Loaded is right - as he is so often.

It has always been a well known rule that you do no kind of work without a work permit. if someone says otherwise, be very careful about trying it.

I think most are aware of the immigration and labour laws here

However, if anyone is bothered enough to want to know the full story behind the volunteer programme, CMU and the visa link, why not call the person who advertises it at CMU and then draw your own conclusion?

Also,

Immigration issue and deal with visas.

The Labour Office issue and deal with work permits.

If CMU are claiming a special relationship with someone at immigration which abrogates the need for a work permit, I would be very very careful and check independently.

I fully understand what you have said, perhaps look at the link below and tell me what you think?

It certainly is on behalf of CMU and it certainly does say they offer 'O' visa support.

When I said 'reliable source' perhaps it was the wrong choice of words, but one of the people involved in the scheme told me that once the visa has been obtained outside Thailand the 'volunteer' doesn't have to leave every three months or go to immigration at all - it's all done by CMU on their behalf.

That's all I know.

http://www.teflcmu.com/volunteer.package.01.php

I'd like to add that I believe the volunteering can be anything from bathing dogs to teaching a few kids conversation skills 4 hours a week. If you are already volunteering for anything that can be used too.

You just have to sign up, pay the money, get the letter of support and go out and get your O visa.

SEE TEFL (Siam Educational Experience I think - on Keow Nawarat Rd) operate the same sort of scheme - but on a non-profit basis (15k for volunteering via CMU!!! ). You just pay for the Visa and WP application fees (they do all the paperwork - and there's a hel_l of a lot if it I hear! - gratis) - this is about 5k a year and as long as you do your 4hrs a week and are a good little boy, then yearly renewals on the same basis - they also allow you to use their facilities and resources for the scheme (wifi/photocopier/place to do the prep work/paper/ref books/etc) free. You have to do your TEFL through them though (still a lot cheaper than with CMU and now ISO 9001:2008 certified according to another post I read here-abouts (their site says: We are the only TEFL training company in Asia to achieve this quality management system standard.) and accredited through UKAS United Kingdom Accreditation Service etc - see here http://siameducationalexperience.org/accreditation.htm).

Again, as I said before, not affiliated, just interested in the scheme so did the research already. Course is thorough with teaching experience at various age/skill levels, class size (including private 1on1) etc - and Grammar exam! from what I have heard its well respected as a TEFL school by employers.