Job Discussion Forums

[suphanburi]

Just a heads up for everyone.

If you want to apply for a non-B visa to work as a teacher in Thailand you now NEED a police check to go along with the rest of the paperwork that accompanies your visa application.

Applicants have been turned away from the Thai embassy and consulate in Laos and Cambodia this week due to not having a police check with their visa application package.

It has also been required this week at immigration offices in Thailand for those attempting to do a change of status from tourist to non-b.

WE do NOT know if it is or may become a requirement for an extension of stay for teachers who hold a work permit.

.

[sigmoid]

Thailand, long well-known as a country that enjoys shooting itself in the foot, is the new Burma.

Politically unstable for over a decade including two coups d'etat (2006 and 2014), the country is currently under military rule with elections postponed indefinitely and an impending royal succession crisis looming.

Estimates for exports and GDP for 2015 have been cut three times, so far. The Thai baht is "plunging". Tourist numbers are down, the national air carrier is cutting routes and staff, the country's fishing industry has been black-listed by the west as a result of human trafficking and slavery, the educational system is a shambles, their road safety record is one of the worst in the world.

They should be pleased that anyone still bothers to show up there to teach. The salaries on offer are notorious for being some of the lowest in the region.

In short, further complications and/or difficulties for legally working in Thailand demonstrate that the authorities are still out of touch with reality.

[EFL Educator]

I have noticed a lot more Thais teaching TEFL in Thailand these days...as well as Indians and Burmese....must be the Thai Bath!

[bigdurian]

Just wondering about the police check thing.

I've done it in Thailand, Saudi, and the UK, and what kind of check are they looking for. A Thai one or one from your home country?

I mean, the check in Thailand is a joke. You just turn up at the local police station with someone to vouch for you and they give you a letter after taking a copy of your passport.

[bigdurian]

and long may the Baht continue to plunge, it's all good news.

They've had it coming for a while, and no doubt the nosedive in the Chinese economy has played a part.

[EFL Educator]

I have recently heard from several teachers in the Land of Smiles that Psychiatric tests will soon be required for EFL teachers who wish to work in Thai schools. These Psychiatric tests must come from a licensed Psychiatrist in your home country to prove you are not sane and be submitted along with your application prior to obtaining a non-immigrant B visa. If this is true I suspect there will be much fewer EFL teachers here.

[btsmrtfan]

[ndelarosa]

I'm from the USA. Would a local police check be sufficient or is Thailand asking for a full FBI background check? I'm leaving the last week of March so I want to make sure that I have all my paperwork in order...

[suphanburi]