GreenCurryorDie

How long can we extend for, after arriving on the 30-day visa exempt?

Aha, thanks a lot. I was way off.

Can someone type her name in Thai so I know how it's pronounced? I want to say "ying" as in female (rising tone) and "look" as in child (falling) but maybe that's not right. I couldn't find her name in my Thai News app. Thanks!

There are a couple YouTube vids on this exact topic also. I think we can't mention names in the forum but just search.

Thanks for the replies. I'm leaning toward taking the CELTA to be a little more competitive. Any suggestions on where to take it?

My wife and I are planning a move to BKK in July. I plan to work in the TESOL field, and would welcome any suggestions from the seasoned ones on this forum.

You TESOLers, if you had it to do over again, how would you do it? Arrive on a tourist visa? Get the TESOL Certification or is that a waste of money? Recommendations? Things to avoid?

I'm interested in working in a language school/center or corporate setting, not a public school. I have a BA (in Russian) and exactly one half of a MA in TESOL/Bilingualism (interrupted when I was posted overseas and never completed).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or constructive comments. We lived in BKK previously and can't wait to get back! (I'm emailing the big language schools now to test the waters, so if you work in one, you may recognize me.) Thanks again.

Looking for an inexpensive one-month (August 10 - September 8) rental for my wife and I, near BTS, preferably Nana or nearby. Any suggestions appreciated!

The more I read about teacher qualifications, the more confused I am.

For one, Global Moderator Scott in the pinned "Qualifications" thread states in September, 2012 that a TESOL/CERTA are NOT needed if one has a degree. I have a BA (Russian Langage) from a school in the USA. (I also have 15 graduate credits in a MA program in TESOL. I only finished half of the MA program, so I'm thinking that this is irrelevent.) I have read that the Certification is needed to get the work permit and teach English.

I want to teach English in Bangkok, preferably in a language school. I'm a 54-year old male, native English speaker, from the USA.

As far as the visa goes, it's either wait for the Thai consulate in Houston, Texas to (hopefully) process a non-immigrant "B" visa, or get a tourist visa on arrival and get extensions as needed until I have that tasty work permit. Without the advertised help from a Certification course school in obtaining the "B" visa, I would prefer the tourist visa route. What problems would this create?

My questions are:

Do I need the Cert course? I have a BA.

Do I need a "Teachers License", and "Thai Culture Course"?

What problems are posed by arrived on a tourist visa?

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions!

Possible to rent a bike/mountain bike to ride around Pattaya with? And would it be open season on the farang on the bicycle, ie would I survive?

Tnx all!

Costs US$100 to get our iPhone 4s unlocked here in states prior to flying to BKK. Anyone know what it costs to unlock them in BKK? And general cost of a simcard when there?

Thanks crew!

Greetings all,

I've been reading iPad posts. Just got an iPad 2 (the "wi-fi" model) and tickets for wife and I to return to BKK in August. (Mmmmm....)

Wondering generally how well it will go using the iPad in the hotel room and out & about. Are you glad or sorry you brought yours? Anything special you did with yours, ie taking video or pics?

Are there a lot of wi-fi hotspots?

Any recommendations for apps I should get that would be fun/useful to use there? (I've been studying Thai so am particularly interested in Thai language apps.)

No trouble bringing it through customs (USA and Thailand)?

Anything else I should consider?

Thank you! Apologies for so many questions.

Frank

Thanks all for the nice replies to my post. We actually booked Baiyoke (near Panthip Plaza) for the first two nights, and then are thinking of Omni Tower again (thanks for the link on Omni!), Soi 8, or just walking the streets and looking about.

When we lived at Omni Tower, we used to take a short cut over to Soi 8 on the way to the Nana BTS, and there was a lot of construction going on between 4 and 8. Can't wait to see how the area has changed!

Thanks Ivan that's about exactly what I had in mind!

Greetings, all. My wife and I are returning to BKK after a long absence. We lived in Omni Tower (Soi 4) previously and enjoy the lower Sukhumwit area. Since I'm sure the city has changed drastically since we were there (2006), I'm asking for recommendations for a hotel, close to Sukh and the BTS. A pool and gym would be nice. Not too expensive, yet not a dive. Someplace to head to from the airport, and maybe stay there if we like it.

Thanks for any suggestions!