Visa From The Philippines?

[Dazzletoad]

Hi people,

I am currently working in Korea under a psychopathic school director and am leaving here on the 29th of this month.

I have a job offer in Thailand and want to take it, however I have some questions about applying for a visa. Since I cant start there until next month, I am off to the Philippines for 24 days and was wondering how to go about applying for a work visa for Thailand.

Can I simply apply from the Philippines or are there complications I should expect?

I am UK citizen and came to teach in Korea in November last year and am free to leave after this month closes.

Any help much appreciated.

[Mario2008]

The Philipines is known to be one of the most unhelpful Thai embasssies in the world. Better to apply for a visa in Korea. For a non-B visa you will at least need a letter from your prosepcetive employer that you will start working for them. But often in the region you will need a lot more paperwork.

If you cannot get the non-B visa (which is likely), get a tousit visa and enter Thailand on that. Than after getting all the paperwork in order you leave for a neighbouring country and get the non-B visa there.

[Dazzletoad]

Wow, leaving from here is quite a sudden thing too, so I havent had much time to prepare anything from Korea. I am in Iksan which is quite a way from Seoul, and have only 6 days left before I leave. I am still teaching so I have no time during the day to get to and from Seoul to apply for anything too :S

I will chance the Philippines since I will be there 21-25 days anyway and apply from there. My friend is Thai and she works in the school where I will be going to, and will be the one writing out the covering letter to say that I am to be employed by her institution. The formalities have me a bit worried since this is my first time teaching abroad and my first experience in leaving a country outside of the U.K to go to another country.

Many thanks for the reply.

[bangkokburning]

Wow, glutton for punishment. Korea and now Phils...

Going to Phils is a waste of time. This is common knowledge, it is one of if not the worst places to apply. No complications - the simple NO! should be understood well enough by you.

If I were you I would fly in to BKK (Air Asia /cheap) and scope the job out. Just as many scammy schools here as Korea.

If you get asked to work on your stamp while they prepare paperwork - then send you to Penang where your paperwork gets kicked back - its a scam. They will then instruct you to get a tourist visa (the visa and all the travel costs are YOURS to carry) - then they will work you illegally on that.

They will do this 1-2x more and then short your pay or not pay you at all and tell you to piss off. You have been working illegally and have no recourse. SOP. Don't bother going back to the school if they can't get the paperwork right, I mean it is their business.

Of course, during this time if you are caught by the police - you are in a world of hurt.

PS: I think you will only get 21 days on arrival so I would plan on staying 20 in Phils (which you should not go in the first place). OH and good luck in Manila ;-p