I think you need a fit to fly test and insurance worth $100k, and so far it's for people with a work permit.

Only for people with work permits and only if you have been tested and have covid insurance if usd100k

Tesol is cheap and easy to pass but Celta puts you in a good place if you want to think further than "just getting a job to teach" for one year if you see it as a long term career. Celta is harder and expensive in terms of assignments and exams, but you learn a lot and is preferred over tesol if they would want someone with substance. But if you just want to swing it and have a visa to stay in Thailand and it's just a temp experience, then tesol would be enough for Thailand.

@Bobby *******

agreed

Never hahaha

I think I saw someone who took a language course at chiang mai university and still got rejected.

@Steven **************

my classmate did two extensions on ed visa and didn't have trouble when they asked if she spoke Thai.

First time Ed visa laos is fine. Don't use up Kota bharu for first time.

At my language school, two farang young guys were denied ed visa (got a void stamp in their passport) for 2nd year even though 2nd year is to learn Chinese. There are a lot of different things to look at that could be a reason for them to reject your visa. It doesn't mean if you learn Chinese the first time it's a guarantee to get the visa. But if you trust your school and their connections, and their experiences with handling visas, try to listen to them. 5,000b additional is not a lot to study Chinese. My school asks for 20,000b more to study Chinese. May I ask which school you go to? I prefer to study Chinese as that language is more universally used in the world than Thai.

@Ivan ***********

is 365 day rule based on date of arrival in country or date of application at embassy?