Ok, I have been wanting to go to Thailand so that I could study Thai for a very long while. I have done all my preparations for my dream and was prepping up for my trip until I stumbled upon some recent changes the Royal Thai Government decided to make which drives a wrench into my plans.

First of all, I am a Turkish citizen. 

I sent a mail to a language school, namely the aua and I have been told that the ed visas can be extended for up to one year. after the end of that one year, you have to wait for 2 years before applying for another education visa.

Wat?

I though I could apply for one immediately after. I know the rules are changing constantly, but the research I have made so far has not mentioned anything like this.

My initial plan was to study thai for 2 years and then switch to japanese (a language which  I took many years ago and want to improve upon)

Attending the required hours is no problem for me, but I want clarification on this dilemma. Can another ed visa be obtained after the initial one expires or do I have to find another alternative? If so what would you suggest?

Thanks in advance.

I have never heard of this "wait a year" rule - I would inquire at other schools - or you could find another one here during that time. 

But you can only get about 18-months of study per-language at the typical language-school with the current hours/wk requirements. 

If you attend a university, there are easier rules for extending the visa, and you can study Thai longer - this is considerably more expensive, however. 

 

Also be aware that in many areas, there is a scam-system in place where you must pay extra every 90-days for "hassle-free" visa-extensions to your school.  Pay, and Immigration don't care if you never show up for class.  But if you don't pay the extra, expect 30+60 extensions for each 90-day period - so 2 trips to immigration and "Thai exams" by Immigration officials to "test" your skill (hassle you for not paying up).  This policy varies by Immigration-office, and probably the "connections" of the school - so ask your school what the procedure is to satisfy immigration.  I would ask explicitly if there is any extra money required to obtain extensions without "any troubles."

 

Also, be aware that you will be a suspected "illegal worker" for having an Ed visa.  Be sure to have 20K Baht worth of CASH to show upon every entry to the country, and show it at the first sign of questioning. 

 

If you can get a 1-year Multiple-Entry Ed-visa at your consulate, that would allow you to avoid the local Immigration folks entirely - but you would need to leave and re-enter the country every 90-days.  I have not heard discussion of these in awhile, so not sure if they are still being offered at any Thai-consulates.

Edited March 26, 20179 yr by JackThompson

Thank you for the answer Jackthompson. 

 

This is taken directly from their site:

"If you have previously had an ED visa with AUA or any other language center, you will need to wait two (2) years (from the end of your previous ED visa) before applying with us."

 

I have enquired about it to the staff and the response I got was:

"the current Royal Thai Government policy does not allow for more than one year of Thai language study at a language center."

 

I will follow your advice and get in touch with other language schools. Hopefully I'll be able to get what I want. We'll see. 

Also, thank you for the additional information you have provided me with. I'll keep what you said in mind. 

 

If anyone has more up to date info on this situation please share what you know with me because in about 2 weeks i am  moving out. 

Thanks.