Volunteering AND studying Thai—which visa to get?

[KevT]

I'm travelling to Thailand in a few months. I want to both study Thai at a school while I'm there, as well as do some volunteering. However, I am a bit confused about which visa to get—should I get the Non-Immigrant ED visa, or the Non-Immagrant O visa?

 

- Also, say I have one of those visas, but I stop the activity that is associated with the visa (if I have a Non-Immigrant O visa and I stop volunteering, or vice versa), what would happen?

- Are only a few schools classified as possible to obtain a Non-Immigrant ED visa, or you can choose amongst a large number of schools?
- Finally, if my duration of stay in Thailand is in the 5-month range, what are the chances that my extension of stay (I think of 1 year total?) is refused?

Edited June 9, 2017 by KevT

[ubonjoe]

To legally do volunteer work you need a non-o visa and work permit.

If you got the non-o visa and work permit you could still attend school. There is no requirement to have a non-ed visa to attend school.

In order to get a non-ed visa and extensions of stay the school must be registered at the Ministry of Education.

If you want to stay for 5 to 6 months you would need to enroll in a 200 hour course of study at a language school. That would allow a 90 day entry form the non-ed visa and one 90 day extension at immigration.

[KevT]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

To legally do volunteer work you need a non-o visa and work permit.

If you got the non-o visa and work permit you could still attend school. There is no requirement to have a non-ed visa to attend school.

In order to get a non-ed visa and extensions of stay the school must be registered at the Ministry of Education.

If you want to stay for 5 to 6 months you would need to enroll in a 200 hour course of study at a language school. That would allow a 90 day entry form the non-ed visa and one 90 day extension at immigration.

That answers all of my questions. Thanks!

[Ace of Pop]

You see many folk on You Tube doing this too stay .Why don't they just ask the same money as for retirement folks.Its only a by pass, most just turn up ,not even slightly interested in learning Thai.


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[KevT]

54 minutes ago, Ace of Pop said:

You see many folk on You Tube doing this too stay .Why don't they just ask the same money as for retirement folks.Its only a by pass, most just turn up ,not even slightly interested in learning Thai.


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I want to go to a Thai language school—no matter if it has any (visa) benefits or not.

[IMA_FARANG]

A retirement visa/extension PROHIBITS you from working in Thailand.

That is why a retirement visa/extension is useless for working in Thailand.

Often a retirement visa will say that when it is issued.

This NOT true of a marriage visa/ extension  based on marriage to a Thai.

Lke everything, there are possible exceptions.

For example a person can qualify for a retirement visa/extension and later marry a Thai.

Normally that marriage will mean changing his/her retirement visa to a marriage visa to allow working in country.