai owned company, lack of English speakers that make the place attractive. There are many places in the world much better suited to this type of enterprise, I would think Thailand would be bottom of the list as far as South East Asia was concerned.

I will never be a real businessman, but I live and make my living here from rubber, why, because Thailand is the number one rubber place.

Hope it works for you, even if things don't pan out you will have a great time until the money runs out. Jim

[drewsclayton]

Sound advice Jim, this forum has definitely opened my eyes.

[NBD]

I wouldn't say it's the worst place to do it at all. As noted there are a couple of companies already doing this. It's got good reliable phone and data connections, cheap office space and a lot of people who want to live here but don't have much money, who are also native English speakers.

It's getting those people to be able to work legitimately without spending millions of pounds that is the hard part.

[jamescollister]

I wouldn't say it's the worst place to do it at all. As noted there are a couple of companies already doing this. It's got good reliable phone and data connections, cheap office space and a lot of people who want to live here but don't have much money, who are also native English speakers.

It's getting those people to be able to work legitimately without spending millions of pounds that is the hard part.

Think most bigger cities in SEA now have good phone and internet connections. Malaysia and Indonesia actively advertise overseas for foreign business to come and set up. Cambodia I believe issues a one year visa that allows you to work without much trouble. Even Lao seems to have less restrictions on foreign business, don't no about Vietnam.

Office space, not needing to be main street visible is not going to be costly anywhere.

Thailand on the other hand goes out of it's way to discourage a lot of businesses. A bad thing, not for the Thailand as there seems to be no shortage of overseas investment here.

There is always India, which must be the biggest call center in the world.

I like Thailand and it has much to offer, but in trying to set up a business to make a living, it has many drawbacks. Jim

[rgs2001uk]

I wouldn't say it's the worst place to do it at all. As noted there are a couple of companies already doing this. It's got good reliable phone and data connections, cheap office space and a lot of people who want to live here but don't have much money, who are also native English speakers.

It's getting those people to be able to work legitimately without spending millions of pounds that is the hard part.

Think most bigger cities in SEA now have good phone and internet connections. Malaysia and Indonesia actively advertise overseas for foreign business to come and set up. Cambodia I believe issues a one year visa that allows you to work without much trouble. Even Lao seems to have less restrictions on foreign business, don't no about Vietnam.

Office space, not needing to be main street visible is not going to be costly anywhere.

Thailand on the other hand goes out of it's way to discourage a lot of businesses. A bad thing, not for the Thailand as there seems to be no shortage of overseas investment here.

There is always India, which must be the biggest call center in the world.

I like Thailand and it has much to offer, but in trying to set up a business to make a living, it has many drawbacks. Jim

Two top answers above.

The OP needs to ask himself is it a business he wants or a life in Thailand.

If the former I would be looking at The Philippines.