kat1

Just found that http://nemesis.1337x.org/announce is still working............

Chiang Mai: http trackers not working. udp OK, so f.ex. thepiratebay tracked on openbittorrent and/or torrentbox are fine........

You can enter a URL (web page address) into Google translate:

http://translate.google.co.th/#th|en|

Of course there are no 'whole sentence' web-based automated translators, so they are only good to get a rough idea..........

Hi newbegin4,

I have been through the process of adopting my wife's daughter (who is now 12).

As we have no intention of living in any other country other than Thailand, we opted for the local route.

It is a 'free' process to go through, but turned out to take a long time (18+ months), because I didn't want to 'push', having been told it would take about 6 months to process the initial application.

If you want to take this route, you will have to make an appointment and visit the Office: Child Adoption Centre, Department of Public Welfare, Ratchavithi Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand. You will meet a case worker who will ask you some details and give you the necessary form and supporting paperwork.

Once you send the completed application and supporting paperwork (such as personal life history of both you and your wife), confirm by phone their receipt. Our experience of follow-up contact was frustrating. The phone would either be constantly engaged, or the office was closed, so I resorted to e-mail (which was lucky as I did get a message confirming receipt, which I had to refer to when they later suggested they had not received the application.)

The application form asks for references as to your character and suitability, including a Thai national (I used a teacher at the school I volunteer at)- they don't just want the contact details, they will expect you to obtain written references for them. I also had to contact my last employer to verify my work history with them.

Once they have all the required information, they will send someone from a local office to perform a home visit. Once that is complete and any further information is provided, your case will be assessed by the board of directors. After their approval, you will be invited to attend an interview at an office (seemed odd after the decision had already been made).

We met several other couples waiting for interview, most of who where taking Thai children abroad, one couple having only applied 7 days before, which made our 'simple in-country adoption' of 18+ months duration seem less of a priority.........

You will be provided with several copies of an adoption certificate, allowing you to change surname on official documents etc.

Good info here

Good luck

Chiang Mai set to become health center - They must be mad, or do they have a cunning plan?

As we all know, from December until May the air quality in Chiang Mai ranges from poor to life threatening. I know it is Thai to 'think money', but really, this takes the biscuit!

Thank you Mario2008

re: volunteers needing a teacher's licence - from experience, if a work permit does not state 'teacher' but 'teaching assistant' or such the like, Immigration will reject the extension. They want to see an official teacher's licence document with all the paperwork in line.

A volunteer will probably never meet the requirements of the teacher's licence - I never will, (no degree, no culture course etc., etc.) so it is only a matter of time before I will be forced to stop.

Yes, of course, if you are a qualified teacher and therefore meet the requirements, you should be paid accordingly.

I'm not, but wanted to help my local village school.

I'm sure there are plenty of other native English speakers out there that would like to contribute to their local community by helping out at a village school which is unable to employ qualified teachers.

How to be a 'legal' volunteer teacher at a Thai government school.

1. Find a school that needs you and has teachers that you can work with. (In hindsight this is probably the most difficult step)

2. Ask the school to make a contract for you and to apply to the Ministry of Education for your teacher's licence.

3. Visit your local Labour Office, get the forms and confirm what they need from you in order to obtain a work permit.

4. Visit your local Immigration Office, explain what you are going to do and confirm what they need from you. They should supply a page detailing in Thai what is required.

5. If you don't have one already, get a non-Immigrant visa outside of Thailand. As an example, a 90 day non-Imm. 'O' based on marriage is enough.

6. Apply for a work permit: You will need to supply the application form completed in Thai, with the necessary section completed by the school, along with a copy of your passport showing your non-Imm. visa and copy of ID page, a letter from the school requesting your work permit, a copy of the letter from the Ministry of Education granting you a temporary teacher's licence, photos, and the completed Power of Attourney form. You will eventually get a work permit valid until the expiry/renewal date for you visa, which could be less than 3 months. Take a copy of your contract with the school just in case. You are now legal.

7. A few days before your visa expires, go to your local Immigration Office and apply to extend your visa to one year. They will change your visa status to being based on work. As per the information supplied by them before, you will need a copy of the teacher's licence letter to the school, 2 letters from the school addressed to the Immigration office, one asking them to extend you visa to the required date so that you can teach, and the other guaranteeing that you teach at the school. You will also need a photo (6cm x 4cm), a copy of every used page in your work permit, and a copy of every used page in your passport as well as the ID page. If you don't speak Thai, take someone that does. The charge is currently 1,900 baht. Take a copy of your updated contract with the school just in case.

8. On the same day, or at the latest, on your visa renewal date (there is a fine for going after), go back to the Labour Office to extend you work permit up to the new expiry/renewal date of your visa. You will need a letter from the school, a copy of the new passport visa stamp and ID pages and the completed form (including the section filled out by the school). The charge is 750 baht per 3 month period, plus 100 baht admin. fee. Take a copy of your updated contract with the school just in case.

9. Repeat steps 7. and 8. every year! (1,900 to Immigration, 3,100 to Labour Office).

OK thanks Mario.

So it won't be a change of visa class as it was going the other way.

Basically starting from scratch again.

I originally had a 3 month non-Imm O visa obtained in the UK that I extended to one year, before it was changed to the non-Imm AE. In my new passport there are 2 stamps together showing สำเนา visa classes (O & AE) and dates. From what I can see, the original O was converted to an AE keeping the same timescale. Since 2005 I have been on extensions.

Hi,

I am going to stop being a volunteer teacher this year and will therefore need to change back (I originally had a non-Imm O marriage) from my current non-Imm AE visa.

I understand that Immigration will need a letter from the school, but apart from 400k in the bank for a minimum of 2 months and 2 copies of passport, marriage cert., wifes ID card, and a letter from the bank, what else will I need to do/supply?

Will they need to do another home visit?

If I change before the annual renewal date of the current visa, will it just be be converted keeping the same renewal date, or will it be stopped and a new 365 days from application. I'm assuming I don't need to leave the country..............

Thanks

first Thing I would like to say as an Academic director of a small school.

Do you want a job? What you are doing sounds great and is very help full for the kids.

As far as moving it into other schools I can only suggest you contact other schools and speak directly to the English Director. Take your laptop and give them a little show about what you have done.

I would be interested in seeing it as well and could swap some ideas as I make spelling tests using powerpoint.

I am in Chiang Mai. I would leave you my email but i am not sure how to do it on Thai visa. i am a newby. Is there any way of swapping info without telling the whole world.

Hello ducksonspeed,

I am also in Chiang Mai, so am happy to visit you to exchange ides etc.

I have sent you a PM.

Hi,

I have been a volunteer teacher at a small local government school for the past four years. Initially I was asked to teach English to each class (p.1 - m.3). Over time this has been reduced to me taking the computer classes and 'easy English conversation' for m.1 - m.3.

Not being a Thai speaker, and not having any background in education, together with being a 'reserved' Brit has made it a struggle.

I'm used to working, so took it upon myself to build an interactive learning system, including audio-visual elements. IT in teaching has become a focus from what I can gather, so thinking it could be very useful, I have been expanding to include other areas apart from English, and in particular, the ability to take previous O-NET exams that have feedback built in. This is a time consuming task as I do not read/write Thai, and as the OCR software makes mistakes, I must check each individual character.

My question is, who should I contact to see if there is any interest in using what I am making, with a view to providing to other schools?

I have always drawn a blank talking to the only fluent English teacher, as there is a personality clash, and I never get any response to requests and discussions for even basic information, with the other teachers leaving her to be my communication point.

I have put in three years of daily hard work and would hate to see it go to waste when there seems to be little else available.

The work permit won't be an issue once you have a contract with a school, as long as you have all the required paperwork, which includes formal education certificates.

The difficult part can be getting a job without a degree.

You can also get support from Chiang Mai University if you would rather not use a commercial operation......

www.teflcmu.com/opportunities.php

Good luck

I was originally on a non-Imm 'O' based on Thai wife, but am currently on a non-Imm 'B' for which I don't show money, as I am a volunteer teacher at the local village government school (I have a WP and contract).

As I will give up the volunteer teaching at some time in the future, so am looking at potential options in advance.

I completed the formal adoption of my step-daughter through the Adoption Agency in Bangkok earlier this year, it taking the best part of 2 years.

I have read of the success of others obtaining a visa with "no money" on the basis of being over 50 and having a Thai child.

Has anyone managed this with an adopted Thai child? If so, what was the process and what paperwork was required?

Thanks in advance.

David

Hi,

This is going to be repeating so many others I'm sure, but................

I have a friend who has fallen in love over the internet (I know!) and is looking at trying to get a UK visa to take his beloved back to the UK as soon as possible after he visits in April.

I know he has to convince the UK Embassy Visa section that he has a genuine relationship. From personal experience, I think that it is almost guaranteed that a first application is rejected, unless there is very strong support, such as a reputable (as in known the the Embassy) personal reference for the young lady.

What are his chances of getting a quick visa, of any form?

Is it worth him using a 'specialist' company?

Thanks

Hi,

You could use VCW Vicman's photo editor

You can download it from www.vicman.net/vcwphoto/

It's freeware and has a 'magic wand' selection tool to allow you to select areas.

I've been using it for similar tasks.

So ToT are looking into it after seeing that they can access in Bangkok, but not in Chiang Mai.

As part of their analysis they got me to do a tracert, which highlights the fact that there are many hops in Thailand before actually being passed out to the international network.

This lead me to find a web-site providing hop information from their location in Washington DC. A trace to ToT has no less than 12 hops within Thailand, all of which are unnamed, i.e host name unresolvable. Seems some serious screening going on here.......

Having some problems with my connection. I can access "usual" sites - Yahoo, Google, BBC etc. etc

However my own server in UK I can't get into. No FTP, Webmail or any of my sites which cannot be displayed.

Anyone got an idea of any "Tweaks" I can do..??

Cheers,

Have you try to use the IP number only for to connect? And could you ping the server?

May you download Sam Space from Download TV and check you Server status with this nifty utility!\

Cheers.

Hi,

Try a proxy: www.freeproxies.org/

www.beatfiltering.com/

I'm having the same problems with my web-sites hosted in USA from my ToT ADSL connection for the last 48 hours.

I can use a proxy site OK and my host says my IP is not blocked.

Ping just times out.

ToT DNS lookup is OK.

I have accessed the host and my sites from the IPStar service at school.

I'm waiting for ToT to come back to me, but I'm sure they will say the host is too slow!

Are there any ToT users out there that can actually see my host: www.freehostia.com/ I have only been able to try from 2 lines here in Chiang Mai.

If a site it blocked by ToT, is there a notice screen, or do they let it just time out?

Thanks

I too have been constantly asked by teachers and heads to teach English in local schools around my district. Rather than oblige, I offered to establish an English conversation club to help raise the standard of the Thai teachers. Teach the teachers and you help many more children.

I explained that, since I would be volunteering my services free, I expected them to attend after school, since school-time is for the kids. I had only one teacher take up my offer. From anecdotal evidence, it appears that too many Thai teachers are just happy to have a farang take a class in order to allow them a free break - I'm told that the Thai teacher usually leaves the class.

Hi Khonwan,

Yes, this is my experience. When I first started my volunteer stint at the local school, the teachers asked for a class to improve their English, but when it actually came to organising something, reality took over from novelty............

The teachers tend to leave me to it, but I actually prefer this, as when they do stay, they tell the kids what to say, before giving them a chance to think themselves. This is my main issue - getting the kids to think, rather than just choose an answer or repeat something parrot fashion.

With the correct paperwork from the school and LEA, plus the 3,000 baht fee it was not difficult, despite the fact that I do not have a degree, TEFL or any teaching qualifications.

How did you do this? I would sure like to know more information.

BR

As the head-master and teachers did not appear to be aware that I would need a work permit, I took it upon myself (with the aid of my wife) to discover what was needed at the Labour Office, and then completed the paperwork. I supplied copies of my GCE 'O' level results and a City and Guilds in Computers that I have as qualifications. I guess the Labour Office leave the assessment of qualifications to the LEA, who obviously just produced the contract and supporting letter as requested by the head-master.

I am always being asked by teachers from other schools to help them too. Any native speaker with a genuine desire to help (plus a lot of patience and no expectations) would be welcomed at any government school that does not have such resources.

Hi Mike,

Just found your post and thought I would share my experience.

I volunteered my services to "assist" as a native English speaker at my local government school last year, and wanting to be legal, took it upon myself to get the necessary work permit.

With the correct paperwork from the school and LEA, plus the 3,000 baht fee it was not difficult, despite the fact that I do not have a degree, TEFL or any teaching qualifications.

There have been occasions in the past when others have taught at my school, and no doubt at many others, on an illegal basis, which could explain the schools' non-interest in adhering to the law, however ignorance of the law is no excuse, once caught out!

Maybe your school expects volunteer to mean completely free, so they expect you to pay for the WP!

Maybe a somewhat related question to satellite and/or Dynasat from an old timer whose computer knowledge is really limited. With the correct hardware and using Dynasat and their dish, I can download data and convert it to TV programs...... Is there hardware and are there programs where I can do the same for internet connecting.....making it possible to tell Loxley, TOT, TTT, where they can put their service...

The Dynasat system is just for receiving satellite signals of TV and radio broadcasts.

There are systems to access the internet via a dish, but you still need a telephone connection to request each page, so I am afraid that you are stuck with a telco.

When we lose signal on our dynasat box we have to call trhe shop to recode it.Does anyone know the lead we need,and instructions to do it on our computer

The cable is a 3 wire connection - pin 2 to pin 3, pin 3 to pin 2, pin 5 to pin 5. (so transmit connects to receive and vica versa, 5 is ground).

You will need an upload programme, which you can find on the forums, or PM me your address and I will one e-mail to you.