True thanks.

Is there anything cheaper to study than Thai?

You are totally right, doing all the visa runs and all the stress is worth only a little less then getting an ED visa with a reputable language school.

Walen School - try us and we will not let you down

Ps. with Walen it is possible to study totally for free.

Tell us how ? pls

Yes Mr. Walen tell us how ? I really do want to study Thai and I really don't need a visa but I am interested in what you said

with Walen it is possible to study totally for free.

Tell us how ? pls

Yes Mr. Walen tell us how ? I really do want to study Thai and I really don't need a visa but I am interested in what you said

Answer already given here

A defamatory post and the answer to it removed.

It was done via a visa company here who I have used many times for visa runs.

They submitted all the paperwork and sorted everything for me but I know it's my name on the paperwork.

There are many other people doing the same and have been for years so I'm not too worried. I looked back at old posts on here and other sites and every year people mention they're "cracking down" on it soon.

I've not heard of any bad stories yet...

There's been a new development and it looks like the crackdown has started, at least in Pattaya. Read more here:

An excerpt from the news article linked there:

...So the officer looked at him and said, ‘You have been learning Thai for six years already. Is that right?’ The answer was yes so the officer looked at a nearby fish tank and said in Thai, ‘The big fish eat the little fish.” The foreigner looked at him without a clue. The officer smiled and picked up a big red stamp and stamped “CANCELLED” on the remaining portion of the current visa and told the fellow he would not again receive an Education visa,”

..

They are also to investigate visa shops who are offering the Ed Visa and law firms who offer the Ed Visa as it is only registered schools who can offer these visas, Deputy Inspector Samruai said...

So the officer looked at him and said, ‘You have been learning Thai for six years already. Is that right?’ The answer was yes so the officer looked at a nearby fish tank and said in Thai, ‘The big fish eat the little fish.” The foreigner looked at him without a clue. The officer smiled and picked up a big red stamp and stamped “CANCELLED” on the remaining portion of the current visa and told the fellow he would not again receive an Education visa,”

How is it known what the officer said?

The first paragraph of the linked news article reveals it all.

Som nam nah to him. He's been here for 6 years and didn't understand 3-4 words strung together?

I'll have a stab...

Yai blah gin lek blah?

Probably a few "connector" words missing there

ED-visa............

only submitted by the Thai Immigration Office. There is no language-, cooking- or music school who can sell an ED-visa.

What they sell is education, that's the only thing they are allowed to sell.

If you buy one of their products, you do have the possibility to obtain an ED-visa with the help of the educational institute in cooperation with the Thai Ministry of Education. Of course: Conditions apply.

What schools do is offering 2 services: a course and visa-assistance. If a school claims to give a FREE Thai language course, and you have to pay THB 24,000-THB 25,000, you probably pay for the ED-visa and that's illegal, because it's something the school isn't allow to sell. Apart from that, a specific language school with a purple outlook is doing pretty well in Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai (and Phuket?). Do not have personal experiences with them, can only judge on what I see.

Of course it attracts more students if you say that you offer free lessons instead of offering a free visa-service, understandable.

I used to be working for/with a Thai Language School in Pattaya. A few month ago we closed our doors..............

- immigration officers became more and more greedy

- students enrolled for the course and never showed up **

- Thai Ministry of Education and Immigration Office asked more and more ridiculous requirements

** of course, if you enter a course with a 90 day ED-visa - single entry and you never attend one single class, you won't make it through the first visa-extension after 90 days.

Edited July 6, 201115 yr by Maestro
deleted nonsensical part of post

Thai immigration is also not in the business of selling visas, that is the domain of the Thai foreign ministry. What you get from immirgation is a permission to stay and extensions of that permission.

If a school states that the course is free but you have to pay for the ED-visa, they make an incorrect statement. It is not illegal, but you might have a civil case.