Too

Hello Everyone!

I was going to apply for a Non-B visa for teaching in Savannakhet, Laos, this weekend. What I found out just a few days ago is

that my school forgot to prepare one document.

I'm now staying in Thailand on a visa-exempt stamp, which expires in just a week, and I'm wondering if they'll be able to have

the paper ready by Friday next week. I'm afraid not. I MUST leave Thailand within the next few days.

What should I do then?

1. Do you think it possible or risky for me to make a visa run to Laos and come back to Thailand on another visa-exempt stamp

(it's going to be the 4th one this year)?

2. Should I apply for a tourist visa in Laos? I heard that you're sometimes asked to show the Immigration officials 10,000B or

20,000B CASH when applying for a tourist visa. I can show them 10,000B CASH but 20,000B is too much for me.

3. Can I extend my visa-exempt stamp for 30 days at the nearest Immigration office? I heard that some Immigration offices won't

do an extension for you. I can't present an air-ticket to fly out of Thailand to the Immigration officials because I'm going to live and

teach in Thailand for at least 6 months.

If possible, I'd like to do a border run for another visa-exempt stamp, to be honest, because I don't have to pay for a visa or extension

or show them the cash. I've got lots of visa-exempt stamps for Thailand in my passport but not a single visa. I've also got a written

contract with my school, so maybe I could show it to the Immigration officials and explain the fact to them at the border post.

What's the best bet?

Thank you.

Hello Soutpeel

Thanx for your comment, You're right. I just wanted to say that it would be risky to work without a work permit no matter what you may do

here in Thailand.

I know some stories of Westerners having been busted for working or doing business without a work permit but in most cases they were

TURNED IN. These Westerners might have been so arrogant they didn't respect the locals.

Hello ubonjoe

Exactly! I asked you about this just in case because you need to submit a resume to apply for a Non-B visa not only in Bangkok but in my country.

Thank you for your info as always!

Hello

In my case, I had to teach for about a month on probation, during which period they would see if I was a good teacher or not and if the students liked you

or not. This was not even surprising to me at all because this kind of trial period does exist in my country, too.

They took about a week or so to prepare all the documents that I need to to apply for a Non-B visa. I'm going to Laos to apply for one very soon.

They used to have English teachers at our school but they worked on a visa-exempt stamp and had to leave and come back to Thailand every month.

However, what happened at a local school close to where I'm living now was that two Westerners got caught for teaching without a work permit about

a few months ago. The school got fined almost 100,000B for letting them work without a work permit. I don't know what happened to these teachers.

I was even told by our school to answer *I'm a tourist.* if the police or immigration should come to ask me what I was doing here. Our Thai teachers and even

my local friends told me I should be alright, though. They said that these Western teachers must have been TURNED IN for some reasons that they worked for

less hours but got paid better than the Thai teachers. I don't know...

So our school has been so scared now they first did a Non-B visa, a work permit and then a visa extension for our Filipino teacher, and this is my turn now.

Yes, you should ask the Director of your school to prepare all the documents that you need to apply for a Non-B visa asap if they need you as a full-time

teacher and tell them that you're scared to work without a proper visa or a work permit. You'll then have to prepare all the documents such as your

graduation certificate and academic transcript, too.

Good luck!

Hello ubonjoe

That's good to know. I'll definitely go to Savannakhet to apply for a Non-B visa.

Hello paz

I talked about the Englishman just for your info. However, the Filipino teacher at our school did submit a police certificate to apply for a Non-B visa

in Bangkok, as I said. I really hope I don't have to in Savannakhet, to be honest.

I have two more questions to ask you now.

1. Do I need to prepare my resume?

2. I don't know anybody to be my Guarantor in Laos. What should I do with this?

Thank you.

Hello OJAS

I'm not British, but just asked an Englishman about this (he's lived in Thailand for almost a decade now on

a retirement visa). He answered that he had to submit a police certificate when applying for his visa in the UK

before coming to Thailand.

Hello ubonjoe

I set up this post because I do want to know about the updates, as you can imagine. I really hope they haven't yet

asked for a police certificate at the Thai Embassy in Vientiane or the Consulate in Savannakhet.

BTW, is it better and easier to apply for a visa in Savannakhet than in Vientiane because I heard that it'll get

very, very busy at the Thai Embassy in Vientiane? I don't want to wait in a long queue for hours, to be honest.

Hello ubonjoe!

Thank you for your info.

We actually have a Filipino who teaches English at our school. When he converted his tourist visa into a Non-B visa for teaching in Bangkok

just a few months ago, he was requested to submit a police certificate, too, so he had to get his family in the Phlippines to go to the police station,

get a certificate for him and fax it to him in Thailand.

Hello

I'm staying in Thailand now and am going to apply for a Non-B visa for teaching very soon. I'll probably go to Savannakhet in Laos to apply for one because

I heard that it's easier there. (Is this true?)

I've had all the documents ready except A Police Certificate.

Is there anyone that has got a Non-B visa for teaching done lately? Did they ask for this Police Certificate then? The Thai Army has been very strict in the

immigration rules now like cracking down on the visa-runners. I'd like to know about the updates.

Thank you in advance.

NB

1. This is what the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand says:

2.4 Non-Immigrant Visa Category “B” (Teaching) Foreigners who intend to take up employment as school teachers at the levels below university level in Thailand

must submit the following required documents:
- Passport or travel document with validity of not less than 6 months
- Completed visa application form
- Recent passport-sized photograph (4 x 6 cm) of the applicant taken within the past 6 months.
- Letter of acceptance from employing institute or school in Thailand.
- Letter of approval from government agencies such as the Office of the Private Education Commission, the Office of the Basic Education Commission.
- Evidence of educational qualification such as diplomas or teaching certificates.
- School license or business registration, list of shareholders and school profile.
- Applicant’s resume.
- Police certificate verifying that applicant has no criminal record or equivalents or letter issued by authorised agencies in applicant’s country. (The requirement of the

submission of such police certificate is optional. The applicant must submit it if consular officer requests he/she to do so. This requirement is effective as from May 2007.)

2. This is what the website of Thai Embassy in Vientiane, Laos says:

For applicant who wishes to work for an academic institute; as full or part-time teacher, tutor or teaching assistant, documents required are;
1. Official letter from the Ministry of Education of Thailand, or other sub-authorities concerned, approving the employment of foreign academic personnel
2. Recommendation letter addressed to the Embassy (stating about the employment and visa application) and accompanied with the certified copy of the ID of the endorser
3. Employment contract
4. Form of the Employment Certification
5. Copy of registration certificate of the concerned academic institute
6. Copy of applicant’s academic certificate/record
7. Copy of the recent police clearance or certificate of no criminal conviction.
8. Copy of the previous/current work permit (if any)

3. The website of Thai Embassy in my country says that it depends upon the nationality.