move work permit to another company

[rideride]

So the company applied for a work permit for me and thus I was able to obtain a nonB-visa in my country.
The actual work permit I will go and get on Monday - so far so good.
Yet after one week at their office I am still waiting for them to have the contract ready (they basically had 3 months for that!) and I keep hearing: "Sorry, tomorrow!", or "within this week".

Now it's Friday and after a not so fruitful exchange today I think I've had it and I will try to get an interview with another company.
Seems like they pull off similar manouvres with other people there. Not sure about their intentions but it seems suspicious.
Anyway so i will definately get the work permit on Monday and I am wondering if it is better not to hand it to them, because I remember from a previous company that they liked to keep it and wanted me to return asap whenever I needed it.

But my main question is wether it is possible to move the work permit to another company easily in this situation. I still got about 2 month left on my first 90 days...

My understanding is that the work permit is locked to a company and any other work, including freelancing, is not allowed.

Not sure how the visa is affected by that.

[nzexpat]

I am simply amazed that someone would accept a job without a contract and job description

Having worked in many countries around the world I have never accepted a job without these important documents being available and signed by the employer ..........................

I am "old fashioned" ?

Hope your problem is "sorted" in the near future.

Edited May 8, 2015 by nzexpat

[rideride]

Well, yes I had an interview with them before I left Thailand, so everything was agreed on.
Things progressed real slow with them from there on and I had to be back in Thailand on a certain date, so luckily I got the visa right on time and went over one month before the planned first day at the office.

Pressed hard for the contract to be finished on that day, but well...
Have other companies up my sleeves, so I wasn't too worried in that regard.

[Mario2008]

How do you expect to get a work permit without a contract? A lot of details are probably already in the labour office forms.

Yes, the WP is tied to the company you work for. You are not on an extension of stay yet, so losing your job/changing employers will not effect your immigration status.

[rideride]

How do you expect to get a work permit without a contract? A lot of details are probably already in the labour office forms.

Ok, understand.

Thing is, as I indicated, there are other guys at the office in strange relationships with them.

One guy just got a work permit from them, but no contract yet.

Another guy - I just found out today and now please sit down first, has been working there for 6 years without contract!

He he indispensable there though. Now don't ask me how that works.

Yes, the WP is tied to the company you work for. You are not on an extension of stay yet, so losing your job/changing employers will not effect your immigration status.

ok, that's good

Edited May 8, 2015 by rideride

[nzexpat]

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Well, yes I had an interview with them before I left Thailand, so everything was agreed on.
Things progressed real slow with them from there on and I had to be back in Thailand on a certain date, so luckily I got the visa right on time and went over one month before the planned first day at the office.

Pressed hard for the contract to be finished on that day, but well...
Have other companies up my sleeves, so I wasn't too worried in that regard.

Sorry to disagree.

Clearly "everything" was not agreed or you would have had a Contract+Job description available PRIOR to taking up the position.

I hope others benefit from reading this thread.

[rideride]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Well, yes I had an interview with them before I left Thailand, so everything was agreed on.

Things progressed real slow with them from there on and I had to be back in Thailand on a certain date, so luckily I got the visa right on time and went over one month before the planned first day at the office.

Pressed hard for the contract to be finished on that day, but well...

Have other companies up my sleeves, so I wasn't too worried in that regard.

Sorry to disagree.

Clearly "everything" was not agreed or you would have had a Contract+Job description available PRIOR to taking up the position.

I hope others benefit from reading this thread.

Well you are right.

I should have received the contract while still in Germany, but I didn't.

But everything was discussed in the interview.

[nzexpat]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Well, yes I had an interview with them before I left Thailand, so everything was agreed on.
Things progressed real slow with them from there on and I had to be back in Thailand on a certain date, so luckily I got the visa right on time and went over one month before the planned first day at the office.

Pressed hard for the contract to be finished on that day, but well...
Have other companies up my sleeves, so I wasn't too worried in that regard.

Sorry to disagree.

Clearly "everything" was not agreed or you would have had a Contract+Job description available PRIOR to taking up the position.

I hope others benefit from reading this thread.

Well you are right.
I should have received the contract while still in Germany, but I didn't.
But everything was discussed in the interview.

Discussed is not the same as agreed !

(Diskutiert ist nicht das gleiche wie vereinbart ! ) Hope that is accurate !

[rideride]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Well, yes I had an interview with them before I left Thailand, so everything was agreed on.

Things progressed real slow with them from there on and I had to be back in Thailand on a certain date, so luckily I got the visa right on time and went over one month before the planned first day at the office.

Pressed hard for the contract to be finished on that day, but well...

Have other companies up my sleeves, so I wasn't too worried in that regard.

Sorry to disagree.

Clearly "everything" was not agreed or you would have had a Contract+Job description available PRIOR to taking up the position.

I hope others benefit from reading this thread.

Well you are right.

I should have received the contract while still in Germany, but I didn't.

But everything was discussed in the interview.

Discussed is not the same as agreed !

(Diskutiert ist nicht das gleiche wie vereinbart ! ) Hope that is accurate !

Besprochen heißt nicht vereinbart !

That's more idiomatic

[nzexpat]

Thank you!

It has been a long time since I last used the language in Switzerland

[rideride]

Thank you!

It has been a long time since I last used the language in Switzerland

No, that was really good.

The usage of "diskutieren" isn't perfectly synonymous to "discuss" though.

It is more used in the sense of " to debate".

[nzexpat]

Whilst in Switzerland my German skills did not really improve !

However, my German speaking colleagues did improve their usage of English !

[TerryLH]

"Yet after one week at their office I am still waiting for them to have the contract ready (they basically had 3 months for that!) and I keep hearing: "Sorry, tomorrow!", or "within this week"."

As Mario mentioned in an earlier post...

Why don't you ask them for a copy of the contract in Thai that they had to send to the Labor Office for the work permit?

They should have that available in their files.

If you change jobs the new company will have to submit all the same paperwork for a new WP. Including a contract in Thai.

[SOTIRIOS]

...stop blaming those that try to comply with arbitrarily applied laws...

...they are the hosts...we are the visitors....

...they hold all the cards.....

...and inevitably we get screwed around...then blamed or charged with a crime to boot.....nonsense...

[ratchaburi]

No body has answered the OP question

But my main question is weather it is possible to move the work permit to another company easily in this situation.

The answer is yes you can transfer to a new company & you can work for 2 companies on the 1 work permit as long as the 2 companies are OK with it.

When you get your work permit keep it as it is your work permit.

The company you work for will say they payed for it.

Don't let them have it.

When I first came to Thailand, I fell into the trap of giving my work permit to my employer.

When it came time to leave they would not give it back.

When I change employers I used a lawyer as they know the laws, good luck

[NickJ]

Second that....Keep the work permit. And if you do decide to leave Thailand....turn it in! As you may want to come back in a year or ten..........Furnish your company with a copy of it however.

[TerryLH]

"The answer is yes you can transfer to a new company..."

More bad info. A new company requires a new WP. You cannot transfer it.

A second job, which was not part of the OP's question, can be added to the original WP under certain circumstances.

It has to be in the same area. The original employer has to okay a second job being added. The second employer is required to file all the same paperwork that the first one had to do. That includes a contract.

[ratchaburi]

More bad info. A new company requires a new WP. You cannot transfer it.

OK I will put it this way, if you have a work permit it helps to step from 1 job to the next job that as long as it the same job discretion & the new employer has all the right paper work. This should take 14 days

It is a lot harder if you don't have a work permit as you would have to start all over again at the beginning.

[Alwyn]

Ratchaburi and TerryLH have answered your question. The work permit is your property so keep it with you and don't listen to any company b/s that they need to keep it in their safe "just in case"! I can confirm that you can get another company added to your WP as I've done it.

[rideride]

Thanks guys.
The thing is though that I just talked about this to a visa/WP agent/lawyer and he said no contract is needed in order to obtain a WP.

I don't understand how this is supposed to work though.

Edited May 9, 2015 by rideride

[nzexpat]

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Thanks guys.
The thing is though that I just talked about this to a visa/WP agent/lawyer and he said no contract is needed in order to obtain a WP.

I don't understand how this is supposed to work though.

I am sure that "Agent" is very knowledgeable, however , as far as I am aware a minimum requirement before a WP can be issued is for a detailed job description to be provided .

I am told that Labour Office staff are very helpful so why not ask them directly about what is required. (You may need a Thai speaker to accompany you to the Labour Office )

[rideride]

I am sure that "Agent" is very knowledgeable, however , as far as I am aware a minimum requirement before a WP can be issued is for a detailed job description to be provided .

I am told that Labour Office staff are very helpful so why not ask them directly about what is required. (You may need a Thai speaker to accompany you to the Labour Office )

Yeah i kinda have all the documents I guess as I needed the WP application to get my nonB visa.

It's all Thai but it doesn't seem to contain much more than some legal clauses that the company had to sign and a brief job description regarding me and an invitation letter.