US diploma stamped at Thai embassy?

[Crazy Alex]

My wife (Thai national, probably doesn't matter) and I are planning to pretty much live in Thailand this year. I figure I'd just hang out for six months or so before perhaps pursuing an opportunity in teaching. I came very close to doing so before. What I remember is getting my US degree stamped in the state it was issued. I got my police check certified as well and planned to come to Thailand with these items to streamline the process. So I messaged a company offering jobs and figured I'd refresh my memory.

 

Anyway, the lady answers back that I should get my diploma stamped at the Thai embassy before coming here. Does this sound right?

[unheard]

To legalize US documents:

 

1. Must be certified by the Secretary of State from the state in which the document was executed

2. Then certified by the United States Department of State

 

Only then it could be authenticated by the local Thai consulate or embassy.

 

 

[flinc2020]

Yeah, this is one of the reasons why so many teachers left China when they brought this type of thing in. Its fine if you aare back home and planning to move but if you are already 'in country' and trying to move jobs/find a job it's a nightmare! Basically I was looking at having to Fedex my documents (Diploma, Police check, TESOL cert) back to a notary in the UK, pay 25GBP per document for the notarization, then pay for them to be Fedexed to the Foreign and Commonwealth office and pay 80GBP for the apostille, then pay to fedex them to the Chinese Embassy to be "Legalised" by someone there then pay the Fedex fee to get them back to me. Total turnaround time 6 weeks - 3 months, total cost around 1000 GBP. Now that was to be able to reapply for the Foregn Expert Certificate I had already held for 4 years! (Lazy, anti-laowai school administrator refused to just do the annual extension because it would take 'too long'). Now they are bringing it in here. WHY?? In a country that obviously doesn't care about education? (If they DID care they'd drop that stupid "no fail" policy so the kids would be forced to learn to get a passing grade.) I really think they are following Uncle Chin in this without realising/caring that it will cause more of a shortage of teachers than they already have. I was lucky with my stuff in China because I could send it all back to one country (never figured out why the TESOL cert had to go to the UK since I trained and qualified in Beijing??), my mate wasn't so lucky - Police Check = England, University Diploma = Eire, TESOL cert. = Madrid. It's an expensive and time consuming process.

[yankee99]

21 hours ago, unheard said:

To legalize US documents:

 

1. Must be certified by the Secretary of State from the state in which the document was executed

2. Then certified by the United States Department of State

 

Only then it could be authenticated by the local Thai consulate or embassy.

 

 

Ive never heard of the Secretary of State certifying documents 

[Crazy Alex]

51 minutes ago, yankee99 said:

Ive never heard of the Secretary of State certifying documents 

I forgot about it, but now remember doing so.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/records-and-authentications/authenticate-your-document/authentication-certificate-requirements.html

22 hours ago, unheard said:

To legalize US documents:

 

1. Must be certified by the Secretary of State from the state in which the document was executed

2. Then certified by the United States Department of State

 

Only then it could be authenticated by the local Thai consulate or embassy.

 

 

Thanks for refreshing my memory on the State Department authentication. I hope they don't make me get authentication from local Thai embassy. I would definitely have to do that by mail. Lots of crossing fingers involved there.

[ubonjoe]

11 hours ago, Crazy Alex said:

Thanks for refreshing my memory on the State Department authentication.

There is work around for the authentication. You could do a affidavit at the US embassy stating your diploma is true and correct as a self certification of it. Then have the your diploma and the affidavit translated and certied by the Department of Consular Affairs of the MFA in Bangkok.

Form this page of the embassy website. https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/notaries-public/

"Affidavits
Oftentimes the Thai government requests the U.S. Embassy or Consulate General Chiang Mai “certify” documents listed under “services we cannot provide.” Please note the Embassy and Consulate CAN notarize an affidavit which may or may not satisfy the Thai requirement for “certification.”

[Number 6]

From my personal experience and what I've gathered Americans are sort of exempt from this although they may want a letter certifying your degree. I've worked at half dozen top schools and never been hassled for that. I think it's mostly a British thing. My guess is there were a number of forgeries. You might not have to do the security check either.

 

Get on an O visa first and do not let them convert to B. Find another school.

 

Go get a job then let them worry about it. Sounds like you don't need the income.

 

Don't bother teaching upcountry. Don't take a satang less than 36.5 for first year. Change schools every two years and get minimum of 20% per hop. Don't teach outside Bangkok it's just not worth the money.

[Crazy Alex]

3 hours ago, Number 6 said:

From my personal experience and what I've gathered Americans are sort of exempt from this although they may want a letter certifying your degree. I've worked at half dozen top schools and never been hassled for that. I think it's mostly a British thing. My guess is there were a number of forgeries. You might not have to do the security check either.

 

Get on an O visa first and do not let them convert to B. Find another school.

 

Go get a job then let them worry about it. Sounds like you don't need the income.

 

Don't bother teaching upcountry. Don't take a satang less than 36.5 for first year. Change schools every two years and get minimum of 20% per hop. Don't teach outside Bangkok it's just not worth the money.

This also makes sense. Based on what you've posted, I'm making a wild guess and saying the employers who ask for all this are simply making their lives easy and asking everyone for the same level of documentation, regardless of what country they are fun.

 

All good, I will just come as prepared as possible.

[ChouDoufu]

On 5/29/2020 at 7:46 PM, flinc2020 said:

Yeah, this is one of the reasons why so many teachers left China when they brought this type of thing in. Its fine if you aare back home and planning to move but if you are already 'in country' and trying to move jobs/find a job it's a nightmare! Basically I was looking at having to Fedex my documents (Diploma, Police check, TESOL cert) back to a notary in the UK, pay 25GBP per document for the notarization, then pay for them to be Fedexed to the Foreign and Commonwealth office and pay 80GBP for the apostille, then pay to fedex them to the Chinese Embassy to be "Legalised" by someone there then pay the Fedex fee to get them back to me. Total turnaround time 6 weeks - 3 months, total cost around 1000 GBP. Now that was to be able to reapply for the Foregn Expert Certificate I had already held for 4 years! (Lazy, anti-laowai school administrator refused to just do the annual extension because it would take 'too long'). Now they are bringing it in here. WHY?? In a country that obviously doesn't care about education? (If they DID care they'd drop that stupid "no fail" policy so the kids would be forced to learn to get a passing grade.) I really think they are following Uncle Chin in this without realising/caring that it will cause more of a shortage of teachers than they already have. I was lucky with my stuff in China because I could send it all back to one country (never figured out why the TESOL cert had to go to the UK since I trained and qualified in Beijing??), my mate wasn't so lucky - Police Check = England, University Diploma = Eire, TESOL cert. = Madrid. It's an expensive and time consuming process.

 

not to change the topic, but that long process is no longer needed in china.  (for some, depends if they have access to your national college database)  they've gone full china 4.0 -- there is now an online system where you can have your diploma certified without mailing documents or getting multiple stamps.  it's been a thing for at least three years.

 

upload a scan of your diploma and enter the appropriate information, takes 3 weeks or so, and costs 350 RMB.