VISA ASSISTANCE

If you are European, American, Canadian, Australian, South African or a New Zealander or Scandanavian, it may be possible for us to help you acquire an official one-year visa for Thailand (giving you actually up to 15 months to stay here legally) - provided that you apply while you are still abroad.  You will definitely need our help (and our paperwork) in order to obtain this, as it comes down to applying at exactly the right place - and this is as simple as contacting Mr Leigh Richards via e-mail (leigh@langserv.com) and requesting it - after your successful enrollment in our TEFL course.

This visa, when obtained,  is a multiple-entry Non-Immigrant B ("B" as in business), with each of the 4 entries good for a 3-month period. This means that, after each 3 months, you will need to "step across" a neighboring country's border (Cambodia is closest) and then get stamped back into Thailand. After completing your TEFL course and accepting a job with a school which will help you get a Work Permit, you will no longer need your one-year visa, as you will automatically receive a one-year extension each year for as long as you continue to teach for your sponsoring school in Thailand. Getting the visa before you come in, if possible, is a good idea, in any case, as it gives you plenty of time to choose just the right school to work for, without having to worry about using up your visa first.

You cannot acquire this visa on your own, as visas required for taking employment in Thailand have recently become much more difficult to acquire through regular channels abroad, owing to fears of admitting undesirable pesons.

If you lack a degree (which will not deter you from getting a teaching job, anyway, if you are halfway diligent), or if you are already in Thailand or cannot otherwise acquire a long-term visa, be of good cheer! When you enroll in and pay for our TEFL Course, we will enroll you at no charge, except for the nominal government fees, in a conveniently-scheduled Thai language course for up to a year, and help you acquire a Non-immigrant Educational Visa for the same period. (See Free Student Visa for details.) Do note that, whether you acquire a Non-immigrant B visa, or a Non-immigrant Education visa, you must pay all of the nominal government fees for this service yourself, and that the visa is renewed every three months in accordance with the paperwork we provide to you. 

If for any reason you don't wish to receive our assistance in getting the one-year visa (or at least a shorter Non-Immigrant B visa), the wisest thing to do is go to your nearest Thai Embassy Consulate Officer and request a 60-day tourist visa, specifying at least the approximate date you plan on arriving in Thailand. You generally will not need any assistance from our school to obtain this; and, in fact, should just state on the application form only that you want to come here for a holiday. This visa is normally granted automatically and fast.

Your 60-day tourist visa will see you through the 4 or 6 weeks of our TEFL for Target Learner Groups Course, and also may be extended in Bangkok for an additional 30 days. This means that you may be able to enjoy a month or more of actual holiday here before you start your course; or, after finishing the course, have another 45 days in which to decide what teaching position you want to take (you will probably be offered several)! Following this 3-month period, you will need to go to a neighboring country and acquire a Non-Immigrant B visa (single-entry only is available), provided that you hold a university degree. Our school will provide you the paperwork needed to help you do that, and you will be successful. Should you 'go this route', you will probably regard the short period you are away as a very nice 'holiday' period itself, as you will have earned it by completing all of your course requirements!

The procedure exists to apply for a Non-Immigrant B Visa (single-entry only) all by yourself before you leave your country, but we recommend against it, as your chances for success are not good; and if you fail, the consulate will now know that you plan to come and work here, so even a tourist visa application could be declined!

In any case, please place your trust in our ability and desire to take care of your needs, and don't worry about visas! We will not only train you as a professional teacher - We can assure you that, following your successful completion of our training course, you will gain good employment, along with a Work Permit - meaning you will never have to leave 'The Land of Smiles' again ever, unless you wish to!

Finally, do not even consider coming in without a visa and getting a 30-day stamp-in, if you can avoid it! This 'visa' cannot be extended, so you would have to journey into a neighboring country and then go to the Thai Consulate there and acquire a new visa before starting your course - not the ideal way to begin what should be an excellent and exciting teaching career in Thailand!

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