.

"foolhardy" very good term "bizarre" yep "badly out of whack" oh how judgmental

'nuff said

~

Edited July 20, 201411 yr by 'nuff said

We are not intending to retire for a bit. My wife and I have solid resumes and intend on working for at least another decade. Our sons original intention was to spend the next year or two in school pursuing what was necessary to teach English - which is something they plan to do regardless of where "home base" will be.

We harbor no illusions of starting a business in Thailand. We simply do not possess the resources or desire for that. I've waded through the mountains of too-good-to-be-true, Thailand-is-a-utopia "deals" so my BS meter has become sensitive enough to avoid all of that. Hence my original question, trying to cut through the anecdotal, the scam-ridden and the ill-informed.

post deleted

Edited July 20, 201411 yr by JamieP

Concerning my sons getting degrees that would be useless outside of Thailand...not sure what you mean by that.

Degrees given inside Thailand are often considered second class in the west.. So much so a western degree holder is almost universally preferred..

An ED visa, which they would use if they wish to study is one of the employment prohibited visas.. If they have a B visa and a work permit from a job, they could also study (meaning you dont have to be on an ED visa to study) however the ability to both work with enough value for a work permit, and study, at their age.. Is hard to see.

Thanks JLCrab. I've just about exhausted all of my means to get definitive answers (I've resorted to posting here at this point...lol)

One of the adjustments you will need to make is that definitive answers are rare here.. Unless the definitive is 'no' in which case that's all too common.

The grey areas of asia..

We have visited Thailand numerous times over the past several years and as a result, have been saving money and adjusting our lives in preparation to move to Thailand for the past year and a half. Our plan was to move within the next two years.

My recommendation would be to continue adjusting your lifestyle and saving your money, but hold off making any major decisions until things calm down here in Thailand relative to visas. Between the coup, and the current crackdown on long stay non-residents, there's no way to know exactly what it's going to look like in 2 years. IMO, any money you pay for consultations this year would be wasted in the long term since nobody seems to know what's going to happen next. (FYI, I live and work in BKK- 3+ years now, and do not hold myself out as a visa expert)

In the meantime, I'd also suggest coming up with a Plan-B in case things don't get easier here. No use carefully crafting a life for your family that will come crashing down if the visa situation goes the wrong way.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

Perfect advice.

Thanks everyone. I'll certainly take what you've said into consideration.

Except for Disambiguated. I know it's hard for some folks to imagine a family doing something like moving as a group from country to country but we are out there. Our priorities are obviously different from many folks, but they are ours and they are far from "out of whack." I would venture a guess that your attitude would change if you actually knew us.

Again, this is not our 1st rodeo and we are not raising any kids on this leg of our journeys - they are already grown. I know it is rare in many parts of the world for a family to continue to be close once the kids are grown, but we are not your average family and we are not your average group of individuals. We are not running around the world from beach to beach or from western hotel to western hotel. And we are certainly not dissuaded from our travels and from the way we conduct our lives by an anonymous poster on an internet forum. If that were the case we would not have lived the lives we have lived up to this point - there are always naysayers and those who offer unconstructive criticism. I wish you well and hope you find a way beyond whatever has obviously made you so unhappy.

Thanks everyone!

Thanks everyone. I'll certainly take what you've said into consideration.

Except for Disambiguated. I know it's hard for some folks to imagine a family doing something like moving as a group from country to country but we are out there. Our priorities are obviously different from many folks, but they are ours and they are far from "out of whack." I would venture a guess that your attitude would change if you actually knew us.

Again, this is not our 1st rodeo and we are not raising any kids on this leg of our journeys - they are already grown. I know it is rare in many parts of the world for a family to continue to be close once the kids are grown, but we are not your average family and we are not your average group of individuals. We are not running around the world from beach to beach or from western hotel to western hotel. And we are certainly not dissuaded from our travels and from the way we conduct our lives by an anonymous poster on an internet forum. If that were the case we would not have lived the lives we have lived up to this point - there are always naysayers and those who offer unconstructive criticism. I wish you well and hope you find a way beyond whatever has obviously made you so unhappy.

Thanks everyone!

Thats all well and good.. However Thailand's visa rules will look at the grown children as self standing adults, and the options for visas, work, and life advancement are not great.

I also think some of the posters sort of jumped on you a bit.. But I would also agree being 20 something years old for an extended period in Thailand, beyond a holiday or travel, is a huge gaping hole in a career path, and not something I would think is advantageous to a young guy for a lot more reasons than purely professional.

Your looking at moving in two years? Don't panic now, let things settle, change, settle, change. When you get closer to your actual move date then start review the most current changes to different Visa requirements.

Sent from my HTC One using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Thanks LivinLOS. Of course, they would be considered adults. Here's the thing. We've been around the block enough to know that when dealing with complicated systems with multiple variables sometimes (not always and not often, but sometimes) the planets align in your favor and a solution emerges that is not obvious on the surface. We've had it happen before and my intention with this inquiry was to find an expert on the matter that could sit with us, hear all of the variables and see if maybe, on the off chance, we can once again find a solution that fits with our larger plans.

We are very aware that the odds are against it, but if you give up when things get challenging where does that get you?

While I appreciate everyone's concern, my sons career paths are not part of the discussion here. Many folks seems to want to put their 2 cents worth in on that topic, but as I have mentioned multiple times, this is not an average situation, and these are not average 20 somethings. I understand that there are tens of thousands of 20 somethings wandering around every corner of the globe thinking they will find a life of adventure, wonder and a state of never-ending starry-eyed bliss in every tourist bar town in the world. We are not a part of that group. We have a grand plan and our move to SE Asia fits in with that perfectly. Yes a typical 20-something has a particular trajectory during the 19-28 yr period, but everyone doesn't follow the same path, some people are both born and choose to be outside the bell curve.

Our family has been called bizarre, interesting, crazy and unusual for over 2 decades. While folks have been busy telling us we're crazy and irresponsible we've lived very fulfilling and adventurous lives. We've intimately experienced many people and cultures other than the one of our birth and given our sons a view of the world that can never be duplicated in a classroom, office or sitting at a desk in front of a screen.

This forum is full of people whose lives make others shake their heads in disbelief. We are all the ones that do what others just talk about. Even if you are living away from your birth country just because of a job, assignment or completely by choice, you made the decision to do something that most people would consider foolhardy, irresponsible, or just crazy. Why did you do it? Why is it that a group of people with such an amazing thing in common are so judgmental and course with each other? You are part of a unique community that could offer so much to one another. Understanding and support should reign supreme - that's at the top of Mount Should. But alas, the path to disappointment is paved with "should."

Cheers everyone!

M

Thanks LivinLOS. Of course, they would be considered adults. Here's the thing. We've been around the block enough to know that when dealing with complicated systems with multiple variables sometimes (not always and not often, but sometimes) the planets align in your favor and a solution emerges that is not obvious on the surface. We've had it happen before and my intention with this inquiry was to find an expert on the matter that could sit with us, hear all of the variables and see if maybe, on the off chance, we can once again find a solution that fits with our larger plans.

We are very aware that the odds are against it, but if you give up when things get challenging where does that get you?

While I appreciate everyone's concern, my sons career paths are not part of the discussion here. Many folks seems to want to put their 2 cents worth in on that topic, but as I have mentioned multiple times, this is not an average situation, and these are not average 20 somethings. I understand that there are tens of thousands of 20 somethings wandering around every corner of the globe thinking they will find a life of adventure, wonder and a state of never-ending starry-eyed bliss in every tourist bar town in the world. We are not a part of that group. We have a grand plan and our move to SE Asia fits in with that perfectly. Yes a typical 20-something has a particular trajectory during the 19-28 yr period, but everyone doesn't follow the same path, some people are both born and choose to be outside the bell curve.

Our family has been called bizarre, interesting, crazy and unusual for over 2 decades. While folks have been busy telling us we're crazy and irresponsible we've lived very fulfilling and adventurous lives. We've intimately experienced many people and cultures other than the one of our birth and given our sons a view of the world that can never be duplicated in a classroom, office or sitting at a desk in front of a screen.

This forum is full of people whose lives make others shake their heads in disbelief. We are all the ones that do what others just talk about. Even if you are living away from your birth country just because of a job, assignment or completely by choice, you made the decision to do something that most people would consider foolhardy, irresponsible, or just crazy. Why did you do it? Why is it that a group of people with such an amazing thing in common are so judgmental and course with each other? You are part of a unique community that could offer so much to one another. Understanding and support should reign supreme - that's at the top of Mount Should. But alas, the path to disappointment is paved with "should."

Cheers everyone!

M

If all you needed was a contact with an expert, that is all you should have mentioned. including all the details of your family and your hopes and dreams was not necessary and only invited comments from all of us non-experts.

That is exactly what my original post asked:

"we need definitive information specific to our situation before the entire family undergoes this move. Is there anywhere to go to get dependable (as dependable as is possible...lol) information concerning visa's, work permits,etc... We are not wealthy, but would certainly pay a reasonable fee for solid consultation on these matters from a reputable source. Internet searches have thus far only produced "visa run" companies and the like. Are there actual, legitimate and reputable consulting firms that could assist us?"

And I did not include and details beyond what the forum rules suggested (country of origin, age, etc..) for that reason. It wasn't until people started making unwarranted assumptions that I filled in some info in the hopes it would elicit helpful info - which it did from a few folks.

"Because our situation is somewhat complicated - 4 people, each with varying levels of education, work experience and skillsets - I have refrained from posting the details here. If possible I would prefer to consult privately with a knowledgeable person rather than attempting to lay out all of the variables in an online forum."

As of yet, I've made no mention of my hopes and dreams. If I was so inclined to share those, I believe there are much more suitable and welcoming forums for that sort of conversation elsewhere.

As was previously pointed out, start with Siam-Legal Group. They are the legal experts.

As far as your overall "family plan", it is commendable but is not doable in Thailand for the "long term". Too many VISA and "work permit" restrictions prevent you from achieving your goal. With your son's ages as they are, each one's VISA will be treated separately with no connection to the other. You need to think "individually" for each member of your family. If any one does not qualify for a VISA by themselves, coming over as a "family" will not work. Each member of your family will need to get their own long term VISA on their own merit. If that means finding four "company's" that will hire each one at the same time, then that is what it will take. Doubt full I might add.

I can't explain any more simpler than that.

That is exactly what my original post asked:

"we need definitive information specific to our situation before the entire family undergoes this move. Is there anywhere to go to get dependable (as dependable as is possible...lol) information concerning visa's, work permits,etc... We are not wealthy, but would certainly pay a reasonable fee for solid consultation on these matters from a reputable source. Internet searches have thus far only produced "visa run" companies and the like. Are there actual, legitimate and reputable consulting firms that could assist us?"

And I did not include and details beyond what the forum rules suggested (country of origin, age, etc..) for that reason. It wasn't until people started making unwarranted assumptions that I filled in some info in the hopes it would elicit helpful info - which it did from a few folks.

"Because our situation is somewhat complicated - 4 people, each with varying levels of education, work experience and skillsets - I have refrained from posting the details here. If possible I would prefer to consult privately with a knowledgeable person rather than attempting to lay out all of the variables in an online forum."

As of yet, I've made no mention of my hopes and dreams. If I was so inclined to share those, I believe there are much more suitable and welcoming forums for that sort of conversation elsewhere.

lol! first you say you wanted references then you say you posted details to obtain helpful info. when you get info you dont like you fall back on the "I only wanted references" line!!

I'm sorry you're having trouble following the conversation, but as I stated, I only posted details because people were making unwarranted and uninformed comments about things not pertinent to my original question. As I said, i didn't want to get into those details but felt it necessary to try and mitigate any further unwarranted and ill-informed comments about my family and our personal decisions. Obviously, that was a foolish overestimation of the ability of a small minority here to participate in a civil discourse.

I have not indicated any problem with getting "info I don't like" beyond the unnecessary comments and criticisms that, because of their lack of footing in any knowledge of my situation, end up being useless insults rather than constructive additions to the conversation. To be honest, the most helpful responses I have received were not things I "like" to hear, but provided useful suggestions and recommendations concerning my question, unlike your last few comments, which have added nothing but a few extra bytes of data to this site and have stolen a few moments of both of our time, which I'm sure would be better used in other ways.
I appreciated some of your earlier comments though. They were helpful when taken into consideration with some of your fellow forum users' responses. Maybe there is a young wide-eyed backpacker or budding sexpat that would benefit more from these critical eyes on their intentions?

I welcome any other comments or responses to my actual question about finding an expert to consult with on Thai visa issues, but I believe we will simply hold off and let the dust settle from recent events and reevaluate again next year. In the meantime, we'll be visiting the country and region again in Oct - we would love to meet and have a beer with any of the ThaiVisa community!

Also, Thanks to BngkkB & LivinLOS btw for your comments!

I'm sorry you're having trouble following the conversation, but as I stated, I only posted details because people were making unwarranted and uninformed comments about things not pertinent to my original question. As I said, i didn't want to get into those details but felt it necessary to try and mitigate any further unwarranted and ill-informed comments about my family and our personal decisions. Obviously, that was a foolish overestimation of the ability of a small minority here to participate in a civil discourse.

I have not indicated any problem with getting "info I don't like" beyond the unnecessary comments and criticisms that, because of their lack of footing in any knowledge of my situation, end up being useless insults rather than constructive additions to the conversation. To be honest, the most helpful responses I have received were not things I "like" to hear, but provided useful suggestions and recommendations concerning my question, unlike your last few comments, which have added nothing but a few extra bytes of data to this site and have stolen a few moments of both of our time, which I'm sure would be better used in other ways.

I appreciated some of your earlier comments though. They were helpful when taken into consideration with some of your fellow forum users' responses. Maybe there is a young wide-eyed backpacker or budding sexpat that would benefit more from these critical eyes on their intentions?

I welcome any other comments or responses to my actual question about finding an expert to consult with on Thai visa issues, but I believe we will simply hold off and let the dust settle from recent events and reevaluate again next year. In the meantime, we'll be visiting the country and region again in Oct - we would love to meet and have a beer with any of the ThaiVisa community!

Also, Thanks to BngkkB & LivinLOS btw for your comments!

it wasn't at all difficult to follow. just entertaining to watch you trying to convince us of your idiosyncratic lifestyle

Convince? lol... Obviously, that's what I was trying to do... brilliant analysis. Can we move on now?

Convince? lol... Obviously, that's what I was trying to do... brilliant analysis. Can we move on now?

as I said, it was hilarious. and nobody is stopping you from moving on.

or not

Edited July 20, 201411 yr by AYJAYDEE

Our family has been called bizarre, interesting, crazy and unusual for over 2 decades Hopefully you can find solid information from persons with similar experience.

I think I already have...lol

I think I already have...lol

and yet you're still replying

Tag. You're it.

Tag. You're it.

thats what she said

I wonder what the OP and his wife were doing with their lives when they were their son's ages? Probably getting a university education. It's a foundation that has served them well and would serve their sons well, especially in their dream of moving to Thailand as a family, yet it's interesting that he continues to reject it and defend his sons' choices not to pursue conventional higher education. He's not doing his sons any favors by creating a family atmosphere where it's OK not to establish solid professional credentials, especially when he and his wife have done so. While he can defend the family's non-traditional lifestyle choices, what's he's finding is that the world doesn't always operate in that same framework -- as evidenced by the difficulty his sons are going to encounter with the Thai visa regulations. Sometimes you just have to play by the rules for a time and get your ticket stamped in order to get into the party, and then you can go on to do what you'd planned to do.

Edited July 21, 201411 yr by NancyL

Actually, neither of us got our degrees until we were in our late 20's into our 30's - in fact,I didn't go to university until I was in my late 20's. I never rejected the idea of them getting a higher education, nor my own, I'm just letting them get it on their own time, just like my wife and I did. They both are making a decent living currently and have plans to go back to school - as I've said several times. I would recommend reading the previous comments on a post before you jump out and insult someone.

It is astounding the assumptions and leaps you self-righteous twits make about people you know virtually nothing about. You have grossly overestimated your ability to "read" people.

To imply that we don't have an understanding of how the world works is astoundingly laughable - I'll bet you armchair analysts diagnose celebrities based on the stories you read in the tabloids as well, right?

If I choose to play by your rules of inference and assumption, I would go on a diatribe about aging retirees living in their expat bubble, looking down on anyone that isn't a part of their tiny world, and getting their kicks out of attacking people online to fulfill the holes in their soul left by empty marriages and failed relationships with their children. Now they move overseas because no one will miss them.

But that would be unfair, to characterized someone based on virtually no actual knowledge now, wouldn't it?

I know you will dismiss my comments and laugh it off saying "Ooohhh touched a nerve", but comments like NancyL's are inexcusable. You are a disservice to the potential good of this forum.

Actually, neither of us got our degrees until we were in our late 20's into our 30's - in fact,I didn't go to university until I was in my late 20's. I never rejected the idea of them getting a higher education, nor my own, I'm just letting them get it on their own time, just like my wife and I did. They both are making a decent living currently and have plans to go back to school - as I've said several times. I would recommend reading the previous comments on a post before you jump out and insult someone.

It is astounding the assumptions and leaps you self-righteous twits make about people you know virtually nothing about. You have grossly overestimated your ability to "read" people.

To imply that we don't have an understanding of how the world works is astoundingly laughable - I'll bet you armchair analysts diagnose celebrities based on the stories you read in the tabloids as well, right?

If I choose to play by your rules of inference and assumption, I would go on a diatribe about aging retirees living in their expat bubble, looking down on anyone that isn't a part of their tiny world, and getting their kicks out of attacking people online to fulfill the holes in their soul left by empty marriages and failed relationships with their children. Now they move overseas because no one will miss them.

But that would be unfair, to characterized someone based on virtually no actual knowledge now, wouldn't it?

I know you will dismiss my comments and laugh it off saying "Ooohhh touched a nerve", but comments like NancyL's are inexcusable. You are a disservice to the potential good of this forum.

youre 'LETTING' them!?? theyre full grown adults! do americans EVER cut the apron strings??

There once was a guy on here who wrote:

For the record Ive had an unusual, unorthodox , exciting, blessed, contented, happy life. ... Some thing I now understand the trolls can not comprehend happens in real life.

... but I don't think he's available to offer advice.

To imply that we don't have an understanding of how the world works is astoundingly laughable - I'll bet you armchair analysts diagnose celebrities based on the stories you read in the tabloids as well, right?

As I sit here in my armchair in Thailand, I can tell you with 100% certainty that you either a) don't know how things work in Southeast Asia generally and Thailand specifically, have very out-of-whack priorities, and/or c) are a troll.

No one in his right mind would pull up stakes with his family to move to Thailand to try and get a job teaching English for maybe the equivalent of $2000USD/month, if you're lucky.

No one in his right mind would encourage his grown sons to waste time, money, and effort getting an inferior degree from an inferior Thai university, rather than from a university in North American, Australia, or Europe. All universities in Thailand are inferior to even moderately-acclaimed universities in North America, Australia, or Europe.

There's a reason that Asians flock to US and European (and even Australian and Canadian) universities, whereas the opposite isn't the case.

My guess is that you're a troll. If you aren't, I really pity your family, should you go through with this nonsensical scheme.

Look, it's obvious to me at this point that many people in this thread are either not reading the comments, are glancing over them and making broad assumptions, and/or are simply throwing out comments to get a rise or a "here, here!" out of their fellow forum users. The previous post by "disambiguated" can be used as Exhibit A.
I'm guessing you folks run into a lot of people who go on a vacation in LOS, think, "wow, this place is great!" and hatch a plan to move there without having thought through the process or done any serious research into the realities of such a task. By all means continue to help those folks get back to reality.
But seriously, folks... just let it go. I am simply not going to go into the detail necessary for anyone here to give any meaningful advice on my families plans for SE Asian over the next several years - primarily because after having watched this forum for about 18 months I've noticed a great number of you don't really have anything to offer other than bitter, hateful, anecdotal information that is often at odds with each other. That is also not the reason I posted here - I just wanted a recommendation for an actual expert on visa matters - if one existed. All of the commentary on other things is wrong-headed, speculative dribble.There are some folks here that seem to have an objective view, I've contacted them directly and they have been very helpful.

Have fun everyone and lighten up. Life's too short.