Cancelling ED Visa before getting in trouble?

[Raffy]

Hi all, 

 

I've been studying Thai since December 2017 on ED Visa, but I haven't been to classes in about 6 weeks now (Since the beginning of February 2018). I love learning Thai, the classes are easy and fun and I've learned many words and phrases, how to count, etc. I love it.

 

The long and short of it is I lost my online job from America and I've been struggling to support myself with no money. I don't have a motorbike, so to get to school twice a week to study I have to pay for Uber/Taxi rides which cost me 130 THB to 180 THB each way to and from school, for a total of four trips a week. That's a lot of money for me in this situation and I would rather have that money for food and water and coins for laundry.

 

Before I get in trouble with my School and they possibly report to Immigration I've not been attending classes, should I just face facts that I'm not cut out to make it without a traditional job in Thailand anymore and cancel my ED Visa and beg/borrow for a flight back to America until I get my act together? I really feel like a failure and I'm losing face in front of my girlfriend here who knows how hard I've been struggling to just have money for basics like food and water.

 

What should I do? I need help because I'm lost.

[darrendsd]

Talk to your school, explain the situation, most schools have a "special relationship" with Immigration, i'm sure you know what that means 

[Raffy]

Thank you @darrendsd although I worry because I don't know how long this is going to last, and if I ever will get back on my feet in time

[darrendsd]

4 minutes ago, Raffy said:

Thank you @darrendsd although I worry because I don't know how long this is going to last, and if I ever will get back on my feet in time

Do not tell your school or Immigration you were working, even though working online here is tolerated by Immigration it won't help your cause by telling them or the school

[Raffy]

Okay very good, thank you!!! 

[pearciderman]

When does your visa or extension run out ? That is very important.

 

You won't be getting a new extension as you have not attended class, and the "special relationship" that was mentioned costs money - and you clearly don't have 2 Satang to rub together.

 

You did not plan your trip here very well, you failed to have enough back-up funds if needed or a second source of income.

 

Best bet - go home, save some money and maybe try again.

[Suradit69]

14 hours ago, Raffy said:

I'm losing face in front of my girlfriend here who knows how hard I've been struggling to just have money for basics like food and water.

In what way are you struggling to "have" money if you're unemployed? Interesting that you're concerned about losing face  and that your posting tag line is "No Money, No Honey."

 

Ask someone at home to buy you a ticket back to the US, go home and get your act together. Unless you plan on winning the lottery or, equally unlikely, you qualify to teach English (legally), there don't seem to be many solutions to your money problems.

 

If you wait until immigration discovers that you no longer qualify for your extension or your  permission to stay from a visa entry ends, you could find yourself in an even more unpleasant situation.

[Letseng]

"Uber/Taxi rides which cost me 130 THB to 180 THB each way"

 

Bangkok has buses too. Fares cost a few Baht. You require longer travelling time but you are not working.....

[Martian]

6 minutes ago, Letseng said:

"Uber/Taxi rides which cost me 130 THB to 180 THB each way"

 

Bangkok has buses too. Fares cost a few Baht. You require longer travelling time but you are not working.....

Yes, this.

[DipStick]

These threads have many posters who seem to relish talking about their overstays or working whilst on tourist visas.

The OP of this thread comes through as a worried and concerned "student" on an ED Visa and seems to be asking for genuine advice on how not too fall foul of Thai Immigration rules and regulations.

He did however admit to "working" on line so he could come over as a little naive.

i agree with those who suggest he informs his school of his issues, borrows the money to return to his home country, regroup and come back and try again, but this time more financially secure.

Rightly or wrongly, it appears to me that Immigration are clamping down on visa retards and the very porous ED Visa  has to be very close to being purged .

[pearciderman]

19 minutes ago, DipStick said:

The OP of this thread comes through as a worried and concerned "student" on an ED Visa and seems to be asking for genuine advice on how not too fall foul of Thai Immigration rules and regulations.

 

Maybe attending classes that are the very reason for his visa would be a good start.

[DipStick]

14 minutes ago, pearciderman said:

 

Maybe attending classes that are the very reason for his visa would be a good start.

Agreed, but isn't that the reason for his post. He recognises this fact but finances "appear" to hinder him

[mstevens]

You're going to need an income so whether you choose to pursue legal work in Thailand, back in America or somewhere else, your priority should be on pursuing employment.  Your visa status is the last of your worries at this time and your financial situation is perilous and unsustainable.  You need to get a job and an income and that is where your priority should be.  Good luck!

[pearciderman]

5 minutes ago, mstevens said:

Your visa status is the last of your worries at this time

 

Apart from the 500 Baht a day overstay fine and possible blacklisting!

 

 

[tubby johnson]

4 hours ago, Letseng said:

"Uber/Taxi rides which cost me 130 THB to 180 THB each way"

 

Bangkok has buses too. Fares cost a few Baht. You require longer travelling time but you are not working.....

There's more to Thailand than Bangkok.

[JackThompson]

21 hours ago, Raffy said:

The long and short of it is I lost my online job from America and I've been struggling to support myself with no money. ...

 

Before I get in trouble with my School and they possibly report to Immigration I've not been attending classes, should I just face facts that I'm not cut out to make it without a traditional job in Thailand anymore and cancel my ED Visa and beg/borrow for a flight back to America until I get my act together?

 

If you hate the idea of returning to the USA as much as I would, consider going to Cambodia, instead.   The cost of living in the USA is way out of whack with quality of life and, absent savings, the cost of airfare back here from there could leave you feeling really "stuck in hell."  I would return there only if you know you can get good work - not a position already being being handed to foreigners on work-visas, who will work 7 days a week plus overnights for free, for 1/2 what an American earned before their arrival.  Note that the new administration, to spite all the promises, is making exactly zero effort to remove foreign-nationals from American's former careers, except if they commit some sort of felony offense.

 

So what to do?  A cheap room in Phnom Penh can be had for under $100/mo.  If you can eat fresh fish or chicken, veggies, and rice - buy a little rice-cooker there, and food can be under $2/day.   Make sure you are walking-distance from some local market (can be a small one) where fresh (often live a minute before) fish and veggies are sold.  Buy water in 5-gallon jugs - not little expensive bottles. 

 

Income?  You can teach English in Cambodia with minimal-credentials - they primarily are looking for Native English speakers as the pre-requisite.  You will notice that, to spite the "lax credentials, the children there speak much better English than in Thailand.  Most of the kids there in your classes will actually want to learn English - so many who have taught in Thailand say they enjoy teaching there much more than here.  Doing this part-time can provide survival + savings income, until such time as you are making good-money from your online-work, again.

 

As to the online-work - have you tried Upwork and similar?  Not sure what your skills are, but there are several companies where you can place bids for various types of work.   You did not mention your credentials/experience, so hard to be more specific on this.

 

Quote

I really feel like a failure and I'm losing face in front of my girlfriend here who knows how hard I've been struggling to just have money for basics like food and water.

If she really loves you, she will wait while you spend a few months in Cambodia (maybe 6?) getting your income happening, again.  Don't return until you have at least a couple months savings in the bank, though.  Since you have an ED visa in your passport, I'd also get a new passport from the US-Consulate before returning.

 

Note, at one point while living in SE Asia, some years ago, my business lost a couple major clients, and I had to think fast, to avoid draining savings.  A couple cheap months in Phnom Penh will really motivate one to get one's income flowing again.

 

And, as others mentioned, don't take taxis - take buses - even cheaper than the faster trains, which are still cheaper than taxis.  Learning the Bangkok bus system is an "education" in and of itself, and will contribute to your learning some Thai.  Use "uber" for a worst-case - if you get completely lost, it is late at night, and you really need to get home.

 

Whatever you do - do NOT overstay your current "permission of stay" date.  Buses to Cambodia are not expensive - overstaying is.

[greenchair]

You will have to concede and do what all of us "I don't have a degree in anything and I have no prospects of a job ".

Teach English. 

 Some of the language centers can set you up with a tefl and wp in no time. Fun language is a great place to start. 

I opened a small room for 3000 baht a month. I don't advertise or anything, but I charged 150 an hour and before I knew it had 10 learners a class. I now charge 2800 per hour and they must find the members themselves. 

If someone leaves their fee goes up, mine never goes down. 

I called both the labour department and immigration. They said if I don't have a sign, keep it small and quiet, don't worry about it. They said they don't have time to go around busting all the foreigners teaching privately. You can probably survive on tourist visas for awhile until you sort yourself out. I went through a few years of eating rice and fried egg because I had no money. Im now middle income and just fine.You'll get through this a stronger person. Everything will be better soon. 

 

[Raffy]

Here's an Update 10/5/2018

 

I saved my own ass. I found an English teaching online gig from my apartment, and magically I now have money again and can go to school like normal every week, I didn't crash and burn like I thought would happen, and I didn't have to run back to America in defeat.

 

Thank you everyone for the input. 

[anon789561]

21 minutes ago, Raffy said:

Here's an Update 10/5/2018

 

I saved my own ass. I found an English teaching online gig from my apartment, and magically I now have money again and can go to school like normal every week, I didn't crash and burn like I thought would happen, and I didn't have to run back to America in defeat.

 

Thank you everyone for the input. 

well done mate. sometimes life can get tough and it's understandable to panic in those times but there's usually a way as you have shown

** not sure if you could get away with this now but others may know but might be worth considering and will depend on your locality. i'm going back about 20 years so things may have changed but i taught at a high school and hated it basically, i was out ngamwongwan at the time. my condo block was all thai and i went to the local mall and printed cards on a machine there and just went through my building sticking them under doors for conversational english. had plenty of students in no time, just taught at home. easy money back then but may be risky now. got out of teaching after a few months as i got another opportunity and wasn't particularly good at it.

anyway, good luck