There are around 100,000 people with retirement visas in Thailand. The total of their compulsory deposits is 100,000 * 800,000 = 80 billion baht. Thai banks' total desposits are around 17 trillion baht. Therefore, expat retirees' compulsory deposits make up only around 0.5% of total deposits. This doesn't have any meaningful impact on the value of the baht.

I strongly recommend not to move over, nor to get your hopes up about doing so, until you have secured employment with a company that is willing to arrange your visa and work permit. There aren't many jobs for foreigners in Thailand that pay enough to provide a Western standard upbringing / education to a kid, never mind one with a medical condition.

Amazing healthcare is available in Thailand but it isn't free.

Being denied entry and deported will be a much bigger barrier to future entry / stay in Thailand than the reputation of the school where you previously studied under an ED visa.

I doubt an 8-month visit nearly a year ago would raise any particular concerns, unless it included a period of overstay.

Sometimes (rarely and randomly) the border officers just ask to see evidence of a flight out of Thailand for foreigners entering without long-term visas - so it's worth booking a flexible flight and/or being ready to book something quickly if asked.

To avoid future problems, she could get multi-entry tourist visas, and when doing a "border bounce" always spend a while outside the country - people who are in a rush to get back in raise suspicions of working illegally.

Taking photos of people without their permission and sharing that content online isn't considered an issue in Thai society / Thai law, unless the people in the photo are committing a crime / doing something immoral, in which case their faces are typically blurred out. For example, medical staff often share photos of their patients, teachers often share photos of their students, airline staff often share photos of their passengers, and many local business owners / managers share photos of their customers.

Most well-known international beers are available in Thailand.

The key is demonstrating she won't be tempted to stay in the UK and work illegally as a waitress / masseuse / farmhand / etc.

Having money in her bank could ease immigration officers' fears but 500k THB isn't enough to rule out the risk (but much better than zero).

It's more important she provides evidence of having a sufficiently lucrative career / business to return to.

Because it's easier and/or more profitable to keep the planes in Bangkok overnight, ready for the early morning flights out.

Agents in Thailand are pretty cheap - often worth paying for help rather than wasting time figuring out how it works.

@Graham *****

The passport control officers don't seem to like seeing many visa exempt stamps - after a period when I had been in and out on a regular basis with visa exempt stamps (but not actually in Thailand too much) I got pulled aside and advised to apply for visas, rather than entering visa exempt, if I want to continue visiting frequently.