What is the best visa option for someone moving to Thailand to teach English while having a background in mental health counseling?

Ajarn.com

The best thing in your situation would be to go to the Philippines instead. The visa situation is easier. You can work in a lot more fields as a foreigner. And most people in the big cities speak perfect English, making hiring English speaking employees more common.

Good luck!

Mental Health doesn't exsist here. Wild wild west. Yeehaaa giddyup.

The mental health interests me as I do voluntary work in psychiatric hospitals in Chiang Mai - counselling was part of my UK work (Master's in Psychology and founder member of the PTSD group in the old BAC organisation). Find me on Messenger for a chat! I'll leave your requests for Visa etc to the experts. I've retired here - 22 years ago!

DTV... I recently applied, ticked all the boxes, but rejected. No reason given. Lawyer did not understand why

Thailand has 77 provinces and I suggest u to choose where to settle down then u may focus on job and secure it , wish u good luck

I’m a retired Marine going in June! You going to have impatient services? I would be your number one customer even though the Lord healed my PTSD, depression, and anxiety!

go on a tourist 60 day visa exempt then line up a teaching job. they should help you get your work visa if they are a legit school. once in thailand you can check out where and what schools .

You have to be on a non immigrant business visa to teach, DTV will not help you work in Thailand. Also keep in mind teaching jobs pay like 30k or 40k Thai baht a month - doesn’t even cover my rent and electricity bill. 😂

If you come without a job, odds are you’ll leave to Vietnam after 90 days. Best to have the job locked down before unless you’re very financially stable. Or maybe come as a tourist and try to make job contacts and familiarize yourself, go back home and try to lock down a job.

I am a teacher and it's best to be employed from your home country and get a job in an international school. That way they will organise everything for your visa and flights. It is not easy being a teacher in Thailand and if you are not actually qualified as a teacher it will be more difficult however with your qualifications you could probably add a lot of value to a school. If you get a job at an international school they will also pay your health insurance.

The only dilemma I have is the income part. I've already been there many years so I know all about the visa situation and where to live.

Dtv is best option, I know you said you don't have the funds. Do you know someone who could put the money in your bank for 3 months?

If not your options are limited to multi entry tourist visa and build from there. Get there, find a job and keep going. You'll be able to get it all sorted.

Good luck, you'll be right ☘️

You unfortunately cannot work on the DTV Visa as it is considered a long term tourist Visa, you can enroll in cooking classes Muay Thai, but not aloud to work. You also need prof of money in your own bank account so probably not the correct visa for you. Definitely check out the Teaching visas.

Also need a degree to teach even tefol

Stay home

Why don't you to counseling online? Then you can live anywhere you like and move whenever you like

There is a market for mental health, but most jobs like that forbid foreigners from working them, also I assume you don't speak thai so that's another barrier that you'll face as you need to speak to people and understand their problems. If you were thinking you're coming here to assist foreigners only forget about it, thailand is not the place to create jobs that doesn't benefit thai people (what europe should do in my opinion). Learn thai first and then speak to employers and get sponsorships

Ajarn.com is a Thai teachers website you can post your resume. If you have a masters in Councelling you can apply to international schools as school counselor. Otherwise, be prepared to make about 30,000 baht a month and live somewhere there is little to nothing going on, or you can potentially find work at a language center and work 6 days a week.

Only spend money here, dont work in Thailand

Dtv visa

Coocking class or boxing

My only suggestion would be to try to save up considerably more than 500,000 baht. Thailand is not as inexpensive as it used to be, and that amount of money won't get you very far. Otherwise, I wish you success and happiness.

There are many teaching in Thailand groups on Facebook so I suggest you join them. You cannot officially get a teaching job in Thailand unless you are educated to degree level in any subject.

If you don't have B500k liquid how do you expect to live in Thailand? Lots of expenses to get set up in the country. I would not even think about relocating until I had double the finances.

get the job lined up before you get here. It is not easy to get a work permit after you arrive and there are many fishy schools which will give you a job but never the correct visa. If you have to delay your arrival and you're intent on being in Thailand and working a job, apply on line from your home country.

There are actually quite a lot of rehabs in CM where Foreign counselors are working with a workpermit.

Google addiction clinic chiang mai - a lot will pop up. Just contact them

Honestly, you are 25 and in the prime of your working years. Stay in your own country and grind. Thailand is something you should enjoy at the end of the road.

"..... used to...." You want to teach English?!?

Hey Portia, fuck what everyone else is saying. Listen to your heart and trust that everything will work itself out with ease. I’d recommend to check out ajarn.com and Teacherhorizons.com. I am currently on DTV which i think is a good option, but if you’re not able to show the funds then definitely consider tourist visa or education visa for short term until you connect with a job. May everything work itself out for you 🍀

Not sure where you come from but as an Aussie I used my superannuation balance for the online application for a non O visa

Hope that helps

I did the government school teaching gig on and off from 2005 til 2015 when it was a headache already. Talked to an old colleague recently, he told me it got worse, in many ways, paperwork, working conditions, pay, teachers from SA, Nigeria and of course the Philippines.

Generally wages are stagnant or haven't increased much, while living costs doubled and tripled in the last 20 years.

But good luck, give it a try! 😀

Reading your post is red-flag after red-flag after red-flag. You don't just move to a country without even knowing the right time of year to arrive, and shouldn't expect to work in your own profession when you don't speake the local language and would require any potential employer to pay you multiples of a local's salary and secure an expensive|difficult work permit for someone who might just leave if they don't quite like everything they thought would be dreamlike til they got here - 'mental health counselling' is just a fake field to be in for people who aren't actually qualified to do anything. You need to hold a 4-year degree and be from a native-speaking country to be able to land a job here with a 'living wage' salary but, remember, pay here is half what you get in other countries in the region, and it's not a cheap country to live in at all. If you are still reading after the reality check, ok: if you qualify for teaching work, you need to apply during April to start in May - use ajarn.com and kruteacher to apply, and see if you get any responses before heading out here. There is no such thing as a tourist visa - you arrive on a 30-day stamp which you can extend by a further 30 days: if you start a job immediately, that will give an employer the necessary time to prepare your papers for YOU to go to Laos and pay for your nonB visa which leads to your work permit [currently, you receive 60 days, but the government has already to decided to reduce it to 30, and that will be probably before you arrive here]. Being a new teacher isn't a problem, you can learn as you go, and your fellow teachers will advise you, show you where good teaching resources are, etc. If you have read all this, and you know you're one of the genuine people who will really come here and give teaching a shot, genuinely wish you GOOD LUCK and i hope it all goes really well for you.

If you have qualification for counselling contact the rehabs. There are many in Thailand.

In rehabs you could get work

For starters foreigners can not work in the ph

Here's a suggestion, many international schools employ student counsellors on the same level as they do teachers, international contract with the benefits...you may want to see if that fits your background too...then the TEFoL is an added string to your bow.

You might be very surprised. There is a lot of need for Mental Health Councilling in Thailand. Reach out to the large Hospital groups and withdrawal and wellness retreats across Thailand.

Just come on a tourist visa have a look round see what’s available work for you ,,, you never know you might meet a nice guy who will take care of you the rest is easy 555

I would also look at rehabilitation centers. We have one in our market town. I knew a member of staff and he was on good money and conditions. A quick search yields these vacancies.



Kind regards Neal

Here is the link to the Korat group -

There are a number of FB Groups for teachers and they may be the best place to both seek work and to give you advice. I know of one in Korat but i have no idea which area you are most interested in going to. I will send you the Korat one and let you at least start with them.

consider where you would like to be based 1st . Id say come to that province or village . you need to get yoiur feet wet first, meet locals, find out what you can do to help develop with you knowledge . i too intend the same ,and am Married to THAI. been visiting here for 25 yrs im 77 looking to share with the village children , . consider coming on a tourist visa and learning the area and people my advantage family connections and meeting local professionals and living here . If you intend on coming and want to get involved on your schedule be prepaired. There are barriers that will hamper a quick transition . just my thoughts .

You could use the treaty of Amity to open a business becoming an entrepreneur

Good luck

Most jobs are protected for Thai ppl.

You need to do more research. As you won’t be working a livable wage.

English teachers don’t make much. At all and often are 3 month contracts. So you visa will always be needing to be redone through the school.

If they realize you are applying for work. You could get banned or fined or ?? It is enforced and frowned upon as it is seen as taking a Thai job.

You need a special skill or background in something I demand that a Thai person can’t do.

Teaching jobs that pay even close to decent by our standards you need a degree.

Most are retired or have an online job that is based on their home country.. if you could move and just work where ever. Everyone would do it. They protect themselves. You can’t own land there there either.

In fact they don’t even allow volunteering without a work visa.

Even on a tourist visa. You’ll need a return tickets and proof of accommodations.. doesn’t sound like you’ve really looked deep into this.

Where are you planning to “apply” usually you get a sponsorship from a job. But that is before you go. And like I said. It is hard to be approved.

Which schools are you looking at working? Have to contacted them for wages and contract lengths? Hours? They don’t hire you for a full school or anything.. and will dictate where you live.

Thai culture is tight knit and conservative… and they protect their land and work very strongly.

Hav you been to Thailand?

This is sort of related. But please factor in health insurance while you are here... please. And realistically set budgets. There has been a massive wave of people moving here recently who do it on a whim, with some influencer knowledge and end up having to pack up and go home after just a few months.

Not another one "moving" to thailand...It seems like the whole western world is "moving" to thailand?

First off, July/August isn't a good time to look for teaching jobs. The second semester starts around November, so October is a good month to look. Are you from a Native speaking country? If so, with a certified degree, you have a good chance of finding a position. Non native speakers have a more difficult time finding jobs and also have to compete with others who will accept work for lesser salaries. You're in for a big surprise when you first get up in front of a classroom of Thai students. LOL

There are better groups to ask this in. MANY people come in on tourist visa or visa free and then find other avenues for visas. I did this when I retired here.

Let me try and find some other groups for you to ask and I'll come back and share the links. Best of luck!!