paully

^ Thanks, lostsoul, but-clearly-not-a-kind-soul. Shall I go home now and find a real job, sir, to stop 'embarrising' [sic] you

Simple answer: Yes - to work there legally. The school should help you obtain the WP, or at least complete the paperwork (and, hopefully, pay for the WP issue fee) but not all do unfortunately.

^ Good points there, Neeranam. University jobs are not just about the low basic salary: some good outside work is often available, although not always at 1,600 baht an hour. The problem is that there is no career development for the farang teacher, but this is also true of most (nearly all?) teaching posts in Thailand.

"Steven" -Buls##t

Your avitar "Ijustwannateach" does not seem to flow through your posts.

Solong from Sonong to someone who until now had my respect

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Was this the reference about Ijustwannateach you couldn't find, Sonong? I haven't had the opportunity to observe him teaching, as Peaceblondie has, but his care about and passion for teaching is very clear from his posts. I should think he would be a great teacher.

If you can conjure yourself up a proper career here, especially as a teacher, you'd certainly be a great magician.

Twix, if you search back through this thread, you'll see that another very similar topic was started about this subject (ie: obtaining a second fiancee visa for the UK) a couple of weeks ago. But GU22 is right, it won't be a straightforward application. Good luck.

If you're working here, then technically you need a work permit even if it's unpaid work. There may also be an issue as to whether any tax should be paid as your income could be said to be generated here in Thailand, even if the sales are made abroad. The $64,000 question, of course, is whether you would be caught and whether something drastic would be done if you were. Not really possible to give you a firm answer, but make sure you don't rub one of the locals up the wrong way over here: they can grass on you.

^ Hope he's got a visa, at least.

If they print you up a nice, impressive-looking certificate and transcript, it probably would work.

Peaceblondie's right as to no paradise. It will be near-impossible IMO to support a wife and child here on an average TEFL teacher's salary, unless:

1. You're lucky with a job, the school give you free housing (more than 1 small, non-aircon room) and you can live on street food;

2. Your wife also works and gets a reasonable job;

3. You have savings you're prepared to dip into regularly (not recommended in itself).

It's surviveable for a single teacher here - even one that may give some financial support to a significant other - but not to support and raise a family, unless you get a top job.

How do Thais survive on a low salary? The short answer is: they don't survive only on the salary. There's a whole invisible support network for Thais here which isn't generally available to foreigners. Money changes hands here quicker than most anywhere, family members and firiends exchange it amongst themselves depending on need, favours are given and called in.

The other thing is debt: the spending on credit, loans and credit cards here is alarming, and the banks have been giving away credit cards to Thais (but not to foreigners) far too easily. It's all on the never-never, the interest is just about paid monthly - often with assistance from the family or friends - but not the capital. If the financial 'music' in this musical chairs game ever stops, so that the folding stuff stops being passed around, the entire country will fall down.

Students and targets? The 'target' you're likely to have at most schools is for all - or virtually all - the students to pass whatever test you care to set them. You can't be too rigourous about standards here, I'm afraid. Are they keen? They're keen that you give them a pass, and many are keen that you give them an 'A' grade. But they don't always work for it, or even attend all the classes.

^ Sorry, Steve, you're right - loose terminology on my part. It's the extension of stay after the 90 day entry permit on a non-immigrant B visa which is cancelled when you leave your job.

You should be okay to go to your new job, Dr Strangelove, as you're still within the 90 day entry permit period. But, if you want to remain here after July 27 in this new job, you'll have to apply for an extension of stay at Immigration. Apologies for any confusion.

^ Unfortunately the non-imm B does expire 7 days after the wp is cancelled if it's a single-entry one. I've had the overstay fine and the stamp (when I went to immigration 2 days too late) to prove it :-(

Is it a multiple-entry or a single-entry non immigrant B visa? If it's a multiple-entry, you can just do a border run before July 27 and get a new 90 day stamp. If it's a single-entry visa, you need to get yourself down to Immigration sharpish for an extension: your existing visa will be technically cancelled 7 days after your work permit was handed back and cancelled and thereafter you'll be liable to an overstay fine of 200 baht a day (backdated).

Yes, I'm a teacher, if that's what you mean :-)  I sometimes teach business law here as well as the basic mainstay, English, not often enough unfortunately.

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Hi Paully, what opportunities are available in Thailand for one to teach Business Law?

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There are some 'international' BBA and MBA courses at unis here which offer Business Law as an option or a core module (3 credits a pop), but not all of them. If you can squeeze yourself into a slot at one of these, then it's basically yours. The modules are intended to be taught by visiting overseas ajarns who fly in and fly out of the US, etc and most still do, although there are are a few full-timers living here who can pick them up too.

Do you think it is pointless me trying??

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No, I'd keep trying, CareBear. Sorry to hear about your problems and those of GTG. It does seem absurd that you, as a qualified teacher in England with QTS and with experience may not be accepted here in order to be given a Teaching Licence.

It's a very kind offer, although I'm not much of a salesman, I'm afraid.

One thing you may want to think about in terms of marketing is that I've noticed that where I do occasional teaching there are quite a number of Chinese students (from China, that is, not Chinese-Thai) on the BBA and also MBA international courses, around 10 or 15% of the students. The better ones at English, they vary a lot in ability, tell me that there aren't many of these types of programmes being offered in China and that Thailand is a relatively cheap option. Naturally, one also suspects that the course entry requirements are rather less onerous in Thailand than in certain other countries and this may help. However, that might be one source of students you could possibly tap into.

Yes, I'm a teacher, if that's what you mean :-) I sometimes teach business law here as well as the basic mainstay, English, not often enough unfortunately.

If you've got a 30-day entry stamp, you have to leave the country to get a non-immigrant visa, to somewhere like Penang. To get a non-immigrant B (work) visa there, you'll need an offer of a job from a company/organisation in Thailand plus other paperwork. It will be a single-entry.

You can get a multiple-entry non-immigrant B visa from some Thai consulates in places like the UK (Hull is the most 'sympathetic'), US or Australia (perhaps other countries too) without a formal job offer, but obviously that means a long and expensive return flight. Sending your passport out of Thailand by post is not recommended.

Finally, you can go to somewhere like Penang for a 60 (90) day tourist visa and possibly change this to a non-immigrant B visa after getting a job offer inside Thailand, but it's not that straightforward: I've only heard of people working for government schools doing this.

I might add that before this new bloke came along she had another one living in the middle east who would send her 30K a month for her and her kids, her ex husband built her a house that she refused to live in becuase it was 20km away from her shop, and he still chose to give her money every month. AND, to top it all off, that 30K a month went towards a boob job!

Run away!! Too much 'baggage' and too high maintenance with her, IMHO. There'll be plenty of others you can check out when you come over again.

I'm no expert on the Swiss visa process, but the usual issues are:

1. money (can you show that you are able to fully financially support her during her trip, or can she show that she has her own money - this means bank statements). You may also need to show evidence of where you'll be staying;

2. intention to return to Thailand (can she show that she intends to return to Thailand after the holiday - this means a letter from her employer or college, or some other evidence of intention to return home);

3. do you know her? (they may also want some evidence that you've known each other for a while, it's a relationship and you've not just picked her up in a bar - I'm not saying you did, by the way)

If you/she can do these three, you should be okay unless there's been some other problem, for example if another country has refused her a visa before.

One advantage of applying for a Swiss visa is the absence of big queues of hopefuls waiting outside: if you have to go to the British Embassy, which is directly opposite the Swiss, you look longingly across at the peaceful, quiet, unstressed Swiss Embassy entrance with just two or three people waiting, at most.

There's quite a lot of 'international' (ie: English-language) MBA courses being offered at universities/colleges in the Bangkok area already, I'm afraid, Chopthai!!! Even out-of-Bangkok universities like Webster (main campus in Hua Hin) and Naresuan (main campus in Phitsanulok) now have small campuses in BKK offering evening/weekend MBA classes to tap into the large Bangkok workers' market. Quite a few have got there already before you!

You might try places such as: Srinakarinwirot University [try swu.ac.th], University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce [try utcc.ac.th] and Dhurakijipundit University [try dpu.ac.th] as I don't think they currently offer international MBA programmes - but I'm not 100% sure. I don't have contact details of people there, I'm afraid. You could also try a few former Rajabhats which have recently been granted university status, such as Suan Dusit and Phranakorn.

Here a phrase to use with your wife อย่าจู้จี้ - ya joo jee - don't nag!

Scouse.

Have you ever known a woman not nag

^ I guess he means a PGCE, Ken, so it would be a 9-10 month course. You shouldn't have many problems getting a decent job here with a PGCE + 5 years experience, CareBear, and at an international school too. The Ministry of Education should be falling over themselves to give you a teaching licence.

^ Nice work! Your proposal could be a runner then, Costas. Good luck.

^ There doesn't usually seem to be an interview with these 'drop box' applications, they just give you a visa when you come back - as happened with the wife who got what we wanted, a 2-year multiple entry visitors' visa. When they take your papers where the security guards are, near the entrance (there is no "box" as such) they also take your phone number in case there are any difficulties, but they don't give you any indication whether your visa will be granted or not. So, I guess it's possible that they could call you back for a later interview if they have any outstanding queries.

As far as I can see the 'drop box' is a dry run for the planned contracting-out of all visa applications that the Embassy is due to implement soon. Gone will be the days of 'turn up and get the visa the same day' and large hordes inside the Embassy.