It can be tempting to try to circumvent any employment laws in a new location because you feel that this particular country does not follow the rules as stringent as government employees would in your country of origin. This is your first big mistake and you shouldn’t confuse the way people live their lifestyles with whether or not that they follow employment law. One perfect example of this is the country of Thailand where people are known for their Thai smile and the fact that everything can be done tomorrow and that there is no rush. It’s a lovely culture to find yourself in, but if you are setting up a business there then it is important that you know that these government officials involved in immigration and labour take their positions very seriously indeed.
This is why if it is your intention to work in the kingdom or to hire staff that you make sure that you follow the necessary employment rules and one of them is making sure that all of your foreign staff have the necessary Thailand work permit. There are many foreigners currently working in Thailand at this very moment and they are constantly having to look over their shoulders because they didn’t follow the correct legal procedures when it came to working there or hiring people to work there. It just doesn’t make sense not to have the correct work permit because once you have it, you get to enjoy all of the following benefits.
- The banking process is easier – Opening up a bank account in Thailand and talking to them about your portfolio management isn’t a straightforward as many people would have you believe and you will find that every time that you go into one of these lending institutions that they will insist that you provide them with a work permit before they will allow your salary to be paid into any new bank account. If you can produce your work permit then and there along with your passport then the whole procedure is somewhat easier for everyone involved.
- Sending money home – It might be that you have built up a sizable nest egg working in this country and so it’s highly possible that you will want to send some home to your home country to have about your other family members. The unfortunate thing is that if you do not have a work permit then this procedure is almost impossible to do, but if you have a work permit in place then again, everything moves along smoothly.
- It’s all above board – It is incredibly important that you are able to go to your work every day in the safe knowledge that you are following all legal employment procedures and that you will not get into trouble with the various authorities whose job it is to catch people who don’t have a work permit. It means that you get to live in this beautiful country and enjoy a stress free existence by having regular holidays.
Hopefully you can now see why a Thai work permit is incredibly important and why you should be taking every step possible to get one. If an employer says that they can’t get you the correct work permit then you would be advised to walk away immediately.
