I got a job offer from a Thai school. I found them on a teacher website. They sent an official-looking Letter of Employment. The only potential problem is, in the fine print of the letter they asked for 300$ USD (refundable deposit) up front for processing of the entry visa and misc. other things (they said). Yeah I know, my gut reaction was “scam” but who knows, maybe it’s for real. I haven’t worked in Thailand before so I don’t know if this is S.O.P. or not. Maybe one of you Thai teachers or ex-Thai teachers could give me some feedback and any advice in general will be welcomed.
never worked in Thailand but that sound very shifty. don’t get comfortable if it is a foreigner who is there either. there are a ton of scams in the kingdom.
I’d go there first on a tourist visa then do a visa run. Suggest that to them and see how they react.
ask if they take it out of your first paycheck, bargaining is much more possible in asia.
That has scam written all over it.
I’ve been investigating teaching options in Thailand for a few months and have never heard of this before.
But then again, Thailand has a problem regarding employing teachers because the salary is so low. Therefore a lot of the applicants are desperado’s or backpackers who get a few pay cheques and then bail out.
Maybe this is a safety net for the school?
Still… I would probably do what deuce dropper suggested. Go there on an automatic visitor visa and then do a visa run across the border after you get a job offer. There are buslines that offer overnight visa run packages for about $40USD
Dont let the Nigerians get ahold of your email either.
It’s probably not a ‘scam’ in that they will defraud you, but guys, haven’t you been told? They’re supposed to pay you to work.
DaveTW,
You know how we have this really cool discussion forum called Forumosa.com? Well, guess what? That’s right. They have one of these in Thailand, too. It doesn’t have as many colorful characters on it like Forumosa.com, but it’s still very useful. Here’s the website.
I’m a member and it has lots of good information and you’ll be able to find someone there in Thailand that can answer your questions or might even know the school you’re talking about. Enjoy.