# Retirement age in Thailand



## marvelsm

Hello all: I was wondering if somebody could tell me the retirement age in Thailand and if it applies to teaching jobs or not. If you are self-employed could you work as long as you like? Thank you in advance for any reply.
Sincerely.

Marvelsm


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## Wayward Wind

To qualify for a retirement visa - or a retirement extension of a non-immigrant visa - one must be 50+ years old, demonstrate an income from your home country equal to 800,000 THB (or have that amount on deposit in a Thai bank, or a annual combination of annual income and deposit totaling 800,000 THB) and, importantly, you are not allowed to work under therms of such a visa. There have been cases where even volunteering was deemed to be work and thus violating the provision.

Teaching, or any other type of employment, requires a different visa and a work permit.


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## Song_Si

For Thais, currently, it is compulsory in government and at many firms that people retire age sixty. Under the Pension Act, Thailand's retirement age has been fixed at 60 years since 1941.

Article here about the idea of extending the compulsory retirement age to 62.

Article here Tossed on the TEFL scrapheap about difficulties for over 50s. Follow links on that site you'll find adverts for teachers 'must be under 35' etc. Also see Why Thailand Discriminates Against Older English Teachers: Over 45 Years of Age Need Not Apply which is not as negative for over 50s as the title sounds.


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## somtamboo

Yeah, 62 is the official age for teachers to retire. I've known several who have carried on, because their schools liked them though. A lot of schools do prefer under 35s because, sadly, they look good in adverts!


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## Song_Si

At least for a good teacher there are options - for most public servants once the contracted age of 60 arrives, it's 'goodbye' and unless they have specialist skills/quals eg engineering that's about the end of their working like. 
I cycle occasionally with a man who had compulsory retirement at age 60, fit, healthy and certainly looks many years younger, a lifetime in a gov't clerical/office role. His wife pushes him out the door each day and he pedals off for a couple of hours (or he drives her crazy, I'm told). Years of work left in him, however that's the system, he retires, someone who may have waited years gets to move up a step, all the way down to a new grad being hired and starting his/her new career.


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## wendy_1

I heard that some Thai universities allow people reaching the age of 60 to have a 5-year extension but a certain number of publications have to be produced annually.


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## marvelsm

Thank you all for your replies. If I can get a teaching job at least I might be able to work past 60.


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