paully

4. Get out of TEFLing. It's not a long term plan. Even with years of experience, you may join a new school on the bottom salary. The same as a backpacker. Unfair but true.

Exactly, mark. Seconded.

I came here aged 32 with a modest amount of savings behind me and now have a better quality of life than friends & colleagues of a similar age still in the UK.

I live in a 3-bedroom newly built house, drive a new car, pay hardly any tax, pay very little for electric/water/gas/telephone, have 13 weeks paid holiday per year, can have a nice night out for 1000baht etc and all this on about a third of what I used to earn.

With the greatest possible respect, skyblue, you don't sound like the average TEFL teacher coming to Thailand in his twenties to live (like the OP). Good on you if you're contented and have all you reasonably need, not everyone will be in that fortunate position.

I am in the same position

take a tip out of the the Thai's book and think about today... I wouldn't want to go back to the UK if i could carry on carrying on.

But you have to have some sort of long-term plan in mind, Murf, not just drift along.

Briggsy's comments are right on the money, for yourself (with respect) as much as for the OP. TEFL teaching in Thailand is fun...for a while. Then you have to move on.

In order to do that you have to have some real transferable skills or a new qualification.

He is a complete MUPPET and mean it in both senses a PUPPET and a MUPPET he ruined the UK and should go and crawl under a rock

DK

I'm much of your opinion, Diamond. Why on earth does anyone pay this unscrupulous, perma-tanned clown to advise them on anything?

You might as well ask the average foreign tourist what he thinks about Thailand. At least you'd get a genuine opinion without spin and self-serving nonsense. A lot cheaper, too.

In the old days, I don't recall haveing a AS. 2 years after O level, I took A level.

Q1 Can my child complete his/her A level in one sitting (rather than split into 2)? I.e. Take the AS and A2 paper at the same time?

Q2 Will 3 good A level be good enough (like the old days), or do good universities now need 3 A level + 1 AS as a requirement?

AS and A2 was brought in in 2000 under that nice Mr Blair. It would be extremely difficult to take the AS and A2 at the same time if your child had not covered the curriculum for each fully.

However, they are modular, ie there are two modules for each AS and 2 modules for each A2, each of which is assessed by an exam or by coursework. Modules can be taken - and retaken - in January and May/June of each year.

3 good A levels (AS+A2) will suffice for 'good' universities, but it is done on UCAS points for each level and subject. Some unis accept General Studies, some don't.

Jeeeeeez. The link you supply is now the amended version. Hence why the act does not NOW show any reference to severance pay (compensation).

Previous act did allow for it.

Jeeeeez. What - do you suppose - does 'remuneration' cover in Section 86 of the Act in relation to 'the law on labor protection'? The key word in your post is severance pay. Why would 'pay' not be covered by the term remuneration? Please explain.

The specific act is the Private Schools Act BE 2550 which at that time allowed for severance pay. However, the right to severance pay was removed by the amendment to the Private School Act (No.2) BE 2554. Nor do you have guaranteed rights to amount of sick pay (and duration of) or holidays. Those are benefits which vary from school to school.

As far as I can see, the wording of Section 86 - as amended by the Private School Act (No.2) BE 2554 you refer to - is as haltes referred to it in his earlier post. Where then is the specific removal of the right to severance pay?

PRIVATE SCHOOL ACT

B.E. 2550 (2007)

(As Amended by the Private School Act (No. 2) B.E. 2554)

http://www.ctlo.com/mediacenter/Publications/2011-03-28-PrivateSchoolAct-En.pdf

You have NO chance of severance pay or any other protection parts of the Thai Labour Law.

Do you know this - or merely believe it?

Are you intimating that teachers in private schools in Thailand are therefore reduced to the level of slaves with no legal rights? Curious.

But the rights of a teacher at this kind of school cannot be less than those as prescribed under the labor protection provisions....

However, the Director, teachers and educational personnel of a Formal School shall receive remunerations not less than those prescribed in the law on labor protection

Precisely, haltes. The Act (in its English translation at least) is poorly worded, but to assume that teachers in private schools have none of the rights afforded to workers elsewhere is wide of the mark. Naturally, some school owners and directors are keen to encourage this view, though.

See the other similar thread started yesterday.

The real cost of processing a UK settlement visa is given as £391 in 2011, yet the cost is £810. Why? Because they can charge what they like. Complain if you like, they don't care.

Looks like he may be eligible for citizenship if he had the 'right of abode' in the UK:

"How to tell if you are a British citizen

If you were born before 1 January 1983

On 1 January 1983, you became a British citizen if both of these applied:

• you were a citizen of the UK and Colonies on 31 December 1982
  
• you had the 'right of abode' in the UK
  

'Right of abode' means you:

• are entirely free from UK Immigration Control and don’t need to get permission from an Immigration Officer to enter the UK
  
• can live and work in the UK without restriction
  

This includes people who:

• were born in the UK
  
• were born in a British colony and had the right of abode in the UK
  
• have been naturalised in the UK
  
• had registered as a citizen of the UK and Colonies
  
• could prove legitimate descent from a father to whom one of these applies
  

People who had the right to live in the UK but not the 'right of abode' did not become British citizens."

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Passports/WhoiseligibleforaBritishpassport/DG_174145

The OP's wife has been to the UK twice already. Sorry, I had assumed that they would know by now if they wanted to settle in the UK or not.

Yes, this is a fair point - a holiday in the UK's not cheap either. But, if she's still in two minds I guess she should go ahead.

There'll probably be an appeal, though. Personally, I'm with the judge on this one.

Of course it's something of a gimmick. And it has attracted some attention so perhaps it has worked for PC Air.

Show us your meat and 2 veg..

still difficult to get into the top international schools. I have heard that there are loads of applications for each position and it is highly competitive.

Yes, that certainly seems to be true - there's no guaranteed way around it, unless you happen to know the 'right' contacts. I only wish that I did..

I am thinking of returning to Thailand and find a job in the 70,000 baht a month range. Could make another 10 - 20,000 if i did some privates.

Arid, bite the bullet and concentrate on gaining UK teaching experience after your PGCE before heading abroad. Yes, you could try for a 60-70K baht job at a 'lesser' international school, but a position in these isn't guaranteed armed with only a PGCE and frankly you'd be wasted at those sorts of schools. Read about them on the internet. As for adding privates on top of that, who wants to work themselves into the ground?

With the greatest possible respect to you, coming from someone now in their 6th year of post-PGCE teaching in the UK, you're still in your first term. You ain't learned nuthin' yet. That's why the top international schools are willing to pay for the right experience. And that's not from only the 'lesser' Thai international schools.

I can't see any country's immigration people being happy with copies these days, certified or otherwise.

You can see it, if the person concerned is not actually in the country. The original passport will, of course, be required when they are ready to put the stamp in. For the application itself, a certified copy should suffice for consideration of said application. Naturally, it would be much easier and quicker if the OP's wife returned to Iceland asap with own original passport in hand ready to pop into an application envelope.

I should have thought that a certified copy of her passport should suffice. Have they told you that they need her actual passport and not a copy? If so,how can they expect this if she is not actually in the country?

what concerns me most - apart from the overstay - is how they will view the fact I have no job. I have around 18k in savings, but the immigration advisor we spoke to today wasn't very impressed with that. If I have to get a job and submit several months' wage slips she could be stranded there quite a while.

That level of savings should be okay, Derkerdog, especially if you can also submit evidence of your looking for a job and the level of salary you could realistically receive, ie copy job ads. Don't wait for the phone call from the entry clearance officer about your wife's overstay - explain it fully in the application she will submit. Good luck.

Best wishes to Helen and you too, Sue, in this difficult time for you.

A useful link but I would imagine that the OP will be aware that as legal wife, and next of kin, she can take out Letters of Administration and liquidate the estate (or whatever) for her benefit.

Yes. All his property will pass to the OP automatically, as she is the surviving spouse. Not a very difficult task to administrate. The OP shouldn't bother with a lawyer unless the estate is a very large one. All they'll do is slow things down and charge a fat fee.

Extending the stay to up to 6 months is okay. It's the working/being seen as working part that would be the problem.

We wont be employing her

You won't be employing her under a written employment contract, no. But if she is doing some child-minding for you and you are providing free board and lodging for her, it could easily be construed that an employment situation exists. Be careful.

^ She can stay for 6 months as a visitor visa has been granted. However, if she wishes to return to the UK for a later visit, she may need to explain why she stayed rather longer than was indicated on the form. She should not, of course, be carrying out any paid employment during her visit..