Kal here, reporting in.
Introductions out of the way, I suppose the next thing of interest I can share with you is a little bit of the process which I'm going through to get myself into Thailand.
For starters, it always helps to have someone you know wherever it is that you want to go.
In my case, I have the great fortune of having a loving boyfriend awaiting me, and embodying the majority of the reason why I'm heading for this country. If you ever try moving to another place, or wish to in the future, my recommendation would be to try getting to know some of the people that live there, if only online. The internet is a great tool for this. If you are skillful enough, you may just find yourself with friends willing to take you in, if only for a while, or at least show you the ropes upon your arrival.
Also, if you are going to a place where the language is one you're not familiar with, and its going to be a long-term stay, I HEAVILY encourage you to learn the language. It is a good way of showing you have serious intentions, and the locals will likely be pleased to see your efforts, even if they are dismal. Its the thought that matters. Few people like the overseas tourist who's only there to live it up, take advantage of low prices, and be a general party-mongering twat. That is, except for the people who sell things to said tourists.
Anyway, in my case, I'm entering Thailand on a Non-Immigrant Education Visa. Currently, the most recommendable way to access one of these visas is to enroll in a one-year language program with a renowned language school. You should check general forums to find out what the general public opinion is on any school you are interested in attending. That way, you can weight its reputation, and find out whether or not the place is genuine. Be very wary of scams, since the investment you are making is nothing to sneeze at. If something seems too good to be true, IT USUALLY IS. Don't be afraid to ask questions, send out emails, and make phone calls. Skype rates aren't that bad.
I personally ended up going with the Walen School. They are a long time institution with a good reputation and a 10-year history of activity. Dealing with them I found them professional and very amiable, and my questions were always answered with patience and as thoroughly as possible. I very much look forward to classes with their staff.
Rates will probably vary, depending on when you read this post, but a one-year course usually goes for the same rate as the plane ticket you'll be purchasing to fly over, if you are in America or Europe.
Which of course, means that you need to save a good deal of funds to have available to you, both for the process of getting in, as well for your living expenses while in the country. Fortunately, as stated before, Thailand has very low prices.
Once you have paid for your enrollment, your school will mail you the paperwork you need to present to the Thai Embassy in your country. You -could- opt for entering Thailand with a round-trip ticked on a 30-day tourist visa, and processing all of this while in Thailand directly with the school, leaving Thailand for a neighboring country to process your education visa in the embassy there, then re-entering on your new ED visa, but its up to you. Personally, I found that process a bit stressful, expensive, and plenty can go wrong, but it IS a workable option if you're there for a long haul anyway, and want to see the neighboring countries as well. To each their own.
Processing times at the embassies vary. In the Thai Embassy in Spain, their website advertises 2-3 business days to process the visa if there are no mistakes. It took mine a little over 2 weeks to be processed, but granted, there was a field I missed filling in on my application. So, rule of thumb, look your application over as carefully as possible, call if you have questions, and get your paperwork together WELL IN ADVANCE. I did mine 1 1/2 months before my set flight date, and let me tell you, the next few days are going to be a lot less stressful because of this.
The next step would be arriving in Thailand, reporting in at your school, and setting up your class schedule. Some of you will also opt for having the school help you with living arrangements, but as I said before, if you have friends in the area, they are a big help in that respect. If you want to set up something beforehand, give the forums a try as well. Local expats usually have good advice. I would, however, again recommend you have enough funds. Plan for at least a 2 week hotel stay in case something goes wrong. That way you have enough time to panic, calm down, and then find a solution to your problem.
Anyway, I guess that's all I have to share with you folks for now. I leave you with a little scan of what my visa looks like. Relevant ID markers have been blurred out, but you still get a good idea of its current appearance. I do say, it looks quite pretty. :)
Introductions out of the way, I suppose the next thing of interest I can share with you is a little bit of the process which I'm going through to get myself into Thailand.
For starters, it always helps to have someone you know wherever it is that you want to go.
In my case, I have the great fortune of having a loving boyfriend awaiting me, and embodying the majority of the reason why I'm heading for this country. If you ever try moving to another place, or wish to in the future, my recommendation would be to try getting to know some of the people that live there, if only online. The internet is a great tool for this. If you are skillful enough, you may just find yourself with friends willing to take you in, if only for a while, or at least show you the ropes upon your arrival.
Also, if you are going to a place where the language is one you're not familiar with, and its going to be a long-term stay, I HEAVILY encourage you to learn the language. It is a good way of showing you have serious intentions, and the locals will likely be pleased to see your efforts, even if they are dismal. Its the thought that matters. Few people like the overseas tourist who's only there to live it up, take advantage of low prices, and be a general party-mongering twat. That is, except for the people who sell things to said tourists.
Anyway, in my case, I'm entering Thailand on a Non-Immigrant Education Visa. Currently, the most recommendable way to access one of these visas is to enroll in a one-year language program with a renowned language school. You should check general forums to find out what the general public opinion is on any school you are interested in attending. That way, you can weight its reputation, and find out whether or not the place is genuine. Be very wary of scams, since the investment you are making is nothing to sneeze at. If something seems too good to be true, IT USUALLY IS. Don't be afraid to ask questions, send out emails, and make phone calls. Skype rates aren't that bad.
I personally ended up going with the Walen School. They are a long time institution with a good reputation and a 10-year history of activity. Dealing with them I found them professional and very amiable, and my questions were always answered with patience and as thoroughly as possible. I very much look forward to classes with their staff.
Rates will probably vary, depending on when you read this post, but a one-year course usually goes for the same rate as the plane ticket you'll be purchasing to fly over, if you are in America or Europe.
Which of course, means that you need to save a good deal of funds to have available to you, both for the process of getting in, as well for your living expenses while in the country. Fortunately, as stated before, Thailand has very low prices.
Once you have paid for your enrollment, your school will mail you the paperwork you need to present to the Thai Embassy in your country. You -could- opt for entering Thailand with a round-trip ticked on a 30-day tourist visa, and processing all of this while in Thailand directly with the school, leaving Thailand for a neighboring country to process your education visa in the embassy there, then re-entering on your new ED visa, but its up to you. Personally, I found that process a bit stressful, expensive, and plenty can go wrong, but it IS a workable option if you're there for a long haul anyway, and want to see the neighboring countries as well. To each their own.
Processing times at the embassies vary. In the Thai Embassy in Spain, their website advertises 2-3 business days to process the visa if there are no mistakes. It took mine a little over 2 weeks to be processed, but granted, there was a field I missed filling in on my application. So, rule of thumb, look your application over as carefully as possible, call if you have questions, and get your paperwork together WELL IN ADVANCE. I did mine 1 1/2 months before my set flight date, and let me tell you, the next few days are going to be a lot less stressful because of this.
The next step would be arriving in Thailand, reporting in at your school, and setting up your class schedule. Some of you will also opt for having the school help you with living arrangements, but as I said before, if you have friends in the area, they are a big help in that respect. If you want to set up something beforehand, give the forums a try as well. Local expats usually have good advice. I would, however, again recommend you have enough funds. Plan for at least a 2 week hotel stay in case something goes wrong. That way you have enough time to panic, calm down, and then find a solution to your problem.
Anyway, I guess that's all I have to share with you folks for now. I leave you with a little scan of what my visa looks like. Relevant ID markers have been blurred out, but you still get a good idea of its current appearance. I do say, it looks quite pretty. :)
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario