pilgrim2505

If you have a BA in Education, you won't need a TEFL or equivalent. If you have some other technical or subject matter expertise, a TEFL will help a lot and you should plan to get one if no Education BA. You're eight years out from coming to Thailand so it's way too early to say what will happen then. To teach at a university, you'll need a masters degree for sure by then. Best piece of advice would be for you to specialize in a particular subject or field, keeping an eye on teaching it later.

Much call for RE teachers in Thailand?

If you are planning on teaching anything other than English at an average school, your plan needs work. Switch to a BA(hons) in Education at the very least. Skip the TEFL in the UK (if you need one take it in Thailand.)

Personally I would recommend a Master's in Education with a bachelor's in English and some real experience teaching in the UK, then go for recruitment from a decent private international school while in the UK (for Thailand.)

There are real issues with trying to plan anything like this 8 years in advance, but the higher your degree status, the better your employment chances are. Thailand is now sending out 100's of qualified (note I didn't say GOOD!) Thai teachers overseas for PhD's.

I am happy to teach just English.

Ref TEFL in the UK, I get nearly £200 a year to spend on courses so was looking at doing that one year as a time filler but 'I hear ya.'

Not sure If I could switch to another degree and carry across what I have already done. I am not prepared to throw away all the time and money invested into the Qual I am working towards. (Not cheap)

I am realistic about the 8yr plan but nothing prepares a fail better than failing to prepare. I might sacrifice PGCE for a masters.

Thanks for your thoughts

If you have a BA in Education, you won't need a TEFL or equivalent. If you have some other technical or subject matter expertise, a TEFL will help a lot and you should plan to get one if no Education BA. You're eight years out from coming to Thailand so it's way too early to say what will happen then. To teach at a university, you'll need a masters degree for sure by then. Best piece of advice would be for you to specialize in a particular subject or field, keeping an eye on teaching it later.

A consideration of mine is deciding if I choose to do a PGCE or a masters that 'kinda' threw that whole debate into the air again.

I'm sure you have your reasons, but why not teach in the UK?

Good question, I think ultimately I want to live in Thailand as I am dissatisfied with life in the UK. Maybe more a question of why I don't want to teach or live in the UK and I could go on all day why I don't want to live here.

I will add that I am realistic about development of the teaching industry (ish), my ever increasing age but also, my kids might not want to move to Thailand when they are older so i might have to remain in the UK.

Amazing idea, I was wondering about this myself - Sounds challenging!

There are a few real cutting edge ideas on new age teaching and design on the TED website.

I found a project in Bali on there; really made me think. I am not suggesting you do anything as bold but it has a real wow factor.

I didn't think that you can get QTS with a distance PGCE.

That's funny mate, why in the world would anyone do one?

look at this:

Course description

This course is offered on a modular basis; the course equips students with the skills of subject specialist teaching; allows students to gain an understanding of teachers professional knowledge including the application of information and communications technology; the course leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), subject to satisfactory performance in skills tests

Read more: http://www.postgraduatesearch.com/brunel-university/52294754/postgraduate-course.htm#ixzz1HLLSEjKK

I didn't think that you can get QTS with a distance PGCE.

That's funny mate, why in the world would anyone do one? look at my next post, posting is not my strong point sorry.

I am in the forces - I intend to retire when I’m early forties so I have about eight years left before I move to Thailand with the wife and X2 kids.

I am halfway through a humanities degree with a specialism in RE and Philosophy (OU). I am looking at doing a short TEFL course here in the UK in-between my units, on completion of that I will do a distance PGCE and concurrently I have taken on some volunteer teaching / observations at a local secondary school. By UK standards I will have QTS in the UK when I am done qualifying.

My question is what are my chances of securing good quality work in Thailand and what can I do at this stage to secure the higher end positions?

Is there preferences for BA Ed degrees, is there a requirement to do in country TEFL and how are ex soldiers perceived in education in Thailand?

It is free, all applications made under the EEA freedom of movement regulations are.

Her British nationality application wont be, though.

RESULT!!

She doesn't apply for ILR, she applies for Permanent Residence; see European citizens and the relevant links from there.

6. EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA NATIONALS AND SWISS NATIONALS

This section covers you if the country to which you belong is part of the European Economic Area or Switzerland.

New immigration regulations came into force on 30 April 2006. If you are a national of a country which is a member state of the EEA or Switzerland, or the family member of such a person, you will automatically have permanent residence status after exercising EEA free movement rights in the UK for any continuous period of 5 years ending on or after 30 April 2006, and therefore will not have to apply for indefinite leave to remain. But remember that, unless married to or the civil partner of a British citizen, you should normally have held permanent resident status for 12 months before applying for naturalisation. This means that you may need to wait until you have been in the United Kingdom for 6 years before you can apply.

Source: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/nationality/guide_an.pdf

That said: might have to do this first -

Permanent residence

After you have lived in the UK for a continuous period of 5 years, you can apply for confirmation of your permanent residence. You must have been in employment, in self-employment, studying or self-sufficient in the UK throughout the 5-year period.

For your residence in the UK to be considered continuous, you should not be absent from the UK for more than 6 months each year. However, longer absences for compulsory military service will not affect your residence. Additionally, a single absence of up to 12 months for important reasons such as pregnancy, childbirth, serious illness, study, vocational training or posting overseas will not affect your residence.

EEA and Swiss nationals will be issued with a document confirming that they are permanent residents in the UK. This document has no expiry date.

If you are an EEA or Swiss national and you want to apply for confirmation of your permanent residence, you must complete application form EEA3. You can download the form from the right side of this page, or use our interactive application tool to complete the form online. For your application to be accepted, you must provide a valid identity card or passport, and evidence that you have a right to permanent residence. Section 5 of the EEA3 application form contains details of the supporting evidence that you must provide.

Non-EEA nationals will be issued with an endorsement, which is a sticker (also called a 'vignette') placed in their passport. This endorsement is valid for 10 years.

If you are a non-EEA national and you want to apply for permanent residence, you must complete application form EEA4. You can download the form from the right side of this page. For your application to be accepted, you must provide a valid identity card or passport, and evidence that you have a right to permanent residence. Section 6 of the EEA4 application form contains details of the supporting evidence that you must provide. If (for any reason) we do not have your passport when we decide to issue permanent residence, or if your passport expires while it is in our possession, we will issue you with an immigration status document instead of a permanent residence endorsement.

Source: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/eucitizens/applyingundereuropeanlaw/

I think I have resolved this, can't find any fees attached to Permanent Residence application but I doubt it's free.

Source: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/eucitizens/applyingundereuropeanlaw/

As she entered the UK via the EEA route, I am fairly certain that she cannot now switch to being the spouse of a UK national for naturalisaton purposes.

This means that, among other requirements, she must have been in the UK for 5 years and have permanent residence before she can apply.

See Standard requirements for naturalisation.

I was thinking that, so I have to wait 2 more years, in the last 28 days of that period apply for ILR then. no idea how much that costs or what to do after that for a passport. best get looking. thanks for the steer 7by7

Just wrote to the UKBA with this,

My wife (Thai) and our daughter (Thai / Brit) both entered the UK on an EEA family permit, they are here on a 5 yr residency permit. I want to know the quickest route to applying for her passport. I am a duel national but also a member of HM forces and as such I require her to have the ability to move to postings through out the world with me unhindered.

I dont know wether to go for registration or naturalisation but I do require wife to join me and it would help if she was British as we intend to remain located in the UK indefinitely.

Regards

As she entered the UK via the EEA route, I am fairly certain that she cannot now switch to being the spouse of a UK national for naturalisaton purposes.

This means that, among other requirements, she must have been in the UK for 5 years and have permanent residence before she can apply.

See Standard requirements for naturalisation.

I was thinking that, so I have to wait 2 more years, in the last 28 days of that period apply for ILR then. no idea how much that costs or what to do after that for a passport. best get looking. thanks for the steer 7by7

My god this is confusing, I thought (Mistakingly) i would try and work this out a quick cupa T. I shall look into this slowly. On first glance I wonder what it all means, I hope in there somewhere it would give ma a route to ILR with out huge costs involved...

fingers crossed

Thank you both for your direction, its been a while since i had my head in the UKBA directives.

I read a statement a while back saying there will be easier rules and changes in regulation for service personnel (Army, Navy & RAF) with regards to visas / permits etc. has anyone seen anything like this come through yet?

Can’t believe I remember my logon 3 yrs on.

Wife, daughter and me have been living in UK now for 3yrs on a 5 yr residency permit that came after an EEA family permit. (Life is great)

I am a duel national, daughter is entitled to a UK passport by default, but the question is how when do I apply for my wife’s UK passport?

My current understanding is ILR application after 5 yrs in UK followed by citizenship followed by a passport application with some KOL test here and there with some hideously inflated prices attached to that.

Has anyone been down this path yet that wishes to shed some light onto the situation?

I also have a bit of a twist to my story, which should raise some interesting questions. I am a member of HM forces and a duel national, which has some exceptions and some additional requirements to be met….

Be interested to hear from anyone who is familiar with passports and EEA routes.

There is another festival in Guildford in august i believe

Anyone know about the Guldford gig?

Check this out!

http://www.secretts.co.uk/events.htm

TBWG

WELL IN MY FRIEND, MANY THANKS

There is another festival in Guildford in august i believe

Anyone know about the Guldford gig?

Thai wife on a 5yr residency permit any one with previous experiance getting family members over ie younger sisters?

I neglected to say that they both hold Residency permits with 5yrs on them... woops

I assume that you are currently living in the UK.

I am not totally up to speed with the rules on EEA family permits with regards to visits to other EEA states, and no nothing of the Dutch immigration rules. I think that as this is for a visit that your wife will need a Schengen visa from the Dutch embassy in London. As she is the wife of an EEA national this should be free and a mere formality.

Howevr, as she holds an EEA family permit and will be travelling with you then this may be sufficient. However, it does appear a grey area and were I in your position I would not want to risk being turned back at the Dutch border, especially as a Schengen visa should be easy to obtain, and free.

See Do I require a visa for the Netherlands?

What nationality is your daughter? She is certainly entitled to both British and Thai nationality and I suspect Dutch nationality rules mean she could be Dutch as well. If she has a British or Dutch passport then she will obviously not need any type of visa to enter the Netherlands. If she only has a Thai passport then she will need the same as her mother.

Now as 7by7 said I may entitled to 3 nationalities for my daughter but I don’t think I shall go down that route, and I am not sure if she would be entitled to Dutch as I think you need to be born in Holland to qualify and I'm not to bothered.

The funny thing is I had a real drama applying for my daughters passport because my nationalisation certificate had a section 3 on of the points and the embassy refused to process the application further until I had registered her birth so if I wait 5 years she will be automatically entitled to a passport in UK by default so I shall go down that route as I have all the paperwork I need to stay and travel.

I am a duel national: UK / Dutch.

Hi Pilgrim,

I am surprised and therefore curious, how you have managed to obtain Dual Nationality; UK / Dutch.

Dutch law dictates that as soon as you acquire the nationality of another country, your Dutch Nationality is automatically revoked.

Dutch law does not allow its citizens to hold multiple nationalities, except in a very few circumstances, these often involve citizens from Turkey and Morocco.

I too would be entitled to receive British citizenship but have always refused on these grounds, as I like to keep my Dutch citizenship.

However, if I can hold both, I am up for it.

With regards to your original question and if you read Dutch, there is a very useful web-board / forum, under the name: "recht op gezinshereniging", dealing with the very issues you are asking about.

The rules seem far easier and more relaxed if you go the EEA route, however, you have to do it via the UK. The fact that you hold a Dutch passport might throw a spanner in the works?

I'll be interested to see how this goes and wish you all the best.

Veel geluk!

Frm-Bkk

I gained duel nationality as a minor, so when I was under the age of 18 my mother nationalised me as a Brit, at the time I was holding a Dutch passport and my father was and still is a resident in Holland. As I wasn’t an adult or the decision wasn’t viewed as consensual I was able to reapply for my Dutch passport.

I am a duel national: UK / Dutch.

Wife and daughter are Thai, have an EEA Family permit on the grounds I am a dual national.

Holding an EEA Family permit will my wife and daughter be allowed to join me to a trip to Holland or will I need another visa?

Don't struggle with hopeless uncomfortable bus services. Just go to a travel agent in central Pattaya and join a joint minibus going to Trat (including boat fare) you can get a seat for around 500 baht if you shop around. They will pick you up where you are staying and stop for urination breaks on the way. (Approx 4 hours)

Have to agree, theres a few like Joy Travel soi 8 they'll sort you out and cheap enough. have you heard the myth if you go to Koh Chang you'll finnish with your partner. had a cool trip and im still married - the drie down was cool but coming back i had Satan as my driver it was a real white knuckle ride.

I did recommend him to Scouse but he is a Jock so tighter than I dare describe on here.

All I know about is Chapter 29 - Settlement entry for former members of HM Forces and their dependants . However, although I have not read through it, I think this only applies when the former member of HM Forces is not themselves a British citizen.

Hopefully someone else can come up with more.

Surely, though, your friend must be able to find out this information from the Army?

There is info on Dependants of HM Forces, Had a good look through the guides today its very difficult to get a clear definition of exemption, timescales and well just all the usual guff the UKBA stipulate. It’s a very uneasy category to work out. Ah well thought id ask anyway.

Contrary to popular belief the Army aren’t really too hot on admin.

Current processing times for Residency permits from EEA Family permits are 12 months + so I suggest setting up a bank account prior to applying so passport is in hand.

When in receipt of confirmation of application letter from the home office it stipulates that you may work and there is a note for employees on the letter.

I would pre plan all bank applications prior to arrival to the UK and as a matter of interest Natwest were the only high street branch that would offer a debit card for my wife even though my choice would have been Nationwide as its free to withdraw money overseas.

I have been asked by a colleague who is a serving member of the Army and as so is a member of HM Forces about application exemption rules for fees etc, I have read on the UKBA agency web site that there is an exemption of sorts but not an exemption of immigration. (confused)

Has any one or is any one a serving member or can lend information to Armed Forces Applications as its not exactly black and white on Ye old UKBA Website.

Its a long shot but worth a go...