On 6/9/2021 at 4:50 PM, connda said:

I have yet to see a "volunteer" teaching job that isn't being offered by a supposed non-profit who wants to charge you some outrageous amount of money, like thousands of USD, for the privilege of you providing them with free labor and your skills for their personal use.  And then you are more than likely working illegally without a work permit.
Best of luck with that.

Absolutely correct.

 

It's a daily annoyance for me when I get bored that I could happily be volunteering a few days a week at the local school. Just yesterday I was asked to tutor a friends 2 children for which they wanted to pay me. I explained as I have done many times since arriving at my village that on a retirement visa it's not possible. I would do it in a heartbeat and FOC but still not allowed.

 

In my opinion it is not worth the risk of some local with a grudge reporting you for 'working', for free or otherwise.

 

 

42 minutes ago, Saltire said:

Just yesterday I was asked to tutor a friends 2 children

Just do it. Nothing wrong with helping out.

 

42 minutes ago, Saltire said:

In my opinion it is not worth the risk of some local with a grudge reporting you for 'working', for free or otherwise.

How would they know what you are doing and why would they have any grudge?

27 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

Just do it. Nothing wrong with helping out.

 

How would they know what you are doing and why would they have any grudge?

I guarantee if I did it for one family many would ask the same. I was inundated when I moved here with offers to teach privately and by each successive school principal.

 

It is well reported that a few people have been sent home for illegaly working without pay (volunteeering). Yes you could get away with it 99% of the time but to risk being in the 1% for me is not worth the risk. Even if I got the OK from the local IO, that could change in a heartbeat. Not worth it.

 

I volunteered for 5 years in Cambodia before I came here, no special visa requirements, as you say many just want to help out.

 

8 minutes ago, Saltire said:

I guarantee if I did it for one family many would ask the same. I was inundated when I moved here with offers to teach privately and by each successive school principal.

 

It is well reported that a few people have been sent home for illegaly working without pay (volunteeering). Yes you could get away with it 99% of the time but to risk being in the 1% for me is not worth the risk. Even if I got the OK from the local IO, that could change in a heartbeat. Not worth it.

 

I volunteered for 5 years in Cambodia before I came here, no special visa requirements, as you say many just want to help out.

 

You are not working. You are helping out family and friends.

 

I have not seen any reports of people being sent home for volunteering.

5 hours ago, Hanuman2547 said:

In your case perhaps you should have focused more on international schools that had an American curriculum.  They are out there especially in Bangkok 

These too were tried and were picky, e.g. Common Core experience, and K-12 state licensure in specific subjects, usually science and math, and rarely English. Surely my MA and years of experience with references count for something? Not that I found.

 

Anyway, I'm glad to have put BKK behind me. Still good for an occasional weekend, but not my everyday life. As mentioned, one can negotiate a higher than avg salary in certain situations out in the provinces, and with this plus online tutoring, and minus the BKK hassles, hi-so attitudes, and higher cost of living, one can do rather well out here.

Troll post removed.  

 

Just get a retirement visa.. If you want to live in Thailand. 50K is plenty, and much more than most of them are paid.  There is no doubt you could get a job... And almost no doubt it would kind of suck, especially when you consider paperwork hassles.  Their interest in learning English has been on the decline for 15 years+.  Lower pay than before.. more Filipinos, Africans, Eastern Europeans.  Yes, they still prefer the white face, but not as much as saving 50% on salaries.