I have a friend who would like to do volunteering work in Thailand. No specialist skills. Good grasp of English.

Ideally, but not necessarily, the work would be in the Chiang Mai area. The charity you cite should, in theory, be able to help her get a volunteer visa, because it's hard for people of her nationality to get tourist visas generally.

Teaching English conversation or working with children or animals might be good.. Thank you.

If your friend has difficulty in obtaining a tourist visa then obtaining the necessary visa and work permit for "volunteering" may prove to be impossible.

You might want to be a bit more specific. What is her nationality?

Vietnamese. Regulations seem to have tightened recently and she routinely gets a fair bit of grief on entry.

Vietnamese. Regulations seem to have tightened recently and she routinely gets a fair bit of grief on entry.travel

Are you the person who was asking about "visas" from Penang for a Vietnamese travel buddy?

How did that work out ?

There is a bilateral agreement which permits Vietnamese citizens easy, visa free, access to Thailand for a 30 day stay.

Visas for a longer stay should be applied for at the Embassy/Consulate

Royal Thai Consulate General

77 Tran Quoc Thao Street,

District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

Edited June 9, 201511 yr by nzexpat

Volunteering is possible, but she would need to find a registered foundation that is willing to help her with the required paperwork. Many foundations are not familiar with that and can't be bothered.

There are many "volutorist" places that make you pay to volunteer. In general these are scams. The real charities that could use volunteers generally can't afford the fees for the visa and WP for the volunteer. Is she willing / able to pay for the papers herself, if a Thai chairty sponsors her? Tell he to stay away from Chaig Rai. They are generally racist/Christian deals or flat out scams. A few orphages in BKK that might want her if she can pay the fees.

Thanks for your input, Mario and Nz.

Yes Nz, correct. Getting the visa in Penang was a gruelling and exorbitant business. Then, even after she finally got her three-month tourist visa, my Vietnamese friend was still interrogated intensively on the Sadao border and only just scraped through.

Previously she got a 30-day exemption stamp at bkk, but only after being forced to buy an onward air ticket at her departure point [sgn]. After, she was only allowed to extend seven days.

There are many "volutorist" places that make you pay to volunteer. In general these are scams. The real charities that could use volunteers generally can't afford the fees for the visa and WP for the volunteer. Is she willing / able to pay for the papers herself, if a Thai chairty sponsors her? Tell he to stay away from Chaig Rai. They are generally racist/Christian deals or flat out scams. A few orphages in BKK that might want her if she can pay the fees.

Thank you for the intel cgp. Sounds like a much trickier field to negotiate than we realised. I'd be willing to help her out if she can find somewhere kosher. It's sounding like we might have to abandon the idea though.

They have recently expanded the migrant worker scheme to include Vietnamese. She might be able to find work, get a work permit and a non-la visa.

If she has a good command of English and Thai she might even talk to the Viet Nam Embassy in Bangkok or one of the Consulates about working there.

They have recently expanded the migrant worker scheme to include Vietnamese. She might be able to find work, get a work permit and a non-la visa.

Cheers Uj, will relay that.

They have recently expanded the migrant worker scheme to include Vietnamese. She might be able to find work, get a work permit and a non-la visa.

Cheers Uj, will relay that.

Also be aware that if your friend is attempting to use the 30 day "bilateral agreement" on a frequent or back to back back basis then immigration will ask what is going on ...............?? .illegal working or something else which might be "dodgy" ?

Edited June 9, 201511 yr by nzexpat