non b visa and work permit rules for foreigners teaching in Thailand

[Megha]

I've gotten myself into a knotted situation and I'm not sure how to get out of it. 

 

Here's the story- I arrived in Thailand last year December 2019. I bagged a job In January with a well established bilingual school in Bangkok. I was offered a very good salary considering I am a non native English teacher from India and it was not specifically the hiring season so far as schools are concerned. I considered myself extremely lucky and I received a one year contract plus full support from the school to return back to India and apply for a non b visa which would in the long run be converted into a work permit by them. 

I returned back to India in February.

I finally obtained my non b visa on the 3^rd of March and informed the school right away that I was ready to join them on 9^th March for Summer School. However they were quiet ambiguous about my final move to book return tickets. The first excuse was Corona Virus and second they mentioned something about a headcount planning.

 

I was of course perturbed by their hunky dory attitude however had no choice but to wait until I receive further notice.

 

Eventually after a long wait this is what the HR communicates to me over an email

“After our School management team discussed we regret to inform you that we will need to terminate the hiring contact because the School has received the parents' concern regarding English native speakers necessary as our School standard. 

In addition, the School summer program will start on 9th March, but according to Covid-19 (coronavirus) situation in Thailand, the people who traveled abroad need 14-days to observe even not from the risk countries because we work with the children and health care is the first priority to concern”.

 

I am absolutely stunned, dazed and confused.

 

What about my non b visa now? Knowing that this school was my sponsorer.

Will I be able to obtain a new job with the current visa or do I have to return to India and start over?

 finally obtained my non b visa on the 3rd of March and informed the school right away that I was ready to join them on 9th March for Summer School. However they were quiet ambiguous about my final move to book return tickets. The first excuse was Corona Virus and second they mentioned something about a headcount planning.

 

I was of course perturbed by their hunky dory attitude however had no choice but to wait until I receive further notice.

 

Eventually after a long wait this is what the HR communicates to me over an email

“After our School management team discussed we regret to inform you that we will need to terminate the hiring contact because the School has received the parents' concern regarding English native speakers necessary as our School standard. 

In addition, the School summer program will start on 9th March, but according to Covid-19 (coronavirus) situation in Thailand, the people who traveled abroad need 14-days to observe even not from the risk countries because we work with the children and health care is the first priority to concern”.

 

I am absolutely stunned, dazed and confused.

 

What about my non b visa now? Knowing that this school was my sponsorer.

Will I be able to obtain a new job with the current visa or do I have to return to India and start over?

[Puchaiyank]

Don't take it personally.  It is a prudent school business decision under the present circumstances...

[Megha]

Ok fair enough.

What about my visa now? Can I get a job with another school with the same visa?

[ubonjoe]

24 minutes ago, Megha said:

Can I get a job with another school with the same visa?

Is the name of the school noted on your non-b visa?

If yes you would have to get written permission from the school to use it at another one.

[Isaanbiker]

OP, I don't think that you could use your Non-B visa for any other school.

 

  The documents that were issued are from the first school, and if you don't start your job, the visa can easily be useless. 

 

  Regarding the virus, most schools have scrapped their summer camps, especially the schools for younger students.

 

 It seems that you had bad luck and they've found a native English speaker at the last minute.

 

 Do not take it personally.

 

Try to find another job; the hiring season has not even really started.

 

Best of luck! 

 

 

[Colabamumbai]

Ubonjoe is correct. 

[rosst]

1 hour ago, Colabamumbai said:

Ubonjoe is correct. 

As usual, you guys are the Gurus 

[khunPer]

4 hours ago, Colabamumbai said:

Ubonjoe is correct. 

Ubonjoe is always correct...????

[Baerboxer]

 

Two points. A lot of schools have cancelled their summer schools which normally take place during the summertime school holidays due to Corvid 19. All the ones I know have.

 

However, the main point is the parents. For example, my daughter's bilingual school charge a premium because all foreign teachers are native English speakers, with appropriate qualifications and experience. Late 2018 the school, like many others, had recruitment issues of foreigners, and so employed some Filipinos and Filipinas. Several parents arranged a meeting with the school senior management and complained their children couldn't understand these teachers and pressure was applied to replace them.

 

Having lived and worked in India, I know that some regional accents are very strong and hard to understand. That doesn't imply you are like that. But to a non English student learning English they need to hear and learn correctly how to pronounce. 

 

Sorry, but it does seem like they've had other non native teachers and are responding to parents' negative reactions to such. 

 

Little you can do.

[varun]

Unfortunate that you got side-lined - it's highly possible the school hired you as backup,

and dropped you once they found a NES who would actually be hired for the job.

 

There is a way that you salvage something out of this unfavorable situation.

Although, you can't use this same non-B visa to teach at another school,

there is nothing stopping you from using this non-B visa to enter Thailand.

These single-entry non-B visas can't be cancelled, so you could use the 90-days period to stay in Thailand & find another job.

If you do find one within the 90-day period, and have to go back to India to get a new non-B,

the existing Non-B will get cancelled automatically.