Working Remotely

[DogNo1]

According to a report on CBS News, the number of jobs available for working remotely is growing rapidly. For women, the new website PowertoFly is listing jobs available to be worked remotely. I'm not sure what the work permit ramifications would be in Thailand, but a whole lot of jobs seems to be appearing. This may be the answer for home-bound TV members who need an income. Perhaps someone could comment on the work permit angle. It would seem hard for the authorities to police everyone who chooses to work online.

[Soutpeel]

Before the usual suspects get on here pontificating

TV's lawyers position on this question

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/808889-the-legality-of-working-from-the-internet-in-thailand/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/713879-work/

CM immigration were also quoted out of context

The head of the DOL in Phuket came out some time ago and publicly stated without a WP is illegal

Edited July 3, 2015 by Soutpeel

[topt]

Before the usual suspects get on here pontificating

TV's lawyers position on this question

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/808889-the-legality-of-working-from-the-internet-in-thailand/

Nice one - I was going to suggest a search on the phrase "digital nomad" to give an extensive idea of people's views - that is if it was genuine.........

This subject comes up so often and had been done to death in a myriad of ways

[Soutpeel]

Before the usual suspects get on here pontificating

TV's lawyers position on this question

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/808889-the-legality-of-working-from-the-internet-in-thailand/

Nice one - I was going to suggest a search on the phrase "digital nomad" to give an extensive idea of people's views - that is if it was genuine.........

This subject comes up so often and had been done to death in a myriad of ways

this topic goes down the same road every time, so just getting those extracts in up front, before the arguments start

[jspill]

- comments from individuals aren't enough in Thailand, a judge would have the final say

- never been a digital nomad conviction as yet in Thailand (or any country in the world)

- nothing explicit on the matter in the Alien Labor act as yet, in fact it refers to having a 'Thai employer' and 'Thai Baht wages' repeatedly

- nothing in Thailand's persona non grata criteria, in fact that refers to unskilled laborers taking up manual work in Thailand (implying the only issue is with taking jobs from Thais, as common sense would dictate) and recommends having a source of income to support yourself (http://www.thaivisa.com/392-0.html)

- Phuket has always been more anti-foreigner on a range of issues

- very high turnover rate of individual heads of departments, some have been quite extremist e.g. the guy who proposed blacklisting for overstay was from Phuket and is now no longer in that office, his proposals not in effect over a year later and likely shelved

- Phuket and Bangkok / jurisdictions elsewhere very often don't apply the same rules, quite the opposite

- common sense would also dictate that Thailand takes one official stance on the matter to avoid criminal elements taking a mile if they gave an inch (real criminals that is, like drug dealers pretending to 'work online' when asked), but the reality for non criminals (Chiang Mai twentysomethings promoting Thailand tourism on their travel blogs, the quiet ebook author on the beach supporting himself with no harmful social effect on Thailand etc.) is that you have nothing to worry about

- individual lawyers would play it safe and echo that stance

- hundreds of anecodotal reports from posters on this forum being told 'no problem for you' when explaining they get paid from offshore sources, one such example http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/749038-with-a-thai-elite-visa-can-a-person-work-legally-as-a-digital-nomad/page-7#entry8314920

- when applying for many consecutive tourist visas Thai consulates explicitly ask to see a rental contract and proof of income sourced from outside Thailand to prove you aren't working IN the country - doesn't seem like they take issue with living here and working remotely with no connection to Thai entities

- ThaiVisa poster of the year with 60,000 posts concurs that remote working is a non-issue here http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/794216-17-foreign-english-teachers-arrested-in-chiang-mai-for-working-illegally/page-4#entry8975419

- and here http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/794216-17-foreign-english-teachers-arrested-in-chiang-mai-for-working-illegally/page-5#entry8975527

- see you in the next thread

Edited July 3, 2015 by jspill

[DogNo1]

All of the above having been said, it does appear that we are on the cusp of a wave of remote jobs. I hope that TV members who could use work will be able to take advantage of the jobs available. There are obviously many members who are housebound for whom remote jobs would be appropriate. If the worker is in a defacto American location and is not paid in Thailand then is it really a Thai job?

[gk10002000]

Do the Thai Visa moderators work from home on work permits?

[balo]

They will probably not answer that question.

[Soutpeel]

All of the above having been said, it does appear that we are on the cusp of a wave of remote jobs. I hope that TV members who could use work will be able to take advantage of the jobs available. There are obviously many members who are housebound for whom remote jobs would be appropriate. If the worker is in a defacto American location and is not paid in Thailand then is it really a Thai job?

In terms of the Thai definition of work, where or even if one gets paid has absolutely no relevance as regards the definition of work in Thailand and the WP requirements, it relates to a persons physical presence in Thailand and what you are getting up to.

so in your example a de facto American location and not being paid in Thailand is irrelevant, as regards the non payment bit, even volunteers in Thailand who receive no payment for their endeavours require a WP.

[PattayaPhom]

"News Flash" Channel 7..................Farang arrested, fined, incarcerated, blacklisted and deported...................their crime, the Foreigner from the UK an HSBC employee was on a two week holiday on Phi Phi island and checked their work emails on their smart phone once..........over on Channel 3 another Newsflash...Yet another pesky Foreigner arrested, fined, incarcerated, blacklisted and deported......their crime, John from the UK a property manager on a 3 day shopping visit to BKK took a 20 second phone call from a tenant about the waste disposal........sums it up really.

Edited July 4, 2015 by PattayaPhom

[jspill]

'Working' means 'a working' ok clear as mud. http://thailaws.com/law/t_laws/tlaw0366.pdf

Note that the Alien Labor act uses the word 'Baht' 14 times and 'Employer' 19 times.

[DogNo1]

So has Thailand got an NSA - like security agency monitoring everyone's phone calls and emails?

[Soutpeel]

So has Thailand got an NSA - like security agency monitoring everyone's phone calls and emails?

they got the technology off the NSA...

[Soutpeel]

'Working' means 'a working' ok clear as mud. http://thailaws.com/law/t_laws/tlaw0366.pdf

Note that the Alien Labor act uses the word 'Baht' 14 times and 'Employer' 19 times.

maybe you should read and interpret the Thai version version, as it would be this version which takes precedence and any interpretation of what something means would come from that version, put all the time you spent attending your Ed visa classes to use...

you can read an interpret what you want out of the English language version but it means nothing.