AjarnChan

4 hours ago, yang123 said:

Worth a try?  http://www.ntualumni.org.uk/document.doc?id=142

Thanks, but my problem was that when the CNAA vanished I had not finished, so there was no completed Award to list; only accumulated Credits which were not always transferable.

I did the middle chunk through the OU anyway and they were happy enough, but the third segment, at one of the new Unis, was only 'joined up' by goodwill with few surviving databases or documents. Luckily one of my original Lecturers from ten years earlier was still around and vouched for me, or it could all have been a wasted effort.

I even have an Honorary Degree, from my days working in China, at the highest levels, but of course none of the much sought after Transcripts came with that either; just a photograph of a handshake from my 'friend'' Deng  Xiaoping. Happy days !

Anyway it is all simply far too late now to worry, just a life lesson.

Thanks everyone for the input, you have all really helped me. I will simply write it all off to experience and move on. Though some retribution down the road is always tempting ! I'm an engineer/programmer so lots of options. But I should like to share the tale and prevent others falling into the same trap. especially since I was lucky to be 'under the radar'' during a relatively benign period; such things are treated more harshly and it can all come unravelled much faster now I believe?

The frustrating part is that I had a Degree but no 'joined up course records', and certainly no pack of nice neat Transcripts; they were simply not part of the scene way back. In any case I 'built up' my Credits at a total of four different institutions, over a decade. By the time I got to the end of it I was so dizzy, but my final Uni was kind enough to consider me 'Graduated' based on all the parts. However the paper trail was endless, plus as mentioned the earlier Colleges/Unis/Awarding Bodies were 'falling off the map' faster than I could keep up.

All water under the bridge now, no excuses just wanted to clarify how it all came about.

So far as 'Guilt', then Mea Culpa, but the Agency went to some lengths to keep me tied in, always promising that, "This year we will formailze it all for you. It will be easy." Also it ought not to be forgotten that the various schools were all accomplices, well aware of the overall deception. But time really does fly, 11 years really feels like yesterday.

Thanks again, let my tale be salutary warning to another generation, perhaps ?

                             = = = = =   T H E    E N D  = = = = = 

24 minutes ago, wreckingcountry said:

Take them to labour court ! That court isn’t interested in your visa status


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Interesting idea, I shall consider that. Thanks !

21 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Not directed at you but I've quite a few teachers argue their points against me that 

1 Teachers are not entitled to severence pay.

2 Teachers don't come under labour laws.

3 Teachers really don't need WP's because of 1 and 2 above.

4 Teachers can only get 11 month contracts and must sign a new contract every year.

5 Teachers can work on a 'holiday visa' for 6 months.

etc etc.

Sometimes I think many of them will believe anything.

It was entirely my wife who did the believing, not me, I assure you. I told her a year before this all started that it must be temporary, because there was no way I wanted to live that way for very long. Yet here I am !

But I have to admit that it was so damned easy, with all the schools fully in on the Scam. I even had students whose parents were from Immigration, who I met now and then. No one ever batted an eyelid; I was never challenged or questioned.

The really annoying part of this is that I am qualified, but my Uni back in the UK got absorbed and renamed, so it 'vanished'; the Government Records office, the CNAA was wound up, every trace of my achievement almost 5 decades ago was lost.

My course is no longer offered, so proving I was ever there became impossible ! I did the course in pieces over several years, slowly amassing Credits, leaving then returning as a mature student, marrying and having two children, sometimes studying at a totally different institution. It got very messy, but I did eventually have a Valid Degree Certificate thought I swear I never got, or I forgot about Transcripts. Such a lot as changed.

[ CNAA -> Council For National Academic Awards .. no longer exists ! ]

OK, I am outnumbered, I shall take your advice;  which I really do appreciate. I will leave my 'pot stirring' for after I leave Thailand, probably in a  year or five; if ever ?

Many Thanks !  ????

Of course you are both correct, I am an Idiot .. I even have a certificate to prove it !

But then again .. other than my cherished 'Principles' what do I have to show for my life ?

Wise words, if only I could do that .. but I take your point, I am on a hiding to nothing really. I need to THINK .. ????

Many thanks ..

PS - it isn't really the money, but the 'Principle' of the thing!

I have been in Thailand on and off since 1997, living here full time on a series of Non 'O' Visas from Savankhet in Laos since 2008; based on being married to a Thai. In total around 15 years living in the kingdom altogether. I have a Thai wife who long ago persuaded me to be a Teacher, even though she knew it was going to be illegal. Through various Agencies in Phuket I worked almost continuously for the past 11 years. The main Agency kept telling me 'not to worry'; they claimed to have a "Special Exemption" for me, because I am a good teacher and willing to live in out of the way places where nobody else wants to go.

Over the years they treated me quite badly at times, but I hung on and kept working. I am now 66, well past normal Thai retirement age, plus the strain of 'hiding' has finally got to me. Also over the past year they cheated me, ripping off 10% of my usual wages. When I complained we had a major row, then when I left they simply began to ignore me. I am still owed around 44,000 Baht, which I badly need. My pay is now one month overdue.

They do not answer eMails; I prefer that medium in order to keep a record of their latest Lies. Now I am so frustrated that I am ready to take 'firm action' to bring them to account. I am arranging to see a Thai Lawyer to get advice, plus I humbly seek any suggestions from the experienced users of Thai Visa Forum. Obviously I do not want to go to jail, be deported, or in anyway loose my liberty.

However I am so annoyed that I have seriously considered 'turning myself in' to Immigration, just to 'expose the entire sham operation, really to "get even with" the Agency. They are well connected in the South of Thailand and think themselves to be immune.

Please feel free to suggest anything, criticize me as much as you like, I never felt happy but I was 'trapped' here. I still am!

Many thanks, "Kruu Semi aNonyMous" .. for now  ???? 

Here in Phuket there is a local government department that deals with noise complaints, and it works. But obviously be cautious, these 'friendly gentle buddhist Thais' can get quite unfriendly if their 'freedoms' are interfered with, especially by a Farang.

If you are going to make an official complaint I would try to gather as many Thai locals as you can and not make it look like it is you leading the event. I believe the system allows limited noise for 'licenced' premises, bars, restaurants and industry, at set times.

good luck

If you take the govt bus from the South Bus Station the rifling issue rarely occurs, it usually happens with the Khao San Road busses.

.

By far the cheapest and easiest option would be to take the bus, though I have previously hired a car for a one way trip. I think it cost me around 8 times the price of a bus ticket plus fuel, though it was interesting to see the route.

I have travelled to and from Bangkok, from Phuket, by buses using the Southern Bus Terminal many times, often with a computer and other valuables. I have never had any problems whatsoever, except a sore backside from sitting for so long.

Most of the time the bus is travelling, and during the stop for food you can sit and watch it if you are worried. Personally I find the vast majority of Thais to be very honest, but sadly those who mix with foreigners a lot have some bad habits.

Have a good journey.

If you are driving and do not mind the journey then a trip into Burma via Mae Sai [extreme northern border] would give them another 15 days, and an extra border stamp. There is not a lot to see, but it is interesting to see borders at least once, or so I think. Usually the other option would be Mae Sot in the west, but that has been closed for about a month by Burma, sorry Myanmar.

Alternatively cross into Laos, but that is more expensive, especially for a party.

The 7 day extension would also take care of the 6 day problem, so you will be OK.

Hope you all enjoy Angkor Wat, and the Cambodians are friendly ...

Personally I would leave well alone. They granted visas earlier, she visited and returned to Thailand afterwards, thus demonstrating good behaviour. This may be taken into consideratin when you apply for the next visa.

I understand your dilemma though.

I agree, better not to bring up anything 'unusual'.

My Thai/Chinese wife has four 'nationalites', Thai because she was born here, Malaysian because her Chinese mother was born in Penang, Chinese because her father never adopted Thai nationality and Irish from marrying me. From all of that she acquired four names and accidentally three conflicting dates of birth. We once tried to explain it all to an official in the UK back in 1998. He simply said, "Fascinating, and I believe you 100% but I suggest you never tell another soul." We have kept quiet ever since. In the past year the Thai authorities have cleaned up her records and it is now officially as if it never happened.

It all came about because of a mixture of moves, misunderstandings and illegible writing on old forms by various village headmen. There was never any intention to deceive. In any event during my 13 years experience over here I have noticed many Thais have multiple names especially amongst the Chinese community, not to mention infinite nicknames. It really seems to be quite common. Many people we know change their names as often as I change my hairstyle, often because the previous name brought 'bad luck', or so they thought.

Good luck with your application I am sure it will all be fine

PS - forgot to mention that I am a French/Irish/English/Scottish 'mongrel', with distant Chinese ancestry, two legitimate Passports and several different names 'within the family'. It really is not at all unusual to be known by different names in different contexts, at least where I come from. Given the high divorce rates in many nations it must surely be getting to the point where millions find themselves in a similar situation.

I believe that from the Immigration officer's point of view it is up to the Visitor to write the Visa number on the white card as you enter Thailand. There is a space for it, and if you do that no mistakes should occur. Hopefully the local office will sort it out for you, but strictly speaking it was your fault in my humble opinion. I know because I have made the same mistake myself, and been 'told off' at the border; so luckily I avoided being in your situation. I never forget anymore.

And you consider this a "fun thing to do in Phuket"?

Whoops! Wrong thread.

Actually grumpyoldman I am sure there are people who consider being p*ked in the *ss to be fun

Any of the private hospitals, clinics or government hospitals will check your prostate. I am 57 with a family history of Prostate Cancer, so I get it checked every year. Average cost so far has been around 1,000 Baht for the PSA blood test, plus a rectal examination for enlargement, lumps or hardness. I am sure it can easily be much more expensive than that in a glitzy private hospital, I usually go to Vachira and wait patiently about an hour. My wife will not let me 'waste money'.

It is not unpleasant, though of course many men find it 'distasteful' to be probed, but it is essential to know what is going on. Make sure you explain all your symptoms, and keep a record of the results to compare as the years roll by. Depending on your age a steadily rising PSA and enlarging prostate is quite 'normal', but of course it is a source of concern.

I hope everything is OK.

Have you looked at the various Proton offerings ? They are made in Malaysia, parts are available, and they are good value. To be honest I think they are your limit for a new vehicle for 'only' 450,000 Baht. They are not the largest cars on the roads though, and personally I get pretty nervous travelling in any car in the 'insane' roads of Phuket, especially at Motorbike rush hour times; so I stick to my Ford Ranger PickUp for 'safety', and a damned good view of the road ahead.

One thing to bear in mind is that although prices do seem high relative to the UK vehicles can often last longer here. No winters with salty roads to cause them to rust and rot away. A well looked after vehicle can last decades here and so it keeps it price better than in Europe. For example we also have a Toyota Starlet, over 20 years old, well over 200,000 km and still going strong. Of course a decent make of car can last anywhere, I have a 20 year old BMW, and Jaguar back in Europe that always start no matter how long I have been away.

Good hunting, and congratulations on the baby.

PS - final thoughts ~ reselling in a few years time will be easy, but of course you will loose heavily if you have bought a new car. Secondhand prices are high but new vehicles loose a lot of value very quickly, as they do everywhere.

Sounds interesting, but I am not sure it is a suitable solution here in Thailand. Surely there is a huge difference between the Great Lakes of Canada and the seas and oceans around Thailand ? Hopefully we are not going to have another Tsunami for a while, but I doubt if any houseboats survived the last one.

Of course there are marinas here, and there are plenty of exotic Yachts, but from observation there are few other suitable locations for a live-aboard life. There are large inland lakes with houseboats though, for example beyond Kanchanburi on the way to Burma. There are also large bodies of water in Songkla in the South, but from personal experiences there the waters are not always placcid, to say the least.

A large ex-fishing trawler, such as the ones here in Phuket would certainly make an interesting conversion, if you could ever get rid of the smell.

If I can be of any assistance please send a PM, I live in Phuket and was a 'hobby' seafarer myself in my younger days. Good luck with your project.

I live in Cherng talay and they are informing on loud speakers now that they will issue the stickers for people living here 11-12 July.

From what my girlfiend is telling me you have to go tomorrow to an office close to the School in Cherng talay to get stickers for car and bike?strange they dont inform the expat community here..only in Thai.

I think that it should have been in the phuket gazette! I had someone check it out for me today and the obotor told us to email copies of driving liscences and write down our registration numbers they said the stickers will be avaliable to collect next week

What is the eMail address to send to ?

I work at the Cherngtalay School part-time and my Agency knows nothing, as usual

Any advise on websites or newspapers which carry Tefl job ads in Thailand?

Try TEFL.net and Ajarn.com, both have plenty of jobs advertised

Good Hunting !

Tell him to open an Offshore Account and then pay the return into that.

There is a Double Taxation Agreement, between Thailand and the UK [and many other countries], though a new version is due to be signed in January next year. I would talk to the Tax people in both countries direct if you want a full answer.

UK Government Website

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/dtmanual/DT18650+.htm

Thai based 'tax advisor'

http://www.uktaxadvisor.com/thailand.htm

Could have put on jackets because air conditioning was up full.

Also if the security guards are in on it every thing they say is suspect.

And it is easy enough to watch two people at ADJACENT tables.

I have taken up two different tables because of carry on baggage.

One gets up to pee, they accost the other

and then someone plants the wallet in the bin to nail the other.

Wait don't all farangs look alike? Mistaken identity

but gotta go through with it rather than lose face backing down...

Reading King Power's letter there is nothing about ADJACENTtables just different tables. There is nothing to say that they had a lot of baggage and this does not show up in the CCTV footage. I agree that changing outer clothing is not that clear, but if it was jackets they are not carrying them in the CCTV footage.

They were kept under observation whilst awaiting police and "as" security guards and police approached the woman the man walked off. If it was you wouldn't you want to see what was happening to your wife? Of course they went to the woman first because she was the one seen putting the wallet into her bag.

If they are all in on it why plant the wallet in the bin, why not just plant on either one of the couple or say you saw the man throw it in the bin? Makes a much stroger case if you are setting someone up.

The KP letter is quite detailed and on what basis can we say it is not true? The silence from the couple, the Times and other media is deafening.

re. "The silence from the couple, the Times and other media is deafening."

Agreed, makes you wonder if they watched themselves on Video and thought better of speaking again ...

It seems a lot of people here haven't clicked on the KP letter and read the .pdf file. The security followed him to a toilet where he got rid of the wallet in a toilet bin.

Just one point. If the wallet was taken by her and put into her shoulder bag, as alledged by KP, how did he come to be in possession of same? Having pulled off such a healthy snatch, why would he then dispose of the wallet in the toilet bin?

Read the K/P statement, it explains everything.

As a British citizen it really saddens me to read all of this, whatever the truth. However having watched the CCTV footage, and read the King Power statement it does appear that these 'Brits' could very well be guilty. Of course it is nobodies place to pass judgement, but it is a fact that many ordinary people in the UK now treat 'shoplifting' as a Sport. Perhaps these people saw this act as some kind of 'revenge' or 'payback'. If you take the trouble to watch the Video you will clearly see that they do seem to have acted in a thoroughly professional manner, as shoplifters that is.

Sadly the truth will probably never be known, but I know from personal experience that there are a group of persons in British society who feel that they are 'above the law'; especially the law of a 'poor' country such as Thailand. There is a huge 'industry' in false Insurance claims for instance, and the operators of such scams are often 'well off' and superficially seem to be educated people. Personally I blame Maggie Thatcher [milk snatcher] and Diana for dragging British society downwards, and establishing the philosophy that 'getting away with it' is all that counts.

Hi everyone.

My wife and I are moving to Thailand in a couple of months, we will be living in Nong Khai.

I want to complete a teaching English as a second language course before I leave. Can anyone recomend a good one please?

We live in Brisbane so anywhere here or on the Gold Coast will do.

Someone told me it is cheaper to do one in Thailand, is this true? how about the quality?

Thanks in advance.

Hi - sorry to say this but hopefully you have researched this and know that you need a Degree before you can legally work as an English teacher in Thailand. To make yourself 'future proof' that should be a Degree in English, or at least Education.

TEFL courses cost around 35,000 baht, or thereabouts. Personally I think they are quite useful for non Teachers to get insights, but they are certainly not guaranteed to be of a high quality by world standards.

TEFL = Teaching English as a Foreign Language, since English is very different from Thai, thus Foreign to Thais. TESOL = Teaching English as a Second Language, therefore OK to teach Europeans or those for whom English is not totally alien. A 'natural' second language for Thais might be Laos, Chinese or something with commonality to Thai. No doubt somebody will correct my rough explanation if they feel it is required ;}

http://australia.i-to-i.com/weekend-tefl-c...queensland.html ~ these 'cowboys' in Brisbane offer a weekend TEFL course, get a Certificate in just 20 hours. Honestly, I think it is disgusting that anybody claims to Teach a Teacher in just 20 hours. Here in Thailand the typical course is at least 100 hours, and includes a Thai language & culture component, and some practical classroom experience.

Why not just use Google and search for 'TEFL Brisbane Gold Coast' then pick your way through ?

Holy Shit Tywais,

WTH are you talking about. Did I leave out the bit where I don't know much about computers?

The other day I was having problems with MAXNET (TT&T) and webfact and a few of the chaps here were talking about putting in a new DNS number (which I did) so I could get pages to load etc. I did that & the pages are loading on my desktop. On the notebook I did not change the DNS & its returning the same results from the speedtest as my desktop.

To do what you have suggest above, I need a few tips. I can't remember how to get to a command prompt window. Grrrrrrr , thanks for the info, so far.

I find it odd that there are so many of us having problems. I also read somewhere that the long PING could have something to do with 'wiring'& not the PC. Is that what you are referring to, or are they talking about the telephone wiring in my home?

To open a Command window [what we used to call a 'DOS box']

Start

Run

cmd

[OK]

ie. open Start menu, click [run], type 'cmd' [without apostrophes], click [OK]

Ping is a 'hand-shake' with a remote server. Like a Submarine searching for underwater contacts ;}

The Internet is just a massive set of interconnected networks, with traffic routed via the shortest path in ideal conditions, then if there are problems traffic can still arrive but via a far longer route 'around the problem'. That re-routing is what makes the network 'fault tolerant' to some extent, but clearly the longer route takes longer to traverse.

Suggesting that you use 'tracert' [Trace Route] is to let you have a chance at spotting the bottleneck, not that there is usually very much you can do about it. However re-defining your DNS lookup, which you mentioned, can help. DNS [Domain Name Server] tables are the lists of IP addresses [iP = Internet Protocol] that make the whole system work.

PS - Yes things do seem slower than usual at present. Every now and then an underwater cable gets cut, or some other link breaks down or goes off-line for a while. That affects everybody who normally uses that route. This has happened several times in the Mediterranean affecting local north African and middle eastern countries, but also large parts of Asia.

Oh and by the way, the article has it wrong in some cases, as it is not double the price, they are comparing full version pricing (as with this decision, there are no upgrade version in Europe) in Europe with upgrade prices in the US.

Nice one Neelie

Half of Europe will probably get Win 7 through grey import now

Actually I read that Europeans will be able to get the Full Version [bugs included] of Windows 7 which will sell at the 'Upgrade Price' in Europe

So who should make decisions for Europe then ? Elected Europeans or the board of Microsoft ? Sorry to dissappoint you but there are now over 500,000,000 Europeans in the EU, and the total is rising. Europe finally has a more or less united voice, and you can expect to hear more. As always if you do not like it then vote with your feet. Same goes for Microshaft Bloatware, many sensible people simply use Linux anyway.

Quote: In a letter to the FT today Bill Veghte [Microsoft Executive] said: "We will not have an upgrade version available in Europe when we release the new operating system. Therefore, we've decided to offer the full version of Windows 7 to all customers at the lower upgrade price. In the future we may have an upgrade offering of Windows 7 available in Europe, and at that time we would revert to differential pricing."

Not sure who it was that said 'never let the facts get in the way of a good story', but things don't change ;}

News implies new. Check out "The Nation" and its "Daily Event" section. The page says it was updated on June 30, yet the vast majority of events listed are for May and June. That's not new and it's not news.

There are many good things about "The Nation" and its website. But better to have a smaller, more compact, and up-to-date website, rather than a larger site that is hopelessly out of date.

If you think the Nation is out of date then take a look at http://News.XinhuaNet.com/English. I have seen 'breaking news items' this year that were written in 2002 ! They also still had items about the 'coming Olympics'.

The problem probably comes because everybody uses databases to store the material, and they seldom get reviewed. These system pull out the 'latest' items without any cross check as to the timestamp, or current relevance.

So as with most Internet/Web problems blame the programmers/developers who lack experience. Any 'kiddie' can build a pretty website, but only a seasoned professional produces one that really works in all conditions.

Just for fun. Add any more if you can think of any

1. Our course is the one for you and meets all your educational requirements

Meaning: Our course is no different from those offered by my competitors but with some nice PowerPoint slides and colour graphs and charts, I am going to try as hard as possible to hide the fact that all we’ve done is photocopy Headway and put the chapters in a different order (possibly adding in some pages from Cutting Edge as well), and put the resulting pages in a different fancy book cover with our company logo on it. I am sorry to admit that I don’t know the difference between learning objectives and student outcomes, they are the same thing aren’t they? Bloom? Is that about flowers?

2. We need to measure the ability of your students so we can allocate them to different class levels

Meaning: We need to pretend to measure how good individual students are so that the textbook we will photocopy will not be far below/beyond the capabilities of the students. The test is rubbish anyway and would fail due to it not being reliable or even valid for what we are testing. Never mind, we’ve been using it for the last 15 years without changing it and even the original typos remain from when I first typed it into the computer and accidentally spilled coke all over the keyboard. We’ll just randomly allocate students based on surname anyway and hope for the best.

3. A pre test and a post test are a good idea

Meaning: It’s better for my chance of repeat business (and more commission) if we demonstrate with some nice shiny line graphs, the astounding effect that our twice weekly, hour and a half course has had over the last 10 weeks. The pre test will be impossibly difficult and the post test could be completed by a four year old, but the results will demonstrate a remarkable improvement.

4. You will get maximum return on investment

Meaning: The more motivated students might improve but most will continue with the same old problems and mistakes. Most students will still not be able to add –s to third person singular in the present simple or pronounce –ed for verbs in the past simple. They will still say things like “I working here since 2 years” and “Last week I went to shopping”. They will still not be able to tell the difference between “serious” and “stressed”. The students who improved would probably have improved anyway just from reading news.bbc.co.uk or the Bangkok Post.

5. The course will only take two or three weeks to develop

Meaning: I really don’t have the foggiest idea how long your course will take to develop and so I’m just saying random numbers that will hopefully get you to sign on the dotted line. A timescale that is too short would make you think we’re not professional, a time scale that is too long would make you look at our competitors. Once you’ve signed and I have got your commission, I don’t care how long it takes because I know it’s easier to stick with us rather than start the whole procurement process again.

6. Here is the total cost of the course

Meaning: Here is the maximum price that I think you are able/willing to pay but of course my price is totally flexible and I’ll almost certainly say yes to lowering it because we need your money and possibly your company name to show other potential customers. By the way, we already added your company logo to our webpage of “prestigious customers”. Yes our price is negotiable.

7. Here are our contractual terms and conditions

Meaning: This is a standard contractual agreement that we use for everyone no matter who they are, no matter what they actually want. If you bother to read it, you might want to change some terms which I will always agree to. I bet you don’t actually read it anyway so I don’t want to waste time drawing up a specific legal document that would actually be appropriate in this case. Please sign here….

Classic, you hit the nail on the head.

But how did you get our business plan ?