Having A Shop For Tutoring

[MarkAndrewSmith]

There's a shop in my village that's for rent for $100 and I'm going to do tutoring. If it's through my Thai girlfriend I'm hoping it's okay. But we don't have any business paperwork and I'm curious what I need to get to cover the bases.

Edited March 25, 2013 by MarkAndrewSmith

[USNret]

How is it that you teach at the mall, but don't need a work permit? I thought WP was needed for any & all types of work, including volunteer work. I'd be very careful posting a comment like that if that is, in fact, your real name. Either that, or there's a loophole about working in Thailand that I haven't heard about.

[Scott]

You are running some rather big risks in opening a business that is not properly licensed. You are also running a big risk if you work at that business without the proper visa and work permit. Private tutoring often goes unnoticed and undetected, but a regular shop will draw attention.

[sirchai]

You are running some rather big risks in opening a business that is not properly licensed. You are also running a big risk if you work at that business without the proper visa and work permit. Private tutoring often goes unnoticed and undetected, but a regular shop will draw attention.

Plus an arrest and deportation........

[MarkAndrewSmith]

I might use the shop as my office during the day and not put up any signage, and do a few lessons here and there a week. Aside from the commander obvious doom and gloom posts does anyone have any real CONSTRUCTIVE KNOWLEDGE about the best way to do it legitimately as far as if I could get paperwork for the shop, or my girlfriend could register a business, and hire me. Or if everything is through her, and I just teach if that helps at all.

[Scott]

I think it's rather difficult and complicated, but it has certainly been done in the past. You might want to check in some of the business threads about what all is needed.

[siampolee]

have you done a market survey , will your village and the surrounding area have the potential to make this business prospect go, are you a qualified experienced teacher ?

Of course your girlfriend could hire you, however the securing of a work permit for you alone is going to be an expensive process

You'll need something like a minumum 70,000$ U.S. to equio your tutoring shop out resources and office furniture and machinery etc, there is also the very strong chance that this scheme may well lead too financial euthanasia too.

Doom and Gloom posts ?

Such posts come from those who know the pitfalls in the minefield of bureaucracy that you intend to navigate.

As Scott has remarked there are a number of threads if you search for them that wil assist you in your quest, some recent posts in this particular forum have been concerning setting up a language school.

Seek and ye shall find.

[eslinacup]

You are running some rather big risks in opening a business that is not properly licensed. You are also running a big risk if you work at that business without the proper visa and work permit. Private tutoring often goes unnoticed and undetected, but a regular shop will draw attention.

It sure will. I tried the same thing in Korat 4 years ago. I was living in a shop house and set up the ground floor as a lang school. As I was putting up some signs on the main front window a couple of cops showed up wanting to know when I will be opening. I said I was just "thinking about it and trying out some signs to see how it looked (Through my GF at the time). To cut it short, they left and I scrapped the whole idea.

Edited March 26, 2013 by eslinacup

[thaicbr]

You Gf could register as a business, No major problems.. As a school. I believe SHE would need a bachelors degree and teaching credentials. You would also need 4 Thai workers per work permit.

And as a school or language school (business) the school premises have to meet certain criteria.

Much easier just doing some occasional lessons to build up support and gauge customer base.

if it's a shop house that you can live in as well..ok

If your Gf has a good command of English and English grammar and can teach the younger classes (Thai teachers normally charge 20-30b per student per hour. min 10 students) Then you could do the older students or serious younger students.

Don't forget you will also have the expense of the language books and many require the class cd's.. budget about 250-300b for students book. 150-200b for students work book. 600-1000b for teachers book and finally 1000-2000b for class cd's. of course you do add the course books into the price of the language course. typically 20 and 40 hour courses. (MOST BOOKS ARE GOOD FOR 60-80 HOURS)

Or much simpler.. just go work for another school. Have fun.

[TerryLH]

"You'll need something like a minumum 70,000$ U.S. to equio your tutoring shop out..."

I think the OP is talking more about a table, some chairs and maybe a water cooler type operation. That's all he needs to get started.

[siampolee]

The figure quoted did include all furniture and assorted resources, advertising etc and of course the funds for actually placating and facilitating the local B.I.B. and of course the budget for navigating the ongoing delights of the straits of Thai bureaucracy.

Getting started here in Thailand is not such an easy task and once ones business is up and running the battle continues.

I speak from past and ongoing experiences as my wife has a small ( six pick up trucks) delivery business as well as our farm and a small shipping company.

Copious amount of ''palm oil'' need to be readily available I assure you.

That's why I stick to teaching no problems to me and it keeps me mentally active too.

[Rolo Tomazi]

My masseuse told me the story about her having a massage salon and several employees; things worked out real well for her. Then the local police showed up, inspected the place, forced her to pay a high amount for "protection" and then stopped by often for free massages. They even sent friends and family members over for free massages.

She tried to manage for a while but her staff split, one after the the other. There was no way to continue the business because she was just breaking even. She then secretly arranged with a friend a price for the interior furniture which was loaded into a truck at night.

She had her bags packed and left town. On the first of the next month the shop was empty and no rent was paid.

She said that was the only way to get out unharmed.

I've heard several stories along the same lines over the years. If this happened to a Thai, what do you think will happen to you?

The only way you will be able to open a small tutoring business is with protection from a rich Thai who is connected - to the mayor, to the head of police and it would help if he's on the school board, too.

But why should he help you?

[attrayant]

I've met quite a few foreigners over the past two years and I think all of them have some sort of freelance tutoring setup in addition to their main teaching job. But that's they key - it has to be ad hoc and easily disposable if authorities come snooping. Meet your customers in a coffee shop or have your GF invite them to a makeshift study room in the house. But keep it low-profile.

As for constructive advice, whiteboards are super easy and inexpensive to make by hand. Don't go spending 5,000 baht or more at a school or office supply store.

[Scott]

Just in case you think you can't/won't get caught, this thread might be worth a read:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/629432-thai-police-arrest-german-thai-couple-for-opening-illegal-school/

[culicine]

You are running some rather big risks in opening a business that is not properly licensed. You are also running a big risk if you work at that business without the proper visa and work permit. Private tutoring often goes unnoticed and undetected, but a regular shop will draw attention.

It sure will. I tried the same thing in Korat 4 years ago. I was living in a shop house and set up the ground floor as a lang school. As I was putting up some signs on the main front window a couple of cops showed up wanting to know when I will be opening. I said I was just "thinking about it and trying out some signs to see how it looked (Through my GF at the time). To cut it short, they left and I scrapped the whole idea.

They probably wanted some oil to grease the wheels of business... They will probably suspect this is not all above board and want their cut for you to have kept operating. I've heard such a story many times before.

[Rolo Tomazi]

I teach small groups of children in their parents' homes. That way I am on their turf, they see what I'm doing, and if there are any problems from outsiders I'm protected by the rich Chinese-Thai parents. That way I don't have to pay for rent, furniture and AC, some of the kids are at home and the worst thing that can happen to me is that I am told not to come back next Monday.

Nobody can prove that I get paid for my services.

[Ijustwannateach]

Yes- if you own the location you're subject to the shakedowns, and as an illegal business it could only be one shakedown before you are either jailed or deported. And you *can* theoretically open a school, but there are very, very high entry barriers (including having suitably qualified Thai educational professionals).

[aussiebebe]

The OP would be better off forgetting the shop idea and teaching online if his village has decent internet connection. The web is awash with sites you can join and the money will far exceed anything you'll earn from village students. There are a million ways to monetize your endeavours; you could start your own website, a domain name is only $13 per year, installing WordPress is free, and cheap web hosting costs under $4 per month. From here you can search for ways to drive traffic to your site, and start blogging and your own youtube channel with a few videos of you teaching. You can earn extra money from your site and youtube with Google Adsense.

[thunder30101]

^ Been watching too many youtube videos, forget teaching online, thailands internet isnt reliable enough to have online teaching especially from the village. And if it was so easy making money off web clicks everyone would be doing it lol. What you can do is setup a "language training center" under your wifes name then get a wp for you. There are capitol requirements that can be met quite easily (not going into that)for the business issuing wp's. Being a training center cuts out the MOE as you are not a school under their juridiction (no degrees or certs offered) just another business.

[ShinMusashi44]

Why is almost everyone talking about OP doing this illegally? He clearly asked how to do this legally.