How can I secure a DTV visa in Thailand as a student working remotely?

Hey everyone, I’d really appreciate some advice on my visa situation 🙏

My situation in short:

* 🇩🇪 German, 29 years old

* 🎓 Officially a student (Bachelor in Applied AI) at an online University in Germany

* 💻 Also working part-time remotely for a German company (but I don’t have an official letter saying I can work from Thailand)

* 🥊 Planning to join a Muay Thai school for several months

* 📍Currently staying in Thailand on a tourist visa

* ✈️ I need to leave Thailand by 20 November

* 💰 Bank statement proof (up to 500,000 THB) is no problem

* 🎯 Goal: stay long-term (ideally DTV-Visa for 5 years, but 6 months would already help)

* 💸 Looking for a low-cost, transparent process – I know official DTV fees are 350 EUR, but agencies quote me 1,000 EUR+, which feels excessive

My questions:

* Has anyone successfully applied for a DTV-Visa themselves (without agency help)?

* Do you know a reliable Visa-Agency that charges a fair price?

* Is it possible to find a Muay Thai school that can provide the official *Letter of Education/Proof of Enrollment* directly, without going through an agency?

* Or is it true that self-applications usually cause issues with the Thai authorities?

Any tips or personal experiences would help me a lot. Thanks in advance 🙌