trompelemonde82

Thanks for your helpful hints and tips, they certainly cleared up any confusion and now I'm on it - applying for the single entry tourist visa from the local Thai consul then will take it from there as suggested. Ta much!

Hi all,

I'm planning to book a flight to arrive in Thailand for the end of June and then head straight for Phuket to look for teaching work, (I have a couple of contacts there but no job lined up). However, I must confess to being a tad confused as to what exactly the requirements on entry will be.

As I'm coming from the UK I should be able to enter under the Tourist Visa Exemption category then go south, enjoy a few days of sunshine then sort out employment, work permit and then teaching visa - voila. If entering under the TVE category, however, it seems I need to provide proof of funds (no problem) but also onward travel within the first 30 days. My question is this: would it be the easiest option to just pay for a tourist visa on arrival then arrange everything else from Phuket, or to book an onward bus ticket to Ranong within those 30 days to renew the visa there if necessary? Further internet research indicates that the visas can also be renewed in Phuket so any clarification on the matter would be appreciated.

Ideally I would aim to start working within the first month of arrival anyway, but if unable to find a job within that time then would obviously need to apply for or extend a tourist visa anyway. Any relevant advice is welcome. Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the handy hints everyone.

I'm a 30 year old male NES from the UK. My highest qualification is a Higher National Diploma Communication with Media.

I spent two years (2009-2011) as a TEFL teacher in provincial Thailand at various establishments and teaching all age groups. The second job I landed was at a university where I was assured that my four years at college were equivalent to an Associates Degree, which was equivalent to Bachelors Degree and the President of the university wrote a letter claiming I had a BA with which the uni obtained a work permit and Non-B visa for me. The same thing happened once I left that uni and began full time employment at a language centre.

I left Thailand in 2011 because the school which employed me at the time did not provide documentation alluding to my BA equivalency in my qualifications gained. Thereafter I spent a year travelling and working in Australia and I have just returned to the UK. Recently I contacted the qualifications authority for Higher Education enquiring if I am eligible for accreditation towards a BA or otherwise based on the credits I have already.

I am currently in the UK working and saving to return to Thailand within a couple of months. I am studying a TEFL certificate online and considering various Life Degrees (I know several teachers who have had no problem finding work with Life Degrees from the University of Dublin, but have been informed that Almeda University are one of the most widely accredited insitutions in the business of granting Life Degrees). Can anybody shed light on this issue? Clearly, to have a Life Degree is actually genuine and a far cry from a dodgy Kao San Road cert printed off for a couple of hundred baht...rather it seems to be whether or not the school applied to for employment have the accrediting institute on their green list or not.

I have also been informed by an instructor from the TEFL course that a CELTA or TESOL Certificate plus 2 years experience is more than enough to find TEFL work in just about any country worldwide - though I don't think she ever taught in Thailand before, just travelled there to instruct TEFL students.

I'd like to return to Thailand to begin work as soon as possible with a view to staying there long term whilst continuing to teach, and so I would appreciate any advice on how best to approach the matter. Cheers.

Looking for some advice on the best course of action to take. Here's my lowdown:

I'm a 30 year old male NES from the UK. My highest qualification is a Higher National Diploma: Communication with Media.

I spent two years (2009-2011) as a TEFL teacher in provincial Thailand at various establishments and teaching all age groups. The second job I landed was at a university where I was assured that my four years at college were equivalent to an Associates Degree, which was equivalent to Bachelors Degree and the President of the university wrote a letter claiming I had a BA with which the uni obtained a work permit and Non-B visa for me.

I left Thailand in 2011 because the school I worked for could not provide adequate documentation for me to get a Non-B, and the embassy kept demanding a letter from the MoE, which the school did not obtain on my behalf. (I believe this was because the MoE require to see a copy of the degree certificate, but then I heard that as long as the school vouch for the teacher everything should go ahead without a hitch).

I am currently in the UK working and saving to return to Thailand within a couple of months. I am studying a TEFL certificate online and considering various Life Degrees (I know several teachers who have had no problem finding work with Life Degrees from the University of Dublin, but have been informed that Almeda University are better 'accredited'...).

I am also considering taking a CELTA or TESOL course at some point, or studying for an official BA with the Open University, although these are both expensive and time consuming.

Naturally, I would like to take the easiest path with the least amount of hassle which enables all processes to happen above board. I have contacted the relevant qualifications authority to see if I am eligible for BA accreditation or suchlike, but am curious as to what other options would best suit me otherwise?

I really enjoyed teaching Pratom classes at the Tessaban schools, but also enjoyed university and adult classes as well so I'm open to pretty much anything and am aware that there are different requirements for different types of teaching.

Also, the teaching licence, Thai culture course and/or the new study program that is in place confuse matters even more,,,,any help, hints or tips would be much appreciated.

Cheers for the tips. Just spoke on the phone with a mate who informed me that there is apparently a direct shuttle-bus from Mo Chit to Swampy for around 150 baht....don't think he's taken any international flights for quite some time though so that may well have changed. Anybody know if it's still on the go? Will just check it out at the Information centre anyhow. He said the second best option is to take the Skytrain as you suggested already. Cheers.

I have a flight booked Wednesday evening at 9pm from Swampy so need to be at the airport by about 7pm. Coming from Mo Chit I guess the easiest way is by taxi, but I'm not sure if there's a cheaper, convenient alternative. I've been travelling for four years now so do have quite a few bags to carry - not much fun balancing it all on a motorbike but can be done. Is a taxi to the Skytrain a viable option or any other suggestions are welcome?

Thanks for your reply. Yes, that all makes sense now. I was previously living and working in Thailand for 2 years so have (naturally) had visa issues before. This was a new one however so thanks for clearing that up.

A bit of a dilemma just discovered today,,,am now in Phitsanulok, British citizen who came in on a tourist visa a month ago. I went to the Immigration Office to get the one week extension at 1,900 baht as my passport is almost completely full and there is no full page available for any sort of longer visa stay label.

Immigration here told me that they would grant me one week more, meaning I had to leave the Kingdom by 26th June and requested that I organise a new passport when I got back to the UK. They stamped the passport, I thanked them and went on my way, briefly checking the stamp was dated 26th June 2012.

However, today I was looking through the passport and actually read the stamp through properly for the first time (it's written in English and Thai).....now I feel pretty daft having not noticed sooner, (but they did clearly assure me at Immigration that I was good to stay until the 26th) that the stamp reads 'Application extension of stay not approved (something written in Thai script)...26 June 2012. Applicant must leave the Kingdom no later than 15 June 2012 (followed by more Thai script).

My initial tourist visa on entering the country was stamped until the 19th of June.

My Thai gf assures me that it's all okay and I'm alright to stay until 26th according to the Thai script. She doesn't speak enough English to explain it all in detail There is other Thai script signature handwritten on the stamp and some kind of signature squiggle over the 'no later than' part, so it's hard to say if everything is in order......I'm just not looking forward to getting to the airport only for some customs official to demand I cough up 500 baht per day overstay fine.

Any ideas? I know going back to Immigration would make sense, but to save me the bother can anyone shed light on the situation? Cheers!

70k baht, if true, indicates 10 months late.

No Thai finance company would wait that long, so they've either been hiding the car (OP did say that Dad recently got the car back from the Ex), or someone's not telling the truth

Yeah !!! reading between lines the ex has been hanging on to the car before the father managed to get it back because he was more than likely the guanantor.

If they when to Finance they would want the car back now unless the monies owned were paid, as kbb said go along and find out but what ever you pal do do not sign anything.

Maybe wear a disguise.

No worries, I wasn't planning on getting quite that involved with the whole business anyhow as to sign anything into my name. As it turns out, her dad's paid the finance off and now they're wanting to sell it. They seem to not be quite sure how to go about this - which baffles me somewhat, her saying they don't know anyone who wants to buy it. Ain't it standard practice for Thais selling their cars to advertise online, in the paper and approach some second hand car dealerships to ask what the wholesale price would be?

I am little confused about the whole scenario, but when they rented out premises, they also paid deposit.

If she stops to pay rent-move out, the owner will simply keep the deposit and matter is over and done with.

Loan is her sole responsibility because she took it out in her name alone.

Other alternative(an i am not sure why you have not taken it up already) is for you and her to simply keep running the place and either build the business to sell or build and keep it as a business.

I doubt she and her ex opened a company to have the business, so it would not be a problem to keep running it and NOT have to pay the ex any money, since even the loan is not in his name

She is not staying on the premises any longer, hasn't been for some time. It's not an option to keep running the place as I don't have the cash to do so and she has no intention of keeping it going.

It transpires that the loan was taken out with the bank in her name but the ex is the owner. Apparently it's not an option at all to sell it and she's asked me not to raise the suggestion again, insisting that she must pay the bank off in monthly instalments for the next 5 years to the tune of 130k baht.

Is there anyone out there with experience in the restaurant business in Thailand that knows if this is a likely story or not - that the loan would be in her name but the ex would be the owner?

My TGF split from her no-good Thai guy ex-husband a while before meeting me. When they were still together they went to the bank and took out a loan of 100,000 baht (in her name, as his credit is non-existent) and used the cash to buy a restaurant. Since they split a few months back he has (not surprisingly) failed to pay the rent [500 baht per month] and supposedly someone has since moved into the apartment that is on the premises. He has absconded and obviously has no intention of providing any further financial assistance.

Admittedly, I don't fully understand the ins and outs of the whole situation - my girlfriend's English is of a pretty good standard, but it's not so easy for her to explain the legalities of more complex issues like this - but it seems to me the practical solution would be to pay off the rent outstanding then go about selling the business.

Apparently the restaurant is not in a 'hot spot' area and didn't do that great for business when they were open. There are other restaurants nearby that I have previously noticed to be pretty busy. Regardless of that, I would have thought it wouldn't be that hard to sell the business off to be used for some other purpose other than a restaurant.

I should add that she was not legally wed to her ex - only married through Buddhist ceremony, and I have not been asked or hinted at to make any kind of payments towards this so I would highly doubt (as some might say) that this is any kind of money making scam.

Can anyone offer advice on what she can do in this situation?

Thanks in advance,

My TGF split with her no-good Thai guy ex-husband a while before meeting me. They had previously bought a car together (in her name, as his credit is non-existent) which her father has since re-claimed from him. However, the family are left having to pay 7000 baht per month over 3 years to pay the rest of it off. Nobody particularly wants the car, much less to have to fork out hard earned cash to pay off such a big debt.

At no point have I been asked to contribute anything towards this, as she has said herself 'it's not fair on you', yet it's obviously a huge stress on the family's income as they are currently helping her out. I suggested simply going to the bank and cancelling the payment plan, explaining they couldn't afford to shell out the cash for it. However, she at first said they would have to pay off 3 months worth (21,00 baht) to do so, and then recently said it would actually be 70,000 baht after her father went to the bank to investigate further.

To be honest, I've no idea how car payment plans really work, either here or in the UK, but it's always been my understanding that any kind of higher purchase plan is easy enough to cancel should the buyer suddenly fall on hard times and be unable to make payments.

Can anyone advise on the legalities of the situation and what options are available? I should also mention that she was not 'legally wed' to her ex-husband, they only had the Buddhist marriage ceremony without any proper signing of documents and whatnot to make it legally binding.

Thanks in advance.

Great to hear about some positive changes in the curriculum and the positive impact this will have on the students educational wellbeing and potential for the future of this generation. About time and long may it continue, as it branches out all across Thailand.

Strange how the good news links seem to get so few comments compared to the 'tabloid' news, even though they're generally ''nothing but crap" - not my words, just another typical comment from one of the multiple whinging farang community here on Thaivisa. Lighten up yourselves all ye moaners!

Just to clarify - the question was if my Thai girlfriend needs a passport, not myself. As the others posted, an ID card is all that is required. This has nothing to do with returning to America or citizens of USA or Canada, so I'm not too sure on the relevance of your link to this. Hopefully it helped somebody....

There is nothing gray about border pass entry. It is a government to government arrangement. And it is not uncommon at all. The US and Canada is a good example of this arrangement in first world countries.

It used to be that way. Now passports are required all around. I have been up and back several times over the years. For a while it was just the USA that required even USA citizens to have a passport to return home! nitwitty. Now it is everybody with some exceptions.

http://www.consular....requirement.asp

I'm going to Laos for a tourist visa run with my girlfriend and will have around 4000 baht left after getting to Vientiane.

We'll be arriving sometime on Sunday, applying for visa first thing Monday morning, before returning to pick it up the following afternoon (Tuesday).. Can anyone recommend reasonably priced hotels in Vientiane, and also some kind of one night one day tour or trip within or near to Vientiane that we could take in time to get back to the Embassy to pick up the visa? . Any tour company names, website links, general costs and information much appreciated.

Ok, so by the sound of it, everything should be fine with that. I'm going for a tourist visa run (which by all accounts should still be free,) and will have around 4000 baht left after getting to Vientiane.

Applying for visa first thing Monday morning, before returning to pick it up the following afternoon (Tuesday).. Can anyone recommend reasonable hotels and some kind of day tour or trip within or near to Vientiane? . Any tour company names, website links, general costs and information much appreciated.

Good stuff, glad to hear it. Thanks guys!

I'm going to Laos for a visa run soon and my Thai girlfriend wants to travel with me. We'll be there 2 or 3 days before heading back. She has only an ID card, no passport. There seems to be mixed opinions online as to whether or not Thais require a passport to do this. Mostly, it reads as all a Thai has to do is show an ID card, fill in a form and hand over a picture, pay a couple of hundred baht and it's all good. Is that still the case?

Trompelelmode82, you do not need to apply for a new visa when you change jobs.

Yes, you need to go to immi and declare that you quit the old one, and you need to present a letter from the old employer saying the same. In my case, they also asked for a PNG 1 (income tax document) from the old employer. Then you go straight to the other counter and apply for the new visa and work permit.

I have changed jobs a couple of times over the past 20 years and I never needed to leave the country because of that. However, I do business and am not a teacher, so maybe there is a difference.

dam_n it! If only I'd known that earlier...it'd have saved so much hassle. The Non B from my previous employer was due a 90 day report for extension but at that time I had ceased to work with them and had my new job lined up. Because the visa expired before I could make it to Laos, (as my workplace hadn't provided all required documents before I could go to do a transfer / apply for new Non B ) I had to pay 2 day overstay fine. Then I only got a 15 day stamp when leaving again once the Embassy knocked me back for not having the letter from the Ministry of Education. The letter from employer sufficed in place of this in two previous Non B Applications so I'm hoping it will be again. If not, I'll just have to get a tourist visa then get the letter before re-applying.

Wait a second - you are saying you have to do visa runs and apply for new non-imm B visas all the time. This sounds like you don't have a work permit.

The class B allows you to apply for a work permit. Without the work permit, you are not allowed to work. If you have the work permit, you apply for an extension of stay and don't have to leave the country to apply for a new visa.

Something is wrong here. Are you trying to tell the Thai government that they should issue another non-imm B visa for you, because you have experience in working illegally, i.e. without a work permit?

As for the bachelor's degree, I believe it is a requirement now for any teaching position. It does not matter how much other teaching experience or other degrees you have. I don't think this mentality is different from Western countries in any way: If your paperwork doesn't say you are qualified, you are out of luck.

My suggestion: Get a degree that qualifies for the job and all the other docs according to Thai law, then apply for a non-imm class B which allows you to apply for the work permit. And only when you have the work permit, start teaching. You won't have to apply for a new visa any more as you will only do extensions of stay at Chaeng Wattana, and the problem will be gone.

No I currently do not have a work permit and I realise that the Non B allows me to apply for one. Of course, I cannot get a WP until I have the Non B. I did not fall victim to the misconception that a Non-B allows you to work. Let's be realistic though - how many teachers out there in the land of smiles are actually working legally and with the all the correct documentation - at a guess, maybe 10%?

I, on the other hand am trying my best to do everything above board and by the book. However, what is written seems to be everchanging. I left my job with a previous language center in the same city where I am living now. I went to the Labour Department with a secretary and my work permit. I had assumed that they would just cancel this permit and then I'd get the new Non-B and apply for new WP for my new workplace. However, the officer at the Labour Department gave my WP back to the secretary with a bunch of paperwork and said something about a transfer ... it really wasn't clear and I'm in the process of chasing this up. At the time, the secretary said not to worry as they needed nothing further from me in regards to this.

So then I went to Laos to apply for the new Non B. The first time was a Friday and the Embassy was closed by 12 of course so I wouldn't have made it in time (various complications held me back for good reason and I didn't know I couldn't make it in time until I was back at the Laos border!). The second time I made it to the Embassy only to be turned back - only for not having a letter from the Ministry of Education.

It has long been a 'requirement' to have a Bachelors to obtain a Non B. However, many educational establishments accept teachers without a degree and especially in the provincial areas where I have been teaching. My point is, the lack of a Bachelors has not proved to be a problem before now - a letter from the workplace stating I have a Bachelors and my transcripts were enough. I can only assume the workplace issued this letter having realised my equivalent to an Associates Degree was adequately equivalent to a Bachelors, hence why they could say I had one in the letter.

The issue with local Immigration came about because the secretary went along without me and didn't know the full script to explain all of this. Immigration here seem to think the lack of degree will be my main problem. I'd say that it's up to the Thai Embassy in Laos and not the local Immigration Police.

I'm not 'trying to tell the Thai Government' anything Tombkk, I'm simply confused as to how problematic this situation has become when these problems have never presented themselves in this way before. I realise getting a degree would be the sure fire way of avoiding this rut again, but in the meantime that ain't immediately do-able.

Thanks for your replies. Unfortunately, a trip to Europe to obtain a visa is out of the question. I know of a visa service in Thailand that can obtain a Non B with ease and not much paperwork, but their asking price is way too much.

I had a copy of the list of required documents that I had used for my previous visa but this letter from the Ministry of Education was not listed. I showed this to the Embassy but they insisted I must get the letter, My workplace said the contract they have just given me does not start until 1st January next year and the contract must be active to obtain the Ministry's letter. I asked them to draw up another contract that starts from the beginning of this month and then use this to obtain the letter.

They then went to the local (Thai) Immigration office to check all documents were as required. It was the local Immigration office that told the secretary from my workplace that I 'have been denied' because I don't have proof of a Bachelors Degree. I made this clear to my first employer in Thailand, but they told me I had the equivalent of an Associates Degree and that was adequate. Both of my former workplaces supplied a letter saying I had a Bachelors degree to obtain my Non B visas and everything was fine with that.

Assuming I can obtain this letter from the Ministry of Education and confirm with the consulate myself then I am not sure why it's a problem to go back to Laos and try again? Then again, the rules may have recently changed in regard to degree requirements for teaching - does anyone know anything about that?

I was recently refused the chance to apply for my third Non B Visa after travelling all the way to Laos, as the language center I work for failed to include a letter from the Ministry of Education. Despite my protests, and calling my workplace to request a letter be obtained and sent by fax as soon as possible, it was a no-goer.

So I left Laos and have since been trying to get this letter and have the secretaries confirm all documentation with the local Immigration Office to ensure it is accurate and as required. It has just transpired today that my visa will be refused because I don't have an actual Bachelors Degree. I did include a letter explaining that I had a 'B' in Higher English and the equivalent of an Associates Degree (4 years at college studying two separate subjects) plus 16 months teaching experience in Thailand, and that this had been sufficient qualifications to ensure my Non B in two previous teaching positions.

According to the Manager at my workplace, Immigration told the secretary that they have 'denied' my application and that I must now obtain a tourist visa. I don't quite understand how this works - since when can local immigration refuse a Non B application when they surely cannot grant a new Non B, I must exit the country to do so, and it is up to the relevant Embassy in that country whether or not to refuse me?

Thanks for your informative reply. Just to clarify the confusion, I didn't actually mean the language center are keeping my WP and passport, and I am aware that companies who do so are suspect. It was just a bad choice of words saying the WP and passport were 'with' that language center - I simply meant that I had obtained these with documents given to me from that language center.

I didn't actually 'turn down the jobs' as such - I had given them my schedule previously which clearly showed I was 'busy' teaching a class at my current workplace on the Sunday morning. The former language center called me 3 times asking if I could teach a class there and I told them each time, 'Sorry but I can't, I have a class elsewhere. Perhaps you can reschedule?' They didn't offer me any other classes besides this one.

I am well aware that company protocol differs somewhat in the Land of Smiles compared to Western countries, and it's looking like I will need to do as you suggest and ask for the letter stating I do not work with them anymore, but as it was only yesterday that I was told verbally there were no more classes for me and my contract has not been formally terminated, I guess I don't really have a leg to stand on by still legally being under contract with them?

I see, so your passport is with you. That's a relief.

You actually didn't teach somewhere else, and you don't have another "current workplace", this must be another misunderstanding. Because if you did, you would have needed a work permit from that other teaching institue as well. But since you were not free to work for your employer who sponsored your work permit, I can fully understand that they won't offer you jobs any more. Remember, you have terminted the contract in full accordance with the Thai labour law, they have no obligation to "formally" terminate the contract. One might need a lawyer to read the contract and see whether you have to pay some kind of penalty for breach of contract, as you were not available due to working illegally for their competition.

This does not differ from Western countries in any way.

Yes, your only choice now is to ask them politely to issue the letter stating that you have resigned, and if you are lucky they will date it this week rather than stating your real last date of working there.

I wonder why your "current workplace" doesn't apply for a work permit for you.

NB: I am not a lawyer! Don't trust me, ask a lawyer whether anything I write is true.

Reason for edit: Disclaimer.

Hi Tom,

Yes, indeed, that was a misunderstanding as stated about the work situation ... my current workplace will be applying for a work permit shortly for me as soon as I cancel the one I have now. I don't see a problem with getting the letter of resignation dated accordingly. No, I don't need a lawyer to check my contract, I had read and understood it the day I signed it - there is no penalty to be paid for working elsewhere, and I was actually encouraged to seek other work anyway.

In my experience of working in Thailand compared to Western countries, I would have to say there are many differences in how things are done in the workplace. One of those differences being that in the Western countries I have worked, there is always some kind of formal agreement (verbal or written) when a worker either resigns, is laid off, fired, relocated or whatever. I just find it odd that I was suddenly dropped without any kind of notification whatsoever, and actually didn't realise this until I asked, and was then told there were no further classes for me there. I did not terminate the contract by 'not turning up for work 3 days in a row' or whatever it is. I had told them I was working at that time, they wanted me to teach, I referred them to my schedule I had given them which showed I was otherwise employed.

I think perhaps you misunderstand the situation in it's entirety. Thanks a lot for your time and advice and I'll let you know how I go.

They have no right to keep your passport, whether you work there or not. I am not 100% sure, but I think they cannot keep your WP either, it must be with the employee not the employer.

Anyway, ask them to return the passport back to you. If they refuse, talk to your embassy. I am sure they will suggest you go to the police. Any company that keeps the passport (and the WP?) hostage, is suspicious to say the least.

On a softer note, if the contract is still in place and they offer you jobs and they keep sponsoring your work permit, you don't want to spoil the relationship with them. You just need to ask them politely to give you your passport for visa renewal and issue any relevant documents. Since you did that and they won't issue a letter suporting your visa, they do have to issue a letter stating that you don't work there any more. (I suggest the letter is dated the date you want to go to immigration, so as to avoid overstay fines.)

I think your mistake was to turn down the jobs. As an employer, I wouldn't issue that letter to renew your visa either. You might want to know that according to Thai labour law, if you don't come to work for three days, you have implicetely resigned from the job. They don't need to inform you - you have informed them by "being busy". I am not a lawyer, but I would think you have terminated the contract yourself.

As Lopburi3 says, if you don't work for them, your WP and extension of stay has to be cancelled. Last time I cancelled my work permit (last week, to apply for a new one with another company), I also had to attach the Por Ngor Dor 1 of the company. Now, I wish you good look getting this PNG1 from them!

Thanks for your informative reply. Just to clarify the confusion, I didn't actually mean the language center are keeping my WP and passport, and I am aware that companies who do so are suspect. It was just a bad choice of words saying the WP and passport were 'with' that language center - I simply meant that I had obtained these with documents given to me from that language center.

I didn't actually 'turn down the jobs' as such - I had given them my schedule previously which clearly showed I was 'busy' teaching a class at my current workplace on the Sunday morning. The former language center called me 3 times asking if I could teach a class there and I told them each time, 'Sorry but I can't, I have a class elsewhere. Perhaps you can reschedule?' They didn't offer me any other classes besides this one.

I am well aware that company protocol differs somewhat in the Land of Smiles compared to Western countries, and it's looking like I will need to do as you suggest and ask for the letter stating I do not work with them anymore, but as it was only yesterday that I was told verbally there were no more classes for me and my contract has not been formally terminated, I guess I don't really have a leg to stand on by still legally being under contract with them?