I plan to to a TEFL course in January, and was wandering what my first step to getting a work visa would be? It all seems a bit confusing, and am unsure weather to sort it out now, or wait until I start my course. Is it something my employer will take care of, or maybe even the company I do the course with?

Wise old heads of the teaching game please help!

I plan to to a TEFL course in January, and was wandering what my first step to getting a work visa would be? It all seems a bit confusing, and am unsure weather to sort it out now, or wait until I start my course. Is it something my employer will take care of, or maybe even the company I do the course with?

Wise old heads of the teaching game please help!

Sort out what now? a WP?

You cannot sort out a WP until you get a job and a willing employer who will do the leg work and paperwork mountain to help get you one.

Unless the people doing the TEFL course offer you a job when you complete the course then the chances of them providing a WP are zilch.

I hope that helps clarify things and don't forget to ask your instructor whether the TEFL will teach you the difference between whether you will weather the weather of TEFL teaching or not

Edited October 31, 200619 yr by Casanundra

I plan to to a TEFL course in January, and was wandering what my first step to getting a work visa would be? It all seems a bit confusing, and am unsure weather to sort it out now, or wait until I start my course. Is it something my employer will take care of, or maybe even the company I do the course with?

Wise old heads of the teaching game please help!

And perhaps you may also stop wandering, and begin to wonder.... which subject do you intend to teach...

Hi bill; good question. I think you're asking about a WORK VISA - or more properly, a non-immigrant B visa, issued by Thai embassies and consulates abroad. I suggest that you ask this question to the TEFL course provider; they may be able to assist you, even if they're not planning to be your actual employer. The non-imm B visa for 90 days or a year is the best visa to come to Thailand for a teaching job.

You get your work PERMIT from the Ministry of Labour when you get a real job in Thailand (usually after you start working, in violation of the law itself, which is a bad, illegal, unlawful thing, but normal). Good luck.

Before you come here, try to get a Non Immigrant B visa form the Thai embassy in your home country. If you cant get that, try to get a tourist visa with as many entries allowed as possible.

So you come here, look for a job, find a job and then the headache begins.

First you need to take your doccuments including degree and TEFL as well as possibly some doccuments from the school and apply for a teachers liscence. Once you get the teachers liscence, you take more doccuments and apply for a work permit. After you get the reciept from the labor dept to say you have already applied for a work permit, you take that reciept as well as more doccuments, especially doccuments your school will give you, to :

1- If you already have your non B visa, just go to immigration and extend it.

2- If you have a tourist visa, or no visa, you need to leave the country and go to an embassy abroad and apply for a non B visa.

I plan to to a TEFL course in January, and was wandering what my first step to getting a work visa would be? It all seems a bit confusing, and am unsure weather to sort it out now, or wait until I start my course. Is it something my employer will take care of, or maybe even the company I do the course with?

Wise old heads of the teaching game please help!

I would consider carefully if you really want to work in Thailand. At first, you will be working very hard and taking home a little over 1000 Aussie dollars a month. This will improve but not by a large amount. You will cause your career to come to a halt. If these two disadvantages are of no concern, then next you need to learn how to spell, 'wonder' and 'whether'. If you do not learn how to spell, don't worry. Your students will never notice.

Get a job in Thailand before you worry about work permits. Some employers do not want to help you whilst others will do all the work for you.