I am leaving for thailand in early march with a friend. I know some contacts in chang mai and it could obtain possible work. Although we are not applying for visas before we leave due to some circumstances. Hoow would we go about applying for either the O or B visa after we depart England? Could we go to Malaysia or something to sort it out? I know you cannot legally work in Thailand without a work permit, and you cannot obtain a work permit without a visa

You can apply for a Visa non O or Visa non B at any Thai consulate or embassy including the ones in Malaysia. If you want to apply for the Non B then you will need to have documentation from your future employer. More details can be found on the website of the ministry of foreign affairs: http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2482.php?id=2492

If you are planning on staying more than 30 days you need a Visa before you leave the UK.

Without a Visa or an onward ticket within 30 days you may not be allowed on the flight.

You can easily get a Multi Entry Non Imm Visa from Hull Consulate. This would give you up to 15 months stay.

You would not get this in Asia.

You can apply for a work permit when you find an employer who is willing to file the paperwork. The labor office will than issue a receipt which you can use to apply for a visa in a neighboring country. When you have the visa you get the work permit.

But as Light Beer said, you need the visa to travel to Thailand, so just apply for the on-O in Hull and you will be OK. You can apply by mail, with express mail it will only takes 3 days to get the passport with visa back.

ahhh ok so do i need to find a placement before i leave? is there any other way of getting an o non immigrant visa

Believe you are in the UK. Obtaining a visa within the Asia region requires much more paperwork than obtaining outside the region. As said, the easiest solution is for you to obtain a multiple entry Non-Immigrant O visa before you leave. Apply at Hull consulate by mail with the purpose of "visiting friends". This visa at this consulate requires no additional paperwork - just visa application form, recent passport sized photograph, passport and fee. Having a visa will also avoid potential problems at airport check-in. When you are actually here you can firm up work and apply for a work permit. Non-O visa and Non-B visa are both acceptable to support a work permit application.

Hull consulate: http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/downloads-and-visas.aspx