Topic: Trolling for teachers to deport?

[oldphart]

I've had some strange phone calls recently from allgedly employers who have seen my (now deactivated) resume on a Thai job site.  It's made me a bit paranoid and I've wondered if Thai Immigration visits these boards, trolling for teachers w/out work permits so that they can deport illegal workers.  For all I know, they might have a quota.

Does anybody know what it takes to be deported for working illegally?  A few months w/out the non-im and a couple of more w/out the WP seems to be SOP.  But does immigration see it that way?

[blackmail]

If gambling weren't illegal in LOS; I would say "you bet your arse."

[hero]

I never heard of a teacher get deported for visa reasons alone.  Never.  Doesn't mean it never happened though.

On the contrary, I know some teachers who have been teaching here for five years or more on 30-day transit visas!

[Uncle Che]

Back a few years ago, I went to Penang got my visa, I came back, the school got my work permit and began applying for the teacher's license, unfortunately the MOE had closed up shop for 6 weeks so when it came time for me to renew my visa, they wouldn't budge. Yes the MOE was closed, but I still needed a teacher's license, no extension for even a week. The advice of immigration: Just go to the border every 30 days until you get a chance to go to Penang again. Me: Isn't that illegal? Immi: Yes, maybe, but don't worry about it. I crossed every 30 days for 9 months.

[blackmail]

How about schools threatening to deport teachers?

[Due Diligence]

Well as long as you have a Visa B and the school has applied for the TL and WP then you should have no problems with extensions of your visa. That is unless the Thai who processes your visa is diliked by the imm police.

[hero]

How about schools threatening to deport teachers?

Are any schools really that powerful?

[Uncle Che]

Lots of schools have threatened to deport teachers. It is a common tactic to get what they want. I was threatened with blacklisting by a former employer if I ever talked about them negatively on the internet. Whether or not a school can follow through or not is another story. I haven't heard of any school actually facilitating a deportation of a teacher, but I wouldn't be surprised if it has happened.

I do know that an AUA branch, several years ago, was caught employing teachers without proper visas. Immigration told them that someone from the school had to be deported and they chose a teacher and that teacher was deported but was able to get a visa and re-enter Thailand. I guess it was more like a forced visa run.   

[Due Diligence]

I think its due to the schools connections with gov officials. If the boss is friendly and oftern gives brown paper bags as gifts. Then I'm sure it would be possible to get blacklisted if a school doesn't like you, even if you have been legal and above board. 

Same thing is known to happen in Tax departments and Labour office. 

But I know alot of schools use this to scare newbee teachers into conforming.

Up to you what you want to do if you are threatened in this way.

[NamTok]

    A year ago Sarasas Ektra school wrote a letter to Immigration to say I should not be given a new Non-ImB visa and should be deported.
      My new employer told Immigration to blow off the letter, ie, ignore it. Immigation did ignore the letter and I got another Non-ImB visa and WP.
     However, Che, I'd say that the letter was more than a threat. It was an actual attempt to set in motion the intended process of deporting me. The problem for Sarasas and Ektra was that there just wasn't any legal or legitimate basis to the letter. The letter was nothing more than harranging and denounciation; anger.
     So, I'd say oldphart I don't think Imm is looking, or trolling, for farang teachers to deport. At least not normally; not usually. Eight years in Thailand and I've never heard of it (which, as hero rightly likes to point out relative to statements of this nature, doesn't necessarily mean it hasn't happened, somewhere, sometime). If Imm were much interested in deporting farang teachers, they certainly had an opportunity in the instance of  the Sarasas letter but gave the letter a pass when a sponsor spoke up in my behalf.
    I'm expecting Sarasas Ektra to try something again this year too. This time from its position in the TeflWatch Hall of Shame. (Don't forget to vote in the present two stars Hall of Shame poll!)

[hero]

I have often heard that Sarasa schools carry a lot of clout with government agencies, although I have always been sceptical and never really heard any real evidence to back it up.  Your tale seems to suggest perhaps they don't carry the clout they think they do.

Having said that non-Imm B visas aren't actually issued by immigration in any case, they are issued outside the country.

Surely even Thai bureaucrats have enough common-sense to recognise ill-placed bitterness of a former employer ... then again

[NamTok]

   hero, my non-im-b was issued by the Royal Thai Embassy in the Republic of Korea (S. Korea) and in Thailand each year since a new paragraph has been stamped validating another one-year stay. It's that time of the year again for me next month.....

[Mods-Rockers]

   hero, my non-im-b was issued by the Royal Thai Embassy in the Republic of Korea (S. Korea) and in Thailand each year since a new paragraph has been stamped validating another one-year stay. It's that time of the year again for me next month.....

If your last non im was issued due to your sary job and you left that a few months ago as I recall, and they returned your WP and gave you the reciept you would then have had to report to immigration to have your visa nullified. you get a 7 day stay to get out of the country. I believe that the overstay penalty in cases like this is 2000 THB/day up to 20K, maybe you should take a wedge with you. and they will not renew a non im unless you have a WP.

[Speaksoftly]

I doubt most members of the Thai government have either the skills or the time or the motive to trawl through internet boards looking for teachers to deport behind their adopted handles, in the English language.  On the other hand, there might be a lot of disgruntled English-speaking (and even English-teaching) grasses with motivation to do so- whether anyone in the Thai government would bother listening to them I don't know.

[Due Diligence]

I doubt most members of the Thai government have either the skills or the time or the motive to trawl through internet boards looking for teachers to deport behind their adopted handles, in the English language.  On the other hand, there might be a lot of disgruntled English-speaking (and even English-teaching) grasses with motivation to do so- whether anyone in the Thai government would bother listening to them I don't know.

I think your right. mmm lets choose 1.spending hours looking at resumes on ajarn and calling up possible illegals or 2. sitting on my arse and eat somtum. I think We know which one the Thai official will choose.

And even if a grass does try to stir up something I doubt the official even understands what hes saying. 

[Bangkok Phil]

I doubt most members of the Thai government have either the skills or the time or the motive to trawl through internet boards looking for teachers to deport behind their adopted handles, in the English language. 

I think they would also need to have firstly a computer that works and secondly is connected to the internet.

[Johnny Rotten]

 

ah, that's what you think.

The Thai government has installed special software in to every phone sold in Thailand that intercepts the electromagnetic waves emitted by the nearest computer. This information is then fed into a supercomputer at AIS head office in the British Virgin Islands. The information is analysed by a team of boffins from Maejo Agricultural University who forward this info to immigration who will then race to the computer's ip address. In short, you criticise the government, you're in the poo poo. If you want to criticise things about the government, it's best to do it between 11am and 3pm (official government lunch hour) when there will be no one listening in.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

[Mods-Rockers]

sorry johnny, but april 1st was just under two months ago, you are somewhat late, but nice try.

[Scott]

I work for a Sarasas School and I don't think they have a lot of clout--certainly more than the average foreign teacher, however. 

Quite a few years back, we had a teacher who left (gave 30 days notice, left on good terms etc.)  The director of the school decided she wouldn't cooperate with the new employer about turning over documents or canceling the Work Permit.  In the end, the other school  (an Interntional School), won and the director got a slap on the writst for not canceling the W.P. 

Since then, this school has not interfered with anyone (that I know of).  They usually don't cancel WP's unless asked to do so--they just let them run out and don't renew them.  They have been cooperative with new employers etc.-- although you need to remember this usually takes place at the level of the workers--not the owners/directors. 

I think some schools just have too many people without enough to do to go chasing after former teachers.  It's certainly a waste of time because you can't do much unless the teacher breaks the law (and breaking a contract is not exactly breaking the law). 

[greenlight56]

A really large percentage of the teachers down there are not working legally.  If they do have a non-immigrant B visa, they won't likely have a work permit or teacher's license, though the schools always say they'll help you with them.  I think they like to A. play massive head games with power over your life; and B. keep their options open.

I wouldn't worry at all though.  There are a lot of people working on tourist visas alone.  I worked for a contract company headed by the wife of a senator and most of her employees were illegal, including me.  I had a non-immigrant B but the damned people wouldn't get going on the rest of it. 

Just don't do anything really stupid.  Don't fight.  Don't or buy large quantities of drugs.  Don't shag the wrong girl and have her calling the police on you for lack of something better to do.

I wouldn't worry at all though.  No tough guy thing...it's just not a big issue.  Think about it...you're not the biggest criminal threat in Thailand dude.

[kenkannif]

Having said that non-Imm B visas aren't actually issued by immigration in any case, they are issued outside the country.

Sort of but not really mate....you're stamped in by Immigration when you enter Thailand...that's actually the Visa....the sticker from abroad just says you're entitled to a Visa is all.

And it's possible to convert this end as well.

[kenkannif]

   hero, my non-im-b was issued by the Royal Thai Embassy in the Republic of Korea (S. Korea) and in Thailand each year since a new paragraph has been stamped validating another one-year stay. It's that time of the year again for me next month.....

If your last non im was issued due to your sary job and you left that a few months ago as I recall, and they returned your WP and gave you the reciept you would then have had to report to immigration to have your visa nullified. you get a 7 day stay to get out of the country. I believe that the overstay penalty in cases like this is 2000 THB/day up to 20K, maybe you should take a wedge with you. and they will not renew a non im unless you have a WP.

7-14 days it can depend who hands it in.

500 Baht a day mate (not 2K) as it's an overstay...nowt more....up to 20K!

[laowai]

I do know that an AUA branch, several years ago, was caught employing teachers without proper visas. Immigration told them that someone from the school had to be deported and they chose a teacher and that teacher was deported but was able to get a visa and re-enter Thailand. I guess it was more like a forced visa run.

Could have been an incident at any one of AUA's many branches but, if you are referring to AUA Pattaya, then the story is incorrect.

The AUA Pattaya 'incident' was well-covered on the ajarn.com forum when it happened, 4 or 5 years ago.

[kenkannif]

^ Yeah wasn't it a fellow teacher who was 'jealous' about her hours grass her up??? Was he ex-Old Bill???

[bangjock]

They usually don't cancel WP's unless asked to do so--they just let them run out and don't renew them.

 ^^^^You should be a little careful with this. If you leave a job to go to another and want a work permit, you must get a document called a ต.ท.10 /daw taw sip/. This document proves that you've stopped working at the old place and you're now unemployed. To get this you need a letter from your old school stating when you resigned. You should submit the permit within 7 days of date of resignation.

If your wp isn't cancelled you could find yourself liable for a hefty overstay. One of my teachers was in this position, but he was well liked at his last school and managed to get a letter that put his resignation 3 months later than it actually was. He saved a lot of money and hassle.

[NamTok]

Mods-Rockers,

   This is a belated post to your Reply #12 Dated May 28, 2006. I want to point out that I hadn't left Sary "only a few months ago" as you state in the posting. I'd left Sary Jan 31, 2005. On its due date in 2005, the non-im-b visa I'd obtained at the Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul in 1998 was approved for another one year extension of stay.

   Presently, that is, as I write this, it was that time of year last week and, of course, another one year extenstion was approved. WPs approved each last year and this year. No problems. Slam-dunk.