How much trouble am I in?

[krdowney]

Thanks. My boss and i are on good terms. I do think your right. And I guess I do have a chip on my shoulder, I just didn't realize how big. I will talk to him, without the questions about international professors because there is a queue and I took over for someone they fired in a revolving door of firings.

[OJAS]

"But before doing anything, consult a lawyer. "

And ask them what?

What scope might exist for the OP to seek, through litigation of necessary, some sort of financial recompense from the Machiavellian scumbags in charge of Thammasat University for all the grief they have been giving him for starters, I would have thought. Since his days there (and, for that matter, in Thailand) appear to be numbered in any event, what does he have to lose by ruffling a few feathers?

[BuckBee]

another example of how thainess complicates such a simple process.

why the can't sort the visa paperwork properly is beyond any reasoning & with most foreigners more than happy to manage it themselves & only need supporting documents makes it inexcusable ...

Seen so many decent foreign employees put in the same position ... employers should be subject to the fines in these cases ...

[BudRight]

You need to put on your "Thai Bureaucrat Hat" on or a moment. (A tight fit for sure)

They do not know or care about how your paperwork got to this state ... they "do the math" and apply the fines.

There is no point in going to " Chaeng Wattana do my 90-day report even though the visa says it has expired."

That is all they know. (or care about)

So .. why put yourself through the aggravation and pay them the penalty .. and run the risk of:

(1) having a meaningful and negative escalation at that point

(2) Paying the late fee ... only to have immigration at the airport demand the same fee (Which they very well may.

(3) Please heed the advice of others in this thread .. there is a world of difference between a few day careless overstay ... and 30 days. A very big difference.

(4) Wait a day, see if you get a reply / solution. Thai people sometimes need to see the writing on the wall in pretty big letters before they do something about a problem. If no reply ... go see your boss, let them know you are flying out in the morning .. and thank them for all they have done. (Biting down on tongue will help here...)

So even a University rector should be given the special moron treatment? <deleted> them, I would go somewhere else.

[Tomtomtom69]

The most worrying factor, is the random check or accident resulting in you being placed in a detention centre, that wont be an experience you'll forget in a hurry.

I think Post no.7 has it right, pack, leave, pay the overstay at the airport on the way out. Take it from there.

Good luck ! you have been placed in an awful dilemma, not of your making.

"The most worrying factor, is the random check or accident resulting in you being placed in a detention centre, that wont be an experience you'll forget in a hurry."

​That sounds right to me. I don't think I'd drive a car or motorbike in the meantime if possible to avoid.

I'd also avoid staying in a new hotel since I've been asked at several of them on what page in my passport is my visa.

That's crap and sounds like racial profiling scaremongering to me. A traffic policeman has neither the authority, nor interest to ask what you for your "papers". He can ask for a driver's licence but that's about it. Even if you don't have one it's a 100 Baht fine.

If anything, it's better to drive a car yourself than take public transport. In border areas the authorities mostly leave westerners and other obvious foreign looking people alone, instead focusing on nationals of neighboring countries (mainly Burmese and Cambodians). If there are checkpoints, foreigners either driving or sitting as passengers in private vehicles are left alone. On buses, there is a small chance they may be checked though it's unlikely.

If the OP goes about his business as usual, he should be fine.

I've always used my Thai D/L for hotel check-ins, never a problem. Most hotels simply photocopy the front cover of passports, never heard one that would care about a foreigner's visa status and I've stayed at a LOT of hotels in Thailand. In Myanmar and Vietnam they do care about your visa though and will ask and/or take photocopies every time.

[krdowney]

What I don't understand is why everybody thinks that an administrator's attempts to scuttle my visa is enough to convince the department head and dean to get rid of me?

[Tomtomtom69]

Our contracts are year to year. Mine is up in June and they have no responsibility to renew, and there is no severance pay at the university, but they are forcing me out. One of the admin staff has already tried to get me fired and failed, and she is involved in the visa process. She tried to block my new contract and failed so now she is trying to get me thrown out of the country. Honestly, I'm tired of it. I don't care if I am foreign and don't have a king, I am a lecturer with a PhD (from a real school) and deserve better than this.

Ah...that's what the problem is. They are trying to fire you. I wonder why. But a reputable university like Thammasart wouldn't just keep you hanging and allow your visa to expire. Even if you are being let go of, if they expect you to complete up the semester with them, you need to hold a visa that is valid for every day that you will be performing your duties. That is in the absence of permanent residency or citizenship of course.

This whole story sounds a bit fishy, but I personally would have never allowed it to get to this point. No matter what job you do, how busy you are, who you are, if you are being put in a situation where it looks like you can't get a visa extension (in this case, the university didn't want to process one for you), you leave the country BEFORE the visa expires and then if you want, come back with a tourist visa or something to tie you over in the meantime. Of course, before that happens you would want to talk to the university (or other employer) to get things sorted out first. Even companies that let their employees go on bad terms are supposed to follow the immigration and labour laws without exception.

If I were you, had I been in your situation and assuming that there was no more support from my employer, I would have cancelled my visa and flown out of the country for say Phnom Penh and then come back on say a tourist visa a couple of days later therefore avoiding an overstay situation altogether. I wouldn't give a crap about whether I've got a day off or not, in the worst case scenario I would just "chuck a sickie" as we say in Australia (fake an illness and take sick leave) and then leave without my employer knowing. Besides, if there's no more support left, it's clear that they want you out. In which case you can't be expected to work anymore if you're lacking a visa or the appropriate visa (and work permit).

[nzexpat]

Why is the "department head and dean " not taking active steps to resolve this "problem" ?

[Tomtomtom69]

What I don't understand is why everybody thinks that an administrator's attempts to scuttle my visa is enough to convince the department head and dean to get rid of me?

I don't know, you'd need to give us more information otherwise we have nothing to go on.

[casualbiker]

What I don't understand is why everybody thinks that an administrator's attempts to scuttle my visa is enough to convince the department head and dean to get rid of me?

Because they don't seem to be doing anything to rectify the situation... That's sometimes how it works here, so the big boss doesn't lose face....

Oh and yes you do seem to have an authority complex ( as in you have a higher education ie authority), easily done here though

[krdowney]

NZEXPAT: The head of the department is out of the country. We were communicating by email today and he is not happy with the staff. We will talk when he gets back. The dean deals with academic affairs (my status as an employee) not with the administration, which is handled by the head of the department.

Tomtomtom: all that laundry is in posts above

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I'm not a teacher in Thailand. But I do believe it's safe to say...

The threads of ThaiVisa are replete with teachers here complaining about the staff at their various schools not processing/providing the necessary paperwork to get their visas renewed in time and/or suffering from the issue about inaction while waiting for annual contracts to get renewed.

That's why teachers here historically have done land office business in doing tourist visa trips and visa exempt entries, back before the latter became more difficult to string together back to back.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Thanks. My boss and i are on good terms. I do think your right. And I guess I do have a chip on my shoulder, I just didn't realize how big. I will talk to him, without the questions about international professors because there is a queue and I took over for someone they fired in a revolving door of firings.

Sounds like a really great place to work!!!

Somehow, I've never understood the attraction some folks seem to have to working at places that treat them like SH... Of course, sometimes, you don't find that out until you're already there.

[nzexpat]

I have worked around the world , in many different countries and for many different employers.

. My demands of employers have always been simple Ie meet the terms of the contract and ensure that I am legally employed !

If those very simple requests cannot be met the man with sense moves on !

[krdowney]

NZ, that is very good advice. I am going to start a job search and see what comes up, but it takes some time. Or I could just go back to the US.

[casualbiker]

Krdowney. Mahidol international were looking for staff not long ago..

http://www.muic.mahidol.ac.th/eng/?page_id=9966

[krdowney]

I heard the same. They hired a friend of mine. It was a good break for her!

Did you see me teaching in 103 or something?

[thaibreaker]

The most worrying factor, is the random check or accident resulting in you being placed in a detention centre, that wont be an experience you'll forget in a hurry.

I think Post no.7 has it right, pack, leave, pay the overstay at the airport on the way out. Take it from there.

Good luck ! you have been placed in an awful dilemma, not of your making.

"The most worrying factor, is the random check or accident resulting in you being placed in a detention centre, that wont be an experience you'll forget in a hurry."

​That sounds right to me. I don't think I'd drive a car or motorbike in the meantime if possible to avoid.

I'd also avoid staying in a new hotel since I've been asked at several of them on what page in my passport is my visa.

That's crap and sounds like racial profiling scaremongering to me. A traffic policeman has neither the authority, nor interest to ask what you for your "papers". He can ask for a driver's licence but that's about it. Even if you don't have one it's a 100 Baht fine.

If anything, it's better to drive a car yourself than take public transport. In border areas the authorities mostly leave westerners and other obvious foreign looking people alone, instead focusing on nationals of neighboring countries (mainly Burmese and Cambodians). If there are checkpoints, foreigners either driving or sitting as passengers in private vehicles are left alone. On buses, there is a small chance they may be checked though it's unlikely.

If the OP goes about his business as usual, he should be fine.

I've always used my Thai D/L for hotel check-ins, never a problem. Most hotels simply photocopy the front cover of passports, never heard one that would care about a foreigner's visa status and I've stayed at a LOT of hotels in Thailand. In Myanmar and Vietnam they do care about your visa though and will ask and/or take photocopies every time.

Bangkok has random checks of people for passports, done by immigration officers themselves, so this should not been taken lightly.

Overstay for any day at all, or any reason, is not recommendable. IDC is just too much of a nightmare for that.

And no, this is not scaremongering, but a fact.

[nzexpat]

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NZ, that is very good advice. I am going to start a job search and see what comes up, but it takes some time. Or I could just go back to the US.

Returning to the US might be good idea !

I am sure there are many "Universities" willing to offer "tenure" to a PhD applicant !

[krdowney]

No, actually there are none. PhDs have terrible chances with jobs. I was selling suits at Men's Wearhouse for two years after I finished, which is why I came here. The US is a society with far too many higher degrees. If I go back, I will have to find a job in retail. That means lying about my education because I am considered far too overspecialized, all PhDs are. But I like retail, I get to talk to people.

[BudRight]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

NZ, that is very good advice. I am going to start a job search and see what comes up, but it takes some time. Or I could just go back to the US.

Returning to the US might be good idea !

I am sure there are many "Universities" willing to offer "tenure" to a PhD applicant !

Tenure track positions are garnered and maintained by publishing quality research and securing grant money.

[cdnvic]

The OP has gotten his answer and it's degenerated into people slagging each other and their countries off. Time to put it to rest.