onlycw

When booting,, the image appears 6-fold.

It's quality RAM, and the right type.

One day, the computer showed this 6-fold image when booting up. The IT specialist at my work place asked me to re-install Windows 7, which was done. I also tried the old RAM - same problem. The IT engineer proclaimed the notebook "fixed" but it isn't.

Q: is it now a brick? Has anyone had this particular issue and can share experience and maybe a solution?

Thanks a lot!

OP, go to the Labour Court. It's free and they will give you and attorney and they have translators, too.

A few weeks later, there will be some hearing - and that agency will have to appear. The court's attorney

will push hard for some sort of a settlement. Which should be better than walking away from that financial claim!

Good luck - they will help you and fill out the forms, too. You can just walk in or download the forms and have a Thai friend

fill them out for you.

It's not on your list, but I urge both of you do do a test ride on a Honda Wave semi-automatic.

Ajarn Shaun: What's wrong with a WP? Why are you so rigid about it? IF you can get the B-Visa and a WP and Immigration grants you the 90 day reporting thing, then you would be working legally.

There are countless others who would kill for a WP, figuratively speaking.

But then, there are these rural schools charging 700 Baht for each foreign teacher - and who supervises their accounting?!? My views on some of the things which are going on here are not printable. How come some government schools need not resort to such methods?

• But then, there are hundreds "schools" without any students.
• At my school, all PCs in the library are non-operational. Keyboards, mice, RAM memory. But hey, we have full time IT professionals and 5,000 Baht would do nicely to get them all working again!!
• Smoke that in your pipes!!

I am sorry for the OP. This 40,000 B threshhold is really tough because most Thai families with one breadwinner would stay below that, too.

Here is the TCT with its tough rules and then there is the reality of what goes down in real life.

• How many directors employ folks on T-Visa / with bad English and certainly neither a degree nor any hope of scoring 600 or higher in a TOEIC test?
• But hey, they love it when the foreigners work for 15,000 Baht!!
• Some knowingly accept fake degrees.
• One school doesn't do Non-Immigrant B-Visas, WPs and all that other stuff - and when I found this out after 6 weeks on the job, they wanted me to join the others working on Tourist Visa. (But the sordid tale doesn't stop here as many schools are too greedy to pay even for time worked).

Then there are hordes of non-NES of whom many would struggle to get >600 in a TOEIC test. Are they all asked to follow the letter of the law?!?

Shawn: Can someone tell you whether you could get a job in a neighboring country? What about China?

Disclaimer: I haven't read the whole thread yet. But there appear to be legal loopholes your school might exploit:

1. giving your job a different description. "Education consultant"?
2. turning your contract into a "part-time" one seems to mean your school won't need to involve the TCT.

^^^^^

Q: Could someone remind me of the cost of those professional tests again? (And share his opinion regarding actual cost versus the amount billed)?

At presently 24,400 Baht net after the 600 B matched deduction for SS (none for taxes - a previous school deducted 600 for taxes and I got it all back), the TCT makes their waiver dependent on me passing that test - only this time it appears to be the one offered by the British Council @ 6,000 Baht. <deleted>?

The writing is on the wall.

The combination of extremely low salaries with mounting hassles will let many check out alternatives to working in Thailand.

And now we could start a discussion about non-NES with a score of >600 vs genuine NES. There was a European who took some test in Canada with the result that some piece of paper stated he was almost (but not quite?) a NES. The agency we were with had us all in a hotel in Lopburi and there we met some British teachers. BBC English, truly fluently spoken - for starters twice as rapidly. And then this guy stroking up a conversation with his bad accent and haltingly, while speaking very loudly. - You get the cringe worthy situation. Yours truly realized that not in a million years would he match a cultured British teacher's English. Enough said.

Here on TV, there was a serious post by an employer. He still had to pay an employee who left without notice for time worked.

Not sure about what is usually done - am not that experienced nor have I held an admin position like Scott.

There might be some counter claim by the school. But one would have to study that contract and then you haven't defended your move to leave without notice. (A friend told me horror stories of some agency owing all their teachers tens of thousands of Baht over months. Who knows what made you leave? But IMHO, based on a Thai lawyer's response to that employer's question, they still gotta pay you for time worked).

It takes two to tango. And you walking away from a job is likely to be detrimental to your financial situation as well.

You haven't got some new job line up, have you?

Can a Thai friend fill in the forms at the Regional Labour Court? They are online. This will trigger arbitration with the court assigning you a lawyer who will argue your case.

In addition, have your friend locate the regional education office and send a letter to their lawyer following a phone call.

The lawyer will contact the school...

This is quite common IMHO. By letting greedy directors keep your wages, this practice would continue ad infinitum.

Do you have a Thai friend? Have her fill out your Regional Labour Court's form and file a complaint. It is free and will trigger a mediation hearing at which the school will be pressured to offer at least s o m e of the back wages. It's free and the court will assign an attorney to plead your case.

In addition, do have your friend call the regional education office with a name like Region 23. They have a lawyer in-house. Have him call the school.

I was asked to submit something to him in writing - which I did, always using EMS (proof of delivery).

This is quite common. ***

Apologies, my wifi crashed and I thought this was never posted. So I re-did it again.

One school doesn't do WPs or teachers' licenses or B-Visa. Never got a contract. When i complained about the non-payment to the Region xx lawyer, the school came up with some "contract" - all in Thai and never knowingly signed by me - which apparently allows them not to pay me for time worked.

• The Region xx lawyer never obtained the contract. So he referred us to yet another government agency.
• We sent them a form complete with a signed copy of my passport.
• The next step should have been the first one: filing in Region x Labour Court!

****

That school wanted me to work on a Tourist Visa. I had everything in place and was relying to get the "WP" transferred...

They hire non NES folks like an adventurer from Cameroon. Dreadful accent, limited vocab - but hey, 15,000 Baht!

OTOH, there are all the rules and regulations for other folks. Like the TCT's license, a B-Visa, a WP etc.

****

Without wanting to pry, what made you walk out? I left when they told me I wouldn't be getting a contract and have to work on a T-Visa.

(Subsequently facing arrest and deportation?)

Money talks and some greedy person has likely embezzled your salary. Do you want that person to enjoy the fruits of what he did - or fight for all others who will encounter that person in years to come?

Joburg, after mediation mediation failed to get results, the (regional) Labour Court denied that there exists a file when i asked for it.

They said I would have to hire my own lawyer.

Incidentally, I had spoken to a judge in Bangkok and he told me they have both attorneys as well as translators there...

You can expect more shenanigans and skullduggery though. In my case, the defendants must have pulled some strings to change the venue to their town. Without any notice => me showing up in the wrong town on the day of the trial. I'm cynical now and don't believe this was some genuine "mistake".

Later on, it boils down to every body pressurizing you to reduce your financial claim so that settlement will be accomplished.

How much have you paid your lawyer? Did you get a flat rate quote? I paid 20 k and am now having yet another suit over some vicious blackmail involving the cancellation of my WP and subsequent overstay. Make no mistake, these people are often utterly immoral, ruthless and prepared to do anything to save themselves or rather their employer some money. (Once I realized that part - I settled pdq. As it seems that not the FACTS but whatever some WITNESSES may come up with months later may sway the court. Not sure if that was a fairy tale to make me settle or the gospel truth. But trust me, go in, get some money and get the hell outta there!).

Thanks for blazing a new trail!

Good luck!

Huh? I got it. But while pursuing it, I have learned to dread the - - - - - - - Thai legal system.

Change of venue to defendants' town? Certainly! Without a word to yours truly...

You need a lawyer - they lied to me, claiming there was "no paperwork" following my complaint

and a settlement conference...

Don't give up!

Thanks for the good replies! Great link, Adenai!

Personally, I agree with those who think it's a fair deal. And the colleague who hated the SS contributions was asked to leave...

No way - but I wish it was possible.

A NES with a degree, please. It's a friendly school and a small house within walking distance can be rented for 2,000 Baht. With a meeting and the English Club, there are presently 17 periods to teach. The salarey wil be negotiable, likely near 30,000.

Anyone interested, please PM me or call 080 279 1574 after office hours.

The school had countless applications from foreigners from Cameroon etc. They want a NES though.

The school is a mile from Nong Wua So.

Thanks for reading.

Kru Chris

After buying the country or world subscriptions for years from www.skype.com I now use GMail's Voice feature with a $ 10 credit.

$ 0,02 per minute to the countries I like and free calls to the U.S. with Tunnelbear. The credit can last you years - - - and you do have

broadband and a computer or you find both at an internet cafe.

My small rural high school some 40 km from Udon Thani needs a NES with degree as well.

30 k minus 4% SS (for health insurance) and you pay your own WP etc. fees over and above 3,000.

They haven't even advertised the position yet!

The following won't apply to the OP, but might be a warning to others.

One school suckered me into signing something which they later claimed was a bizarre contract.

Justifying them embezzling a chunk of my pay check.

Never got that contract - and complained to the regional office.

Seems no one gives a hoot!

Natural fabrics - cotton, linen, silk. For slacks, Ralph Lauren's linen & silk mix is pretty good.

Spicy food lets me break out a sweat, too. When wearing polyester, you can add a noticeable foul odor to the issue.

My room has neither fans nor aircon

Hi All

are Social Security contributions the law? Never had them in years (unlike group insurance and tax deductions). Now they are in my contract...

A colleague is bitterly opposed and wants to opt out.

Then there is a "600 Baht" limit or clause capping those SS contributions. Hope that someone

knows how this all works.

Thanks for your time!

Before you buy new ram be sure the mother boards can take what you want (both amount and type). They may be old computers that can not be upgraded that easily. If all the same have one checked to see what can be done - that should not cost much.

Yeah - I wil pay for an upgrade myself. Much better than schlepping a laptop to work every single day.

www.crucial.com has a software tool checking the configuration (type, number of slots etc.)

What surprises me is that no one seems to mind the abysmal situation!

Forty km outside Udon Thani, there is a small high school. The PCs are barely functioning - at a snail's pace.

Turns out they all lack RAM memory. The one in our Department shows "247 MB".

If any business is replacing their computers or has surplus RAM memory for the likes of DELL Optiplex 320 computers,

there will be grateful takers.

What do you reckon is the roots of this issue? An incompetent IT guy? Just wondering as this is utterly frustrating.

Take "247 MB" - the CPU is old, too. Multiply this with xx PCs and you see the extent of this issue.

Q: Is there a source of inexpensive used RAM for old PCs?

Q: What do you reckon happened here? The IT guy must have known the root of all the problems!

Frustrated in the sticks

I bought 2 T-61 Thinkpads on Ebay.com They came with some Ebay version of Vista Business - couldn't be booted a 2nd time. Now I'm buying product keys (whole OEM DVD) for around 600 Baht on www.ebay.de in Germany. Hope this will work.

My own contract will be only in Thai. I don't like it,

but it's their way or the highway.

OT: Directors at government schools who rely on folks flying under the radar, they are sitting pretty?

I read somewhere that the employer gets fined 10,000 Baht while the worker faces a 100,000 Baht fine, jail and deportation.

Nice people, these priests: www.thailandstories.com/article/non-fiction/and-don-t-let-the-door-hit-you-on-the-way-out.html