Prohibited work by foreigners in Thailand

[oldfield]

Thailand Wont Offer you a Chance to do what you do Best. i build for 35 years and could learn them well in a school. but you would not get permit to teach. Thailand needs only to spend a Small amount on Teaching and learn them the proper Way.
i pay now 250 per day and they are happy so its What they want.
Its a shame Udon is not got the prices like Bkk For property sales. Then i could make loads money.
Mobaan 5% is The best i have has yet so 15% would be great

wan.ker

[ntvillas2]

i am a Builder not a Teacher in English. Thais try to Do the Job to fast and are slow to Think how it should be done.
you are good At English so you could Write my Book for me.
If i Tell Them 2 or 3 Times They start to get the Message. so what more can i say.


Learn them How to use a level.
And How to Set a Floor to Tile.
or how to Plumb a House with Hot and Cold Water.
How to read a plan to scale

People who are Not shown the proper Way to do Things learn others to do the Same.

So Thailand needs Skilled Workers to pass on the Skills to young boys wanting to be Builders

[Harry1534]

I shouldn't think there are many young boys in Thailand who want to be builders. The wages are low, the weather is way too hot and their skin turns brown. Not good for a Thai. Far better to get construction workers from Laos.

I don't think it's particularly fair to say that the Thai workers are slow and need to be 'learned' how to do things like laying floor tiles and installing hot and cold water. Most of the time they have to make do with inferior tools, a lack of decent materials and a shortage of cash.

I find Thai workers to be remarkably ingenious, inventive and far more capable than some Farangs I know.

As for passing on skills...take a look around. It's absolutely amazing that they have struggled on for the last twenty odd thousand years without our perfectionism to help them!

Now, as far as writing your book ntvillas2, what would you call it: 'Learning Thai?' No, that makes sense, how's about: 'Learning Young Thai Boys Fings.' Hmm...not too sure about that title....what about: 'Me Bilder, You Fick.' That should sell well.....yeah, post all the details and we'll all get started. Shouldn't take longer than about twenty minutes.

[Frankie 1]

To stay on topic,
There is a very long list of which jobs I am not allowed to do, but maybe it would be nice to know which jobs are allowed for foreigners.
Does anybody know which jobs are possible to do?
I 've heard that there are a lot of farang tourguides working without a workpermit, but are allowed to work as long as there is also a Thai tourguide working together with them.

Is English teacher the only option? Do you have to be a native speaker?
(When I read some articles from native English people, I think my grammar is better, ha ha.)

And do people from Laos have more privileges, working in Thailand? They are foreigners too.

[Doc]

So Thailand needs Skilled Workers to pass on the Skills to young boys wanting to be Builders

I have, at times, been called an "arrogant bas*ard" - but I do belive that you have me beaten. Congratulations. =D>

Udon Thani is full of houses that have been built by Thais without your so called "expert" and "knowledgable" guidance and no doubt, your wonderful, insightful and patient methods of "learning" them. Those houses are still standing with minimal complications from all that I have seen in the house that I live in as well as all of the hotels that I have stayed in.

Before you concern yourself with learning proper grammar - you might wish to immerse yourself into a significant and lengthy course in Thai culture and learning how to live in a culture that is alien to yours.

From a business perspective - if you wish to sell you houses to falangs on this forum, you might wish to tone down your rhetoric.

[panick]

Well said Doc =D> =D>
I think the bad grammar might be down to Mrs ntvillas2 doing some of the postings.....in which case, Well done Mrs ntvillas for your command of the English language =D>

Back to the thread

Are you allowed to do repairs/alterations to your own property or do you again need a work permit or do you have to employ Thai people to do it for you

[panick]

I ask this because....I'm about to buy a house,then look for a better house that needs renovation ,subsequently move into renovated house (rent or sell previous house) then look again for better house that needs work again ......Get the drift ....Upgrading each time and doing the work myself
Any thoughts Pro/Con graciously welcomed reguarding work permits etc.,

[mally]

Hi Panik,
Yeh I'm also interested in doing exactly the same thing when I retire to UT so I am very interested in the legal pros & cons.
I have been in the building trade almost all my working life, graduated from being a building technician to a building estimator and then a quantity surveyor, and now run my own electrical contracting firm, so I have a fair knowledge of the building trade (Brit style - no Thai experiance).
Although I want to retire to UT with my TGF I don't want to 'stagnate' by having too much time to do nothing (if you get my drift). My thoughts were to do what you
are saying, and also if successful to maybe buy an additional home to renovate and sell - but is it allowed ? Or maybe I would be allowed to "run things in the background" using my TGF as the "Front Man" (that doesn't sound right grammar wise - must try to keep Queen's English or I'll be condemmed along with ntvillas2 !!!).
Oh, and it goes without saying that I would be looking to make a small profit on the works to supplement my retirement pension.
So what's the score all you 'experts' on the Thai immigration laws ? Is this idea a starter, a maybe (with some rules to follow), or a strict 'No No' ?

[BKKSTAN]

I know a couple of individuals that have bought old properties and fixed them up fo resale!As a matter of fact,the reason I moved to Nong Khai was because of one of these individuals telling me about his experience and the lack of problems in doing so even though it was illegal!

[oldfield]

I shouldn't think there are many young boys in Thailand who want to be builders. The wages are low, the weather is way too hot and their skin turns brown. Not good for a Thai. Far better to get construction workers from Laos.

I don't think it's particularly fair to say that the Thai workers are slow and need to be 'learned' how to do things like laying floor tiles and installing hot and cold water. Most of the time they have to make do with inferior tools, a lack of decent materials and a shortage of cash.

I find Thai workers to be remarkably ingenious, inventive and far more capable than some Farangs I know.

As for passing on skills...take a look around. It's absolutely amazing that they have struggled on for the last twenty odd thousand years without our perfectionism to help them!

Now, as far as writing your book ntvillas2, what would you call it: 'Learning Thai?' No, that makes sense, how's about: 'Learning Young Thai Boys Fings.' Hmm...not too sure about that title....what about: 'Me Bilder, You Fick.' That should sell well.....yeah, post all the details and we'll all get started. Shouldn't take longer than about twenty minutes.

=D>

[Doc]

I know a couple of individuals that have bought old properties and fixed them up fo resale!As a matter of fact,the reason I moved to Nong Khai was because of one of these individuals telling me about his experience and the lack of problems in doing so even though it was illegal!

I am not quite sure that it is illegal for someone to work on their own property or fix up their own property, providing that one is either occupying the house or planning to occupy the house when the work is finished.

If one is living in one house, fixing up another house and then putting up that house for sale when completed, then that would be illegal.

In short, I do believe that it is possible to "split hairs" so to speak on this particular issue.

[cookie]

There used to be a time in Europe when people used this law to fix old houses in europe with cheap east european labor.
People bought the houses and "rented" the houses to Polish or Russians.
These east european workers (renters) renovated the house!!!!
(don't know if they are still doing that. I think not because of the expansion of the EU)

[beer monkey]

ntvillas can help you on the renovations,he is builder you know.

[Paul]

I agree with Doc (for a change)
Nobody will be put in the slammer for improving their own property themselves, however if you are doing it as a business (so to speak) then it will be viewed differently . And incidentally, dont expect to get the sort of return on home improvements as you do in the west. Those 100% profit margins back in the home countries are what dreams are made of here. You might not even get your investment part back. This is the real world !

[Seaserpent]

Mr Ntvillas2, you do have a bad habit of racking down on Thailand and Thais. Why stay in a place there you are surrounded by plain idiots, Asian or Caucasian?

Take my advice, pack-up and move to a country there the inhabitants match your intelligence and class.. You might even find a place there they can build a house to your specifications!

[BKKSTAN]

2 individuals in Bangkok,1 swede and 1 Scot were arrested for painting their own house and the Scot for building his own wall,while I lived in Bangkok!The Scot was deported and the Swede warned and fined!The Scot ,I had met and had some small talk prior to his arrest,The Swede was a friend of a friend!

[Doc]

It may have happened Stan - but I think that up here that would not happen.

Essentially, what they were saying is that if you have money as a falang, you can not do anything, but have to hire a Thai to do the job for you. Just doesn't make much sense to me.

I know plenty of falangs that have made improvements to their houses without any problems at all here in Udon.

Maybe things were different back when you were in BKK - or maybe things have changed since then. Don't know.

[Paul]

Next we will be hearing how someone was arrested for doing their own ironing or making their own coffee or driving the car themselves

I think we have to keep it real.

[BKKSTAN]

Next we will be hearing how someone was arrested for doing their own ironing or making their own coffee or driving the car themselves

I think we have to keep it real.

Technically,I guess the gov't could use those as chargeable offenses I don't know!But the 2 incidents I reported were real,especially to the guys charged

It is a topic that started for me from my first and second trips to Thailand!As my initial reason for coming here was to open a resturant /bar on Koh Chang!Luckily for me,not for one of the guys,2 falangs had negative experiences that I was privy to on my second trip that greatly influenced my decision to not open a business!
It was quite real to the young Frenchman that had a sizeable investment in his business,when he was arrested and deported for doing some legitimate business practice needs to grow a business,even though he had about 10 Thai employees.When you hurt the interests of Thai competitors,especially influential Thais and combine that with a Xenophobic enforcement official,it is REAL
I believe that everyone should have the benefit of others experiences as awareness might help them plan better and prevent a problem from naiveity or ignorance

[Khun Paul]

Well for what it is worth, I paint my own walls, fix up my leaks and designed and installed my comprehensive water system, as for working on your own house I cannot see how that is illegal, I do feel that there might be more to the story about the farangs in BKK.

You definitely cannot work in a shop/bar etc serving customers it is viewed as taking a job a Thjai can do, as for electricans and the like if you fix your problem they still have a job but not with you of course.

The law is meant to stop foreigners from taking jobs Thais can do, however it does not say how good they are supposed to be, therein lies the problem, Thai standards are not in many cases as high as ours and their work ethics are very low, however in many cases they manage to do their tasks with a modicum of success, my house was built 16 years ago and is only now starting to show age in very small places that can be easily rectified.
Build they certainly can, make they certainly can do that , it is the maintainance and other tasks they fall down on.
me I like working on my house and garden, if i cannot do that I would go gaga.