I hold a US teaching certificate and I want to go to BKK for a year to teach. It seems like taking a job site unseen is a crazy thing to do, but in order to get a non-immigrant B visa it may be necessary.

What I'd like to do is come to BKK, get settled and negotiate the best job possible, in person. Can I come in with good qualifications without a job and get a non-b? Should I take a job and decide if I want it once I get here? Does anyone have any experience with the Thai Embassy in NYC in this situation?

Thanks.

NYC is a tough Consulate. Most will want to see a letter from a school before granting a non-immigrant B visa. Get the job then go to Penang.

Maybe I've been lucky but IME I've found New York pretty cool! LA, Washington and New Orleans on the other hand....painful!

They follow the rulles to the letter Ken. I was merely warning the poster that without a letter from the school there'd be no visa. I wasn't trying to impugn

the character of the good people that work there. Sorry if I gave the wrong impression.

Get a 2 month tourist visa from the consulate.

Come to LOS Land of Smiles and get your job.

There always seem to be Inernational schools looking for teachers around the beginning of the school year - September.

Check out the internet as well as many schools have web sites.

Then take a trip to Penang of KL to get the Non-Immigrant visa, armed with the letter of appointment from the school.

Good luck

Thanks. I was hoping to avoid a visa run, but it seems like the best way to go about getting a legal visa.

Pearl, dont get caught working on a Tourist Visa, you will be arrested, jailed and deported, probably sent home in a box

Thanks. I was hoping to avoid a visa run, but it seems like the best way to go about getting a legal visa.

Get a letter of offer from a school. That'll get you over the visa line, and if you don't like the school. look elsewhere. Neither you or your visa are tied to a school until you are contracted.

Pearl, you can do it as you say (without having the job first).

1) Coming as a tourist, get the job and the letter and other info from them needed then to go outside Thailand to get the non-Ii-b visa and then come back and apply for the wp and 1 year visa.

or

2) Get now a non-i-b and once here find the job and apply for the wp and 1 year visa with the final company. Here you save yourself having to travel outisde and come back. This is because you cannot convert from a tourist status to a working status. You can only do so if you are in the Kingdom with a non-i-b. The only issue here is that you need a local company to send you the letter and other forms that you will take to the consulate over there to apply for the non-i-b.