cheeseeater

I use a program called Mail Express Pro which turns my laptop into its own server.

All I do then is use my AIS post paid account and I get 120 hours for 350 baht. That means I could get 170 hours on my pc for 5oo baht.

Very useful info for those wanting to use Internet on laptops at airport or elsewhere. Can you give us more info about on how to get up and running with this program?

Re rule limiting mark ups at airport to more than 125% of price outside for non-duty free goods. Don Muang has allowed price gauging on duty free goods for years. Price of wine is a lot more than buying it with 400%+ duty paid at Villa and various other outlets in the city. They rely on people not knowing the correct price of wine due to the many different labels and vintages to overcharge, while charging competitive prices on spirits to lull the wary into believing everything is at a good price. This is like bait and switch on cameras and sucks in an international airport - the final sting for departing tourists to find their "duty free" wine is a lot cheaper in their local supermarket.

Actually you can get 200 hours GPRS with AIS for 500 baht (on the prepay sim cards anyway - not sure about contract). As for how to get up and running, just fill up the balance you need and call the callcenter 1175 and ask them to connect you. They have several packages available, PM me for details as I'm not marketing for them!

...Sensationalist headlines like "Brits in Terror" and photos of the tanks on the streets alongside people throwing Molotov cocktails in Hungary put together etc. ...

Seriuosly? Wow. That's troubling.

Nah, CNN is frothing about Hugo Chavez calling Bush the Devil. Yawn, next?

Sorry, just reading my original post and it seems a little misleading. I didn't mean photos put together as in Photoshopped together, just put side by side on the page. This maybe obvious to some, but it may not be to others.

Edited to say: Off-topic, but Chavez may well be my favourite political leader for saying things that make me laugh.

Just came accross this article on the BBC website

Not sure if I agree with the points made, there doesn't seem to be anywhere near enough detail involved in the answers. From what I've heard from home, the British media are really making a meal of this situation. Sensationalist headlines like "Brits in Terror" and photos of the tanks on the streets alongside people throwing Molotov cocktails in Hungary put together etc. Anything like that in other countries?

Not as well regarded as going to school back home, generally speaking, and maybe not accepted back home in some cases, but certainly helpful out here... you can study Thai as well. And it is a lot cheaper than back home.

I would be very, very, VERY surprised if you could work with an EDU visa

When I applied for my ED visa, the guy in the consulate in Penang tersely asked me "teacher or a student?" I was a bit surprised but didn't think too much of it, just told him "student". After reading this thread, iI started thinking about it, his question seems to imply that some kind of teaching work is allowed.

As usual, do your homework, and if in doubt call the MOE and ask them if they accept the cert.

Good advice

Good advice in theory, but as I found out, maybe not exactly practical. I already mentioned, it took about half an hour of my girlfriend being shunted from department to department to get any information at all. If anyone has any information about who or where to call, it maybe helpful to others in the future.

Why isn't the forum showing who is on line and how many? Surely, today will set a record for the number of people on line at one time.

It was showing earlier and a new record was indeed set at sometime after 2 am today. Can't remember the actual number though.

Just after 4 and the internet still seems to be working. Hope I'm not speaking too soon.

Also the tv broadcasts have changed slightly now. It's still the same thing on every channel, but now we've got a program about some of the King's projects in rural areas - as far as I can gather anyway.

I think in England, people with a BA or BS can do a one-year PGCE or something like that (I can't memorize British acronyms well). But that program probably requires an intership in UK schools, too.

Do the PGCE. I think the British government give a lot of financial support. Come to Thailand with one of those beauties and the world's your lobster.

I think there are conditions on the financial support that the government offer, e.g. having to teach a certain number of years in the UK.

About the PGCE, a friend of mine has just finished his and got a pretty good deal out of it. They govt paid him 7,000 Pounds while he was studying. Then he gets (I think) a 5k golden handshake welcome to the profession, so his starting salary is around 25 k in the first year. All you have to do is work in the UK for a few years teaching horrible teenagers and wham, bam thank you Tony, out to Dubai (or elsewhere) to work in an international school.

Ok, well I've been told there would a job available for me if I get certified. I haven't recieved a formal offer yet.

So, my girlfriend was just on the phone to someone in the MoE who said that they don't accept online TEFL courses and they actually only accept the certificates from Text-and-Talk and ECC. She wasn't particularly nice and didn't know what a work permit is. This information took about 1/2 an hour to get after being shunted around from department to department. Oh, I've tried to call Miss Matharath as a previous poster suggested, but as yet I haven't had anyone pick up the phone from any of the

numbers.

To make matters even more (or less) confusing, after looking on the same website as PB did for his previous post, many of the new job postings state a degree the requirement and a TEFL as a bonus. So basically, in a nutshell, I've still no idea what to do about getting certified.

(Sorry if I sound negative today!)

Yes, I'm a little concerned about this too. Seems like the only thing to do is ask them. I can find any information about it on their website, Thai MoE, but you can find a number to call them up and ask yourself though, sorry I can't be more of a help. I'll ask my girlfriend to call them tomorrow and I'll update if I find any information then. Maybe one of the more experienced forummers knows a little more though?

You could call the Ministry of Education at: 0-2281-6206, 0-2281-7185, 0-2282-9262. Miss Mathurath helped me; not with the above, but with another issue. She is very pleasant and speaks English very well.

Why thank you very much. You've just saved me a job tonight. I'll be calling her tomorrow morning. If I had a hat, I would tip it in your direction sir, but instead you'll have to do with this wai and imagine he's tipping his hat too.

Yes, I'm a little concerned about this too. Seems like the only thing to do is ask them. I can find any information about it on their website, Thai MoE, but you can find a number to call them up and ask yourself though, sorry I can't be more of a help. I'll ask my girlfriend to call them tomorrow and I'll update if I find any information then. Maybe one of the more experienced forummers knows a little more though?

Thanks ken, again very helpful information. As to your request in my other post (sorry about multiple posts btw, I saw this thread after I'd already posted in the main forum - I'll try to keep this matter in this thread from now), my prospective employer told ME to check if it is acceptable. I think the school are hiring several teachers at the moment and guess he's pretty busy with all that on top of his usual schedule. I thought about asking my girlfriend to call the MoE and ask them, but I don't know which department or even if they wuld give that information out.

Also, just as a side note, I am currently on a non-imm ed visa (I'm currently studying). If I were successful, would I have to change over to a non-imm b, or would I be able to get a work permit issued on a student visa. I asked this in the visa forum, but people there seem to have been pretty busy discussing the tourist visa issue recently. Thanks.

Thanks ken, just to clarify though, I do have a degree, just not BA (BEng). How would I go about checking with the MoE if they would reject the TEFL? I've looked on their website and can't find anything relating to qualifications or getting a teachers licence. Thanks.

Thanks PB, it may well be that they MoE don't require a TEFL, but the guy who made the offer thinks they do and as a result, won't give me a job without it. My degree is legit, BEng (bachelor of Engineering) though not BA and it took five years of my life to get it (including one failed year of studying Pharmacy). The cert. looks a bit tattered nowadays as my old boss in Korea insisted on having it displayed in the entrance hall for the whole year I was there (arguing with a Korean boss about something like that is something I was advised against). Is that likely to be a problem, or should I pay the money to get the embassy to verify it, as I read is possible on another post? Thanks.

I was just reading my original post, wondering why nobody answered my question and I realised that stupidly, I didn't ask it! Sorry about that. I simply want to know, is it possible to get a TL issued on a bachelors degree and an 80 hour online TEFL? I've heard several people say you don't need a TEFL at all, but I don't have a BA and the guy who interviewed me told me that they do require some form of certification. Thanks.

Ok, I posted this request in the main page of the forum, but got no responses. Then I noticed this section and thought I might have better luck here. Basically, I have recently been offered a very attractive job to teach in Bangkok. However, there is one condition, I must have a TEFL certificate.

I already have a bachelors degree (not BA) and have several years teaching experience from South Korea, and also in Thailand. I have been on several TEFL courses, but all in house training by previous employers and I don't have any certificate to show for them. The guy who wants to employ me says I need a certificate in order to get a teachers licence. A 120 hour, four week cert. is too expensive for me at the moment, but I have seen an 80 hour online course that would fit within my budget (offered on the website linked in the "Get Qualified Online" sticky thread at the top of this forum). I am a little apprehensive about whether this course is certified as suffient to get the TL though. The guy who offered me the job said that an online course is ok with him, as long as the Thai MoE can issue a TL against it. Anybody have any experience of this? Can I get a TL with an 80 hour online course? I want ot get it sorted out quite quickly as the job offer is great. Thank you very much.

Alternatively, as this is a teaching job, would it be possible to get a work permit issued on the "ed" visa?

I have recently been offered a very attractive job to teach in Bangkok. However, there is one condition, I must have a TEFL certificate. I already have a bachelors degree (not BA though) and have several years teaching experience from South Korea, and also in Thailand. I have been on several TEFL courses, but all in house training by previous employers and I don't have any certificate to show for them. The guy who wants to employ me says I need a certificate in order to get the teachers licence. A 120 hour, four week cert. is too expensive for me at the moment, but I have seen an 80 hour online course that would fit within my budget (offered on the website linked in the "Get Qualified Online" sticky thread at the top of this forum). I am a little apprehensive about whether this course is certified as suffient to get the TL though. The guy who offered me the job said that an online course is ok with him, as long as the Thai MoE can issue a TL against it. Anybody have any experience of this? I want ot get it sorted out quite quickly as the job offer is great.

Hello, I am currently studying here in Thailand, but have recently been offered a job. I am wondering if I have the corrrect paperwork, it is possible to change my student visa (non-imm-ed) to a business visa without having to do a visa run? Thank you.