sorry to clog up the lines with a question that has probably been answered before but i am overwhelmed by all the different threads i have read.

background: i'm a certified teacher with MA in Education and have had four work permits in as many years, each one done by the school that hired me. i am leaving the latest school at the end of my contract next month. i've been asked to apply for a consulting job the following month but must have my own work permit. what can i do? this agency says that since it is a temporary job they will not make a work permit for me.

1. is it possible to buy my own work permit and if so how? as we all know, some things (but not all) can be expedited by throwing a little money at the problem.

2. is the work permit and the appropriate visa (mine is currently a non-immigrant type a "package deal"? in other words, if i am no longer employed by that school am i obligated to exit the country and re-enter on a tourist visa?

3. at age 60 i'm not keen on getting married again, but i do have a lady friend here. is there any benefit to getting a proper marriage visa, in terms of being legally allowed to work in thailand?

4. i speak read & write thai fluently (thanks to four years in the U.S. Peace Corps in the 1970s) and i looked into the permanent resident possibility, but it demanded three consecutive years at the same school which i don't have. any suggestions here? would dual-citizenship be any easier?

please feel free to offer any and all suggestions. be assured that i sincerely appreciate your time and your expertise and your willingness to share it with me. d.

. is it possible to buy my own work permit and if so how? as we all know, some things (but not all) can be expedited by throwing a little money at the problem.

Nope, A Thai work permit has to be sponsored by a Thai entity/Company

is there any benefit to getting a proper marriage visa, in terms of being legally allowed to work in thailand?

nope other than you can tack your extension stay to your "marriage visa" and not your job

i looked into the permanent resident possibility, but it demanded three consecutive years at the same school which i don't have. any suggestions here? would dual-citizenship be any easier?

PR is not citizenship therefore you would not be a dual national until you did your citizenship, even PR's need a WP, granted the process is a "formality"