Teachers working illegally - go to the schools. Arrest, fine, deport etc. It would be so easy to catch them. Is this just an indirect way of kicking out teachers so you don't directly piss of school owners and parents, etc?

Yes it would be very easy to just arrest all illegal teachers... Do you think the police has not thought about it? Why do you think they don't do it?

Yes, I know exactly why they don't arrest them. I was being rhetorical.

My point was - isn't there a simpler solution other than the METV visa.

There is a simple solution for those wishing to live and work in Thailand.

All that is required is a legal job which requires an appropriate Visa and Work Permit.

... Or take a holiday to Laos, post passport home to family to apply for them, then come back into Thailand with 9 months stay instead of 6.

Yes, and if the issue of having an open entry stamp (with no exit) from Laos or wherever is an issue, use a Hong Kong vacation. HK doesn't apply an entry-stamp - so the passport of one flying BKK to HK, looks identical to one flying from BKK to the USA.

Note that a 3rd party relay in the USA is best to meet the METV requirements for DC, as the rules state they will only return passports for mailed applications via USPS.

I'm looking forward to my HK vacation, and maybe update my laptop; the savings over Thai prices should pay for the airfare.

Teachers working illegally - go to the schools. Arrest, fine, deport etc. It would be so easy to catch them. Is this just an indirect way of kicking out teachers so you don't directly piss of school owners and parents, etc?

Yes it would be very easy to just arrest all illegal teachers... Do you think the police has not thought about it? Why do you think they don't do it?

Yes, I know exactly why they don't arrest them. I was being rhetorical.

My point was - isn't there a simpler solution other than the METV visa.

There is a simple solution for those wishing to live and work in Thailand.

All that is required is a legal job which requires an appropriate Visa and Work Permit.

Yes, it would be that simple if many people who were qualified didn't mind working for a pittance. Unfortunately, most won't; therefore, it's not that simple.

The METV visa would make it harder for schools to find teachers. Fine. But who's going to fill the void if schools don't pay up.

And back to back METVs after the 9 months are up? It'll be interesting to see what they've decided for that one.

And back to back METVs after the 9 months are up? It'll be interesting to see what they've decided for that one.

Back to Back METV's will not be available from anywhere nearby !

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/868729-metv-visa-vientiane-laos-its-official/#entry10047914

And back to back METVs after the 9 months are up? It'll be interesting to see what they've decided for that one.

Back to Back METV's will not be available from anywhere nearby !

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/868729-metv-visa-vientiane-laos-its-official/#entry10047914

That has nothing to do with getting them back to back.