Job Discussion Forums

jppu · Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2004 10:47 pm Post subject: Phuket for a month

My wife and I are taking one the plethera of certification courses offered on the island. (By the way, we are not planning to stay in Thailand after the course.) The accom. the school is offering sounds a bit subpar and overpriced. Can anyone recommend short term reasonably priced accom. on the island near Yaowarat Road, Muang? We are not poor, but we certainly aren't rich either, so it doesn't have to be bare bones or the Ritz. We do prefer the option to cook ourselves from time to time, but certainly not necessary. Any help you can provide would be much appreciated.

Also, I don't know if anyone can help on this issue. My wife is a Chinese citizen (with superb English, BTW). She can get a 15 day visa with no problem. Of course, she needs at least 30 days for this course. Does anyone know how difficult it will be for her to change her status? Is there a "visa office" in Phuket where she can do that?

Thanx for your help.

tedkarma · Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2004 6:27 am Post subject:

First, congratulations on deciding to get qualified.

In most parts of Phuket Town you will be able to find small “bedsit” or studio apartments for anywhere from B2500 (very basic!) up to B7000 (comfortable). Unfortunately – a kitchen or indoor cooking for such a small apartment is not part of Thai culture. Most people eat from street vendors. Having a kitchen or such facilities will double and might triple your cost. Best plan: Go to the school and go down to and start walking along the main road (Yaowarat) in both directions – and look down the side sois also (and up the hill from your school) – for anything that looks like a multi-family living building. You might need a Thai speaker to help. The School SHOULD provide you with that assistance. One of the other schools does.

The visa issue: DON’T use a visa service! In the last 18 months or so a few people have been arrested with bogus stamps – having a visa service change your visa for you without leaving the country is illegal! Check out Thaivisa.com for more on that issue. One of the other language schools on the island does help you get a better visa (not a tourist visa) before you arrive, but I don’t believe the one you are going to does (I know which one it is by the location where you want to live). Change of visa status typically means leaving the country. Typical for Thailand it is the user of the service who gets arrested – not the service provider – so don’t be misled by this apparent inconsistency in the law. Be careful about this issue as there is a LOT of misinformation about.

You might try thaiimmigration.com to ask about your wife’s visa situation. Also try links provided at Thaivisa.com.

kenkannif · Joined: 07 Apr 2004 Posts: 550

A good training school would try to help you get a long enough Visa for your wife BEFORE you arrive (if you're not there already).

I think the Thaiimmigration website had been down for a while Ted (howdy by the way Wink

so this is the one I'd suggest you look at:

http://www.imm3.police.go.th/eng/index.html

Also some Visa services are okay AS LONG AS THEY TAKE YOU OUT OF THE COUNTRY to get the Visa.

Good luck and all the best!

kenkannif · Joined: 07 Apr 2004 Posts: 550

A good training school would try to help you get a long enough Visa for your wife BEFORE you arrive (if you're not there already).

I think the Thaiimmigration website had been down for a while Ted (howdy by the way Wink

so this is the one I'd suggest you look at:

http://www.imm3.police.go.th/eng/index.html

Also some Visa services are okay AS LONG AS THEY TAKE YOU OUT OF THE COUNTRY to get the Visa.

Good luck and all the best!

jppu · Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2004 10:42 pm Post subject:

Thank you so much for your help. I'm not going to worry too much about the accom. then and I won't expect to do any cooking it looks like. Maybe we'll be too busy to cook anyway.

BTW, does Thai cooking use MSG? Everytime we go into a restaurant here in china we have to threaten them with non-payment and that they will be sued for the hospital bill if they "forget" and put MSG in our food. I'm very allergic to it. That's why we prefer to cook ourselves. Saftey and health.

Since someone knows the school via the location I mentioned, what have you heard about it? Is it okay? Do you know anybody who stayed on and did the internships/special programs? My wife is interested in doing that. I have to get back to China.

We have the visa thing straightened out. We have an aquaintence in the Thai embassy in Beijing. All's well...

How are mixed couples treated down there? It's hard in China. Here in Henan province, she's nothing more than my "translator"; in Beijing, she was a hooker who had fallen on hard times and had succumed to the evil capitalist foreigner.

tedkarma · Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2004 1:32 am Post subject:

Jppu,

My lack of focused and specific comments on your latest questions - are not out of disinterest - as much as I don't have experience with the "mixed couples" angle, don't know about the MSG (but love the food), and don't have personal experience with the school you are talking about (so speculating on their reputation would be only that).

All that said, here are a few comments:

Food and restaurants - my experience is that it is best to NEVER look in the kitchen! Good knows what you'll see. Taught at a college in Korea about 12 years ago where they chopped the vegetables on the kitchen FLOOR! Yummy - adds flavor I guess . . .

My understanding from listening to others comments is that internships and other special programs often mean that you are working for reduced rates and - some feel - being taken advantage of.

I think you'll find Thais much more tolerant than the Chinese. One reason so many foreigners enjoy living here is that Thais pretty much leave you alone - not so much of the staring or xenophobia that you find in other Asian countries. I've worked and lived (continuously) in four countries in Asia over the last twelve years - and find Thailand the most pleasant and comfortable place to live.

Good luck! You'll love the island. I suspect you'll eventually be returning from China to make a go of it here!

jppu · Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2004 3:35 am Post subject:

Thanx Tedkarma for your input.

I too was in Korea. I only lasted a few months. I miss kimchi a lot (the food is the only thing I miss from Korea). The flavorful floor I didn't know about. Maybe that's why I was sick all the time.

My wife and I are really looking forward to Phuket. (And could someone please write phonetically the name of this island so we don't embarrass ourselves more than necessary?) Very Happy

kenkannif · Joined: 07 Apr 2004 Posts: 550

I can't even say Pattaya right, but say Poo-ket and you should be okay!

jppu · Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2004 10:58 pm Post subject:

Well, that was a waste of time. I just got word that the Phuket course was full Evil or Very Mad

and they want us to go to either Ban Pe or Zhuhai, China. Ban Pe doesn't sound very interesting. Are there any Ban Pe supporters out there? If you know of any other GOOD certificate courses in Phuket, or really anywhere outside of Bangkok, could you please PM me? I'm not sold on this particular school, anyway. I don't want to stay in China. The whole idea is to give my wife her first international experience. Very Happy

Thanks a lot.

tedkarma · Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2004 7:22 am Post subject:

I'd try Text and Talk, but I am biased. I used to work for them. They would help you with visas and housing. They are much better than the others with the support that you need outside the classroom. As far as your training goes - hard to beat. website - I think is teflteachthai.com. Others can correct me if I am wrong. Again I am biased - I loved working there. BTW, know that people who attend different schools often have very strong opinions - and these issues often spark heated discussion!

Hang on to the idea of Phuket - it is my favorite place in the world and where I would like to retire. And, well, I live here five months per year - have a home, car, house, wife, and kitty here. As far as your wife's first international experience - it would be a great place. I find Thai people to be quite tolerant of foreigners and generally unobtrusive. Was thinking today at the supermarket that other than the ordinary push and shove of Asia - Thais rarely get into your personal space the way it happens in other countries.

Pronunciation, btw, is Pooh as in "Winnie the Pooh" and ket as in "yet" and with second syllable stress. phu KET.

Rice Paddy Daddy · Joined: 11 Jul 2004 Posts: 425 Location: Japan

phuket sounds great.

stay off the motorcycles.

you'll get paid jack but the food and weather will be nice.

I hear some teaches have problems saving enough money to fly out of Thailand for vacations or when they're ready to leave.