#1 2012-02-20 03:13:34
- LuisF
- BKK Animator

- From: Bangkok
- Registered: 2010-03-13
- Posts: 481
List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
For all those who are keen on working in Thailand, be aware that there is a list of jobs were, you, as a westerner will not be able to get a work permit. The List is taken from The Thai Labor Department Website -http://www.mol.go.th/-
1.- Labour work except labour work in fishing boats under the next category below. The said work which is forbidden to aliens shall not apply to aliens who have entered into Thailand under an agreement on hire of labour concluded between the Government of Thailand and other nations, and also aliens whose status has been prescribed as legal immigrant and who possess a residence certificate under the law governing immigration.
2.- Agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry or fishery, except work requiring specialized knowledge, farm supervision, or labour work in fishing boats, particularly marine fishery.
3.- Bricklaying, carpentry, or other construction work.
4.- Wood carving.
5.- Driving motor vehicles or vehicles which do not use machinery or mechanical devices, except piloting aircraft internationally.
6.- Front shop sales and auction sale work.
7.-Supervising, auditing, or giving service in accountancy, except occasional internal auditing.
8.-Cutting or polishing precious or semi-precious stones.
9.- Haircutting, hairdressing, or beautification.
10.- Cloth weaving by hand.
11.- Mat weaving or making utensils from reed, rattan, jute, hay, or bamboo.
12.- Making rice paper by hand.
13.- Lacquer work.
14.- Making Thai musical instruments.
15.- Niello work.
16.- Goldsmith, silversmith, or gold/copper alloy smith work.
Stone work.
17.- Making Thai dolls.
18.- Making mattresses or quilts.
19.- Making alms bowls.
20.- Making silk products by hand.
21.- Making Buddha images.
22.- Knife making.
23.- Making paper or cloth umbrellas.
24.- Making shoes.
25.- Making hats.
26.- Brokerage or agency except in international trading.
27.- Professional civil engineering concerning design and calculation, systemization, analysis, planning, testing, construction supervision, or consulting services, excluding work requiring specialized techniques.
28.- Professional architectural work concerning design, drawing/making, cost estimation, or consulting services.
29.- Dressmaking.
30.- Pottery.
31.- Cigarette rolling by hand.
32.- Tour guiding or conducting.
33.- Hawking of goods & Thai typesetting by hand.
34.- Unwinding and twisting silk by hand.
35.- Clerical or secretarial work.
36.- Providing legal services or engaging in legal work, except arbitration work; and work relating to defense of cases at arbitration level, provided the law governing the dispute under consideration by the arbitrators is not Thai law, or it is a case where there is no need to apply for the enforcement of such arbitration award in Thailand.
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#2 2012-02-20 03:14:27
- LuisF
- BKK Animator

- From: Bangkok
- Registered: 2010-03-13
- Posts: 481
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
I would make this info a sticky post perhaps?
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#3 2012-02-20 03:53:36
- flyingav
- New member

- From: Bangkok
- Registered: 2011-09-12
- Posts: 3
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
damn! you mean I have to stop weaving mats? haha
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#4 2012-02-20 06:36:12
- LuisF
- BKK Animator

- From: Bangkok
- Registered: 2010-03-13
- Posts: 481
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
Well, i just copy pasted the list. I receive lots of private emails asking for a job or information about jobs on doing anything at all to get out of their home countries to live in Thailand. So At least now they have ( if they are bothered to search for it ) a list of jobs that you as an alien to thailand arent allowed to do, since "anything" cannot be done. 
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#6 2012-02-21 11:15:41
- LuisF
- BKK Animator

- From: Bangkok
- Registered: 2010-03-13
- Posts: 481
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
Thanks Armand!
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#7 2012-03-30 14:13:39
- dannyboyo
- Active member

- From: Bangkok
- Registered: 2011-09-15
- Posts: 40
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
Ofcourse there are always loopholes in the land of smiles
so don't let that list above scare you
If you really must weave baskets or cut hair, just teach how to do it and you will be just fine. Or become a manager of any of the above business.
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#8 2012-08-29 17:14:47
- vivek3121990
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- From: TamilNa
- Registered: 2012-08-29
- Posts: 1
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
Nice post. Thanks for sharing with us. Cool.......
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#9 2012-10-19 04:13:29
- malevan
- Contributor

- From: bangkok
- Registered: 2012-10-09
- Posts: 154
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
i do not know what am i must tell?
which job can i chose in here?haha
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#10 2012-11-01 04:53:56
- rioinbangkok
- Active member

- From: Bangkok
- Registered: 2012-10-31
- Posts: 32
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
I feel our country labor legal doesn't allow to do that but it doesn't cover about the business owner. You can open the business involving above but you shouldn't be hired to be a labor for it.
Who know, some guys might open the handmade company hire someone but mostly, they do by themselves.
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#11 2012-11-11 00:48:33
- scottmallon
- Contributor

- From: Bangkok
- Registered: 2012-08-29
- Posts: 196
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
dannyboyo wrote:
Ofcourse there are always loopholes in the land of smiles
so don't let that list above scare you
If you really must weave baskets or cut hair, just teach how to do it and you will be just fine. Or become a manager of any of the above business.
Yes, their are loopholes everywhere. However, teaching of any kind is working. If you are working without a work permit and you are caught, you will be fined and/or deported. You're not going to get a work permit for teaching how to cut hair or weave baskets, not a chance.
Also, "become a manager?" Please...it's one thing if you OWN the company or your wife owns the company, it's a different matter to be the manager.
There are plenty of bar managers working illegally and who just pay off the cops, but I have one rule I live by here:
Never put yourself in a position where the Thai police or Thai immigration has something over you. That is, don't put yourself in a precarious position.
Getting a work permit is much more difficult than in the past and there are reasons for this, one being that far too many foreigners try to skirt the system. If you have a legitimate reason to work here, you can get a work permit and the appropriate visa and you'll have no problem. If you don't, you might just end up paying a fine or being blackballed.
It always gets me that so many foreigners think they can come to Thailand and work however they want to be able to stay here. As someone who goes thru the visa and work permit process and who has been living here legally for nearly 20 years, I have no problem with the Thais setting strict guidelines.
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#12 2012-11-19 12:57:14
- ozzi
- Member

- From: Bangkok
- Registered: 2011-06-13
- Posts: 11
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
You Missed out
" No Alien shall be allowed to work as a clown or in a circus in the Kingdom of Thailand " lol
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#13 2012-11-20 05:57:50
- rioinbangkok
- Active member

- From: Bangkok
- Registered: 2012-10-31
- Posts: 32
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
ozzi wrote:
You Missed out
" No Alien shall be allowed to work as a clown or in a circus in the Kingdom of Thailand " lol
Good idea..I wanna do it too
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#14 2013-03-06 15:16:56
- orana
- New member

- From: Bangkok
- Registered: 2013-03-03
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Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
Now Im even more worried about being able to work here....
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#15 2013-03-08 02:29:44
- scottmallon
- Contributor

- From: Bangkok
- Registered: 2012-08-29
- Posts: 196
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
orana wrote:
Now Im even more worried about being able to work here....
There are literally hundreds of thousands of people worldwide who want to work here. It makes things very difficult for those who want to work legally and unless you have exceptional qualifications or are a real hustler, you should be worried. It is possible but it will take determination, hard work, and discipline to find or make a job for yourself.
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#16 2013-04-26 18:11:56
- TRUUNORTH
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- From: Famagusta
- Registered: 2013-04-25
- Posts: 2
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
What is left? Lol
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#17 2013-05-03 18:30:12
- marcots
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- Registered: 2013-05-03
- Posts: 6
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
So to clarify,
that means that a foreigner cannot work as an employed architect at an architecture office legally?
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#18 2013-05-23 12:49:53
- inkmermaid1
- New member

- From: Wenduine
- Registered: 2013-05-23
- Posts: 7
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
I am aware you can't make dresses.But what about creating ?The creating and designing part of fashion ?I would not make it myself anyway.I would love to have a label that i can sell all over the world.Created and designed by me but made by others.I would sell over the internet and also in a few high level shops in several country's.
Do you know if this is possible ?
Kind regards
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#19 2013-05-23 12:57:10
- marcots
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- Registered: 2013-05-03
- Posts: 6
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
Hey inkmermaid1
I can't help you with your enquiry as I am still in the process of finding out how things work in Thailand. But I think that is a great idea, I am an architect myself looking to get into product design. Let me know what you discover and if you already have a link to some of your work I would live to take a look! 
Good luck with everything
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#20 2013-05-23 13:13:38
- inkmermaid1
- New member

- From: Wenduine
- Registered: 2013-05-23
- Posts: 7
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
Hello,
I do that for sure !Are you in Thailand now ?I just returned after being a month in Thailand.I am on Facebook to .Are you ?
I've just sended a message to the embassy of my country to ask if this is possible..don't know what they will say..anyway..i keep you informed !After all..also architects create and design :)Must be great !Think maybe in hotel businees you can find job no? Mail to buro's that work overseas maybe ?Also i have met an architect from Pataya who's working 3 day's a week in Cambodia cause lot's of work to do he said because they had a war long time ago..so maybe..i just mention this..
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#21 2013-05-23 16:47:10
- marcots
- New member
- Registered: 2013-05-03
- Posts: 6
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
Hey,
I am not in Thailand yet. I am looking to move there in October 
Yes I am on facebook also. Where about in Thailand were you? I haven't started applying fo jobs yet, but soon! You are right there are a few offices that do work abroad also. I think that could be promising. It is interesting what you say about Cambodia though! I never thought about it, I will look into it!!
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#22 2013-05-23 17:20:44
- inkmermaid1
- New member

- From: Wenduine
- Registered: 2013-05-23
- Posts: 7
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
Hi,
If i did everything ok ..i just sended you my facebook link.If you did'nt receive it ..just mail me back
I am new here 
About Cambodia..indeed maybe there's a chance.Tha archtect that spoke to me lives in Pataya.So maybe his office is there aswell..So sorry i don't asked for his adresscard.But anyway..try overseas company's aswell.I also think expats maybe wanna change a house they bought..maybe here's job to.Orcompanies that wanna build on land maybe need architects...or people who bought land..I don't know but if i find out things and know more myself i let you know ! Succes ! 
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#23 2013-05-23 17:22:28
- inkmermaid1
- New member

- From: Wenduine
- Registered: 2013-05-23
- Posts: 7
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
Oh and i forgot to mention .;i was 5 day's in Bangkok andf 22 day's in Krabi !Super !Also this :Try as a teacher maybe ?
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#24 2013-05-23 17:23:47
- inkmermaid1
- New member

- From: Wenduine
- Registered: 2013-05-23
- Posts: 7
Re: List of Prohibited Jobs for westerners in Thailand
HI,
If you learn something new..think of me aswell
))
Kind regards
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