Work permit without a degree

[ivenius]

Hi! I found a company in Bangkok, they told me I dont need a degree to get the work permit, I signed their offer, resigned from my job... and then they told me that the degree is apparently required and they withdraw from the offer, eh :d I plan to spend 2 - 3 months in Bangkok now to look for a nice project back in Europe, but:

 

I work in IT, I have 5 years of documented experience, I also have a document that I studied at a university for 3 years, just without getting a bachelor degree. I also have work experience in two different countries. Does that still disqualifies me to get the work permit? Do I really have to enroll to a university and spend 3.5 years getting a bachelor before I can start legally working in Thailand?

 

Thanks a lot for any answers, and welcome - its my first post here! :-)

[Crossy]

You do not need a degree for a W/P (except teaching).

 

You may be asked to sign a document confirming your stated qualifications (they don't have to be a degree).

 

Of course an employer can stipulate that a degree is required in order to get the job but that's nothing to do with the W/P.

 

[nikmar]

I have a work permit and work for a thai company in Bangkok and have no degree.

 

[Genmai]

Can confirm you do not need a degree for work permit, although I should note that I work for my own (49%) company here and not for someone else. Not sure how my lawyer managed that one for me but considering that a) - he's a half-fraudulent moron and b) - my professional experience is minimal at best, I think it should be entirely possible for you. 

 

[ivenius]

God dammit, thats a big surprise for me, thank you very much for the answers.

 

Hm, they basically told me they consulted with their lawyers after receiving my documents, and they said there is a very high chance it will be rejected because of no diploma, and hence they dont want to even try. I tried to give them my high school diploma and job references as well, but they say its impossible anyway. So it might just be an excuse for them not to hire me?

[Briggsy]

5 minutes ago, ivenius said:

God dammit, thats a big surprise for me, thank you very much for the answers.

 

Hm, they basically told me they consulted with their lawyers after receiving my documents, and they said there is a very high chance it will be rejected because of no diploma, and hence they dont want to even try. I tried to give them my high school diploma and job references as well, but they say its impossible anyway. So it might just be an excuse for them not to hire me?

Your reporting of what the company said is telling me they are lukewarm on hiring you, at best. If they wanted you and your skills, this would not be an issue. Perhaps a more senior person has reviewed your recruitment and questioned it. Did you deal with/interview with the company owner or general manager?

[ivenius]

It was quite a long interview, I had to implement a small project and we had 2 technical interviews, it was all good all the time, they also seemed quite happy that I managed to shorten my notice period and start in July. I was supposed to be a senior developer there, Im not sure what could have went wrong.

 

I didnt talk with the manager, only with:

- one dev

- one team lead

- one hr girl

- one hr manager about the offer

- one lawyer who told me about the visa problem at the end

 

They seem to be a startup, but already have 400 people, seems quite legit actually, looking at their linkedin.

Edited May 16, 2019 by ivenius

[bigginhill]

Could you go to a lawyer and get him to contact their lawyer? asap

Explain that it isn't crucial to a w/p and that you have handed in your notice. 

[ivenius]

I dont have a lawyer. Is it possible to hire one regarding wp issues in Bangkok? How much would it cost?

[bigginhill]

Don't know try google, phone around, expain the situation, get a quote. 

Another idea would be to call the company who offered you the job, tell them that you have been informed that it is not a necessity and would you be required to have your lawyer contact them, they could back down. Worth a try.

[PerkinsCuthbert]

I'd drop the matter. Even if you managed to get their decision reversed and they hired you, probably at considerable expense in time, effort and money to you, what kind of environment would you be entering? Besides, as stated elsewhere above, if they were dead set on hiring you, they would have tried harder. 

[Pilotman]

7 minutes ago, PerkinsCuthbert said:

I'd drop the matter. Even if you managed to get their decision reversed and they hired you, probably at considerable expense in time, effort and money to you, what kind of environment would you be entering? Besides, as stated elsewhere above, if they were dead set on hiring you, they would have tried harder. 

I agree, they will not reverse it now, it would mean they had made a mistake and they won't recognise that officially.  Cut your losses.  I would also suggest that if you want an IT job in Asia with a reputable company, you had better get a degree. You said you spent 3 years at Uni, so you should have credits that you can convert in shortish time. 

[seancbk]

19 hours ago, ivenius said:

God dammit, thats a big surprise for me, thank you very much for the answers.

 

Hm, they basically told me they consulted with their lawyers after receiving my documents, and they said there is a very high chance it will be rejected because of no diploma, and hence they dont want to even try. I tried to give them my high school diploma and job references as well, but they say its impossible anyway. So it might just be an excuse for them not to hire me?

 

A diploma isn't necessarily a degree.   A diploma could be a certificate for completing a typing course, or more likely in your case a certificate that you completed a programming course or better yet courses.   I've had two work permits and I never went to university.  All I have is 20+ years of work experience, which was enough as I don't even have certificates.   

[wotsdermatter]

20 hours ago, ivenius said:

diploma

There is a great difference between a Certificate, a Diploma, and a Degree and the type of institute that awards each one.  From your comment, it is unclear which one you are referring to.

'nuf sed.

[natway09]

Degree not needed. The main criteria is that you have skills that you can teach Thais along

with making the Company prosper

[Chrisdoc]

I was told cost around 100,000 a year to maintain a company( lawyers fees, employee's social security, government fees etc)? Is this your experience

Can confirm you do not need a degree for work permit, although I should note that I work for my own (49%) company here and not for someone else. Not sure how my lawyer managed that one for me but considering that a) - he's a half-fraudulent moron and b) - my professional experience is minimal at best, I think it should be entirely possible for you. 
 

Sent from my Nokia 2 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Briggsy]

3 minutes ago, Chrisdoc said:

I was told cost around 100,000 a year to maintain a company( lawyers fees, employee's social security, government fees etc)? Is this your experience

 

Sent from my Nokia 2 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Yes about right for a company providing you with a work permit.

[ivenius]

As an update - I found another company who checked my papers, and they told me the same thing. Basically - bachelor degree is not required to get the WP, but 4 years of experience is not enough in such case. Apparently I need more work experience than that because now the risk of the WP rejection is too high (for the companies I found at least).