The visa runaround

The visa runaround

The process for getting a teacher's visa in Thailand (non-B) is anything but simple (as of my experiences with Jomtien immigration when I was last there).

First, I needed original proof (housebook or letter from owner) of where I was staying. If the accommodation you are living in is owned by a farang (condo) then you need this letter from the Thai building owner. If you are staying in a hotel/hostel, you need a letter from the owner of that (whether or not they are actually in town/country doesn't matter to the officials, you still needed it). This then had to be authenticated by the city hall.

Secondly, I needed to get my (original) degree certificate sent over from the UK. A photocopy would no longer suffice. It had to be the original certificate.

Waiting for the required documents to arrived was a long and stressful process (what if they got lost in the Thai post?!)

My time on my tourist waiver ran out and I had to take a border run to Cambodia (getting a grilling of who I was, what I was doing in Thailand and why I was there from the stern Thai official at the re-entry border).

I was then told to obtain photographs of myself including one of me "teaching" students, one of me with a Thai colleague and one again stood by the sign for the school name at the front gates (although when I questioned them asking me for pictures of myself teaching without a visa that allows me to teach would have been illegal, they became agitated and said "I tell you already, why you no understand!?"

Of course nobody in Jomtien immigration office spoke English or even explained anything to my Thai partner when I took her with me. It seemed they didn't even know the rules themselves. The request for photographs was way beyond Thai logic and the whole thing would have been hilarious if it wasn't so stressful.

I then waited for more than a couple of weeks for my monumentally incompetent school admin to produce the contract and proof of my employment document.

In the time waiting for this, my 30 days again ran out and I took a weekend trip to Kuala Lumpur, getting another 30 days (and another grilling off Thai immigration at Don Muang).

Thirdly, I had to take this to be legalised and authenticated by the British Embassy of Bangkok.

Jay


Read more letters

Send your letter to Ajarn.com



Featured Jobs

Early Year Homeroom Teacher

฿50,000+ / month

Prachin Buri


Online English Teacher (Remote)

฿342+ / hour

Online


Filipino HR and Training Officer

฿28,000+ / month

Bangkok


Kindergarten Teacher

฿45,000+ / month

Bangkok


NES Early Years Teacher

฿50,000+ / month

Bangkok


Science and Mathematics Teacher

฿42,000+ / month

Nonthaburi


Featured Teachers

  • Pema


    Bhutanese, 54 years old. Currently living in Bhutan

  • Marcel


    Swiss, 56 years old. Currently living in Thailand

  • Gladys


    Filipino, 27 years old. Currently living in China

  • Nadia


    Argentine, 37 years old. Currently living in Argentina

  • Jēkabs


    Latvian, 30 years old. Currently living in Latvia

  • Tania


    Malaysian, 38 years old. Currently living in Thailand

The Hot Spot


The cost of living

The cost of living

How much money does a teacher need to earn in order to live in Thailand? We survey various teachers earning different salaries and with different lifestyles.


The region guides

The region guides

Fancy working in Thailand but not in Bangkok? Our region guides are written by teachers who actually live and work in the provinces.


Contributions welcome

Contributions welcome

If you like visiting ajarn.com and reading the content, why not get involved yourself and keep us up to date?


Will I find work in Thailand?

Will I find work in Thailand?

It's one of the most common questions we get e-mailed to us. So find out exactly where you stand.


Air your views

Air your views

Got something to say on the topic of teaching, working or living in Thailand? The Ajarn Postbox is the place. Send us your letters!