gerryBScot

A final update. My exit and entry into the Philippines went very smoothly and indeed the Immigration Officer in Cebu on entry stamped me in for 1 year on production of our wedding certificate. Of course my emergency passport expires in December but that's not the point - a nice thing this "balikbayan" thing in the Philippines" whereby spouses and kids of overseas workers get 1 year automatically on entry to the Philippines. Terribly long queues leaving Swampy and,for once, no preferential treatment by virtue of having small kids with us; plane late and a long walk from the point where the plane parked to the terminal building in Cebu. A bit of a problem with two exhausted kids and a pile of hand baggage, no trolleys, no porters. They were also really being thorough at Customs and asking lots of folks people to open bags which surprised me as it was 2:00 am when we went through. Anyhow we made it. Thanks to all for the help.

Yeah doesn't surprise me Teacher17 clueless is a good word to describe the people who are responsible for making decisions in schools. I can't refer you to any authority for what is approved and I don't know about who pays for books.

My son had his last day at school this term yesterday.

The evening before the teacher gave all the children a letter to take home requesting 2,020 baht for school books to be collected at the start of next term in May.

What books they are I have no idea.

Yeah this is fairly standard practise; the teacher should be able to give you a breakdown of the books that will be provided and individual costs. I would advise you check to ensure your son receives all the books on it. Of course there is no guarantee that all the books will have been received by the school for the start of term.

Just to say I am good to go. Got my Non-B visa and extension transferred into my emergency passport; renewed until mid-December, the same date when my emergency document expires; Immigration wrote a note that when this extension is transferred into the new passport it should be extended up to 15.04.2014. Re-entry permit. Also visa for the Philippines. Worth flagging this up - the Philippines require a visa if you are planning to enter on an emergency travel document and that takes 24 hours to process. So it was time consuming and cost a few baht ( significantly less than the costs incurred already on flights,hotels and insurance) but the family holiday is on and we're off to Cebu on Sunday evening. I'll update on any issues leaving Thailand and entering the Philippines. Thanks and chokkers

Yeah I think this might be a very good offer. I haven't worked in the University sector but my impression from four years in a private upcountry, bilingual school is that my management is not driven by any issue of quality but simply quantity and control. They want me in everyday at 0730 and to stay until 1600. In fact they get very excited about this - we scan in using a finger system and our management print out the results for an academic year; they bind the sheets into nice books and can tell us that we were late on 70 occasions...... I've never had any form of discussion with my management about, for instance, improving English learning outcomes. Rather my management see me as akin to a shelf stacker at Tesco Lotus and their approach appears to be how to get more for less.I earn reasonable money so I have learned to lump it and in truth I enjoy the classroom experience and working with the students. In real terms you won't really know what the job will be like until you are actually doing it but I rather fancy your bosses will not be too keen on you using their time and facilities for non-work activities. I should also add that in my school a teacher has just lost his contract because he didn't have a bachelor's degree.I think there may have been other issues here but this gave the management a reason and they used it. So tread carefully.

I would recommend the Let's Go series which I believe is recommended by the MoE. I think they even produce Thai editions at affordable prices. I would strongly recommend you also invest in the Teachers Manual, audio recordings and other support materials. I believe it is published by Oxford University Press. I recommend this series as a Brit notwithstanding the fact it uses American English. Its strength is in the fact that it was designed for Japanese primary school learners; so it is designed on the premise that Japanese and English have very little in common, and in much the same way Thai and ENglish have very little in common. So I find it really works well in the classroom and covers many subtle points that I would have otherwise missed. I must stress the Teachers Manuals are essential. I also have used English Time which I would also recommend; once more it comes form OUP and was developed for the Japanese market.

Does anyone know if this is free? Basically I am going to be away for six weeks and it would be convenient to drive in somewhere and leave the truck. The airport is prohibitively expensive so I am looking for alternatives. Any ideas?

Gerry, the website I mentioned in post 5 says you must contact the main immigration office when you leave for the 'stamps'. Will that be Manilla? I remember you saying you do not want to travel there.

Have a nice holiday.

P

Pontious I'm not planning on going to Manila on this trip. As far as I understand my documents in respect of the trip to the Philippines are now in order and I am good to go......and then to come back here to LOS. I don't think I need to do anything in the Phils apart from have a holiday and take good care of my emergency passport! I'll let you know how it goes on arrival.

You yourself might want to check out Al-anon which helps those affected by other people's drinking. I don't have a contact but I am sure "Al-anon" "Thailand" in a search engine will get you a contact.

Why not do transfer and extension at the same time?

Mario the current visa expires 15.04.13. The admin people where I work, who know very little and have little ability to learn from their mistakes (they mess up most of the visas), advise that the earliest I can extend is this Friday. And that's that, so to speak. So will go with it especially, not an awful lot of choice, especially as they pay for it and provide a driver. The good news is I successfully transferred current extension this afternoon and so am legal and in a worst case scenario, if unable to extend this Friday, I'll re-enter on a 30 day waiver and start from scratch. I'm off to the Philippine Embassy tomorrow to apply for a tourist visa as a belts and braces measure. Thank goodness I am on holiday this week.

An update: I went to the British Embassy in BKK this afternoon and, after some b*****x at the gatehouse (more later), left with a nice yellow Emergency Passport which cost 4560 THB. I will take this to Imigration tomorrow to get my stamps transferred. My current non-B extension expires 15th April 2013 so I am hoping to return this Friday to get another extension and hopefully a re-entry permit.

The Embassy advised they could not accept a passport application here in Thailand and deliver it to the Philippines where I shall be for 6 weeks with effect from 18th March. They suggested applying for a new passport in the Philippines. With the Emergency Passport valid until Dec 2113 I think I'll wait until I return to Thailand at the end of April and then apply for a new passport. I'd need to go to Manila if I apply in the Philippines and that's a distance away from where I shall be staying with my family.

The consular staff were really helpful and strongly suggested I should contact the Philippine Embassy to ensure that I can travel on the Emergency Passport and to check visa requirements. So I went down to the Phil EMbassy and they told me I can travel but I should apply for a visa due to the length of my trip. I am going to do this once I have sorted out my business tomorrow at Thai imigration. I am, however, a wee bit suspicious of this as I normally get a one year stay when I enter the Phils with my wife on production of our Phil. embassy issued wedding certificate. This is for the relatives of filipino overseas workers - a nice touch as this is one of the few countries anywhere that gives spouses and relatives easy entry. Anyhow I'll apply for it regardless as I don't want to take any more chances.

Back to the gatehouse at the British Embassy in BKK. I could easily have gone away empty-handed today had I not got a bit stroppy with the receptionist. I got there at 1:00 pm and told her I had damaged my passport and wanted to apply for a new one and at the same time to apply for an Emergency Travel Document; I was told I needed to come back in the morning as this could only be done in the morning. I told her there was no mention of this on the website and that this was highly inconvenient as I had travelled in from out of town and that it was kinda of urgent. I asked if I could not leave the documents for later collection. I got this "sorry, I am only doing my job" line. I told her I wanted to see someone in charge as this couldn't be right. I was told to wait and a few minutes later she called me over. Before she spoke I asked her for her name or an ID card; I senses this spooked her as her attitude changed. I explained I had identified myself to her and the least she could do was to do likewise and explained to her that this was the British Embassy and that as far as I understood we do things slightly differently here. She gave me her name and then she said I could "go in" at 2:00 pm...... I don't understand what that was all that about. Loss of face or what? I don't know but a real pain in the ...... .

Whatever thanks for the advice to date and I feel I am making progress!

Thanks ubonjoe and agoghome. My current extension of stay expires on 15th April 2013 and I am still scheduled to be away then. I am scheduled to go to imigration this Friday to renew the visa, aka extend it for another year and get a re-entry permit. In a worst case scenario I can apply for another Non-B on my return which will involve a trip to Laos or somewhere nearby. My biggest concern is not to balls up the family holiday.....will let you know how it goes at the embassy tomorrow.......could be a busy week!

Thank you for your assistance and advice. If I can get an ETD then everything should be ok apart from the costs. I'll find out Monday if I the FCO will be able to send a new passport to the Philippines. They should as they use couriers but we shall find out soon. The passport application form does allow for a delivery address different to the normal residential address so maybe that should be ok. Will let you know. Thanks again.

I have accidentally destroyed my British passport this morning - washing machine, water, virtually everything erased. I will need to replace it with a new one. I am due to fly to Cebu, Philippines, Sunday 17th March 2013 for a six week family holiday.

Will I be able to do this trip on an emergency travel document and if so, what do I have to do? If I go to the embassy I'll arrange to get a new passport but will they be able to send it to me in the Philippines?

I am currently on a Non-B which I am due to extend for a further year this Friday. Any idea how I can get round this?

Nightmare. Any advice gratefully received.

Today is sober day no. 53 for me. I have had some mini-crises during that period, such as bad news regarding my teeth (the month of March will see me spend several sessions at the dentist, with some serious toothwork to be done) and also the never-ending fricking noise due to some renovation work at the apartment building I am staying at (the frickin' noise started a week after I moved in there and it has been going on, off and on for nearly 3 months !!! To my bad luck, it will probably end, shortly after I leave the place).

They say in AA to give it in 90 days and then decide if you want to revisit booze. So well done on your progress Jemjem. Also, excellent that you have started looking after yourself and getting your gnashers fixed. It's certainly been my experience that comparatively trivial things have the ability to get me on the threshold of drinking: lived through bereavement, and other stressful stuff without too many problems, but trip over a lace or stub my toe on concrete and in a split second I can be a raging lunatic. It was in those situations in the first couple of years of sobriety that I felt like drinking! I'll be eternally grateful to AA for introducing me to the concept of resentment specifically that resentment kills more alcoholics than any other reason with the accompanying advice that basically I should deal with resentments immediately. I now understand that anger and belligerence was my default mental state, dressed up with a smile, but deep down I was brimming over with it. Resentful to and raging about people for years....... I still have to work at this today and in fact life in THailand presents many challenges and situations which can easily reduce me to a raging lunatic. However I am much calmer today and much less likely to explode! Honest. Keep posting and talking us through your journey. It helps me. Many thanks

Thanks for this....but the seats are big hey and the little one is, well, very small!

yeah we booked at the kk nature resort for two nights in an all inclusive package ( except booze) with transport from Trat; it was so good we stayed for another two nights. the resort itself is a bit ramshackle but the staff were brilliant, all Cambodian. We have a small baby and a 3.5 year old boy and they took the baby off us, every time we ate which was something my wife really appreciated; our son was able to run around with the resort kids. So it worked well from that perspective. We liked the food too especially the seafood barbecue at weekends - we were eating very fresh barracuda steaks, baked potatoes, prawns, pork - all excellent stuff. They also had kayaks and snorkels too for free use and the sea was really clean. would definitely go back.

Can someone tell me at what age kids are required to have a ticket. We have two, boy aged 3.5 years and girl about 11 months. We are thinking of going up to Chiang Mai by train on the sleeper, 2nd class air. Would anyone know how the railway will ticket us? Also does anyone know of a railway station to the north of Bangkok where it would be possible to drive to, park the truck for a few days and then board the Chiang Mia train and leave the car head for a few days? I'd be happy to drive as far north as Nakhon Sawan. Mnay thanks and the seasons greetings

G

Thx to both of you. Save me a return trip.

Just about to apply for baby's first passport. I can't get this information from the passport website so wonder if someone here can assist. My wife and I are legally married and have a nice Thai language certificate. Do we need to produce this as part of the application for baby's passport? And do we have to produce a translation of it too? And if so, will they accept the original certificate a copy of this legalised by the MFA over two years' ago? Or do I have to get a new translation and legalisation. As always many thanks for any guidance and advice.

Just about to apply for baby's first passport. I can't get this information from the passport website so wonder if someone here can assist. My wife and I are legally married and have a nice Thai language certificate. Do we need to produce this as part of the application for baby's passport? And do we have to produce a translation of it too? And if so, will they accept the original certificate a copy of this legalised by the MFA over two years' ago? Or do I have to get a new translation and legalisation. As always many thanks for any guidance and advice.

Mildee Sornbuthong

Express Translation services Bangkok.

Over a period of 8 years she has translated contracts, birth certificates, etc etc....

post/cash/translate/returned.......

greetz from jerrold.NK

((removed))

02-2542821

Thanks just what I wanted.

Can anyone recommend an official translator who can translate my daughter's birth certificate into English, take the translated birth certificate to MFA to get it legalised and then send it back to me in Ratchaburi? I'd prefer one that I can deal with by phone, email and post so I don't have to waste time and money travelling in and out of Bangkok. Basically want to get the little darling her first British passport. Please PM me details.