Volunteer work in Thailand

[Kaalle]

A friend of my mother wants to come to Thailand and do some sort of volunteer work. The problem is the organisations she has contacted wants a lot of money for the privilege of helping them. I don´t know anything about these sorts of activities in Thailand but maybe some body else does. So basically volunteer/charity work that doesn't require a lot of cash up front but rather a reasonable amount of money and then you show up and work or something along those lines. Maybe some smaller organizations or something.

Thanks

Edited February 6, 2015 by Kaalle

[rijb]

Tell your friend not to pay them. There are many scams here. The Thais, who really need help, get nothing.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741678-volunteers-in-chiang-rai/

[Swiss1960]

and don't forget to tell your mothers friend that she nees a workpermit to work as a volunteer.

[Rangsitreppin]

Obvious you know jack about los.

Its jam packed with scam after scam .

[CharlieH]

Dont get sucked in to anyone stating "they'll sort out the paperwork" they rarely do as it wont be them in jail eating fish head soup if it all goes wrong.

A work permit is a legal requirement even for volunteering.

[Kaalle]

Obvious you know jack about los.

Its jam packed with scam after scam .

I know some, having lived her for 6 years. Know nothing about volunteer work though, which is why I started this thread. Im sure there are some organisations that dont scam people, and hopefully some people on this board have information about them. You can leave though, thanks.

[uptheos]

Obvious you know jack about los.

Its jam packed with scam after scam .

I know some, having lived her for 6 years. Know nothing about volunteer work though, which is why I started this thread. Im sure there are some organisations that dont scam people, and hopefully some people on this board have information about them. You can leave though, thanks.

What is her background, what are her skills / interests?

[weegee]

Simple....DONT even try !!!!

[Kaalle]

Obvious you know jack about los.

Its jam packed with scam after scam .

I know some, having lived her for 6 years. Know nothing about volunteer work though, which is why I started this thread. Im sure there are some organisations that dont scam people, and hopefully some people on this board have information about them. You can leave though, thanks.

What is her background, what are her skills / interests?

Teacher.

What about this one? http://www.mercycentre.org/

So basically volunteer work in Thailand is a big no-no? Should I steer her towards some other country in SE Asia or what?

Edited February 6, 2015 by Kaalle

[uptheos]

Obvious you know jack about los.

Its jam packed with scam after scam .

I know some, having lived her for 6 years. Know nothing about volunteer work though, which is why I started this thread. Im sure there are some organisations that dont scam people, and hopefully some people on this board have information about them. You can leave though, thanks.

What is her background, what are her skills / interests?

Teacher.

What about this one? http://www.mercycentre.org/

So basically volunteer work in Thailand is a big no-no? Should I steer her towards some other country in SE Asia or what?

Steer her towards a holiday here and forgetting about unpaid work.

[Swiss1960]

What is her background, what are her skills / interests?

Teacher.

What about this one? http://www.mercycentre.org/

So basically volunteer work in Thailand is a big no-no? Should I steer her towards some other country in SE Asia or what?

Volunteer work in Thailand is NOT a big no-no. But when I see webpages like the one you mentioned... charging volunteers... mentioning that it is all your problem to get a Visa (not even mentioning that the volunteer needs a worl-permit... which he can not get without the involvment of the charity..)... leave your hands from them. In addition, their homepage does not show how and whether they are officially recognized...

Look at the Father Ray foundation website http://www.fr-ray.org and you see

- their certification on http://www.fr-ray.org/en/about-us/certifications/

- their volunteer program on http://www.fr-ray.org/en/get-involved/volunteer-programs/

They have a mail contact address, already say that they do not charge a fee and they have loads of volunteer stories... and most of all, Father Ray Foundation has a great name in Thailand.

Good luck to the friend of your mother

[Thongkorn]

Depends on what he/she wants to do while volunteering. I have been doing a few weeks every year for the last 6 years.volunteer work in a hospital,, But i have a Thai family who work there to, I have never had a work permit, I have Contact regularly with Thai Police, and Boarder Government officials , not once has any one asked about My permit, they are just greatful i give my time freely,

Edited February 6, 2015 by Thongkorn

[CharlieH]

Depends on what he/she wants to do while volunteering. I have been doing a few weeks every year for the last 6 years.volunteer work in a hospital,, But i have a Thai family who work there to, I have never had a work permit, I have Contact regularly with Thai Police, and Boarder Government officials , not once has any one asked about My permit, they are just greatful i give my time freely,

That doesnt make it right, or legal.

[Kaalle]

What is her background, what are her skills / interests?

Teacher.

What about this one? http://www.mercycentre.org/

So basically volunteer work in Thailand is a big no-no? Should I steer her towards some other country in SE Asia or what?

Volunteer work in Thailand is NOT a big no-no. But when I see webpages like the one you mentioned... charging volunteers... mentioning that it is all your problem to get a Visa (not even mentioning that the volunteer needs a worl-permit... which he can not get without the involvment of the charity..)... leave your hands from them. In addition, their homepage does not show how and whether they are officially recognized...

Look at the Father Ray foundation website http://www.fr-ray.org and you see

- their certification on http://www.fr-ray.org/en/about-us/certifications/

- their volunteer program on http://www.fr-ray.org/en/get-involved/volunteer-programs/

They have a mail contact address, already say that they do not charge a fee and they have loads of volunteer stories... and most of all, Father Ray Foundation has a great name in Thailand.

Good luck to the friend of your mother

I will forward her the link. Many thanks!

[Thongkorn]

Depends on what he/she wants to do while volunteering. I have been doing a few weeks every year for the last 6 years.volunteer work in a hospital,, But i have a Thai family who work there to, I have never had a work permit, I have Contact regularly with Thai Police, and Boarder Government officials , not once has any one asked about My permit, they are just greatful i give my time freely,

That doesnt make it right, or legal.

In your opinion , which is not always right.

[CharlieH]

Depends on what he/she wants to do while volunteering. I have been doing a few weeks every year for the last 6 years.volunteer work in a hospital,, But i have a Thai family who work there to, I have never had a work permit, I have Contact regularly with Thai Police, and Boarder Government officials , not once has any one asked about My permit, they are just greatful i give my time freely,

That doesnt make it right, or legal.

In your opinion , which is not always right.

Not an opinion, its a fact !

"If you are a foreigner and you intend to work in Thailand, you are subject to the Alien Employment Act, which requires you to have a work permit to be issued by the Department of Employment, Ministry of Labor, or unless it falls within an exception of the said Act.

The term “work” in Thai law is defined very broadly, covering both physical and mental activities, whether or not for wages or other form of compensation. Even volunteer or charity work requires a work permit in Thailand."

Edited February 6, 2015 by CharlieH

[northernjohn]

Depends on what he/she wants to do while volunteering. I have been doing a few weeks every year for the last 6 years.volunteer work in a hospital,, But i have a Thai family who work there to, I have never had a work permit, I have Contact regularly with Thai Police, and Boarder Government officials , not once has any one asked about My permit, they are just greatful i give my time freely,

That doesnt make it right, or legal.

No it doesn't make it legal but it does make it charitable. I agree the fear about no work permit here in Thailand in charity work borders on Paranoia. The danger is there but I have never heard what happens to be people who get caught doing it. Maybe there is some cases but what was the penalty.

I have heard of some teachers being caught but that is not charity work. Here a few years ago we had some musicians caught and one was deported. He had been bragging all over Facebook about no Visa and making piles of money with no work permit. The other two I believe were fined 1,000 baht. They were doing some jamming in a bar. Their was one other group at the time but the police were all ready chasing one of them for some thing else. But I have heard a lot of warnings.

[wooloomooloo]

So basically volunteer work in Thailand is a big no-no? Should I steer her towards some other country in SE Asia or what?

Syria?

[Rooo]

Just a reminder:

2) You will not use ThaiVisa.com to post any material which is knowingly or can be reasonably construed as false, inaccurate, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise in violation of any law.

No work permit is against the Law .Discussion on how to bypass it can & will probably be removed.

[geriatrickid]

Depends on what he/she wants to do while volunteering. I have been doing a few weeks every year for the last 6 years.volunteer work in a hospital,, But i have a Thai family who work there to, I have never had a work permit, I have Contact regularly with Thai Police, and Boarder Government officials , not once has any one asked about My permit, they are just greatful i give my time freely,

That doesnt make it right, or legal.

In your opinion , which is not always right.

It's not an opinion, but a statement of fact. If you have been here that long you should know that positions change with the wind. If someone dislikes you or you have a dispute with someone, all those smiles and the acceptance of your activity can and will vanish. The problem is and has always been an inconsistency in the application of the existing laws. No one in his/her right mind should volunteer for anything unless there is a documented assurance that the volunteer work has been legally approved. If you wish to take the risk, that is your choice. However, someone with something to lose should consider the potential costs of doing so.

[cgphuket]

All the northern charities and ngos are scams, but there are some legit orphanges around Bangkok that don't charge.

[Kaalle]

So work permit when doing volunteer work is a must? Just so I get this straight 100%

[chrisinth]

OP, if your mother's friend is determined to do charity work in Thailand, IMHO her/his best option is to come here on a tourist visa (or even enter on a visa exempt stamp) to allow them time for a few face-to-face meetings and judge from there.

Putting stuff on the internet or into advertising leaves a lot of latitude for the recruiters, and hides a lot from the volunteers...................

[chrisinth]

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So work permit when doing volunteer work is a must? Just so I get this straight 100%

100%

Of course, the legit organizations will cover this, or at least make it known to the volunteer.

[NoshowJones]

Depends on what he/she wants to do while volunteering. I have been doing a few weeks every year for the last 6 years.volunteer work in a hospital,, But i have a Thai family who work there to, I have never had a work permit, I have Contact regularly with Thai Police, and Boarder Government officials , not once has any one asked about My permit, they are just greatful i give my time freely,

That doesnt make it right, or legal.

No it doesn't make it legal but it does make it charitable. I agree the fear about no work permit here in Thailand in charity work borders on Paranoia. The danger is there but I have never heard what happens to be people who get caught doing it. Maybe there is some cases but what was the penalty.

I have heard of some teachers being caught but that is not charity work. Here a few years ago we had some musicians caught and one was deported. He had been bragging all over Facebook about no Visa and making piles of money with no work permit. The other two I believe were fined 1,000 baht. They were doing some jamming in a bar. Their was one other group at the time but the police were all ready chasing one of them for some thing else. But I have heard a lot of warnings.

I have been asked by the band in a few places in Pattaya to go up and borrow a bass guitar and sing a couple of songs. Technically. I need a work permit, but I do not believe that anyone will bother in those circumstances.

[Thongkorn]

So as far as some posters are saying, don't help any one in an accident, don't do charity work in Thailand, with out a signed copy of permission (Visa) , what a sad lot you are, no humanity, i have never seen anyone arrested for helping people, In Thailand, don't believe all you hear most are myths.

Edited February 7, 2015 by Thongkorn

[NancyL]

I believe the way that some of these organizations that charge people a fee for "volunteer work" get around the work permit issue is that what they're really doing isn't placing people for volunteer work, but rather selling an adventure vacation package.

I think that if the OP's friend approaches her stay from that frame of mind, she might have better luck in finding something to do that's enjoyable.

For example, you can pay to spend a week in an elephant camp taking care of the elephants. Do you need a work permit for that? I think not. You can book a week in a home stay on a farm in Issan and they'll put you to work doing whatever chores the family is doing. Do you need a work permit for that? No -- that's part of the homestay experience. So, too, these organizations that charge a fee to place people for a few weeks of volunteering in orphanages or schools or whatever are really selling adventure holidays, not volunteering.

Rather than us resident foreigners getting all up-in-arms about other foreigners "volunteering without work permits" we should be more concerned about foreigners being permitted to spend time around children without adequate vetting of their background and intentions.

Edited February 8, 2015 by NancyL

[Kaalle]

So if you pay to work its ok as oppose to just not getting pay´d? Amazing Thailand

[inbangkok]

Paying to volunteer is actually a hot thing right now in many countries.... Not just Thailand. However, from everything that I have gathered from professionals in the field, honest NGOs, and policy professors..... The answer is DON'T! There are so many ways to volunteer without paying a company. You can actually read blogs and stories from people who volunteered somewhere after paying a company a few thousand dollars. They all say at the time it seemed great and they felt good, and now they see how stupid and ridiculous it was and they feel robbed, because they could have done it for free. These programs are often set up as businesses to make people feel good about what they are doing, when in fact, what they are actually doing may be having very little positive impact on anyone or anything.