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[lostpacket]

Hey, I just wanted to get some opinions if I have this correct. I have ready all the visa stuff from the drop downs on the front page, but I was not clear on everything as a whole.

I am a US national looking to live in Thailand with my Thai fiancee. I do not have a work permit or any visa. I pretty much come and stay in BKK for a month over the last 5 years. Both my fiancee and I agree it would be best if I live there permanently. I don't care to come back to the US ever. Since I have a house in the US, it is really hard to try and find a job and then tell a potential employer that they must wait until I can sell my house. What I am planning on doing is selling our house and coming to Bangkok to get a simple job teaching English. Finding an IT job it pretty hard if not impossible.

So if I have this right, I can get a tourist visa and extend it up to 90 days while looking for work or getting a TEFL cert. After that, can I make a visa run and get another visa, or is that only for a Non Imm B visa?

Then, once I get a job, I can apply for a Non Imm B and be good for a year, correct? Then after that period of time I work with my employer to get another year visa. All the time checking in every 90 days.

Also, if I choose to study Thai and get a Non Imm ED visa, then there is no way I can work during that time, correct? From what it looks like, it is a 90 day visa that is renewed for every 90 days up to a year. After that time, can I apply again and get a ED visa if I am still enrolled in school? Once I found a job, I could then apply for a Non Imm B visa, right?

Edited January 5, 2010 by lostpacket

[tutor4u]

I can confidently answer part of your question in regards to once you're employed as a teacher:

"Then, once I get a job, I can apply for a Non Imm B and be good for a year, correct? Then after that period of time I work with my employer to get another year visa. All the time checking in every 90 days.

Once you have employment as a teacher, the school will provide you with all the documentation needed to apply for the Non-Imm 'B'. If you don't arrive on this visa, you will need to go outside of Thailand to obtain it.

Once all is said and done and you have this Non-Imm 'B' in hand, this visa will be good for a year, but then you will be given additional 1 year extensions for each and every year you remain employed by this same school (change schools - visa extension is void, as it is attached to work permit). For the extensions, you need not leave Thailand and simply apply for the extension at the local Imm office. Generally speaking, any good school will do all of this for you and you'll only need to sign the papers and show your living/breathing body at Imm when they put the paperwork in. As example, I entered Thailand in 2003 on my MOST RECENT visa and remained there until the end of September 2009 on this same visa with yearly extensions of stay. Naturally, you must get a 're-entry permit' if you plan to leave the country for any reason or your extension/visa will be voided.

You must report your address to Imm every 90 days, but again, all good schools will do this for you. I only had to check the address (sometimes fill it in myself), sign the paper and hand the admin lady (assist thai principal) my passport for them to run it over to Imm for me. Simple and painless. It should be noted that I work in the international school realm and perhaps other types of schools do things differently.

Good luck!

Edited January 5, 2010 by tutor4u

[Ijustwannateach]

Here's the best free advice you're likely to get:

1. Don't sell the house until you've been living in Thailand long enough to be SURE you don't want some form of security back in the US - I'd say at least 10 years. See if you can find a tenant or get a company to rent it out for you until then. Once you liquidise this investment, you will A.) be more likely to lose the money to scams and B.) more likely to lose the money in any messy divorce settlements in Thailand - and if you already have a Thai fiancee, you should be getting very familiar with how divorce works 'just in case.'

2. I have the feeling, though you do not specify, that you have only known your Thai fiancee *in* Thailand- i.e., you didn't meet her in America and then decide to get married and go to Thailand. I would recommend taking things extremely slowly if you have never lived in Thailand for an extended period (5 years+) and already believe based only on a month's local contact that you have a fiancee in Thailand.

3. Your assumptions about the difficulties of getting computer work in Thailand are not necessarily true. Try some checking around. You would certainly be doing better financially (and have more experience in your work already) than if you tried to go the teaching route.

On the whole, I feel concerned from your post that you have not done the necessary background work to make this move with safety and confidence. Your mileage may vary. Good luck.

[lopburi3]

1. You do not even need to be in the US to sell your home - any real estate agent can take care of the sale and you sign paperwork at the US Embassy here.

2. A tourist visa allows 60 days to look around and can be extended another 30 days.

3. Once you have found employment and have paperwork you can obtain a non immigrant B visa but not likely more than single entry for 3 months.

4. Before the three months are up you extend stay at Immigration for a year using school/company paperwork and showing proof of required wage. If this can not be done you have to make 90 day visa runs. Not much fun and hard to do with a work schedule.

5. Am I reading your post correctly as having only stayed in Bangkok for one month over the last five years? And your are ready to turn your life around? I must be misreading?

[Lite Beer]

I cannot see any references to Work Permit.

You will need one to legally work in Thailand.

[SeanMoran]

I cannot see any references to Work Permit.

You will need one to legally work in Thailand.

Further to that, it has been my experience throughout the past five years that without some form of BA degree or higher (in anything at all from some uni' somewhere) there will be no work permit provided, even after obtaining the TEFL ticket and as many years of teaching experience as you may or may not have.

No degree = no chance, perpetual tourist, or get married to someone perhaps? Rumour has it that some of those around these parts have managed to obtain legal work status by getting hitched to a Thai citizen, and if you have a Thai fiance, I suppose that means that you're halfway there...

[lostpacket]

@Ijustwannateach

1. The decision to sell the house is based on the fact that renting and rental management is really hard to do from abroad. If something happens, there is no way I can afford to make the payment based on Thai salaries. Even if I rent it, I have to sell everything in it before I come.

I can understand your concerns about a "Thai faincee" but I am not the normal expat that picks up just any Thai girl, nor is she just any Thai girl.

I have the feeling, though you do not specify, that you have only known your Thai fiancee *in* Thailand- i.e., you didn't meet her in America and then decide to get married and go to Thailand. I would recommend taking things extremely slowly if you have never lived in Thailand for an extended period (5 years+) and already believe based only on a month's local contact that you have a fiancee in Thailand.

A little background info. She is an Ajarn at a major university and highly educated (PhD). We met here in the US while she was attending the university. We have been engaged for 5 years. We go back and forth each year to each others countries to stay for a month and have been doing this for 5 years. The first year we both lived together in the US for almost a year. We are not a couple that just has a casual relationship or one that will easily break apart. She is the most sincere, honest caring person I have ever met. She gets along great with my mom (which is hard even for me), and I get along great with her family. In fact, they treat me better than I would have ever expected.

As for Thailand, I stay there for a month at a time for the last 5 years so far. I am pretty intuitive and can see the bad and the good, especially in people. It is a country that I took to immediately and I am sure I can live there. It is one of those things that feels so natural that you almost feel like you have been doing your whole life. When I leave it seems like I am leaving home and returning to a strange country, not the other way around. It was not a simple emotional based decision that I see so many farang make after their first visit. My only real concern through the whole thought process is employment. Traffic, heat (I love the hot weather), farang prices, new language, etc...I can deal with all of that.

Further to that, it has been my experience throughout the past five years that without some form of BA degree or higher (in anything at all from some uni' somewhere) there will be no work permit provided, even after obtaining the TEFL ticket and as many years of teaching experience as you may or may not have

I have a BS from a pretty good engineering college in computer technology. I have worked as a system admin for the university for 5+ years and a client analyst for 5 years before that. I still feel that I need a TEFL to teach. In fact, when interviewing at a good international school last year I was told it is the law to have a teaching certificate in Thailand.

Your assumptions about the difficulties of getting computer work in Thailand are not necessarily true. Try some checking around. You would certainly be doing better financially (and have more experience in your work already) than if you tried to go the teaching route.

I would love to get some advice on where to apply. Some of the jobs I have seen pay extremely low for the skills required. I have applied at some pretty big companies for tech jobs I was more than perfect for, but heard no replies.

You have to make 30,000 baht per month to be eligible for a work permit, correct? Some of the IT jobs I saw only paid 15-20k baht per month.

Once you have employment as a teacher, the school will provide you with all the documentation needed to apply for the Non-Imm 'B'. If you don't arrive on this visa, you will need to go outside of Thailand to obtain it.

Really? I thought that the school would take care of it for me and I would not have to leave.

Edited January 6, 2010 by lostpacket

[Soutpeel]

Having read through all the posts...OP you really need to do some more research, me thinks you have the rosey coloured spectacles on...Thailand is not an easy place to live or find decent employment

My advice keep your place in the US and rent it out for at least 5 years, you dont need to do anything from abroad, let an agent look after it

To pick up on one point, your last one...if you dont arrive here on a Non-imm B and a WP in process you will be doing trips out the country to get one.

If you are not paid THB 50,000/month on the books you will not qualify for extension of stay and you will be doing visa-runs every 90 days out of country, also being on the books at 50k/month doesnt mean you are entitled to be paid 50k month minimum...

Also when applying for jobs even with big companies dont expect a response, you are applying from outside the country and highly unlikely they would contact you...

If your wifey to be is an Ajarn at a repsected Uni, surely she can pull some strings from you to find you something

[tommybkk]

Do not sell your house. The best solution is to rent your house in the US, go to Bangkok and give it a try. If you are 100% sure about staying in Thailand go back and sell your house. Even that doesn't sound right, 5 years like is mentioned above is a good time to wait and see if you are REALLY sure about staying here, in paradise, the beautiful Land of Smiles. Think about it. Goodluck

Edited January 6, 2010 by tommybkk

[lostpacket]

Having read through all the posts...OP you really need to do some more research, me thinks you have the rosey coloured spectacles on...Thailand is not an easy place to live or find decent employment

I understand your concerns. I'm not the person that judged Thailand by beaches, bars and tourist stuff. When I stay, I live with my fiancee and go to work with her most every day. Everything she goes through, I do the same. I do see the bad, and it is something I can accept.

The hard part about writing in a forum is keeping things short and to the point without adding too much crap and personal info. I'm not sure I want to convey all the experiences in Thailand to prove a point that would probably bore everyone to tears getting to it.

Thanks for the 50k advice, I was not aware of it. So what you are saying is that after I get a work permit and a visa, the first year I don't have to make border runs, but I do after that every 90 days?

I am leaning toward selling because I am pretty confident that I can live in Thailand with no problems. (I do thank everyone for the advice and wanting to make sure I don't make a huge mistake as I'm sure it can be common) Getting a job is my only concern. I'm really not too picky about work and can do many things as a job to me is just a means to a end. Even if the job failed, we already have a condo there to live in and a family that will take good care of me. I really don't plan on ever coming back to the US. If they kicked all the farang out of Thailand for some strange reason, we would go to Japan or Korea to live.

Edited January 6, 2010 by lostpacket

[beechguy]

If you have employment that provides a one year "Extension of Stay", you will have to do an address report every 90 days, not exit the country.

If you have a (not the same as above)one year multi-entry visa, that simply means you exit and immediately return, every 90 days. If you only have a single entry visa, you would need to get a new visa every time you exit at the 90 day period.

Edited January 6, 2010 by beechguy

[astral]

Finding jobs in Thailand is not easy, unless you have a specialised skill, that is not easy to find in the Thai workforce.

Teaching English is not well paid.

Are you an experienced teacher? It is not an easy job.

You may well do better on the IT side, if you have good work experience.

A potential empoyer will not be interested in whether you have property overseas.

Surely there are rental agents in the US?

Marrying your fiancee will make life easier in terms of a visa.

I agree with the poster who suggested you keep your house in the US.

Rent it out, the money may well cover your rental in Thailand, until you get established

or even longer.

My often quoted advice is "not to bring more capital into Thailand, than you are prepared to walk away from"

many things can go wrong along the way.

[lostpacket]

You may well do better on the IT side, if you have good work experience.

I do have good IT experience as I have been a sysadmin for 5+ years and an analyst for 5 years before that. As noted above, I have applied for IT jobs from major corporations in Thailand, but no replies. As someone noted, since I am overseas, many will just not consider me. I guess I have to apply once I am in Bangkok. If you have any advice on where to look/apply, I would love to hear it.

As for teaching, no I am not an experienced teacher. However, I do teach on a corporate level. I basically teach all new technologies, networking, or anything else put on my plate to current employees at the university. It is a small class, but a class no less. I love helping others and going the extra mile to make sure things are done right. In my spare time now I teach English to a small group of Vietnamese nuns at a Buddhist temple here.

I have spoken with my Realtor and renting is an option, but it comes with a lot of risks. You can figure on spending $3,000-5,000US every year for just paint and carpet. You really have no guarantee that those you are renting to will actually keep the house in good shape. Right now, it is in excellent shape. It is exactly as I bought it in 2002, no damage at all. Once I rent it out, the renters could pretty much trash it. I can't predict what the housing market will do or if I will get a decent price a year or 5 years from now.

The thing is, my relationship is very stable and we are both very committed to living together in Bangkok. She has a great family that are all highly educated and fully accept me as family. I wish I could stress just how much living apart sucks and how big of a factor that is in making life over there work no matter what.

Since she already lives there, my living expenses compared to someone just coming over are going to be next to nothing. Like I said before, I have went through all the factors and it really just comes down to a job.

Edited January 6, 2010 by lostpacket

[Spoonman]

I can understand your concerns about a "Thai faincee" but I am not the normal expat that picks up just any Thai girl, nor is she just any Thai girl.

This is gunna end in tears.

[Mario2008]

The minimum of 50,0000 baht a month for most westerns does not apply to teachers and several other jobs, like performers and members of the media.

[whatchamacallit]

I can understand your concerns about a "Thai faincee" but I am not the normal expat that picks up just any Thai girl, nor is she just any Thai girl.

This is gunna end in tears.

@spoonman - you obviously didn't spend 5 seconds to read his posting - here is what he said about his gf/fiancee :

A little background info. She is an Ajarn at a major university and highly educated (PhD). We met here in the US while she was attending the university. We have been engaged for 5 years. We go back and forth each year to each others countries to stay for a month and have been doing this for 5 years. The first year we both lived together in the US for almost a year. We are not a couple that just has a casual relationship or one that will easily break apart. She is the most sincere, honest caring person I have ever met. She gets along great with my mom (which is hard even for me), and I get along great with her family. In fact, they treat me better than I would have ever expected.

5 years, PhD, Engaged.... sounds like they're on the right track for a long and happy relationship - good luck guys!!!

[Soutpeel]

@spoonman - you obviously didn't spend 5 seconds to read his posting - here is what he said about his gf/fiancee :

5 years, PhD, Engaged.... sounds like they're on the right track for a long and happy relationship - good luck guys!!!

Why ??....I was engaged for 5 years to a so called educated darling Ex-wife and the marriage lasted 10 years and went down the toilet, so length of engagement and having a PhD has f*kc all to do with a sucessful realtionship.

[lostpacket]

5 years, PhD, Engaged.... sounds like they're on the right track for a long and happy relationship - good luck guys!!!

Thank you very much!!

Why ??....I was engaged for 5 years to a so called educated darling Ex-wife and the marriage lasted 10 years and went down the toilet, so length of engagement and having a PhD has f*kc all to do with a sucessful realtionship.

Technically you are correct, education level doesn't ensure a good marriage. But, having some crazy esan bar girl is going to have a LOT higher percentage of divorce compared to an educated couple with a stable family.

This is gunna end in tears.

LOL!! Unless we are both immortal, life itself typically ends in tears at some point. I kind of doubt our relationship will.

Thank you all for your support and advice.