Thread: Bar back\Bartending - part-time, courses, aprenticeship for foreign student?

Originally Posted by IvanBrik

my friends who are foreigners and work on student visa without WP (boom, nobody was deported or even fined)

do you mean that they have been asked by the authorities as some point to show their work permit at which point they said 'Sorry I don't have one' and the authorities then said 'No problem then mate, carry on'

Or do you mean that they have not yet been asked to show a work permit?

It is illegal to work, paid or otherwise without a work permit if you are a foreigner.
If caught you will spend time in the IDC and be deported at some point.

Of course there are many who work in Thailand without the proper papers - it doesn't make it OK, It simply means that they have not been caught yet.
I am aware of several who have spent time in the IDC before being deported for having no work permit.

I would have thought working behind a bar was quite a visible job. It would only take one disgruntled individual who either takes a dislike to you or believes your job should be his/hers and you will be in trouble.

Your risk to take

as the OP is fond of saying, "just google it"

these are taken from an expat forum thread

- The German owner of a local restaurant, who has a work permit, hired two Philippine singers who did not have a work permit. Both the owner and the two singers were arrested.

- A Swedish person who was helping his wife to cook in the kitchen of their business was arrested.

- A guesthouse did not make a report within 24 hours and the owner was charged accordingly.

- A German man whose mother is Thai was arrested for serving drinks to his German friends in his mothers business.

- A Thai builder was arrested for hiring two Burmese workers who did not have work permits

Barry Kenyon the Honorary Consul (Pattaya) for the British Embassy in a Q&A....



Chonburi is not known as the easiest place in Thailand to get a work permit and there are a lot of foreigners working here without the little blue book. Do many foreigners have problems related to this?
They do, not because they cannot get one, but because they have not applied for it in the first place. The work permit is about paying tax and capital investment in a company. The people who get in trouble are often the people who would not be able to apply for a work permit, or because they have not put sufficient capital in, or do not even know about it. Or perhaps they work in a sector where you cannot get a work permit, such as a gogo bar. It is very difficult to get a work permit to work in a gogo bar.

But generally, if your application is in order, it should be ok. A lot of people are married to a Thai and think having a work permit doesn't matter. Just because you are married to a Thai does not excuse you. The Alien Labour Act 1980 applies.


What's the typical penalty?

There is little point pleading not guilty! The penalty will be quite small in the sense that the Thai courts will fine you or 2,000 - 3,000 baht. If you can pay it, which they rarely can, because they are often on overstay, you will not be let out, but rather you will be deported. If not, you have to wait in the jail until someone comes up with the money. There is one jail in Bangkok, the Immigration Detention Centre, where they end up.

What about if you just don't have the money, or the means to raise it?

You can pay it off by spending time in the prison cell. The rate is 200 baht per day. So a 2,000 baht fine would be 10 days.



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The biggest problem is paying for the cost of the airfare to your home country and getting a flight. Then the threat of not being able to come back to Thailand. It's up to the discretion of Immigration.

If you are allowed back, you can not apply for a work permit for one year after you committed a crime with Labor Laws in Thailand.

Okay, guys, than what you can reccomend to me?

Just wait? Move somewhere else? Do not even try?

How students can legally get the permit for work? Is it worth to go to immigration office to ask?

Will ask my uni about internships - there is a proccess of getting trainnee positions for students with help of uni.

Originally Posted by IvanBrik

Just wait? Move somewhere else? Do not even try?

How students can legally get the permit for work? Is it worth to go to immigration office to ask?

Will ask my uni about internships - there is a proccess of getting trainnee positions for students with help of uni.

A work permit is nothing to do with Immigration. They are the responsibility of the Ministry of Labor. In addition asking immigration might make them think that you are not here to study but work which could have a negative impact upon your Ed visa status
As a foreigner you need a work permit to work legally. Work permits are job specific and the application for one must be fully supported by your employer.
The employer will have to submit a fair amount of paperwork including why there is a need to hire you a foreigner instead of a local. The paperwork would aslo have to show your remuneration which again has to be of a certain level (typically higher than local wages) in order to qualify for a WP
Working as a bartender is unlikely to require skills that can only be found in non-Thais.

Even an internship as a foreigner will require similar paperwork if it is to be legal.

Bottom line the Thai authorities do not want foreigners taking jobs from Thais.

I do not say give up but I do not see a great chance of finding legal work as a bartender in Thailand as a foreigner but I could be wrong.

If you take up illegal work there are potential consequences to be paid should you be caught and you should make yourself aware of them - ignorance is not an excuse.

Finally I would be wary of seeking the 'expert opinion' of the university. They are not experts on labor law as it impacts foreigners.

Consult a lawyer or take a look yourself at the ministry of labor website

Originally Posted by IvanBrik

Will ask my uni about internships - there is a proccess of getting trainnee positions for students with help of uni.

Yes these would be for Thai students I do not know how the government regulations would impact a foreigner seeking an internship but as volunteers require a work permit to be legal in Thailand I feel certain that they would not be without some similar paperwork.
bottom line is that you would be taking up a position that could be given to a Thai therefore I am guessing the question of why would need to be answered

Originally Posted by Happy As Larry

Originally Posted by IvanBrik

Will ask my uni about internships - there is a proccess of getting trainnee positions for students with help of uni.

Yes these would be for Thai students I do not know how the government regulations would impact a foreigner seeking an internship but as volunteers require a work permit to be legal in Thailand I feel certain that they would not be without some similar paperwork.
bottom line is that you would be taking up a position that could be given to a Thai therefore I am guessing the question of why would need to be answered

During the education students on my faculty must to have two internships. Most of Thai and foreigner students do it in Thailand, thus there is a legal process of getting WP for international students by university. Moreover, during the internships students work as a waiters, bat assistants, receptionist and other prohibited to do by non-thai stuff. Will speak to dean again, maybe can get a "third" internship just to work.

Btw, on the russian forum similar to this people advised to change education visa to non-b visa than process the wp and work. They told me, that I can study on non-b and also can get wp. Is it that easy? What are the problems behind?

Originally Posted by IvanBrik

Btw, on the russian forum similar to this people advised to change education visa to non-b visa than process the wp and work. They told me, that I can study on non-b and also can get wp. Is it that easy? What are the problems behind?

For the third time, visas are immigration and work permits are ministry of labor.
To apply for a work permit you must be legally holding an appropriate visa/permission to stay
The most common visa used when applying for a work permit is the B visa .

However to obtain a work permit you must have an offer of employment and your prospective employer must prepare and submit the appropriate paperwork.

You can not just ask the MOL 'please can I have a work permit as i might want to work somewhere sometime.' They are job specific

Originally Posted by IvanBrik

Most of Thai and foreigner students do it in Thailand, thus there is a legal process of getting WP for international students by university.

That is if they do everything by the book

Originally Posted by IvanBrik

Most of Thai and foreigner students do it in Thailand, thus there is a legal process of getting WP for international students by university.

News flash there; thai students can work in thailand without work permits because they're THAI you wing-nut Thais don't need work permits.

Actually it IS possible to get a work permit on an extension of stay due to education, BUT you can only do it in real honest to goodness degreed programs at real uni's. It's the "intern program" and the DOL (Department of Labor) will issue you a work permit while you are going to college so you can intern at some company to further your education.. And yes you can get paid to do it too..

Now you ain't gonna get a work permit studying at "Somchai the Thai's School 'o Mixing Drinks", but you can most definitely hold a work permit whilst on an ed visa. Your school would know about it IF you can, so if they don't know about it, it means you can't..

P/S: I saw this same post on other thai related forums. O/P, how about sharing the advice you got from those places.. I am too lazy to go look.

"Somchai the Thai's School 'o Mixing Drinks"

hey ! cut our learned scholar some slack will you.

Its the Bangkok University Postgraduate faculty of Advanced Practical Mixology and Theoretical Bottlewashing techniques.

[QUOTE=toddaniels;3095315]

Originally Posted by IvanBrik

P/S: I saw this same post on other thai related forums. O/P, how about sharing the advice you got from those places.. I am too lazy to go look.

Well, the conclusion was - "go on teakdoor"))

See I was right, about Teakdoor, they sort out the men from the boys. Abrelour was a mixer on here.Cheers.

How long is it going to take before this guy figures out that his chances of getting a work permit to be a bartender or bar back are zero to none?