moontang

5 minutes ago, berybert said:

I don't need to provide a link. I just read threads about people not being allowed entry into the country. And it's more than 1 or 2 people. Do you think the IO would be providing links if asked for them ?

no, and apparently it gets more harsh, if you want to act like an attorney...more red ink.

Ed visa...but you have way too long till you are 50.

19 hours ago, rick99 said:

Hi mate. I did this two years ago and again this year.   They're making it very difficult.  I'll be changing back to retirement.   They have a long list of things to do.  You can ask for it at immigration.  But,  even after you have completed all the tasks it was clear that they appeared to try to deny us.  We succeeded,  it's a long story each time.  Horrible experience both times. ( renewing my retirement visa was easy. ) Just a word of warning.  Pm for details. 

Exactly...I was in line for retirement extension and plenty of guys were married, but said they were simply taking the easier route.  Surely, a few were using letters from the Embassy, but others just didn't sweat having the money in a Thai bank.  My 800K fixed deposit matures in a few days..the interest is enough to pay my condo maintenance fee for a year and five cases of Tiger....nothing to sneeze at, and should be getting better. 

I gotta have my netting....but those glue traps for rats will teach them a lesson.

find the sweetspot...do they ever turn 90 day reporters away?  If not, get there at 3:15 or so...after the after lunch rush.  Early bird gets the worm?  Not at Immigration.  More like a rotten apple.  And of course avoid any Monday or Friday and especially when they f all right before or after the numerous Holidays.

a freshly painted commercial building, painted by you, in plain view......probably the only one with fresh paint, too.  Asking for trouble...inside no problem.

1 hour ago, rwdrwdrwd said:

I send my kids to international school so they rarely end up in a position where they have to answer these sort of irrelevant questions - I couldn't care less if they go to university, I care only that they receive a primary / secondary level education in an environment where cultivating inquisitiveness is foremost and they learn the process of learning. If they become autodidacts then 'what school' and  'what degree' become irrelevant. Not many autodidacts generated by the Thai curriculum from what I can see, nor by many of the cheaper 'international' schools here.

Small classes, qualified teachers and personalised development plans are they keys I think, that's what I pay for anyway.

quite a few jobs require a degree, so are they going to be inquisitive laborers?  Education is an easy major and often a place for math illiterates to hide.  Stupid parents are highly likely to have stupid kids.  If it was simply a matter of money, LA and DC would have great schools, because they spend about 14000 per year, per student.  But in fact, they are two of the lowest achieving school systems in the US.  

I like teaching Maths.  I would do it part time for some beer money, possibly even free, it it wasn't some NGO with executives being paid like it is IBM.        But, I sure as he$$ am not giving up or risking a perfectly good visa at 1900 per year just by being over 50, to jump through bureaucratic hoops like a circus clown.  And agreed, the lowlife working illegally or even volunteering illegally make it worse for everyone.

agreed.  just remember, once your kid gets accepted to, and starts uni; whatever pretentious, exhorbant, spoiled brat, international school they attended will mean nothing.  If you travel in educated circles, and someone asks you where you went to school, they are asking about university.  Same with a job interview....Too many foreigner n Hua  Hin...Too many trying to imitate a western lifestyle.....it's not quite Pirate Island, but give it a few more years.  A friend said Takiab is so overbuilt, they changed the climate.

more and more, you need factory service, as the gas topper guys don't have the controller boards that all the newer ones have.

in a few more years, you will only see inverters.  Most of the fridges are inverter now, for about the same as a non inverter was five years ago...cutting yearly power usage from 500 to 265..,for a nice two door.  The protection against surge/spike is getting better...I think it is always best to turn that stuff off before the power goes out. often there is warning.

3 minutes ago, SteveMack said:

Hi Everybody, Could someone explain to me the difference between Inverter and non Inverter Air-cons ? and their function, ? Thanks

inverters run at typically 0,33,67,100% power....non inverters run at 0,100....obvious energy savings, especially eliminating the start ups.  

3 hours ago, Tracyb said:

Samsung inverter head units difficult to access filters for cleaning.

agree 100%.

I like the price, warranty, ease of filter access, and compressor on the Panasonic.  Also like Carrier, but a bit pricey now.  I think the new LG are much improved...built in surge protection..won t skip a beat a 350 volts and that protects the controller board.  Daikin OK, but not worth the same as carrier or panasonic.

Those, who complain are faced with the multiplier, as well as guest house owners.  1600?  Pay it and be done....been going on for two years, now.  Yet, there are still some old timers, who tell me I am crazy and they have never done it, so  they must know, and I am simply making up relevant immigration procedure information to boost my ego.  Most of them will find out, when they go for an extension, resulting in several hours wasted, above the several already wasted.

If they really needed you or wanted you; there would be a more straightforward way.  If it was easy to be a "volunteer" here, there would be armies of penniless backpackers justifying their existence by the work they do for their top heavy NGO.  Ironic how so few have any worthwhile skills, at all, and often seem to be escaping seemingly hopeless conditions back home.  Same goes for most of the missionaries.  

2 minutes ago, balo said:

True , officials in different provinces will come up with different answers , just like TM31 are treated differently from city to city . 

 

And that's the big problem in Thailand , that's why we need to hear it from the big boss himself, in the labor dep, whoever that is , the one responsible for labor laws in Thailand must come forward and be clear. Or just rewrite the laws so there will be no confusion. 

 

 

 

 

 

yep, some offices even call it a TM30.....I have had three bad bank letters over the years here.  Real estate agent caught one, the second I had to go back to the bank from Immigration, and the third, I sent the seller to get the letter pre-approved, based on my experience with the others...yep, they botched it.  Need to change it.  Surprise, surprise.

1 hour ago, JLCrab said:

Maybe the guy runs one of those "You too can be a Digital Nomad in Paradise Thailand" blogs.

BINGO!  There is a large number of persons with a vested interest in selling the DN lifestyle, who stand to lose if the truth be known.  So, instead, the truth is simply labeled as "negativity."  And that would apply to the teachers, as well.  Sure, it is OK to work without a WP or the proper visa, and don't worry about not having a degree.....and they even have a four week course that has been replicated too many times, that they will gladly sell you, or a job placement, where they will take a big slice.  The online stores are mostly a farce, 99% of the vloggers are making less than 20 Baht per hour, and most of the SEO stuff is complete smoke and mirrors..yeah, you are smarter than thousands of employees at the largest tech companies on Earth.  Skilled software people can make money, but you can bet they have education and experience to back them up, however most app developers would have to pay people to use their app.  It has been covered extensively on Shark Tank, and Mark Cuban, not the coolest guy for certain, but highly successful and knowledgeable makes it clear about the app business; way too much supply.

18 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

Wow is that the same place you did your 13 million THB in stock trades?

no those were made on a 500 per month sinet connection in the condo I bought with the profit I made on the house.  I see 3BB offering a 250 THB per month service in BKK..but then you would miss out on meeting negative worth visa runners eating veggie croissants and figuring out the minibus schedule to Vientiane.

4 minutes ago, balo said:

If your'e over 50, apply for a visa based on retirement, then you have a 1 year visa and just leave the country when you want with a re-entry stamp. Cheaper and more safe.

for sure, but as stated, always say "retired."

6 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

I did that for many years at internet shops full of kids screaming while playing video games.

I bought a house in the States from an internet cafe in Chiang Rai, across from a tech school.  No 90 Baht coffees in there...just noisy after school, but very nice during the day.  Now, a list of laws on minors in internet shops, make it even more peaceful.

sure, it is great to get out, but why not just go to one of thousands WI-FI places, that don't indicate they are a place for "work"?  Places where people aren't staring at their phones are  the exception.

Didn't they used to just call "Digital Nomads," simply " Visa Runners"?  If one just makes a good connection a requirement in a rental, the whole workspace thing is so silly.  Especially in places with a huge oversupply of rentals, let alone a distasteful roundup of interrogation by Immigration.  Might even be one of the very few places you should carry your passport.  

To the OP, many do this but discretion is best.  Don't even give them any ideas.  I am over 50...,the only occupation I ever state is "retired .". Even if I worked for Exxon half the year. ..once I enter LOS, retired, period.

wasn't the famous Immigration interviewee sacked, less than a month after giving the too often quoted interview?

And why all the interest in "work spaces.". Seems to be a place for wannabes and scammers ready to sell them numerous how to courses, but have little, if any, of their own skills and work to show.  I have been working online here, when in country, for twenty years.  Used plenty of internet shops, when needed, but also had great, cheap internet in my homes, when possible.  I executed 13 million THB in stock trades last year, not one Baht of it in a workspace.  How could that be better than your own kitchen, frig., and connection?  Why would you want to be on their radar?