Bangkok: The Department of Employment inspected international schools in the Sukhumvit area, emphasizing that foreign teachers must have work permits and only work in the positions authorized. Mr. Somchai Morakotsriwan, Director-General of the Department of Employment, revealed that following a tip-off about foreign teachers working without work permits at an international school in the Sukhumvit area, he assigned officers from the Central Employment Registration and Job Seeker Protection Division of the Department of Employment to collaborate with the Investigation Division of the Immigration Bureau 1, the Office of the Private Education Commission, and the Khlong Tan Police Station to conduct an inspection on May 29, 2026.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Somchai stated that an inspection of the international school revealed a large number of foreign teachers. After checking individual documents, six Filipino and Myanmar nationals were found to be in violation: one working without a work permit and five working outside the scope of their permitted activities. Additionally, one employer was found to be in violation of the Alien Employment Management Act B.E. 2560 (2017) and its amendments. Therefore, charges were filed and the individuals were taken into custody for further investigation at Khlong Tan Police Station for legal proceedings.
Officials have been disseminating information and raising awareness about the laws and penalties to ensure employers, businesses, and foreigners understand and comply with the law correctly. The Department of Employment will continue to integrate cooperation with relevant agencies to intensify inspections, arrests, and prosecutions of foreign workers who work without permits or outside the scope of their authorized work in all areas.
Mr. Somchai further stated that the Department of Employment emphasizes that foreigners applying for work permits as teachers in educational institutions must have entered the Kingdom temporarily under the Immigration Act (NON-IMMIGRANT VISA), not as tourists or transit travelers (TOURIST/TRANSIT VISA). They must submit their work permit application along with teaching qualifications and other relevant documents to the provincial employment office in every province or the Bangkok Metropolitan Employment Office (Area 1-10) where the educational institution is located. If officials discover a foreign teacher working without a work permit or working outside the scope of their authorized activities in a school or educational institution, they will be prosecuted for working without a work permit or working outside the scope of their authorized activities, punishable by a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 baht and deportation. The school or educational institution will be prosecuted for employing foreigners without work perm its or allowing foreigners to work outside the scope of their authorized activities, punishable by a fine of 10,000 to 100,000 baht per foreigner employed. And if the offense is repeated, the penalty will be imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or a fine of 50,000 to 200,000 baht per foreigner employed, or both imprisonment and fine, and a prohibition from employing foreigners for 3 years.
For those who wish to inquire for more information, please contact the Provincial Employment Offices in every province, the Bangkok Metropolitan Employment Offices (Areas 1-10), or the Department of Employment hotline at 1506, press 2. English interpreters are available to provide information and guidance on working legally in Thailand.