Should the school pay for my work permit?

[Ulic]

As usual you don't get what you are worth you get what you negotiate. There is a special place in hell for those

people who do a job for too little. That sets the standard for the race to the bottom. Stay or leave it is up to you.

In the future you will have to put all expense coverage negotiations in writing in the employment contract.

[natway09]

Yes

[TerryLH]

"AnotherOneAmerican, on 17 Sept 2014 - 14:34, said:

Work permit costs under 2k."

Only if you were only getting a 3 or 6 month WP.

3 months = 750 baht.

6 months = 1500 baht.

12 months = 3000 baht.

That doesn't include the application fee.

It's been like that for many years.

[Scott]

Where I work my employer provides the paperwork for potential employees to get the required visa (usually the non-immigrant . The employer does not pay for it, however. Once the employee is on the correct visa, the school takes over and gets the extension, the work permit and the Provisional Teacher's License (something University employees don't have to worry about). The reasoning is this:

It is up to you to be in the country legal and to have the correct visa.

It is up to the school to legally employ you, so the school gets and provides the Work Permit.

But, as SlyAnimal mentioned, it's all a part of the agreement between the employee and employer. I know employers who pay for nothing and employers that pay for everything. I even know of employers that pay for teachers to make the illegal border runs over and over again.

[lostinisaan]

I personally believe that it shows a lot about the school how much they really appreciate foreigners having there.

I fought a long "war" , at my former school, finally made it the Thai way and told them that it would only be good for our school to show new teachers that we welcome them.

Here we go again, my new school where I'd started in May doesn't pay. A new war will start soon. Time will tell. Don't mind to get only my work permit reimbursed, as I need that to work for them.

[aarontendo]

I like what Scott had to say on this really. First visa is on the employee, fair enough it gets ya in. Any further documentation should be paid for by employer as it is needed to continue work. That's a common sense approach that seems it should be industry standard in Thailand, especially as it represents a fair significant chunk of change on some of these salaries.

[Eddy B]

The last few years I went to get a WP it was 3100 baht for a one year term. It is less if only for 6 months. Regardless if it for full-time or part-time work, it all relates to the length of time of the contract.

[new2here]

My experience is similar to Scott in #34.

My first contract stipulated that the university would pay - up front - the cost for the initial work permit (application fee included), medical certificate (since the university has a teaching hospital there was no fee per se, just a departmental use waiver), extension of stay and a single re-entry permit.

The cost of the initial Non-B was mine.

From the second contract onwards they cover essentially the same things as under contract number one; the only major difference being they now pay for a multiple re-entry permit versus a single.

This was all written into the contract under the "permits" section of the agreement.

I do have a bonus clause that pays out certain amounts if conditions are met. A few of them are contract completion bonus (small), perfect attendance (medium), and assessment/performance (small)

If you add all these up - assuming one earns them all - then you'd far exceed the uncovered cost of the first visa..

Edited September 20, 2014 by new2here

[meand]

Have students do a paper detailing who should pay for work permit and why.

[ArtHay]

Just an update, I was given the final word monday. They rejected my offer to share the cost of the work permit 50/50. Their reason was that it was my responsibility since "I could use it to teach people in my home", I don't quite get that but there you go.

[zeichen]

You could go back to them and say that the work permit is tied to the school and only permits you to legally teach there. Teaching at your home or privately is illegal even with a work permit.

If you were full time, I would fight this but as stated before part timers don't usually get anything. The worst part about part time is that you are only paid if in class. So during holidays, classes are cancelled, finals and marking is all done without getting salary.

Switch to full time and I think that they will treat you better, but perhaps not.

Schools often hire part timers to save costs and many fall for the trap. At CMU there are only 3 full time teachers in the English department and about 60 part time. Many of the part timers actually teach the same number of courses as the full time but get about 1/2 pay and no benefits.

[ArtHay]

Thanks for the advice Zeichen and everyone else, it's appreciated.

I think when the semester is over, and my obligation to the school ends, I'll wish them the best and move on.

Edited September 23, 2014 by ArtHay

[SlyAnimal]

Please don't criticise user's grammar or spelling on the forums here. This only serves to take topics off topic.

(I have removed 1x post + a reply to it).

Also as zeichen mentioned, your workpermit only permits you to teach at the location specified in the WP, so I guess you could point this out to them, and see if they have another excuse, or if they decide to just pay up rather than giving further flimsy excuses.

[Chao Lao Beach]

Of coursde they should pay, should they pay you a wage ?

[meand]

Just an update, I was given the final word monday. They rejected my offer to share the cost of the work permit 50/50. Their reason was that it was my responsibility since "I could use it to teach people in my home", I don't quite get that but there you go.

Lol. That's priceless. Somebody needs to write a book with these quotes.

[claffey]

You should not have accepted employment from an employer who did not provide you with a work permit in the first place. You were working here illegally and breaking the law. If found out it would be you that is punished and not the school.Get yourself a job with a work permit included....

[meand]

You should not have accepted employment from an employer who did not provide you with a work permit in the first place. You were working here illegally and breaking the law. If found out it would be you that is punished and not the school.Get yourself a job with a work permit included....

As has been pointed out however, almost every teacher works illegally for some time. To make matters worse, some schools will tell you they will get a wp for you soon, and nothing ever happens. Your recommendation is too simplistic and does not take into account the inadequacies of the system in place here.

[ArtHay]

Thailand isn't the first place I've worked, I've also worked in Korea, Taiwan and China and in each of these places, and probably the other Asian EFL/ESL markets, you experience the rules being constantly bent and sometimes even broken, as a result you begin to see it as SOP.

Regardless claffey is correct and I won't make the same mistake again.