Jimdandy

19 hours ago, webfact said:

Dual pricing: Retirees and expats may be charged more at Thai govt hospitals

A more accurate heading would be 'Retirees and expats SOON to be charged more at Thai govt hospitals. Do you think it was a coincidence that this story ran simultaneously with the story about the increase in affluent tourists? Paris, New York, London? 

59 minutes ago, Salerno said:

Here you go: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=th.go.immigration.section38&hl=en_US (link to TM6 and 90 day reporting apps on the right of the page).

 

Great

2 minutes ago, Salerno said:

Read one of the 40+ threads about TM30s on here and you'll find the link has been posted at least a dozen times.

 

The TM6 app has been out for ages and is a waste of bandwidth for the average tourist and not much better for expats.

I see, thx.

4 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

Why should the App store have Immigration forms? Search on Google and you will find it.

Here's why. This is the quote and the link from the article. I will do a Google search instead. Apparently there a huge disconnect that I hope gets fixed 'most Ricky Ticky'

http://www.richardbarrow.com/2019/08/bangkok-immigration-want-expats-to-register-their-address-every-time-they-return-from-a-holiday-to-another-province/

So, what can we do to make our life easier. Immigration say that they are working on the problem and are producing apps for your smartphone that will make reporting quick and easy. The first one already out is “Section38” which is for reporting TM30. Search for it on the playstore or the apps store. I’m told that there will soon be apps for TM47 and even TM6. 

21 hours ago, ukrules said:

There is only one sensible way forward and that's to make reporting your address very easy and online.

 

I read the entire article twice then went to the App store to locate the TM 30 compliance form and the form does not exist, as the article quoted. Maybe I just do not know where to find it. So now what?

1 minute ago, SPREX said:

Off course Amnesty international is an official organisation approved in the kingdom 

you canot stay and work volontary for this organisation you need any time a visa 

I think there is miscommunication. I am not interested in working for an NGO. I am asking is there one where expats can go to advocate for themselves

2 minutes ago, SPREX said:

If you want to work for ONG in Thaïlande you must have visa under claue here 

Work in public charities Foreign private organizations, the Foundation of the Foreign Chamber of Commerce, the Thai Chamber of Commerce Or the Federation of Thai Industries

Not work for one but is there one such as Amnesty International, Doctors without walls or others.

9 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The mystery of exactly how many expats live in Thailand

 

Does anyone want to know? Is there an organization, NGO or otherwise where expats can go to learn how to build capacity or critical mass for that matter without fear or reprisal from the non-democratically elected government?

No Canadians??? ????‍♂️

31 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

A visa change at the London Embassy in the UK?

So it sounds like this is only for UK. Not USA, Canada or Australia?

Does anyone know how this affects Americans?

4 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

The only way to survive here on the road, is to be patient, have eyes in the back of your head, drive with caution, and always, and I mean always watch out of the other guy

I've taken it a step further, I don't drive here. I stay in BKK, take the BTS or MRT. Yes I am missing out on some of the splendor that is Thailand. All day from my window I watch pedestrians run across Rama IV when they have the light. Then on the green light for the traffic the motorcycles race off at speeds that will either kill you or leave you permanently disabled it they hit you. All this just to get to the next red light. The last time I drove in Thailand was 2014, from the airport to Buriram. Driving has become a liability. Don't even get me started on the white vans.

I once heard a psychologist say that some people drive reckless because driving is the only power they imagine they have, especially in societies where they cannot freely express their opinions or have any power through voting or any other means. So for them when they are in a car no one can tell them what to do. Wonder if that's what happening here and if so what can be done about it?

2 hours ago, JackThompson said:

This is not unusual - and a stipulation for applying for a Visa Exempt entry.  If you have a valid Visa, you do not need to show a ticket - but you may need to talk to a supervisor at the airline-desk to get your boarding-pass, due to ignorance of some staff.

I had a valid Thailand visa at the time

it's complicated and seems so random. It might have something to do with time between visas. I think I read on the Thai Embassy website that after so many extensions you are required to stay out for a set period of time before you can return. I was in Saigon in January and had to show my departure flight from BKK back to the US before I could get a boarding pass for BKK. I am still in BKK. Very strange things. Try the Embassy website, NOT one of those websites that 'do all the work for you' ones. 

Hope this helps

Do I smell a smoggy unfriendly wind starting to blow...

Sounds like Thailand is trying to clean up it's overstay act all around and at the same time stuff its coffers with more money. The good and the bad of it. I wonder what the ugly will look like?

17 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

The requirements to be a TEFL teacher are the same in Thailand as they are in most western countries.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

True, the difference is most western countries and Asian countries require much more and some  will not consider a TESL or other language certificate valid unless the institution that issues it is credible.  So sad, such a beautiful country that seems to be falling apart at the seams.

1 minute ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

'C' and 'h' blended do not make 'ch', which is a consonant digraph rather that a blend, but that is not very important, I just wanted to know what we were talking about as the explanation was far from clear.

 

So, are we talking about the three sounds that can be made with the 'ch' digraph?  If so, why was it referred to as the "origin", pretty confusing! 

 

Perhaps the origin is what the English teacher should know, perhaps they should know that the words using 'ch' to make /ʃ/, like machine, were borrowed from French later than those which use the 'ch' to make /tʃ/, like chop, and that those that use 'ch' to make /k/, like chemistry, are from Greek, but personally I don't think this is important to ESL teachers at all.  The example you gave, chair, is a poor one as in Greek it had the /k/ sound and it wasn't until it was borrowed by the French that the /tʃ/ sound was added and this was then borrowed by into English.

1 minute ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

'C' and 'h' blended do not make 'ch', which is a consonant digraph rather that a blend, but that is not very important, I just wanted to know what we were talking about as the explanation was far from clear.

 

So, are we talking about the three sounds that can be made with the 'ch' digraph?  If so, why was it referred to as the "origin", pretty confusing! 

 

Perhaps the origin is what the English teacher should know, perhaps they should know that the words using 'ch' to make /ʃ/, like machine, were borrowed from French later than those which use the 'ch' to make /tʃ/, like chop, and that those that use 'ch' to make /k/, like chemistry, are from Greek, but personally I don't think this is important to ESL teachers at all.  The example you gave, chair, is a poor one as in Greek it had the /k/ sound and it wasn't until it was borrowed by the French that the /tʃ/ sound was added and this was then borrowed by into English.

You would lose every student in your class. Try reading a Pearson-Longman or Cambridge University Press ESL/grammar book. The issue here is visa non compliance not a discourse on you technical skills. Try telling a student whose first language is French to pronounce chemistry and why it sounds they way it does or doesn't.  

56 minutes ago, JAG said:

I suspect that youth, physical appearance, skin tone and cheapness probably feature more in the concerns of many employers.

My hat is off to you sir. That is exactly the situation worldwide. Sadly enough some of them are not subjected to a background check because they 'look' right or even worse may be in bed with someone who pulls strings.

1 minute ago, Jimdandy said:

How trite, and wrong-sir. Try teaching a second half of a grammar class when the first half was taught by a teacher from Scotland. Yes, Scotland. Did you know that there are excellent teachers from Wales and Scotland that use the exact same Subject, Verb and object sentence structure? Or maybe they have their own, huh? Sounds like a little America bashing if you ask me. The issue here is non visa compliance, my point was I hope the government expands the compliance criteria to include degree verification. I can see from your statements that you would be out of a job 

As far as spelling goes, if a Ss has a baseline in one form you follow that form and advise them of the differences when and if necessary. Canadians do not spell the same was as Americans and I guarantee you that when students who have studied in both countries are taught it is crystal clear that you do not mark them incorrect if they spell Counsellor or Counselor, or say lift or elevator. Your job as a teacher is to help them be consistent with which ever form they use; that is of course if you can pass a background check...

How trite, and wrong-sir. Try teaching a second half of a grammar class when the first half was taught by a teacher from Scotland. Yes, Scotland. Did you know that there are excellent teachers from Wales and Scotland that use the exact same Subject, Verb and object sentence structure? Or maybe they have their own, huh? Sounds like a little America bashing if you ask me. The issue here is non visa compliance, my point was I hope the government expands the compliance criteria to include degree verification. I can see from your statements that you would be out of a job 

2 hours ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

 

I teach phonics and I am struggling to understand what you were trying to explain there.  Do you mean the three different graphemic representations of /tʃ/?  There are actually 5, so I can only assume not.  Or do you mean the three different etymological origins of the digraph 'ch', from the Latin 'ca', the French 'tsha', and the Greek 'χ'?  That is not even nearly important for foreign learners of English to know, so again I assume not.  So, please tell me, what were you trying to explain?

Ch - Champagne (French Origin) Ch - Chair (Greek Origin) Ch - Chemistry- Note the differences. Chemistry sounds like a K- All ch words (blended consonants)

While they're at it I hope they add degree verification and teaching credential requirement from a real institution that provides at least 120 hours of instruction with mentoring, not from some online or on the beach fly by night company. It such a shame to see the international ranking of Thailand continue to slip while other ASEAN countries, like Vietnam continue to excel. Too many people, especially men looking for a wife or girlfriend say they are teachers and cannot even explain the origins of the three different sounds of CH sounding words in English for example. That is a basic. In some school districts in the US you must have a criminal background check with fingerprints  each time you change schools even if the schools are in the same county. Stop sniveling and get over it.

It is so sad to have a conversation with someone who was fired from a job and decides to 'teach' because they have no money to get home. If men and women want to teach they need to have the college degree plus the credential to do it. Thailand educational institutions are in a very bad situation and need qualified administrators and teachers at all levels up through university. Teaching is not easy and if a teacher cannot do research or does not understand basic grammar they should not be in the classroom.

Of course the government needs to take responsibility as well as the first step to correct this issue, which I do not think they see as a priority,

Thank you

I have to come to Thailand for business in February 2108. I am a Sole Proprietorship. I will be there for about four weeks. Do I need to get a Non-Immigrant Category "B" visa or can I meet my clients under the 30 Day Visa Exempt status? I will be returning to the US within 30 days of arrival. If you have had a similar experience I would appreciate hearing from you.