Job Discussion Forums

skann · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 25

Okay, I'm sure these topics have been addressed in other posts, but I haven't been able to find definitive answers to these two questions. I'm from the US and am going to Thailand on a 60 day tourist visa to take a certification course there and job hunt. My questions are:

1) With the 60 day visa, do I have to show a return ticket at immigration upon arrival? Some postings have said no, but I called the US Thai embassy and the secretary or someone said yes. Worst case senario, if I got a one way ticket and they gave me trouble about it at immigration and wouldn't let me in, could I just buy a ticket to Singapore on the spot, or would they require me to have a ticket back to the US?

2) I want to have all my ducks in a row when applying for a teaching job in Thailand, so I'll be bringing my degrees and transcripts. How often does a school or the government require a criminal background check to get hired / get the Non-immigrant visa / work permit? If I need it, should I get one done by the state police or the FBI or both?

Thanks for your help.

Master Shake · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1202 Location: Colorado, USA

Hey skann,

In order for me to get my non-imm B visa (which you will need to teach legally) I needed a university transcript and diploma. I also needed a letter of verification from my uni stating that I did in fact graduate from there. Contact your uni for one.

I also also needed a criminal records check. I am from Colorado and there is a web site where you can get a record check done online with the Colorado Bureau of Inverstigation for about $7. I printed this 'certificate of no criminal record' out and it was accepted at the Thai Embassy no problem.

The Thai government is cracking down on English teachers right now so it really pays to have 'all your ducks in a row' right now.

arnavah · Joined: 15 Mar 2008 Posts: 7

master shake

did you get a non-immigrant B visa before entering thailand through the thai embassy? were you able to do this with the documents you mentioned and without already having a contract with an employer in thailand?

thanks

arnavah

(sorry if the answer to this question is already obvious to most)

Thwartley · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 34

Master Shake · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1202 Location: Colorado, USA

Yea, that Thai Culture Course is a real pain. The Thai government didn't announce a date for the course until about six weeks before it was going to happen. All the teachers at my school were scheduled to be on vacation during the course. A couple of us had to change our flights to get back in time take this two day course.

Like I wrote, the criminal record check I did wasn't for my English school in Thailand, but to get my 'B' working visa from the Thai Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, which was where I taught previously. The Thai Embassy in Warsaw required that I get this background check. They also required a copy of my contract with my English school in Thailand.

You will not get a 'B' visa without a letter from your future employer in Thailand stating that you work for them.

As Thwartley wrote, sometimes the airlines wont let you leave if you do not have a ticket out of Thailand. There are a couple ways around this:

1) Buy a return ticket from an airline that allows you to change the date of the return flight (many airlines will let you postpone your return flight for up to a year for a small fee).

2) Buy a very cheap ticket from Thailand to another neighboring country (Singapore??). Whether you choose to use this ticket or not, this will be enough to convince the airlines that you will leave Thailand.