I've just returned to my home in Phuket, after completing a teaching contract at an international school in Myanmar. In about 7 weeks, I leave for Laos to take up a new teaching position.

Meanwhile, I have been asked by a Thai local government organisation to teach a 60-hour, basic English conversation course to a group of villagers who are keen to improve their English language skills in what is a relatively new, tourist destination.

The opportunity sounds very interesting, and i'm keen to provide this course, but how can I resolve the WP requirements? I know that the organisation will not provide a WP for this 'one-off' course.

Are there any loopholes in the Labour Law that I can exploit to resolve the WP requirement? I've advised the employer that I would like to teach this course, but only if I can do it 100% legally.

(I seem to recall somewhere that foreigners can do short, training courses without a WP. Does that law still exist? Perhaps if this 60-hour course was split into several shorter courses????

Thanks for your good advice

Simon

Best is to talk with labour about options, but you need a WP.

AS far as I know there only is an exception for things like emergency repairs, for a maximum of 15 days. But there might be soemthing for giving lectures as well.

The only avenue open to you legally would be to get a 14 day temporary WP Its issued free, single page application...can generally be issued within 24 hours and seeing as this is a goverment department asking one suspects you will have little problem getting it, the only snag you may have is that they ask for you to be on a B visa, we bring guys in on this WP type for emergency repairs in O&G and seem to remember that the goverment wants them on a "B"

The 15 day temp work permit isn't for emergency situations only. We used one to cover a group of foreigners who were organizing a charity fair and would be selling stuff and handling money (for charity) on the day of the event. It wasn't a big problem to acquire and the local labor office was very interested in having our event suceed.

The 15 day temp work permit isn't for emergency situations only. We used one to cover a group of foreigners who were organizing a charity fair and would be selling stuff and handling money (for charity) on the day of the event. It wasn't a big problem to acquire and the local labor office was very interested in having our event suceed.

Of course its not only for emergenices as you have said, but my only involvement with getting them is in "emegency" situations...the intent of this WP is for people to come and work here legally for a short periods of time

The Office of the Basic Education Commission and the Office of the Vocational Education Commission can both provide WP exemptions for volunteer teaching / mentoring, but as this doesn't sound like it falls under either of these organisations probably not of much help apart from the knowledge that this can occur and to put that back to the people who want you to conduct the course.

The Office of the Basic Education Commission and the Office of the Vocational Education Commission can both provide WP exemptions for volunteer teaching / mentoring, but as this doesn't sound like it falls under either of these organisations probably not of much help apart from the knowledge that this can occur and to put that back to the people who want you to conduct the course.

That is totally incorrect. Volunteers need a work permit all the same and the OBEC and VEC do not have the authority to decide about who needs a WP or who doesn't.

What is true for volunteers is that they do not need a teaching license or waiver of that anymore by regulations from the Teachers Council of Thailand.