Education Visa For Scuba Diving

[Jareddiving]

Hi,

My son wants to become a scuba diving instructor here in Thailand.

He has to follow courses that will take him aprox 7-8 months.

Is it possible to get an education visa for him.

At the moment he is here on a tourist visa because he is visiting us.

Can he apply for this type of visa here in Thaiand or does he need to return to Holland to apply for it there?

Does anyone have more information on this?

Many Thanks!

[samran]

duplicate posts merged

[Cuban]

Is it possible to get an education visa for him.

I stand to be corrected - but it is my understanding that the 'Education Visa' is only valid if supported by a place of education that is specially registered to allow their course places to be filled by people from overseas on Education Visas - some schools are not registered therefore the courses offered there are not suitable for those wishing to use them to remain in the country.

Whether any dive school has the correct registration to support Education Visas I would be surprised.

I would suggest investigating a Work Permit.

[tropo]

Hi,

My son wants to become a scuba diving instructor here in Thailand.

He has to follow courses that will take him aprox 7-8 months.

Is it possible to get an education visa for him.

At the moment he is here on a tourist visa because he is visiting us.

Can he apply for this type of visa here in Thaiand or does he need to return to Holland to apply for it there?

Does anyone have more information on this?

Many Thanks!

The best people to ask would be the owners of the scuba school where your son intends to study.

[JohnC]

Contact a reputable dive school in the part of Thailand he wishes to live, they will advise on the correct procedure and yes it is possible to get an education visa to complete a dive master trainer course.

Edited April 25, 2008 by JohnC

[tropo]

Whether any dive school has the correct registration to support Education Visas I would be surprised.

I would suggest investigating a Work Permit.

What sort of advice is this?

You doubt a dive school would support an Education Visa so you recommend getting a work permit.

A work permit for what? He wants to study.

[Cuban]

You doubt a dive school would support an Education Visa so you recommend getting a work permit.

Please correct me - what dive school will provide/support an education visa?

If seeking to remain in country beyond the limits of a tourist visa and not in a position to apply for a Non-O on other grounds - a WP or simply a multiple entry Non - B might offer a solution.

I offered a suggestion in an effort to help the OP - I am glad that you also have such good spirit today.

I would expect the straight answer to be no - one can not remain in Thailand to 'study' diving.

My post has exactly the same value as yours - the cost of reading it.

[visarunner]

You doubt a dive school would support an Education Visa so you recommend getting a work permit.

I offered a suggestion in an effort to help the OP - I am glad that you also have such good spirit today.

I would expect the straight answer to be no - one can not remain in Thailand to 'study' diving.

Give it a try, a couple of weeks ago one of my friends got a One Year ED Multiple Entry Visa from a European Consulate for studying Muay Thai at a reputable school.

[naka]

Hi,

My son wants to become a scuba diving instructor here in Thailand.

He has to follow courses that will take him aprox 7-8 months.

Is it possible to get an education visa for him.

At the moment he is here on a tourist visa because he is visiting us.

Can he apply for this type of visa here in Thaiand or does he need to return to Holland to apply for it there?

Does anyone have more information on this?

Many Thanks!

No visa's of any sort are issued in Thailand ... Only extensions.

Naka.

[lopburi3]

If you qualify for extension of stay non immigrant visas can be issued by Immigration at a cost of 2,000 baht so that you can obtain an extension of stay (which requires a non immigrant visa) so it is not that black/white.

[tropo]

You doubt a dive school would support an Education Visa so you recommend getting a work permit.

Please correct me - what dive school will provide/support an education visa?

Are you sure that no dive school will provide/support an education visa?

How can a person who wishes to study diving get a work permit? A work permit for what?

[jstumbo]

You doubt a dive school would support an Education Visa so you recommend getting a work permit.

Please correct me - what dive school will provide/support an education visa?

Are you sure that no dive school will provide/support an education visa?

How can a person who wishes to study diving get a work permit? A work permit for what?

I think the confusion stems from the OP saying that he wanted to become a scuba instructor in Thailand. Question is, does he just want to have the training to become a scuba instructor, and then leave to go somewhere else to actually teach. Or is he saying that he want to be a scuba instructor in Thailand. If the latter, he would need a WP after finishing his training.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

You doubt a dive school would support an Education Visa so you recommend getting a work permit.

Please correct me - what dive school will provide/support an education visa?

Are you sure that no dive school will provide/support an education visa?

How can a person who wishes to study diving get a work permit? A work permit for what?

I think the confusion stems from the OP saying that he wanted to become a scuba instructor in Thailand. Question is, does he just want to have the training to become a scuba instructor, and then leave to go somewhere else to actually teach. Or is he saying that he want to be a scuba instructor in Thailand. If the latter, he would need a WP after finishing his training.

I hopre that he can explain diving better than his attempt to explain his situation.

[Cuban]

I think the OPs (Jared?) English is fine, in my experiance the Dutch speak great English as they have access to English broadcast TV.

My son wants to become a scuba diving instructor here in Thailand.

So it's quite clear the OP is not the one wishing to under go the course but his son is - and he(the son) is looking to carry out paid work in Thailand as an instructor once quailified in Thailand.

So let's look at my earlier slated WP post again - looking to work in Thailand in the future - looking to spent time here first training beyond the limits of a tourist visa - no mention of marrige or retirement options etc etc. Oh ! Maybe he could seek employment as a farang translator for a diving company while he trains then get his WP changed to cover teaching diving?

Nutteloze Mensen.

(edit - removed part of question already answered above)

Edited April 26, 2008 by Cuban

[falangstupid]

Hi there

Most 5-star IDC centres, that I know of will assist your son in getting a long education visa for the zero to hero programs etc. I think they issue those visas in Laos at the moment. Contact the dive centre for details. Standard procedure in Koh Tao and I think in Pattaya as well.

For work after the courses your son will of course need a work permit.

Good luck and happy diving

[MacWalen]

Hi,

My son wants to become a scuba diving instructor here in Thailand.

He has to follow courses that will take him aprox 7-8 months.

Is it possible to get an education visa for him.

At the moment he is here on a tourist visa because he is visiting us.

Can he apply for this type of visa here in Thaiand or does he need to return to Holland to apply for it there?

Does anyone have more information on this?

Many Thanks!

Hi, here are the answers.

1. Yes, it is possible to get him ED visa provided the school is registered with the MoE. If the school is not registered they will not be able to process the right paperwork for him. It takes between 2-3 weeks for all the paperwork to complete. Some businesses call themselves schools but they are not registered as schools. Also some schools may not know how to do the paperwork or might not be willing to do it as it takes a lot of work.

2. He does not need to return to Holland but he will not be able to change his visa status from tourist to student in Thailand either. If he obtains the right paperwork he will be be able to get his visa from Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia or other consutates in the region.

Hope it helps

Walen School, Mac

[chrisinthailand]

Hi,

My son wants to become a scuba diving instructor here in Thailand.

He has to follow courses that will take him aprox 7-8 months.

Is it possible to get an education visa for him.

At the moment he is here on a tourist visa because he is visiting us.

Can he apply for this type of visa here in Thaiand or does he need to return to Holland to apply for it there?

Does anyone have more information on this?

Many Thanks!

hi,i am currently in thailand and have qualified as a diving instructor in pattaya.i got a letter from the school were i was learning and as i am british when i was in england i posted the letter off with the application and a got an "ed"visa by return.i beleave you must go either to your country of origin for this or to malaysia.we currently have a dutch student and he had no problems.

i hope this helps

[toret]

I am quite sure your son can do PADI Open Water, Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver while he is there on his tourist visa.

By then he will probably have enough contacts to know how these things work ;-)

[bayrider]

Hi Andy,

My apologies for a rather opinionated reply. I was working on getting a Non Immigrant visa from the Los Angeles consulate and basically they told me they Never give it out, despite what it says on their website and what my friends told me. However, since it is Thailand it all has to do with MONEY. If you really want to get a non Immigrant ED visa, any Thai government approved THAI language school will be able to do the paperwork to get it. They will ask for $3k - $5k for their efforts. Of course even with that you might want to apply through the Washington DC embassy (given what Mac has said:-). My suggestion would be to get a work permit as other posters has recommended since I know of many dive schools that do employ foreigners to work and it’s a routine thing for them to do. My suggestion would be to let the dive school recommend the best strategy since they are the professionals. I think part of getting PADI instructor certified does involve quite a bit of working so getting a work permit is very reasonable.

Regards,

Bayrider

[jstumbo]

I am quite sure your son can do PADI Open Water, Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver while he is there on his tourist visa.

By then he will probably have enough contacts to know how these things work ;-)

I imagine you can also do Dive Master and Instructor in Thailand?

I came from Seattle, which is cold water diving. We always use drysuits because it is just too cold and miserable if you do it with a wetsuit. I worked out of a dive shop and we had a new instructor come to work at the shop. He had done all his certification in Hawaii. He did not last long. He had no skills with drysuits and was used to diving in water with hundreds of feet of visibility. Around Seattle, you are lucky to get 30 feet visibility. Nice diving though. Great to dive with Octopus the size of cars.

[RAZZELL]

I am quite sure your son can do PADI Open Water, Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver while he is there on his tourist visa.

By then he will probably have enough contacts to know how these things work ;-)

I imagine you can also do Dive Master and Instructor in Thailand?

I came from Seattle, which is cold water diving. We always use drysuits because it is just too cold and miserable if you do it with a wetsuit. I worked out of a dive shop and we had a new instructor come to work at the shop. He had done all his certification in Hawaii. He did not last long. He had no skills with drysuits and was used to diving in water with hundreds of feet of visibility. Around Seattle, you are lucky to get 30 feet visibility. Nice diving though. Great to dive with Octopus the size of cars.

Too be honest...I think the dive tuition in Thailand is nowhere near as good as what I've experienced in the UK.

Plus, as the above poster said, the conditions in Thailand give you a false sense of security. When it's pitch black and freezing, you have to know your stuff

Diving is a dangerous pastime. If it was my son, I would want him to have the best tuition and equipment possible. Something that's unlikely to happen in LOS

RAZZ

Edited April 27, 2008 by RAZZELL

[Maestro]

...If it was my son, I would want him to have the best tuition and equipment possible. Something that's unlikely to happen in LOS

That’s a strange thing to say. I should think that also Thailand has some excellent diving schools.

--

Maestro

[tracer5050]

A dive master, You can do that in a little as 60 days if you dive 3 time a week. Take a good international course. Why would you want a ED visa.

[Jareddiving]

I am quite sure your son can do PADI Open Water, Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver while he is there on his tourist visa.

By then he will probably have enough contacts to know how these things work ;-)

I imagine you can also do Dive Master and Instructor in Thailand?

I came from Seattle, which is cold water diving. We always use drysuits because it is just too cold and miserable if you do it with a wetsuit. I worked out of a dive shop and we had a new instructor come to work at the shop. He had done all his certification in Hawaii. He did not last long. He had no skills with drysuits and was used to diving in water with hundreds of feet of visibility. Around Seattle, you are lucky to get 30 feet visibility. Nice diving though. Great to dive with Octopus the size of cars.

Too be honest...I think the dive tuition in Thailand is nowhere near as good as what I've experienced in the UK.

Plus, as the above poster said, the conditions in Thailand give you a false sense of security. When it's pitch black and freezing, you have to know your stuff

Diving is a dangerous pastime. If it was my son, I would want him to have the best tuition and equipment possible. Something that's unlikely to happen in LOS

RAZZ

What a nonsense!! Not some of it.. All of it!

[Jareddiving]

I was talking about Razzel..

You probably never heard of course directors and platinum course directors have you..

And we have quite a lot of them in Thailand.

And about the equipment.. Then i suppose Apeks, Mares, Uwatec, Beuchat, Suunto etc, etc ... all manufacture bad equipment.

Btw diving isn't dangerous.. That is something from the past

[blocat]

I've done it last year

There is some good advice and some rubbish amongst these posts, the fact is he will need to get a non-imigrant type B multi entry visa from outside Thailand and the schools will usually sort out the paperwork included in the price. I don't know of any IDC (instructor development centre) who can qualify for the education visa, certainly none in Pattaya as far as I am aware. But some one will possibly correct me there.

If he is going from zero to hero (nothing to OWSI) it will take more than 6 months because you have to have been certified open water diver for six months (with 100 dives minimum) before you can even qualify to apply the instructors course

In that instance do open water with a falang owned school, (there's practically one from every nation out here) go home and get b visa come back and you can then do OWSI in 3-4 months depending on the school and your son

One thing to beware of is pricing they're all using different pricing strategys and bonus's, so be sure the price you get has no hidden surprises like exam fees and books etc, and be aware that the kit they offer for internships while good, is basic stuff, so be prepared to invest more to upgrade your kit if your son intends to be an instructor. If he is diligent (not getting pissed up every night) he will complete about 150-250 dives during the course so the basic stuff will get very worn, plus be prepared to buy extra kit he'll need as an instructor such as reels, tapes, ropes, spare masks, fins etc.

Lastly diving in Thailand: great place to learn, plenty of wrecks, strong currents to deal with and lousy visability (Pattaya) or Pattoilet as we call it, so his navigation skills we be good at the end, in 3 mtrs of vis it has to be good to find your way back to the bloody boat! If you go south to Phuket the vis is much better but they don't dive all year round there, another issue.

I'm gonna stick my neck out here and recommend british owned Aquanauts in Pattaya, I trained with them and heartily recommend them in terms of track record and standards, I do not work for them nor would I, that's a different issue, but from a training stand point their students constantly outstrip all the other Dive schools on practical skills and academics when it comes to exam time, and if your son is not up to the mark they'll boot him back to do it again until he is. Don't read too much into their job placement scheme though

[kkcheo]

I'm not related to Aquanauts in Pattaya in anyway, but their website does provide some useful information on this topic and also there's a link to thaivisa.com

http://www.divinginstructortraining.com/paradise/visa.asp

Cheers

-Keng

[Pattaya Diver]

I am from Aquanauts and several days ago I wrote a long and detailed post explaining that, in fact, any instructor training center in Thailand can now get ED visas even though they are not registered with the Education Ministry.

Whatever gods or powers that be around here deemed my post unworthy and deleted it without any notice to me. Nice welcome to the board. I can't be bothered to write it all out again, but I will be updating the page on my own site later with the real facts if anyone's interested.

I'd heard alot of negative stuff about this board and the way it's run and (overrun) by mods and habitual posters. Shame what I'd heard was proven right on my first post.

[KozureOkami]

Hi,

My son wants to become a scuba diving instructor here in Thailand.

He has to follow courses that will take him aprox 7-8 months.

Is it possible to get an education visa for him.

At the moment he is here on a tourist visa because he is visiting us.

Can he apply for this type of visa here in Thaiand or does he need to return to Holland to apply for it there?

Does anyone have more information on this?

Many Thanks!

Last year I got a multiple entry education visa, valid for 1 year, for a Dive Instructor Internship in Pattaya. The school sent me a letter to present to the Consulate in Honolulu and I got the visa within an hour. This required visa runs every 90 days.

http://www.learn-in-asia.com/

[warmwater7]

I am quite sure your son can do PADI Open Water, Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver while he is there on his tourist visa.

By then he will probably have enough contacts to know how these things work ;-)

I imagine you can also do Dive Master and Instructor in Thailand?

I came from Seattle, which is cold water diving. We always use drysuits because it is just too cold and miserable if you do it with a wetsuit. I worked out of a dive shop and we had a new instructor come to work at the shop. He had done all his certification in Hawaii. He did not last long. He had no skills with drysuits and was used to diving in water with hundreds of feet of visibility. Around Seattle, you are lucky to get 30 feet visibility. Nice diving though. Great to dive with Octopus the size of cars.

Too be honest...I think the dive tuition in Thailand is nowhere near as good as what I've experienced in the UK.

Plus, as the above poster said, the conditions in Thailand give you a false sense of security. When it's pitch black and freezing, you have to know your stuff

Diving is a dangerous pastime. If it was my son, I would want him to have the best tuition and equipment possible. Something that's unlikely to happen in LOS

RAZZ

hey guys, i hold m.s.d.t., worked in the region few yrs, i think your son will be " in the loop" when he starts negotiating his studies. it seems as a 5-star idc/ie facility will have the current info, ths is just buisness.

i have worked all over the world, phuket, i feel has some of the best equipment / service ive found. the real danger are going to be the thai boat captains. songserm for lunch............. in koh tao,

arrived w/ 23- pulled anchor with 21. mai pen rai. only after we pursuaded the cook( captains wife) the buissness would suffer from bad publicity, ( and a proper dose of bad karma )did he turn the boat around,.!!!!! the best equipment can fail. just try tou remember how to be prepaired for the event when it happens. TIT.............