Just wondering if anyone else teaching at Govt. school has been told they will no longer be paid by auto-pay. After years, our school will now require us to collect cash on a monthly basis! They claim the bank has forced this, but a quick trip to talk to the manager proved this not to be the case. Any ideas/ reasons other than finance's dislike of all things foreign? Thanks. P.S. school is in Ubon Ratchathani province.

That's weird. I've heard some banks are getting pickier about who they give accounts to (requiring work permits, or refusing accounts to certain nationalities etc.), but if you already have a bank account I can't see what the problem would be.

Maybe the bank charges the school a fee to do direct deposit and the school just wants to save some money?

I experienced the complete opposite. My last two employers since 2007, insisted that I opened a back account at a bank of the school's preference. Government policy I was told as in that case money will not physically be moved around.

I have accounts at 3 banks. The school kept changing their bank of preference.

Where I currently work, I am the only one who they will give direct deposit to. Apparently, though, it is because I am actually paid by a different school (same owner).

Yeah my school has only ever paid us in cash, when I asked about having it just credited to my account, they said it was impossible (e.g. too difficult).

However I think the reason for it, is that our salary comes out of a special budget.

Probably a different scenario as I work at a government university but always paid by check which they would hand deposit at my bank of choice. A change of position to government employee recently required my opening an account at a specific government bank where they do direct deposit to. The only cash payments were when I would receive what they call 'topup' to my salary for exemplary work.

I believe the university pays by check or direct deposit for tighter control requirements for government auditing. Smaller schools may not have that requirement. Not sure why they would go cash only as they still have to go to the bank to get the cash and seems they could just as easily write and deposit a check to your account there.

Yes our salary also is from a special budget, but as I said, for years there was no problem then all the suden, problem. I suppose the idea is to make you physically go to them, thus establishing their power. There have been problems recently with pay etc. so I suppose it is as simple as this. I might give a mate power of attorney and see how they like that!

Probably a different scenario as I work at a government university but always paid by check which they would hand deposit at my bank of choice. A change of position to government employee recently required my opening an account at a specific government bank where they do direct deposit to. The only cash payments were when I would receive what they call 'topup' to my salary for exemplary work.

I believe the university pays by check or direct deposit for tighter control requirements for government auditing. Smaller schools may not have that requirement. Not sure why they would go cash only as they still have to go to the bank to get the cash and seems they could just as easily write and deposit a check to your account there.

My school pays by direct deposit, but when I taught some extra night classes at the uni down the road they paid by cheque. Just like you, I found 'extra' payments get made in cash... things like end of year bonuses.

Cash and cheque payments seen quite archaic now that internet banking is so easy. The finance dept. really don't even need to leave their desks to make payments anymore.

When my previous school did 'direct deposit', the money was put in envelopes and then the envelopes were taken to the bank and individually deposited into the teachers' accounts.

Personally, I would be embarrassed to do something in such an archaic way.

Cash is harder to track.

When my previous school did 'direct deposit', the money was put in envelopes and then the envelopes were taken to the bank and individually deposited into the teachers' accounts.

Personally, I would be embarrassed to do something in such an archaic way.

hahah I never thought they would do it in such a convoluted manner! I bet any place that does this sends the monthly payroll down to the bank in the company of some little Thai lady who works in the accounting department as well. I guess there aren't many smart criminals here, or else you would see payroll robberies in the news every other day.

Hopefully I haven't given anyone ideas....

There are a fair number of such robberies.

I am guessing that the ones that run into the millions of baht are the ones that get reported in the news. There are usually a couple of people who go along. I heard about a girl who just took the money and went back to her home province!

Yeah I've often thought the same regarding robberies.

My school has said paying in cash is impossible, to the best of my knowledge everyone is paid in cash (maybe the permanent government employees get direct credit though?).

Either way, the school has huge amounts of cash just sitting around in their office. If people are murdered over a few thousand, or even hundred baht, I don't know why they don't rob schools for hundreds of thousands, or millions of baht every month. I very much doubt that CC TV is even setup in many schools.

It seems soo strange that they don't use Internet banking for payments. It could all be done at the click of a button with significantly increased security/paper trails at the same time.

I've been paid by direct deposit by the last two employers... from about 2005 to the present.

I also work at a school in Ubon and had a hard time to get the money on my bank account every month a few moons ago, as I live in a neighboring province.

All I had to do was to tell the "money office woman" that I'd pay the fee for this transaction. All the others have to pick their money up on the last working day of each month.

But I do not believe that banks had changed their policies. It's the people at your school who believe it';s easier to do it this way.-