Why Does the Foreign Teacher Always Smell Like Peppermint Part 7 –The Thailand Paperwork Nightmare
My lack of any natural teaching ability wasn’t my only worry; there was also the issue of working illegally. While Thai immigration law was a complete mystery to me, I knew that pleading ignorance was not a good legal defence. I’d asked some of the other foreign teachers and the general consensus was not to worry about it; these were the same teachers who’d told me that teaching was easy so I didn’t put much faith in their reassurance. Many of these guys worked illegally by doing a border-run every month to get a new tourist visa; this type of messing about didn’t appeal to me at all.
I Fought the Law and Turned Into a Rat
Even though I’ve sunk about as low as you can go in life I still find it hard to do anything that would be considered unlawful. I’m a worrier; so when I do something wrong I expect to be caught. I haven’t had too much experience with the police, but know that I’m a weakling when it comes to interrogation. When I was fifteen I sold out all my mates after just a few minutes of questioning by the Irish Garda; I got off with a caution but some of my friends ended up in big trouble. I’ve always felt bad about what happened, but to be fair it was a messed up time – I talk about in my book Dead Drunk.
The idea of teaching illegally in Thailand just didn’t sit right with me at all; I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder. I only had a few days left on my tourist visa, and wanted to get things sorted quickly. I’d found out that in order for me to get a one year visa and a work permit I’d need to leave the country and come back in on a Non-B visa. This wasn’t too much of a problem because there were Thai embassies in Laos and Malaysia where it could be sorted out. All I needed was the paperwork, and I could travel to one of these countries and come back a legal teacher – well almost.
Thailand Paperwork Lite Version
I went to the EDD office but they told me that it would take at least a week to sort out the paperwork. This didn’t suit me at all; my visa was due to run out before that time. I rang my other job in Seacon Square and received the good news that they would have the documentation needed that evening. I’d developed a negative opinion of the private school in Seacon Square; they were poorly organised and from what I’d seen only interested in getting money off students. The fact that they were so organised with my visa documentation impressed me enough that I began to re-evaluate my assessment of them – perhaps I’d been a bit hasty in my judgement.
The relief of knowing that my paperwork was going to be so easily sorted lifted my spirits. I wanted to get everything legal quickly so I arranged to take the following 2 days off work; they didn’t seem to mind when I explained the reason. Most people would do their visa run by rail or bus, but I decided to splurge on a plane ticket. I justified the expense with the logic that once I was a legal teacher I’d be able to get better paying jobs; the money was as good as in my pocket. I only had a few hundred quid left on my visa card limit, and I converted this into cash. I now could now not afford to return back to Europe even if I wanted to. A couple of days before I’d been planning to give up teaching and return home, but now I was making a huge commitment to a job that felt beyond my capabilities.
After I’d finished teaching my Seacon Square evening class I went into the office to pick up the documentation for my visa. I started to panic when the secretary told me that there was nothing there for me. She got the administrator who helped bring my pulse back within normal range with the soothing promise that she’d go and sort things out right away. She came back a couple of minutes later with a handwritten note. The documentation seemed a bit light for a visa, but when I attempted to question her she sternly told me that this is what I needed. I caught her catching eyes with the secretary, and I guessed they were both judging me as ungrateful and difficult. I said thank you and left. I bought a few beers on the way home and spent the night in with my girlfriend.
Viva Laos
I spent a couple of hours queuing up outside the Thai embassy in Vientianne; the sun was a killer but I was happy because things were getting sorted out. All around me were tourists but I felt special because soon I’d have the documentation that would allow me to work in Thailand legally. My imagination took over and by the time my turn at the desk arrived I was receiving my Thai citizenship directly from the King.
The immigration officer accepted my passport and other documentation. He glanced over the letter and asked if I wanted to apply for a tourist visa. Hadn’t he read the letter? I put on my best ‘speaking English to a dumb person’ accent and explained that I wanted a Non-B visa so that I could continue working. He disappeared for a few seconds and came back with a sheet of paper listing the documentation I’d need for the Non-B. It contained about ten different documents, and the handwritten note wasn’t going to be sufficient. The immigration officer once again offered the single entry tourist visa, and I accepted it without too much grace.
When I arrived back in Thailand I went right away to the office in Seacon Square. The administrator didn’t seem surprised at my lack of Non-B and congratulated me on getting a two month tourist visa; as if this had been the plan all along. The next day I spoke one of the bosses at EDD; they sympathised, but felt that I should have just waited for them to sort out the paperwork. They promised that they would have it ready for me when it was time for my next visa run.
The Story so Far
Why Does The Foreign Teacher Always Smell Like Peppermint? – Part 1
Why Does The Foreign Teacher Always Smell Like Peppermint? – Part 2
Why Does the Foreign Teacher Always Smell Like Pepperment? – Part 3
Why Does the Foreign Teacher Always Smell Like Peppermint – Sleepy Thai Girl -Part 4
Why Does the Foreign Teacher Always Smell Like Peppermint – How Dare They Not Like Me – Part 5
Why Does the Foreign Teacher Always Smell Like Peppermint – Beers, Jokes, and Gameboys – Part 6
Why Does the Foreign Teacher Always Smell Like Peppermint Part 7 –The Thailand Paperwork Nightmare
Why Does the Foreign Teacher Always Smell Like Peppermint – Bad Reputation Part 8
Hi Paul, I come from the same camp as you, I like to be legal. Just how many people operate this way I guess I will never know but in a way Thailand tends to make it easy for “illegals.”
By that I mean that the wheels can be greased easily if the dodgy schools know the right officials.
Based on my experience attending a TEFL course here I know for a fact a few of those that “graduated” went on to work illegally.
Me? No chance!
Hi Mike, my policy is that if other people want to work illegally that’s their business. I just think that it puts you at the mercy of too many people; all you have to do is annoy the wrong person and they can use your illegality against you.
Know the story only too well Paul. My first trip I splashed out on the plane. Bangkok – Vientiane on Lao aviation. Very comfortable, better than doing the land trip from Bangers.
My company did supply the correct paperwork. However I’d had a non b before from Liverpool. When I came to get a new non b in Laos, they politely asked me why I hadn’t applied for a work permit and basically told me they could only Issue me this one and I shouldn’t come back!
What followed were trips to Penang, Singapore and finally once yearly trips back to the UK to pick up a 1 year multiple entry B visa from Hull.
I’m not sure what people do these days. I believe you can’t even obtain a B visa until you show them a degree. I think a lot of people obtain 1 year education visas.
I think once you are in the system it isn’t so bad, but getting legal can be a right pain. I eventually did get fully legit, but it took time. I actually spent years waiting for my teacher’s licence and the day that it came I decided that I’d had enough with teaching.
Paul, I can imagine the look on your face when she handed you the handwritten note. I’t never ceases to amaze me that in a lot of cases they won’t just tell you the truth.
When I went to get my ED visa I was missing a copy of the language school owners ID. I knew it was a requirement but they told me it wasn’t. I finally had to tell them if I went to Laos and didn’t come back with a visa because of this they would be responsible. I had the copy of the ID the next day.
Hi Tim, I think one of the problems for me is that I’m too easily fobbed off. I know that being too assertive in Thailand can be counterproductive, but being a pushover is no good either. I’ve been in this situation many times during my time in Thailand, and I’ve always come out the loser.
Paul for years I had thoughts of perhaps teaching English in Thailand as a way of earning a living and staying in the country. My route would have been the illegal one because I don’t have a degree but thankfully your Peppermint series has put me off that idea despite its excellent content.
I always thought butter wouldn’t melt in the mouths of most Thai kids but having read your previous episodes I now know they could eat 10 cream crackers without taking a drink.
Keep up the great content and I’ll drop back for the next instalment of the The Peppermint Teacher and the Cream Cracker Kids.
Hi Martyn, teaching is hard for sure, but on those rare occasions when I got it right it could be it feel all worth while. I think it’s a good experience if you ever do decide to give it a whirl.
Paul, Thailand surely can be an amazing country. I know this Brit in town, who is here “illegally”, on overstay. Some weeks back, he got a job as an English teacher in a public school. Don’t ask me how that can be possible.
Now he says, that the school wants him permanently, and that they will sort out his visa? I wonder if he may not end up in jail. On the other hand, everything is possible here, I guess…
I’ve heard some interesting stories about people overstaying in Thailand for years. I wouldn’t like to live like that.
I know some folks up here overstaying since years. Wouldn’t be my cup of tea. I would become paranoid each time I would see a policeman. An other thing is, my wife is Thai, I like it here, and would not want to risk to be deported and maybe even banned from coming back for who knows how long. Risking a stay in a Thai jail does not apeal to me either.
Hi Paco, I don’t like to be on the wrong side of the law, and try to avoid it. I also wouldn’t like to be afraid to leave Thailand because I’d overstayed. Thailand is a great place but I like to go back to Europe regularly.