Preparing For An Ed Visa Extension Test

[male]

So the last time I went to the immigration, the lady told me that if I won't be able to conversate in Thai with her next time - she'll put me on a plane

I have to go there next week, looking for some tips or something... I don't want on a plane!

Thank you

Andrew.

[SeanMoran]

Just conversate in pasa Thai as much as you can. I am not sure of your whereabouts but there maybe a chance that there are neighbours and people in your local vicinity who are able to speak Thai, so practice. The usual conversation started is "Bai nai?" as you'd already know from classes by now.

[SoftWater]

Here's a crash course. Nod and say 'Krap' to everything she says, doesn't matter whether you understand her or not, and try to learn and use all of these one-liners regardless of whether its appropriate or not.

I've been studying Thai for (learn and insert the length of time)

pom rian passa thai (time) mar laew krap

My school is at (insert name of street, you don't need to be too specific)

rongrian yoo tii tanon (name of street) krap

The teachers are very good

khru geng mark krap

but I am a slow learner

dtae pom rian chaa chaa - mai geng krap! (add this for an extra dose of humility)

I love thailand and learning thai language

pom rak pratheht thai lae rian passa thai krap

Among all of these throw in plenty of

I'm sorry my thai is not very good

kor toht pom yang maii puut geng krap

Be sure to put 'krap' on the end of every single sentence - you can't overdo it in this kind of situation. If you've learned any bits of thai in bars or other 'interesting' places forget it unless your 100% sure its OK. Also, if you feel adventurous and are going to ask here a question, replace the usual 'khun' with 'tarn'. Hopefully, she'll be impressed that even though you're a crap student you are going to a good respectable school.

Last tip: trying going to a good school and learning some Thai before next year's interview...

edit: further thought - take a Thai along with you, they won't bat an eyelid if he/she explicitly coaches you or translates your incomprehensible babble right in front of them. The point is to make an effort, not show proficiency.

Edited March 8, 2010 by SoftWater

[male]

Here's a crash course. Nod and say 'Krap' to everything she says, doesn't matter whether you understand her or not, and try to learn and use all of these one-liners regardless of whether its appropriate or not.

Thank you.

Hopefully it'll work...

Last time I followed the advice from this board(no matter what she asks, just say "Mai Mee"), it didn't work out

[Parvis]

Well - if you actually do not study Thai and had no plan to improve your Thai fluency since the last time perhaps you should practice "wang phom bon krungbin krap".

[SeanMoran]

Here's a crash course. Nod and say 'Krap' to everything she says, doesn't matter whether you understand her or not, and try to learn and use all of these one-liners regardless of whether its appropriate or not.

Thank you.

Hopefully it'll work...

Last time I followed the advice from this board(no matter what she asks, just say "Mai Mee"), it didn't work out

Go with the tourist visa, mate. Save yourself the hassles.

[male]

Here's a crash course. Nod and say 'Krap' to everything she says, doesn't matter whether you understand her or not, and try to learn and use all of these one-liners regardless of whether its appropriate or not.

Thank you.

Hopefully it'll work...

Last time I followed the advice from this board(no matter what she asks, just say "Mai Mee"), it didn't work out

Go with the tourist visa, mate. Save yourself the hassles.

Border run every two weeks, no thank you.

[SeanMoran]

Here's a crash course. Nod and say 'Krap' to everything she says, doesn't matter whether you understand her or not, and try to learn and use all of these one-liners regardless of whether its appropriate or not.

Thank you.

Hopefully it'll work...

Last time I followed the advice from this board(no matter what she asks, just say "Mai Mee"), it didn't work out

Go with the tourist visa, mate. Save yourself the hassles.

Border run every two weeks, no thank you.

I mean the real thing, with a border run every 90 days (with the extensions). If you don't want to learn to pood pasa Thai geng maak, then be straight about it. You're a tourist like me.

[male]

I mean the real thing, with a border run every 90 days (with the extensions). If you don't want to learn to pood pasa Thai geng maak, then be straight about it. You're a tourist like me.

I asked yesterday: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Tourist-Visa...ns-t345262.html and you said:

Obtain a triple-entry 60 day (if that's applicable) tourist visa from the Thai Consulate in Lithuaniua, and if you get the visa/s a day or so before you fly to Thailand, you will be able to extend each of those 60 day visas by 30 days, (for a fee) and manage almost 9 months on a tourist visa.

---o0o---

After that, border runs will be every two weeks.

[Tod Daniels]

So the last time I went to the immigration, the lady told me that if I won't be able to conversate in Thai with her next time - she'll put me on a plane

I really doubt the veracity of your statement there guy. ..

Especially if you can't speak thai. For the most part the immigrations officials I've dealt with out there (at Changwattana) have less than stellar engrish skills. How did she convey the message you’ve got to improve your thai or you’re on the next plane to nowhere, thru mime, or perhaps ภาษามือ (sign language)?

When this bro-ha-ha about 'testing' came up several months ago I went out to Changwattana and sat there for several all too long and boring hours watching the various and sundry thai language students get their extensions.

I saw NO formal testing, and only rudimentary conversations going on, and I was sitting directly in front of the hallway where you went in to turn in your paperwork.

There have been some reports that people were called off to another room for further questioning, but I didn't see it when I was there. (Although I did see the thai guy the poster known as “RickBradford” referred to in another thread about testing, who kinda lurks around the visa section, but he didn’t talk to anyone while I was there.)

SoftWater's advice about the conversational phrases you can use are spot on. I'd personally give a pass on the we-b-thai, sock puppet phrase; "I love thailand and learning the thai language.", but hey to each their own.

I found that saying "phuut passa thai mai koi khaeng", พูดภาษาไทยไม่ค่อยแข็ง (which I think is the correct spelling) with ค่อยแข็ง koi khaeng carrying the meaning "not hard core", will work too. It also is a double entendre, often getting a smile from the thai you speak to.

You don't mention what extension this is for your E/D visa, your first, fourth, or fortieth . Certainly having three or four 90 day E/D visa extensions in your passport could lead an immigrations officer into believing you actually can speak some form of rudimentary thai.

I also concur, if you can, by all means; take a thai with you. They're handy to have in situations like this. (Because they’re quite small, I always carry a spare one in my back pocket. .. ) <- joking. …

Good luck, don't sweat it, and do let us know if you're "on the plane out" okay?

[singa-traz]

When this bro-ha-ha about 'testing' came up several months ago I went out to Changwattana and sat there for several all too long and boring hours watching the various and sundry thai language students get their extensions.

I saw NO formal testing, and only rudimentary conversations going on, and I was sitting directly in front of the hallway where you went in to turn in your paperwork.

Standard evaluation (test) to "measure" proficiency level of foreigner of their Thai Language, is something that have been missing, I think.

I heard about efforts to create a standard and approved curriculum, as well as an associated exam, but do not have the details.

It would make sense to have such test, especially for those who stay in Thailand on the basis to learn the language.

After a year of study (or even less), anyone should be able to:

- Buy watermelon from a street vendor

- Bargain price with vendors on the market

- Order fried rice and a Fanta

- and finally ask for the bill

It's not that hard, really

[rak sa_ngop]

Well - if you actually do not study Thai and had no plan to improve your Thai fluency since the last time perhaps you should practice "wang phom bon krungbin krap".

Great! LOL

[SoftWater]

Last time I followed the advice from this board(no matter what she asks, just say "Mai Mee"), it didn't work out

In what way didn't it work out? You're still here aren't you?

[SoftWater]

After a year of study (or even less), anyone should be able to:

- Buy watermelon from a street vendor

- Bargain price with vendors on the market

- Order fried rice and a Fanta

- and finally ask for the bill

It's not that hard, really

Good targets, though maybe 8 weeks is probably enough...

Edited March 9, 2010 by SoftWater

[HappyInCM]

Last time I went I said I don't speak or hear thai too well but I can read a little, so, can you please speak slowly (obviously in Thai) and I brought some books so I could demonstrate proficiency reading. She responded by asking me all the questions in English and having me respond in Thai. Quite easy.

Last time, I couldn't understand what she said and rather than saying fang mai tan krap or something, I responded in English - she got peeved and asked me to sing a Thai song - the thai national anthem; luckily I was able to counter with the alphabet song

They just want to see you aren't one of those people that goes to school only once every 3 months just to get your extension paperwork and doesn't study otherwise. That's not you, is it?

[SeanMoran]

I mean the real thing, with a border run every 90 days (with the extensions). If you don't want to learn to pood pasa Thai geng maak, then be straight about it. You're a tourist like me.

I asked yesterday: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Tourist-Visa...ns-t345262.html and you said:

Obtain a triple-entry 60 day (if that's applicable) tourist visa from the Thai Consulate in Lithuaniua, and if you get the visa/s a day or so before you fly to Thailand, you will be able to extend each of those 60 day visas by 30 days, (for a fee) and manage almost 9 months on a tourist visa.

---o0o---

After that, border runs will be every two weeks.

Yes, I'm sorry to be confusing. I was thinking that eight months+ on the tourist visa route might have been a suitable alternative to an Ed visa if you're not picking up the language in that much time. I'll try not to be so rude and scathing in future, although I'm not very good at that, so don't count my good manners 24/7 on account of chronic alcoholism and sour grapes.

[male]

Switched from Thai to English course - no more tests for me, thank you.

[SoftWater]

Switched from Thai to English course - no more tests for me, thank you.

What does that mean? Can you explain?

[male]

Switched from Thai to English course - no more tests for me, thank you.

What does that mean? Can you explain?

It means, that I will be studying English language from now on, not Thai.

[SoftWater]

I figured that much...what I meant was how does this enable you to satisfy the ED Visa requirement? Do you mean to say, for example, that a foreigner can get a visa to stay in Thailand by studying English???

Does anybody else understand this?

[male]

Do you mean to say, for example, that a foreigner can get a visa to stay in Thailand by studying English???

That's right, if English is not your native language.

[Tod Daniels]

There are TONZ of foreigners of every nationality here studying the english language on E/D visas. There are certainly NO shortage of engrish <sic> language schools in the greater Bangkok area which offer E/D visa assistance for enrolling in an engrish language course. As there is no testing per se at Changwattana for engrish proficiency I think if engrish isn't your first language it could be the way to go. (unless you really want to talk to the natives here, when you should actually be learning, hmmmm thai I think )

However, with that being said, the proverbial 'bar' is set quite low in regards to a student's proficiency in the thai language out at Changwattana. They certainly understand if it's your first extension and you've studied thai the requisite 4 hours a week for 3 months, you're hardly gonna be speaking like a native. The same cannot be said if you're on your 4th extension and going for your second year. They may actually require to speak some thai, even if it is two-word-thai or ‘horse-peak’..

As was suggested in an earlier post, if you happen to have a spare native thai speaker around the house, take them with you to garner your extension. Immigrations has no qualms about someone translating your poorly spoken thai to them. I think they want to see effort over results in most cases.

This E/D visa has been quite the lucrative loop-hole for both schools and foreigners who want to long stay in thailand with no border runs, or hassles. I think it is only a matter of time until they do something to close the flood gates of people on E/D visas who in reality don't study the thai language. But, that is the topic of another thread.

Good on you for switching to engrish, hope you can learn to speak it too... .

[SoftWater]

Thanks Tod, yet more enlightenment from the community. I really should get out more, had no idea....