Immigration are circling my classroom - what can I do?

[gdgbb]

Chronic offenders such as the OP do nothing but feather their own nest and make life more difficult for the rest of us who do not operate illegally.   

 

The answer to his self-imposed problem is to stop working illegally, simple.  To consider taking daft advice from posters here suggesting that he compounds the issue by offering thinly disguised bribes to Immigration to join his business or ask them "what he needs to do" is madness.

[dbrenn]

1 minute ago, gdgbb said:

Chronic offenders such as the OP do nothing but feather their own nest and make life more difficult for the rest of us who do not operate illegally.   

 

The answer to his self-imposed problem is to stop working illegally, simple.  To consider taking daft advice from posters here suggesting that he compounds the issue by offering thinly disguised bribes to Immigration to join his business or ask them "what he needs to do" is madness.

Nonsense. What has he to lose?

[gdgbb]

3 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

Nonsense. What has he to lose?

 

His freedom.  His wife.  His home.  His life as it has been for the last 16 years here in Thailand.  Need more?

Edited December 23, 2016 by gdgbb

[meatboy]

2 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

Nonsense. What has he to lose?

his family and a cushy living,which he should have thought about LONG AGO.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

IMO, the large number of farang teachers willing to work illegally does more harm than good.  The schools and the government agencies need incentives to have a reasonable path to take to teach legally.  With a revolving door of Bozos coming here every week with no respect for the law, the schools will just keep using them.  And it is almost never that the school gets in trouble.  Why would they pay for WP if experience tells them 1/3 won't start the second semester, another third aren't legally qualified, and the other third can be replaced in a week.

 

This is an especially brazen case.  Atcany moment you could be served by at least 5 different agencies. The tax problems alone could send you away....even if you did have proper visa and wp.

[gdgbb]

16 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

 

That's what I think. The OP's only chance is to offer some nice gifts or negotiate a cut of the action. If they like him personally, and if the community likes him and values his services, then he might be allowed to continue on. Small places in the provinces are more likely to turn a blind eye.

 

I don't see that he has any other options. 

 

Talk about myopic, bad advice!

[Mangostin]

10 hours ago, JustAnotherFarang said:

My question is this, if they raid my classroom and arrest me for working illegally what will be the likely outcome.

 

My bet is that once they smelled that you were able to made a nice little income to survive, instead of having the business going belly up as they might have previously thought, some of them might have just reminded about one of its useless relatives, which can't be of any use even into the rice's field, what a great opportunity for the festivities to find a decent occupation for him....at least till the reality of things will eventually kick in to destroy whatever effort a proper individual has previously made.......TIT

What did i won? 

[riclag]

Perhaps you can speak to the guy who was doing a drive by ,after closing down for the holidays.

Edited December 23, 2016 by riclag

[Davekavo]

2 hours ago, mstevens said:

 

Thailand is not China and suggesting that this fellow's days are numbered is ridiculous.

 

There could be any of a number of reasons why Immigration was monitoring the classroom.  It might be that a student's parent was unhappy about something at the school and complained to them in spite.  It might be that a competitor school complained.  It might be that the OP or his wife unwittingly offended an Immigration officer or someone closed to an Immigration officer and did not even realise it.  Anything could have caused the OP to come under Immigration's spotlight.  Without knowing what has caused him and his operation to come to their attention, your comments are alarmist.  Shutting down the operation might put an end to the attention he was receiving.

 

If the OP and his wife are reasonable people they might just be able to work the issue through if the authorities do come knocking.  Saying the OP's days in Thailand are numbered is ridiculous.  That is not the case at all.   Even if something comes of this, it can be worked out and often the Thais are remarkably easy to deal with if you are respectful to them and admit you were in the wrong.  Contrition and respect go a long way when dealing with investigating officers in Thailand.  It's not like the OP was dealing drugs or doing something else very clearly wrong, right?!  

1

1

 

At the end of the day, the OP was operating a school to HELP THAI PEOPLE and Immigration would understand that, while at the same time they know he was working illegally.

At the end of the day, it is night time ....He was working illegally and operating a school illegally END OF STORY, END OF DAY. Sounds to me like he was helping himself not Thailand, 16 years working illegally on a tax-free income..wake up to yourself. Your card is marked you will be caught and strung up by the short and curlies, get out now while you can or use your command of the English languish....(couldn't resist it) to write a book about your experience inside the Bangkok Hilton, midnight express springs to mind. All joking aside, walk away now or get a solicitor to advise you not a barstool forum like this.

good luck with it all.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 23, 2016 by Davekavo

[dbrenn]

17 minutes ago, gdgbb said:

 

His freedom.  His wife.  His home.  His life as it has been for the last 16 years here in Thailand.  Need more?

You don't seem to get it. He has immigration casing out his operation, which he is unable to regularise, so it's safe to say they'll make a move soon in closing him down and kicking him out - that's the part where he loses the work, wife and kids.

 

By offering an olive branch now - just a New Year present with no admission of wrongdoing - playing his cards smartly to get them onside, he has more chance of being allowed to continue on.

Edited December 23, 2016 by dbrenn

[meatboy]

i would like others know his visa status,as he sounds like he is not of pensionable age,so therefor how has he got away with showing his extension money in the bank without an income,that makes me think for sure he is on a very long overstay.

[Mangostin]

4 hours ago, Colabamumbai said:

A Thai teacher must be loosing money for their after school classes for students.

And a thai internet's user must be losing bandwidth because of this foreign's post....

[KhonKaenKowboy]

If you get caught avoiding excise tax the penalty is four times the value of the item and forfeiture....Tax penalties can be worse, and they can add penalties and let interest on the tax and penalty pile up, meanwhile waiting for the right moment to levee your bank accounts or seize your property.

[dbrenn]

11 minutes ago, gdgbb said:

 

Talk about myopic, bad advice!

Of course I'd advise him to open a school, jump through the hoops and all that, but he has already indicated that this is not possible. Like I said, he has no options other than to negotiate a solution - doing it the Thai way, that is.

[gdgbb]

Just now, dbrenn said:

You don't seem to get it. He has immigration casing out his illegal operation, so it's safe to say they'll make a move soon in closing him down and kicking him out - that's the part where he loses the work, wife and kids.

 

By offering an olive branch now - just a New Year present with no admission of wrongdoing - playing his cards smartly to get them onside, he has more chance of being allowed to continue on.

No, it's you that doesn't get it. 

 

He's closed down for the holiday already so he's no longer working, if the place is raided he won't be there and won't be working illegally.  To go to Immigration and admit he's running an illegal business, violating his visa conditions and attempt to bribe them would be absolute madness.  That is where he could lose everything.

[Davekavo]

At the end of the day, the OP was operating a school to HELP THAI PEOPLE and Immigration would understand that, while at the same time they know he was working illegally.

At the end of the day, it is night time ....He was working illegally and operating a school illegally END OF STORY, END OF DAY. Sounds to me like he was helping himself not Thailand, 16 years working illegally on a tax-free income..wake up to yourself. Your card is marked you will be caught and strung up by the short and curlies, get out now while you can or use your command of the English languish....(couldn't resist it) to write a book about your experience inside the Bangkok Hilton, midnight express springs to mind. All joking aside, walk away now or get a solicitor to advise you not a barstool forum like this.

good luck with it all.

 

[LannaGuy]

it's illegal period. you got away with it and now you've been found out so close it down and hope that's the end of it

[gdgbb]

3 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

Of course I'd advise him to open a school, jump through the hoops and all that, but he has already indicated that this is not possible. Like I said, he has no options other than to negotiate a solution - doing it the Thai way, that is.

 

He should thank his lucky stars that you're not his lawyer with your continued short-sighted, bad advice.   Like you didn't say, he should stop what he's doing (as he's done already temporarily) before he's arrested.

[mstevens]

55 minutes ago, sandemara said:

Were you really hoping anyone on a farang open forum would encourage you to continue blatantly breaking immigration and labour laws? Just "a married guy trying to  make a living". Pathetic.

 

Really?  If I were to spend a few minutes dredging I am sure I could come up with a lot of people on this forum who are "blatantly breaking immigration and labour laws", to quote you.  It's so obvious that many of the people on this forum so desperate to get their next tourist visa are performing some sort of work and are not in the system.

 

What this guy has done is wrong, clearly, but there are so many others doing similar or worse.  I may not live in Thailand but when I am there the number of people I speak to who are flying below the radar would appear to be equal to or greater than the number who are legal.  The last condo building I stayed in recently for a stint of a few months was full of young Westerners making money online and doing basically as this guy was doing.  If you want to give a hard time to foreigners in Thailand breaking the law, I reckon your net is going to catch a high percentage.

 

Of course this guy should get legal or stop what he's doing.  At the same time, some of the harsh comments on here make me wonder if some posters are as pure and innocent as they make themselves out to be.  I seriously doubt it.

[dbrenn]

3 minutes ago, gdgbb said:

No, it's you that doesn't get it. 

 

He's closed down for the holiday already so he's no longer working, if the place is raided he won't be there and won't be working illegally.  To go to Immigration and admit he's running an illegal business, violating his visa conditions and attempt to bribe them would be absolute madness.  That is where he could lose everything.

Read my posts again, please. At no point did I say that he should admit any wrongdoing. All I'm saying is that his wife should engage with the informer (the wife of the immigration officer), offering a nice New Year gift (expensive whisky always works) to the nice folks at immigration - for all the hard and excellent work that they do. See where the conversation goes from there.

 

Delaying might prove fatal too. They are casing him out and the longer the OP leaves this, the more likely other government departments will be involved in the investigation. Right now, it's only immigration he has to deal with ....

[mstevens]

42 minutes ago, lucifer666 said:

Your'e cheating the system. you deserve all you get

 

Oh, man.  It's comments like this that reinforce to me why my visits to Thailand are of a shorter and shorter duration.  I sure don't advocate anyone breaking the law, but why is it that so many foreigners in Thailand seem to really hate all other foreigners and want to see others suffer, or better still, be barred from the country?

[Upnotover]

16 minutes ago, meatboy said:

i would like others know his visa status,as he sounds like he is not of pensionable age,so therefor how has he got away with showing his extension money in the bank without an income,that makes me think for sure he is on a very long overstay.

 

[sanemax]

3 minutes ago, mstevens said:

The last condo building I stayed in recently for a stint of a few months was full of young Westerners making money online and doing basically as this guy was doing

 

   There is quite a big difference between working on line and opening up a school illegally for 16 years 

[dbrenn]

1 minute ago, mstevens said:

 

Really?  If I were to spend a few minutes dredging I am sure I could come up with a lot of people on this forum who are "blatantly breaking immigration and labour laws", to quote you.  It's so obvious that many of the people on this forum so desperate to get their next tourist visa are performing some sort of work and are not in the system.

 

What this guy has done is wrong, clearly, but there are so many others doing similar or worse.  I may not live in Thailand but when I am there the number of people I speak to who are flying below the radar would appear to be equal to or greater than the number who are legal.  The last condo building I stayed in recently for a stint of a few months was full of young Westerners making money online and doing basically as this guy was doing.  If you want to give a hard time to foreigners in Thailand breaking the law, I reckon your net is going to catch a high percentage.

 

Of course this guy should get legal or stop what he's doing.  At the same time, some of the harsh comments on here make me wonder if some posters are as pure and innocent as they make themselves out to be.  I seriously doubt it.

I'll second that - not many of the people who rail against wrongdoers are perfect themselves. I've met lots of them too.

 

A long time ago, in the early 90's, I too ran a small language school for a while. It was amazing how much I was allowed to do, simply by being nice and respectful to people.

 

[ldiablo72]

I wouldn't just close for the holidays, I would shut it down permanently.

[Davekavo]

By offering an olive branch now - just a New Year present with no admission of wrongdoing - playing his cards smartly to get them onside, he has more chance of being allowed to continue on.

 

WHY CONTINUE.......... He would get work as a teacher without a degree especially now that he has 16yrs teaching experience.

"Know when to walk away, know when to run".( K.Rodgers. The Gambler.)

[dbrenn]

6 minutes ago, Davekavo said:

By offering an olive branch now - just a New Year present with no admission of wrongdoing - playing his cards smartly to get them onside, he has more chance of being allowed to continue on.

 

WHY CONTINUE.......... He would get work as a teacher without a degree especially now that he has 16yrs teaching experience.

"Know when to walk away, know when to run".( K.Rodgers. The Gambler.)

Maybe he's not a qualified teacher, but is just good at teaching and his customers stick with him because they are learning something and because there is no better service offered locally? History is full of examples.

 

After 16 years working in the boonies here, he may struggle to find work elsewhere?

 

Maybe he doesn't want to move?

 

Only the OP would be able to answer these questions.

Edited December 23, 2016 by dbrenn

[gdgbb]

4 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

Read my posts again, please. At no point did I say that he should admit any wrongdoing. All I'm saying is that his wife should engage with the informer (the wife of the immigration officer), offering a nice New Year gift (expensive whisky always works) to the nice folks at immigration - for all the hard and excellent work that they do. See where the conversation goes from there.

 

Delaying might prove fatal too. They are casing him out and the longer the OP leaves this, the more likely other government departments will be involved in the investigation. Right now, it's only immigration he has to deal with ....

Sorry, I've got better things to do than re-read your dodgy advice posts. 

 

If offering a bribe to Immigration, in whatever form, what else would he be doing but admitting wrongdoing, particularly as Immigration obviously knows now that he's committing a number of offences if he continues?  

 

But you're wrong, again; at the moment he has closed the business and stopped working and as long as he doesn't start again and get caught, he hasn't even got Immigration to deal with.  He won't get arrested for not operating a business and not working which is what he's apparently chosen to do for the time being.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

13 minutes ago, mstevens said:

 

Oh, man.  It's comments like this that reinforce to me why my visits to Thailand are of a shorter and shorter duration.  I sure don't advocate anyone breaking the law, but why is it that so many foreigners in Thailand seem to really hate all other foreigners and want to see others suffer, or better still, be barred from the country?

 

 

I'll say this presuming the OP is not trolling.

 

16 years is a long time to be cheating the system. Most normal people would quit after a good run and think of something else after a few years... or if the school was a success at least try to become legal. 

 

Running an illegal business for 16 years is nothing short of lunacy and of course someone will eventually catch up to your illegal activities. I mean... even Mexicans in USA eventually become legal and start paying tax at least.

 

Absolutely ridiculous and yes no sympathy whatsoever.

[gdgbb]

13 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

I'll second that - not many of the people who rail against wrongdoers are perfect themselves. I've met lots of them too.

 

A long time ago, in the early 90's, I too ran a small language school for a while. It was amazing how much I was allowed to do, simply by being nice and respectful to people.

 

Ah, that explains everything, you seem to be suggesting that you were an illegal foreign worker also and you reckon that because you got away with it you should advise the OP to try too.  Bad advice.