Negative Part Of Ed Visa ?

[donis5]

Hi guys and girls

my visa o is running out in april and to get a new one without showing 400K or 40K a month i need to travel across the globe to get a new one,.

So my eyes look at the ED-visa option,

I need to improove my Thai, even though everyone ask me how it is possible to talk so much, well i just dont live among other falang, so i need to learn how to get a fork :-]

My questions is really, what is the negative part of having a ED visa ?,

i heard many say that ED visa is not the way, and other say it is dangeraus, but, im just human, i just hear what people tell, :-]

So any clever persons who have, or have had ED, can explain to me why i shouldent get one ?

Jesper

Bangsaen

[thaimickeymouse]

Not dangerous. I have one with Walen, never had a problem. Depends what you want. Lots of schools are offering visa assistance. There was one problem in Chiangmai with the Chiangmai University I heard.

[thailandbluegrass]

One negative thing I can think of for YOU would be that you claim you live in the middle of nowhere so I can guarrantee that there will be no supporting schools acredited to the Ed visa near you. You can't just get the visa and not go to school. They caught on to that one LONG TIME AGO.

The only other option for an ed visa would be to be ordained as a monk in your local wat and study Buddhism. The only problem with that is that you would need to know Sanscript and be able to speak and read and write Thai. Also just to ask permission to be allowed into the wat you need to recite the proper sanscript asking permission in Thai.

So bottom line is that if you want to continue living "away from farangs" as you mention, your kinda screwed for the Ed visa.

[Mario2008]

It requires you to study for at least 4 hours a week, but it doesn't have to be Thai language. negative side is basically that you have to extend every 90 days at immigration for 1,900 baht. Normally only a study at an University would give you 1 year.

If you have at least 100,000 baht in an account you can get a multiple non-O in Kuala Lumpur.

[ESB7]

Expensive

[Tod Daniels]

Actually, theres very little down side to having an ED visa in Thailand. Ive known of NO DANGER, ever with people on ED visas legitimately studying what ever it is they have that type of visa for. Rarely a hiccup with extensions, and most of those can be attributed to operator error where they didnt know when they needed to extend their visas or forgot to buy a re-entry permit before they left the country, rather than foul ups by the school(s).

As a foreigner here, youre certainly NOT limited to studying only the thai language. There are TONZ of Asians here studying english who have ED visas. In fact the Asians studying English is probably the biggest segment of the entire ED visa market hands down compared to the much smaller "niche market" of EU, UK, Oz, US, etc foreigners studying thai.

I know an older foreign guy whos studying Korean, another one who's studying Japanese, even a Japanese girl whos studying French. There are also more than a few Russians here studying various languages too that I've came across. I also know of foreigners here who have ED visas for various and sundry things like; studying thai cooking, thai traditional massage, thai buddhism at a temple, Muay Thai, even scuba diving. Really there are tonz of things you can do here on an ED visa if you think studying Thai wouldnt be your cup o tea.

True most private institutions will only give you the paperwork to secure your initial 90 day single entry ED visa in a neighboring countrys Thai embassy or consulate. Then every three months they provide you with documentation to extend your stay in-country at Thai immigrations. Short of going to a real university, thats about how it plays out here, especially in the private language schools. I dont know really all that much about how it works in the other fields with an ED visa, as Ive not been all that interested in them.

Cost isnt prohibitively high, and now some language schools accept payment plans. Some have it where you pay for 6 months schooling up front, and for that you get 6 months of classes, the paperwork for the initial visa, and then in about 60 days after that you get another set for your first 90 day extension of stay. If you want to keep studying, you pay for another 3 months of schooling and they give you additional supporting documentation to extend your stay at immigrations. Granted these pay-as-u-go plans cost slight higher than if you coughed up the entire yearly tuition fee up front, but not by a crazy amount.

I even know of schools which offer the ED visa and then you attend class via Skype on the internet! This is mostly for people out in the sticks, as the O/P alludes to being. Although if its indeed the Bangsaen Im thinkin of; it sure aint a one buffalo town in Nakhon Nowhere!

I honestly dont see any down side to anyone going the ED visa route for anything currently approved as valid curriculum. It has become a 'catch all' type of visa for people to facilitate their stay here and learn something, especially for people who 'fall thru the cracks' in the qualifications for other visa types.

Anyway, thats my two satangs worth of info. ..

Edited February 4, 2011 by tod-daniels

[Toffeeman]

If you have at least 100,000 baht in an account you can get a multiple non-O in Kuala Lumpur.

Not sure I understand this correctly but are you saying that if you have 100,000฿ in a Thai bank you can get a multiple entry Non O visa? Is that available for everyone?

[donis5]

One negative thing I can think of for YOU would be that you claim you live in the middle of nowhere so I can guarrantee that there will be no supporting schools acredited to the Ed visa near you. You can't just get the visa and not go to school. They caught on to that one LONG TIME AGO.

The only other option for an ed visa would be to be ordained as a monk in your local wat and study Buddhism. The only problem with that is that you would need to know Sanscript and be able to speak and read and write Thai. Also just to ask permission to be allowed into the wat you need to recite the proper sanscript asking permission in Thai.

So bottom line is that if you want to continue living "away from farangs" as you mention, your kinda screwed for the Ed visa.

Well i live 45 minute drive from the school, so that is not a big problem, i just visited the school today, everything seems fine, they have many students study thai and english,

im just trying to make sure, there are no downsides for this type of visa

Jesper

[donis5]

Actually, there’s very little “down side” to having an ED visa in Thailand. I’ve known of NO DANGER, ever with people on ED visas legitimately studying what ever it is they have that type of visa for. Rarely a hiccup with extensions, and most of those can be attributed to “operator error” where they didn’t know when they needed to extend their visas or forgot to buy a re-entry permit before they left the country, rather than foul ups by the school(s).

As a foreigner here, you’re certainly NOT limited to studying only the thai language. There are TONZ of Asians here studying english who have ED visas. In fact the Asians studying English is probably the biggest segment of the entire ED visa market hands down compared to the much smaller "niche market" of EU, UK, Oz, US, etc foreigners studying thai.

I know an older foreign guy who’s studying Korean, another one who's studying Japanese, even a Japanese girl who’s studying French. There are also more than a few Russians here studying various languages too that I've came across. I also know of foreigners here who have ED visas for various and sundry things like; studying thai cooking, thai traditional massage, thai buddhism at a temple, Muay Thai, even scuba diving. Really there are tonz of things you can do here on an ED visa if you think studying Thai wouldn’t be your cup ‘o tea.

True most private institutions will only give you the paperwork to secure your initial 90 day single entry ED visa in a neighboring country’s Thai embassy or consulate. Then every three months they provide you with documentation to extend your stay in-country at Thai immigrations. Short of going to a ‘real’ university, that’s about how it plays out here, especially in the private language schools. I don’t know really all that much about how it works in the other fields with an ED visa, as I’ve not been all that interested in them.

Cost isn’t prohibitively high, and now some language schools accept ‘payment plans’. Some have it where you pay for 6 months schooling up front, and for that you get 6 months of classes, the paperwork for the initial visa, and then in about 60 days after that you get another set for your first 90 day extension of stay. If you want to keep studying, you pay for another 3 months of schooling and they give you additional supporting documentation to extend your stay at immigrations. Granted these ‘pay-as-u-go’ plans cost slight higher than if you coughed up the entire yearly tuition fee up front, but not by a crazy amount.

I even know of schools which offer the ED visa and then you attend ‘class’ via Skype on the internet! This is mostly for people out in the sticks, as the O/P alludes to being. Although if it’s indeed the Bangsaen I’m thinkin’ of; it sure ain’t a one buffalo town in Nakhon Nowhere!

I honestly don’t see any down side to anyone going the ED visa route for anything currently approved as valid curriculum. It has become a 'catch all' type of visa for people to facilitate their stay here and learn something, especially for people who 'fall thru the cracks' in the qualifications for other visa types.

Anyway, that’s my two satang’s worth of info. ..

HI sir,

Good information, its more or less what i have found out so, that just support my trust in this ED visa thing.

And Yes Bangsaen is just 45 min away from the school i found, with i will say offered me really great information, " http://www.progresslanguage.com " its in Pattaya, and offer a payment plan7500 now, and 2000 pr month x8 which is really attractive for me, i mean, if i wass rich enough, why wouldent i not just show 400k in the bank or something :-]

i know there are cheaper ways, but, seems not as legit !

And as im living here, i belive it is respectfull to learn the language.

Thanks

Jesper

[donis5]

If you have at least 100,000 baht in an account you can get a multiple non-O in Kuala Lumpur.

Not sure I understand this correctly but are you saying that if you have 100,000฿ in a Thai bank you can get a multiple entry Non O visa? Is that available for everyone?

Im pretty sure that is 400k not 100k, i have been investigating the visa options for some time now.

some offer , pay 25.k and we show the 400k for you, but is that 100% legit, i guess not, im not so happy about the idea of my visa one day is rewoked

Jesper

[lopburi3]

It is 100k, and it is for a visa not for an extension of stay, for those having a Thai wife.

[donis5]

It is 100k, and it is for a visa not for an extension of stay, for those having a Thai wife.

for a new visa ?

but for extention is 400k then ?

when i got my first visa o last year i only pay the 100 usd and got my passport, but that wass in my home country.

Jesper

[Mario2008]

Yes, for a new multiple non-O visa Kuala Lumpur wants to see 100K in the bank. For an extension of stay immigraiton wants to see 400k in a bankaccount in your name in Thailand.

Different consulates have different requirements. In Asia they tend to be more strict than in other contries regarding the paperwork they want to see. While in Asia normally they also only provide a single non-immigrant visa and expect you to get an extension of stay from immigration.

[oMega69]

Actually, there's very little "down side" to having an ED visa in Thailand. I've known of NO DANGER, ever with people on ED visas legitimately studying what ever it is they have that type of visa for. Rarely a hiccup with extensions, and most of those can be attributed to "operator error" where they didn't know when they needed to extend their visas or forgot to buy a re-entry permit before they left the country, rather than foul ups by the school(s).

As a foreigner here, you're certainly NOT limited to studying only the thai language. There are TONZ of Asians here studying english who have ED visas. In fact the Asians studying English is probably the biggest segment of the entire ED visa market hands down compared to the much smaller "niche market" of EU, UK, Oz, US, etc foreigners studying thai.

I know an older foreign guy who's studying Korean, another one who's studying Japanese, even a Japanese girl who's studying French. There are also more than a few Russians here studying various languages too that I've came across. I also know of foreigners here who have ED visas for various and sundry things like; studying thai cooking, thai traditional massage, thai buddhism at a temple, Muay Thai, even scuba diving. Really there are tonz of things you can do here on an ED visa if you think studying Thai wouldn't be your cup 'o tea.

True most private institutions will only give you the paperwork to secure your initial 90 day single entry ED visa in a neighboring country's Thai embassy or consulate. Then every three months they provide you with documentation to extend your stay in-country at Thai immigrations. Short of going to a 'real' university, that's about how it plays out here, especially in the private language schools. I don't know really all that much about how it works in the other fields with an ED visa, as I've not been all that interested in them.

Cost isn't prohibitively high, and now some language schools accept 'payment plans'. Some have it where you pay for 6 months schooling up front, and for that you get 6 months of classes, the paperwork for the initial visa, and then in about 60 days after that you get another set for your first 90 day extension of stay. If you want to keep studying, you pay for another 3 months of schooling and they give you additional supporting documentation to extend your stay at immigrations. Granted these 'pay-as-u-go' plans cost slight higher than if you coughed up the entire yearly tuition fee up front, but not by a crazy amount.

I even know of schools which offer the ED visa and then you attend 'class' via Skype on the internet! This is mostly for people out in the sticks, as the O/P alludes to being. Although if it's indeed the Bangsaen I'm thinkin' of; it sure ain't a one buffalo town in Nakhon Nowhere!

I honestly don't see any down side to anyone going the ED visa route for anything currently approved as valid curriculum. It has become a 'catch all' type of visa for people to facilitate their stay here and learn something, especially for people who 'fall thru the cracks' in the qualifications for other visa types.

Anyway, that's my two satang's worth of info. ..

HI sir,

Good information, its more or less what i have found out so, that just support my trust in this ED visa thing.

And Yes Bangsaen is just 45 min away from the school i found, with i will say offered me really great information, " http://www.progresslanguage.com " its in Pattaya, and offer a payment plan7500 now, and 2000 pr month x8 which is really attractive for me, i mean, if i wass rich enough, why wouldent i not just show 400k in the bank or something :-]

i know there are cheaper ways, but, seems not as legit !

And as im living here, i belive it is respectfull to learn the language.

Thanks

Jesper

Hi , Jesper . . Iam study at that school . , its not a hightech modern school but is a good place ! . . pm me if u need to know anything.

[Arkady]

The risk is that on renewal the Immigration officer might test your Thai to verify you have really been studying and, if your Thai is no better than your English, you might be denied LOL.

[horsewell]

Learning Thai could be a really good idea. I've been learning for the last 3 years. These isn't any danger unless you learn for a long time and can't speak it.

There is a big payoff when you read, speak and can understand what others say. You can get a different level of understanding of the country and the culture.

In the Thai language school that I go to they have all the paperwork for me to have a yearly extension but after about a year of study they ran out of material to give me. Now I can read books and understand the meaning without having too look up every second word. It's also reassuring reading a contract and being about to get the gist of it without having someone "translate" it. Everywhere I go I inflict my language skills on the population.

I have read on Thai visa that some people have been tested for their level of Thai by the immigration officer but so-far they haven't been very interested in me. The thought of it is sort of intimidating as well, having an immigration officer that could decide if you can stay or go, test you. I have seen enough people in positions of power with a chip on their shoulder, I start to think, if I make a mistake in that moment will I have a problem? However, it doesn't seem to be that way at all, sabaai sabaai.

[Madivad]

@tod REALLY cool info. dam_n, wish I knew that before I got married rofl

But truly, you can study scuba-diving? Is that legit? I've been thinking of upgrading to instructor level, and someone can do that in Thailand on an ED visa?

[jazzbo]

One of the downsides of the ED-Visa is that it may only temporarily solve your visa dilemma ... Even on these very pages while one school suggests an 'unlimited' stay in Thailand another school mentions only a 3-year visa ... Whether this has happened or not the folks at Thai Immigration may yet decide in their discretion that they are seeing too many cases of Perpetual-Student-Syndrome (PSS) and suggest that you look elsewhere ...

[tig28]

The risk is that on renewal the Immigration officer might test your Thai to verify you have really been studying and, if your Thai is no better than your English, you might be denied LOL.

Perhaps he could study English??

[Madivad]

You mean Engrish? (or as I prefer Tinglish!) lol

What would happen if you spoke too good in the thai lingo and he questioned your need to study any further 5555

Could I study English? ;-)

[jayboy]

It has become a 'catch all' type of visa for people to facilitate their stay here and learn something, especially for people who 'fall thru the cracks' in the qualifications for other visa types.

I would have thought you have described the downside very concisely, namely the Ed Visa is appallingly abused by many foreigners who are not bona fide students, just seeing it as a means of staying in the country on a visa which clearly is designed for a different purpose.Those who make use of it - apart from the serious students (say 10%) - I would have thought are just asking for trouble.Another example of the way many foreigners abuse Thailand's generous and liberal entry system.

[donis5]

The risk is that on renewal the Immigration officer might test your Thai to verify you have really been studying and, if your Thai is no better than your English, you might be denied LOL.

haha, well, i am living here, i am going to study, so i dont se any reason why. but, i cant promise the immigrations office that im a fast learner, but next year i can just study english, or russian, so i dont see any problems with that.

Jesper

[donis5]

Learning Thai could be a really good idea. I've been learning for the last 3 years. These isn't any danger unless you learn for a long time and can't speak it.

There is a big payoff when you read, speak and can understand what others say. You can get a different level of understanding of the country and the culture.

In the Thai language school that I go to they have all the paperwork for me to have a yearly extension but after about a year of study they ran out of material to give me. Now I can read books and understand the meaning without having too look up every second word. It's also reassuring reading a contract and being about to get the gist of it without having someone "translate" it. Everywhere I go I inflict my language skills on the population.

I have read on Thai visa that some people have been tested for their level of Thai by the immigration officer but so-far they haven't been very interested in me. The thought of it is sort of intimidating as well, having an immigration officer that could decide if you can stay or go, test you. I have seen enough people in positions of power with a chip on their shoulder, I start to think, if I make a mistake in that moment will I have a problem? However, it doesn't seem to be that way at all, sabaai sabaai.

that is the idea for me to, my wife have an export office here, which i invested into, we have a child, home and car, and im not leaving, so i need to learn :-]

for the immigrations part, i think those people who get in trouble might be those with a wrong attitude, or maybe just look a bit too much as a sex tourist, ( dont get me wrong ), but im a common man dressed in jeans and shirt, and my wife will go with me, so i dont worry much about that.

for those people who dont want to learn, but just use the ED visa as a ticket for staying. that is good they check up on them, other people risk haveing a harder time getting there ED viser. if too much problems,.

Jesper

[donis5]

Okay, so, i got my answer for the ED visa, tomorrow i will go to the school and pay the deposit,

i need to go to Laos to get my ED visa because i have a Visa O now,

who know a cheap / OK travel agency for the Lao visaruns ?

i read the DIY trips, im not going to do that, i have done visaruns to Poi pet manytimes my self, but this is too far away from home, i need a tour :-]

Any suggestions ?

Jesper

[diseq]

I even know of schools which offer the ED visa and then you attend 'class' via Skype on the internet!

Could you please give details of which schools allow the online class option?

While I would be interested to improve my Thai and learn proper reading/writing, going back to a school schedule is not my cup of tea.

For the O.P., the negative downside of the ED visa is that in most cases you are tied down to a weekly schedule and thus also to the city where the school is located.

In my case this is unacceptable as I travel often outside of Thailand.

If indeed there are accredited language school which allow a "virtual classroom" option, this problem would be solved.

[lopburi3]

Okay, so, i got my answer for the ED visa, tomorrow i will go to the school and pay the deposit,

i need to go to Laos to get my ED visa because i have a Visa O now,

who know a cheap / OK travel agency for the Lao visaruns ?

i read the DIY trips, im not going to do that, i have done visaruns to Poi pet manytimes my self, but this is too far away from home, i need a tour :-]

Any suggestions ?

Jesper

You do not need an ED visa to study but suspect you want to avoid border runs to activate a new 90 day stay on O visa or you only have a single entry.

Believe the Bangkok visa services do offer full visa trips to Laos on some days but it really is easier the a Cambodia border run for most people as the is excellent transportation to Udon/Nong Khai and easy service from the Lao side to Vientiane (only a few km's).

[najman]

There is no negative aspect to the ED visa. You get to learn the language of the country you are in. Who doesnt need that?

So many westerns complain when a chnese or other person living in western country doesnt bother to learn the language. So its good for farangs to speak thai.

I study at Khon Kaen Uni and im lucky enough to get private lessons as not enough students to make up a class.

Would recommend it to anyone. I do 4 hours a week also. Next year i want to learn to read and write thai characters. This year im just learning to speak thai.

Pom rian pasa thai nai mahawittalalai khon kaen. (I am studying thai at khon kaen uni)

Now how would i learn that outside of thai study?

[donis5]

I even know of schools which offer the ED visa and then you attend 'class' via Skype on the internet!

Could you please give details of which schools allow the online class option?

While I would be interested to improve my Thai and learn proper reading/writing, going back to a school schedule is not my cup of tea.

For the O.P., the negative downside of the ED visa is that in most cases you are tied down to a weekly schedule and thus also to the city where the school is located.

In my case this is unacceptable as I travel often outside of Thailand.

If indeed there are accredited language school which allow a "virtual classroom" option, this problem would be solved.

i agree with you with the schedule,

As far as i know the school i found, are flexible, i can take weeks of, and catch up another time.

Jesper

[nikkoid66]

I have an ED visa with Wallen and I think it is the best Visa you can get in Thailand.

- I work from Skype for my lessons (2h on Wednesday, 2 hours on Friday), so basically you can learn anywhere as soon as you have a good internet connection

- I do not have the go out from Thailand for 14 months or so.

- costs 25.000 / year plus 1900 every quarter. (how much you will pay every 2 months to go to the border and come back?)

- you learn Thai.

The only problems are:

- you need to be close to a School, because they do you immigration papers. I am in Pattaya, but could be in Chiang May or BK with Wallen.

- you have to attend to the lessons because the immigration will test you after the 2-3rd visa extension. Showing them your books might be enough though.

- you have to spend 4 hours / week with Kru Nat (teacher Nat) who is the funniest and the sweetest person on earth, but sometime she sings which can be a very painful experience.

Contact me in private if you want to have the Wallen team Skype, and ask them questions.

We are starting back the book 1 at page 1 in one week or so, so maybe you can join us.

Edited February 7, 2011 by nikkoid66

[ESB7]

There is no negative aspect to the ED visa. You get to learn the language of the country you are in. Who doesnt need that?

So many westerns complain when a chnese or other person living in western country doesnt bother to learn the language. So its good for farangs to speak thai.

I study at Khon Kaen Uni and im lucky enough to get private lessons as not enough students to make up a class.

Would recommend it to anyone. I do 4 hours a week also. Next year i want to learn to read and write thai characters. This year im just learning to speak thai.

Pom rian pasa thai nai mahawittalalai khon kaen. (I am studying thai at khon kaen uni)

Now how would i learn that outside of thai study?

The cost per year is almost 35,000 Baht inclusive of immigration reports....3000 baht a month or $100/seventy pounds....that certainly is a very negative aspect especially if someone is on a budget or pension....