Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing concerns by foreigners about work authorization here in Thailand. I have made a number of videos lately about work authorization in Thailand specifically that yeah foreigners need work authorization to work in Thailand. Many activities as we have discussed in the legal definition of work video I did some time ago, many activities are going to be considered work here; it is just a fact. I mean it is a very broad definition. In theory, breathing could be considered work. I mean I am being a little bit sarcastic, a little bit snarky, but that is not too far off, very minimal amount of effort can be put out to be considered work in Thailand. 

One misconception that foreigners seem to have a concern about in my analysis of work authorization is this notion that "well Thais only care about if you are taking Thai jobs and therefore if you are not, work authorization shouldn't be a concern." Now that is not at all the issue. Thais want to be sure that people that are working in Thailand are primarily Thai; they are protecting and insulating their own labour pool. You can call it protectionism and look down your nose at it, but at the end of the day, it is something that the Government feels an obligation to do and quite honestly I see the reason for it. I also see it from the foreigners’ side where yes work authorization is something difficult to get but are these concerns legitimate? I don't think so. In terms of price for the ability to come to a foreign country quite honestly with as many benefits as Thailand and be able to get work authorized at the costs associated with work authorization here in Thailand, there is no Western country you can do that in that I am aware of for the cost of Thailand. In fact the cost associated with doing that here in Thailand are orders of magnitude lower.

Meanwhile, difficulty and processing time. Getting a work authorized visa to the United States which I have a great deal of experience assisting people with, is orders of magnitude more difficult than Thailand. You can come to Thailand and get this sorted out in a matter of weeks; it could be a matter of months if not years doing the same thing associated with the United States of America and dealing with the Immigration process there. 

So the thing to take away from this video and to understand is while I am not going to completely say everything is perfect about the Thai work authorization system, there are many things that could be improved, as far as it goes though compared to other jurisdictions, especially other jurisdictions that don't have near the benefits, the sort of intangible benefits, low cost of living, good weather all year round, good food all the time, nice people and all the fun stuff that comes along with living in Thailand, there is no other country that really can be beat as far as price and what you get.