Work Permits in Thailand??

[DiverJim242]

I'm a new OWSI, and I want to work in Thailand. Is it possible to get a work permit while in Thailand? I thought it might be more easy to network for a job there, than here stateside.
Any input would be a great help.

 

[smartecosse]

yes its possible

you can only get them once you are in the country

get yourself a NON IMMIGRANT B multiple entry visa BEFORE you come to Asia.

 

[stevenl]

Becoming more and more difficult, but possible. You need non immigrant B-visa. If you get emplyed by a DC they may give you a WP, if you work free lance, you have to get one yourself. The best way: check out the options here with other instructors who have done/are doing the same thing.

 

[Diver_City Boys]

I thought it might be more easy to network for a job there, than here stateside.

You must be joking, right? Every folk and his dog dream of being in South east asia including myself There are more than 1500 dive pros at least around phuket in high season, and if you are coming here for lifestyle change, then OK. Because These are among only places where DCs can take serious advantage of their inst big time

Many instructors used to work without visa pretending a customer doing work experiance program. Some freelanced with WP but without any physical business address. I was told Immigration is keeping closer eyes this year, and things aren't like used to be...

 

[stevenl]

Just realised something: the answers so far have been written from the PHuket view. In other areas in Thailand workpermits are far less an issue. So, while it being illegal, a lot of instructors are working without workpermit in other areas of Thailand.

 

[smartecosse]

yeah, thats a point

if you want to be an :no ILLEGAL :no worker then plenty of shops will hire you on Koh Tao, Koh Phi Phi and some of the liveaboards

 

[Aquasam]

The immigration officers are more and more tracking for 'illegal workers' particularly in the diving industry. I would not advise you to work without WP, you take the risk to be deported to your home country and never been able to enter the kingdom again... Not a very nice option for a Dive Pro!

 

[limbo]

Everything about Thai work permits, visa etc can be found on Home - Thaivisa.com. Register and start your research.

 

[Makhno]

Yes, as mentioned above, you can work in Thailand without a work permit, but it is illegal and penalties are fairly harsh. I wouldn't take any chances in Phuket, as when I was visiting there I was told by other instructors that the Immigration (or was it Labor?) Department had its enforcement people at the pier keeping an eye on divers, and one instructor who was in the process of getting her work permit (but didn't have it yet) got busted, went to jail for a little while, then got fined and deported and is barred from reentering the country. Not good.

I've heard of little to no enforcement on Koh Tao, rare but occasional enforcement on Koh Samui, and I don't know about elsewhere.

Your employer can sponsor you for a work permit, but can only do so for 2 employees per 2 million baht of registered company capitalization. Many dive centers keep their registered capitalization level low -- either because they don't have much capital, or because if it's below a certain level they can avoid the hefty VAT taxes the bigger companies must pay. The long and the short of it is that you're not very likely to be sponsored by your employer until you've been here in Thailand long enough for a dive center to be sure it wants to employ you full-time for a lengthy period (for example, you've been working for that dive center as a freelancer for a while and they trust that they can rely upon you). So, many instructors here have thus gotten their own work permits without any assistance from their employers.

The way to do that is to set up a Thai company here (with majority Thai shareholders), and the company then sponsors the instructor's work permit. It can be costly, so you'll want to be sure you want to live and work in Thailand for a long enough time to justify the expense. As someone else commented, you should get a multiple entry, non-immigrant B visa before you come to Thailand, as you'll need that visa to apply for a work permit.

 

[stevenl]

Makhno,

Good explanation, just one thing about the WP's through a DC: one WP is allowed per 2 mio registered capital and 4 Thai employees. So for 2 WP's 4 mio and 8 Thai employees are required.