@Brian **********

you're welcome!

@Brian **********

here is a "copy and paste" of the original post, hoping am not violating group rules or original author:

Clear info about Mae Sai border. Facts, only facts !

- no maybe

- no if

- no "talked to an officer who didn't know ".

Went to the Mae Sai border,1st and only farang in line :

picture, handprint, stamped out .

Went to the Tachilek border.

Very warm welcome, from all the officers.

Picture, handprint , proof of 4 anti corona, vaccinations , 10 $US. Go through a few offices, talked to a few Myanmar officers who know what they talk about, got real infos. no "maybe but".

Stamped in , leave passport at the border, went for a little shopping.

Saw a friend who can be trusted, he told me that: very rarely he sees 1 farang per day. Usually with a thai wife coming for some shopping.

Back to the border, stamped out, got passport back .

Went to the Thai border, lined up behind 3 chinese guys coming straight from Xichuangbana.

Then usual warm welcome from thai officer, photo, handprint, 1 question: "where do you go andstay tonight". Stamped in. Came back to Thailand.

All process very smooth. Didn't see one farang during the process. Later saw very few farangs shopping in Mae Sai bazar.

-End of Copy and Paste. Good luck!

Last month someone posted a run at that border point. Look thru those posts.

@Paul ******

am sure attitudes are changing, hopefully for the better. A few months ago I met a 40 something factory supervisor who had been on the job >10 yrs. She was let go and now is doing traditional Thai massage for a fraction of her old salary.

This looks like a contested issue, but consider this: bureaucrats feed on paperwork (justifies their work?), and will *never* complain if you throw too many docs, applications, photocopies, etc., at them. On the other hand, there could be consequences (of the unsavory kind) if a piece of paper is missing. CYA.

@Gabriel *******

well, that's nice. You did well. Thank you for the update.

@Gabriel *******

now that you mention this topic, about 6 yrs ago I met a Thai teacher who complained the gov was phasing out the retirement pension for them and in place giving them a lump sum. That was also the last year I worked at a gov school and there was never any mention of pensions. All of the foreign teachers were there by yearly contracts, renewable. I do remember clearly that the school could not give me the health insurance coverage the rest got, on the grounds that I was over 60. Again, it has been a few years. By the way, how much is the average pension a foreigner gets these days?

@Gabriel *******

well thank you for the clarification. Years ago I heard TEFL teachers complaining that they could not get pensions upon retiring. I myself have never heard of such a case where foreigners could get money after no longer working in LOS. Times are a changin'. 😀

@Gabriel *******

of course, you can always negotiate what you want, but I've heard Thai professionals complaining that their government pension is 300 THB/mo. Not to drag this, but is there a foreigner drawing a Thai pension, gov or private?

@Paul ******

a few years ago, I worked for an English program manager who was nearing 70 but the problem was that the school had to ask special permission for the dept of labor to continue renewing his WP. In LOS, 60 is considered old. Many locals are not wanted after 40. Some then return to their villages or resort to do menial work.