Guest FarangPtya35 Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 So this is my first posting on the message boards. I'm a 35 year old head of IT at a US investment bank who just happens to work remotely, and can work from anywhere in the world. Having lived in 9 countries in Latin America over the last 17 years, I have decided to broaden my horizons and move to Thailand. I chose Pattaya for 2 reasons. I love big cities, so I want to be close to Bangkok, and I'm a sucker for beaches, so being Pattaya is the only beach town close to Bangkok, it was a perfect match. I am arriving in 4 days, and will spend 2 days in Bangkok before heading over to Pattaya. I am going to need to hire a couple of people to work from my home. First, I need a part or full time Personal Assistant. This person will serve as translator, Thai Teacher, errand-runner, manage my personal calendar, and be overall household caretaker among other responsibilities. He or she will need to speak, read, and write near perfect English and Thai (of course), and be intelligent, able to negotiate frequently (i hate paying full price for anything), and able to work strange hours or travel as needed. I will also need a full time housekeeper/maid to work 6 days a week. She will need to be responsible, reliable, come with excellent references, and able to cook Thai food, but also willing to learn to cook international food. In other countries, I have found these people by word-of-mouth, the English language newspaper, or through employment web sites. Can anyone recommend the best way to recruit these two individuals in Pattaya? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinapu Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 If you love big cities certainly you will not be disappointed with Bangkok one of great cities of the world IMHO. As for Pattaya being beach town this is also truth but test quality of beach an a water by yourself before you will fall in love with the place. Welcome to the forum and good luck with your " help wanted " hunting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
payless Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Hi Ptya35 Welcome to Thailand which is classified by some institutions as a developing country. Bear that in mind as you look for the perfect PA. Thais like to work in an environment surrounded by people as they are sociable animals by nurture. References are not usually available unless you can contact the previous em[employer by phone. The maid is the easier to find but you will need your PA to help you to communicate with a potential maid. Go to a good hotel fine the head house keeper and offer her a fee to find one for you. You will need to offer social security insurance as well as a premium salary. You might also need to offer accommodation. For the PA there are many job agencies on the net- try these and some dedicated to Pattaya. You might try head hunting Bank staff but for the perfect English then a graduate from an overseas university might a deal-breaker qualification. You might also look to the Indian Community here as many are tri-lingual, Many people chose Thailand for its lack of rules, lack of order, lack of sophistication and for its spontaneity. I think your perfect PA is probably still in the States or wherever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Hua Hin might be a better match for you. Not that far from Bangkok and a lot nicer beaches. On the other hand, if it's the gay bar scene you're after, perhaps better stick with Pattaya as there is almost none in Hua Hin. As to how/where you recruit the assistants you mention, I don't have a clue but I doubt if it will be easy to find the PA you describe (with those qualifications, I would think he/she already has a decent job somewhere far from Pattaya). You don't mention what visa status you expect and/or whether you might need a work permit. Something to consider (up to you). vinapu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pong Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 the best way to find them is asking others.But that wont point to persons available. But I am more pessimistic as above: finding such a PA it will not be an easy job, as TH as such has very much of a very low jobless % and those being able to speak fluent english are in very high demand and get much higher wages. MOst of the few wanting such people start from scratch and train a prospective candidate. |Or hope for some slightly semilegal ASEAN national, as they can work in TH from 1/15 without all the working-visa fuss etc. (think Pinoy, Burmese, maybe Malay). You should have chosen the Phillippines, but Manila pales compared to BKk in poverty and squalor. vinapu and ChristianPFC 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FarangPtya35 Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 You don't mention what visa status you expect and/or whether you might need a work permit. Something to consider (up to you). Hi Bob, It looks like I have a couple of options regarding visas. I won't need a work permit, so one option is the business visa, with 90 day extensions and border runs every 6 months. The other, and less of a hassle option will be a student visa, by enrolling in a Thai language school. I am going to consult an attorney to help with these and other options when I arrive on my tourist visa, and just apply for extension and do border runs until I secure the next one. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexx Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Or hope for some slightly semilegal ASEAN national, as they can work in TH from 1/15 without all the working-visa fuss etc. (think Pinoy, Burmese, maybe Malay). No, they cannot. First of all, the start of the AEC has been postponed from January 2015 to December 2015. And even when (and if) it actually starts, it doesn't mean that the "working-visa fuss" will be gone just like that immediately, at least not for the vast majority of potential workers. This isn't the EU. At least not yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 I won't need a work permit, so one option is the business visa, with 90 day extensions and border runs every 6 months. The other, and less of a hassle option will be a student visa, by enrolling in a Thai language school. I am going to consult an attorney to help with these and other options when I arrive on my tourist visa, and just apply for extension and do border runs until I secure the next one. Smart move - the consulting with a Thai lawyer on all these issues. I don't think you necessarily need a work permit just to work online (technically you might need one but who the heck would know) but my concern is you hiring somebody to help with your business such as your personal assistant. That might raise a flag somehow. But the lawyer ought to be able to help you sort that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Promsak Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 .>>>> I won't need a work permit, >>>> I think this is most certainly untrue. You need a work permit to do any sort of work in Thailand -- paid or unpaid -- regular job or voluntary. The W.P. restrictions are severe ---- your work permit is restricted to a registered location. I remember some time ago farang were in big trouble because they were found working at a branch office of the same company. Violation of the work permit law results in IMMEDIATE deportation. You can and hundreds do work illegally and get away with it for years but it only takes one malcious rival to report you to immigration/labour department and you are in big trouble. PLEASE consult a Thai lawyer specialising in labour laws before doing anything. Do not rely on word of mouth from barroom lawyers or messageboards however well meaning they are. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Do not rely on word of mouth from barroom lawyers or messageboards however well meaning they are. By your statement, I suppose he ought to ignore your advice too? The OP said he was going to consult with a Thai lawyer so what else is there to add? On the other hand, if "business-wise" he is only doing online work, there are many, many, falang doing that here in Thailand and a whole lot of them have no work permits (probably because there's really no mechanism for them to be caught violating any technical work permit rules). The OP will figure it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Promsak Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I sit corrected, Bob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FarangPtya35 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 .>>>> I won't need a work permit, >>>> I think this is most certainly untrue. You need a work permit to do any sort of work in Thailand -- paid or unpaid -- regular job or voluntary. The W.P. restrictions are severe ---- your work permit is restricted to a registered location. I remember some time ago farang were in big trouble because they were found working at a branch office of the same company. Violation of the work permit law results in IMMEDIATE deportation. You can and hundreds do work illegally and get away with it for years but it only takes one malcious rival to report you to immigration/labour department and you are in big trouble. PLEASE consult a Thai lawyer specialising in labour laws before doing anything. Do not rely on word of mouth from barroom lawyers or messageboards however well meaning they are. Good luck. Hi Promsak, The work permit is only needed if you are earning money from a Thai entity or the income is derived from source in Thailand. I technically work in the USA, just do it from my physical location here. The bank I work for has nothing to do with Thailand and the money is not paid to me here. The biggest factor in the law is "if you are being compensated in Thailand"... which I am not. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Promsak Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 That's interesting to know, FarangPtya35, is it peculiar to U.S.A. nationals (with that historical agreement between Thailand and the U.S.that I forget the name of) or for all nationalities? Anyway, I wish you good luck here; do let us know how you get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Up2u Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 That's interesting to know, FarangPtya35, is it peculiar to U.S.A. nationals (with that historical agreement between Thailand and the U.S.that I forget the name of) or for all nationalities? Anyway, I wish you good luck here; do let us know how you get on. The terms of the Treaty of Amity between the USA and Thailand is not applicable here. The OP has done is homework and should have no problems. His problem will be finding someone with the desired English skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fedssocr Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 His problem will be finding someone with the desired English skills. I agree with that. I think the OP is looking for some one who will be very difficult to find. In addition he wants this person to teach him Thai as well. That will be no mean feat. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wasanti37 Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 most us thais can speak good english and can tell farangs information they need. but deeper conversation can be challenging when the topic become deeper. try to be sensitive to locals too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristianPFC Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 most (of) us thais can speak good english and can tell farangs information they need I beg to disagree, even after many years of learning in school or working in the hotel industry in Bangkok, I would call the general level of English "abysmal". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinapu Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Is not that bad as I don't speak a word in Thai and somehow manage to conduct my daily / and nightly / affairs using English only. Granted, I don't go into discussing sophisticated stuff but when I ask ' what side of bed you want sleep on' invariably boys understand what I'm asking them. People in service industry in BKK have some grasp of English and as wasanti said ' can tell farangs information they need'. bottom line advice for first time comers : don't be afraid of language barrier somehow you will be able to go around with English and wad of bahts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
