At first living abroad is like a vacation - everything is amazing and cheap, and the people are so nice. Then you begin to realize that it's not all what it seems and they start to get under your skin. Things that should be easy are impossibly difficult. If only they would do things the "right way". A lot of expats give up here and move. But if you can make your peace with the differences, figure out where to fit in and accept what you can't change, you discover that your experience closely matches what you make of it.

@Max *****

I have run several businesses in Thailand and it is not inexpensive, expect a setup cost between 20k and 50k THB and something like 125k to 150k THB per year to maintain it so that it can support a B visa. This visa type is a lot more paperwork than you might expect and there are still hurdles to jump through each year. I found this visa type to be fairly stressful at renewal time. The price for Elite recently jumped a lot, before that I'd tell people Elite is cheaper than a B visa on a per-year basis.

@เตเต้ *****

This school doesn't continue to the next level, so he's forced to move to a new school after this year

Yes, I think you've summed it up. This is an unexpected hitch in an assumption I'd made about whether these extensions are pro-rated or a just a year every time. Turns out that had I been an visa expert, I wouldn't have expected that.

My question is looking for suggestions about how to fill the gap. Perhaps using non-exempt and/or tourist visas during that window is the ideal strategy. "Starting over" is something we seem to have to regularly do with visas in Thailand anytime there is a gap between one source and another.

Do you have any suggestions? Maybe they can both study Muay Thai over the summer 🤣

Just heard back from our current school, and they don't want to put a date beyond the end of this school year which explains why we only got until July.

We aren't going to know for certain whether we'll remain in Thailand until closer to September next year -- after this extension has expired -- so hadn't wanted to commit too early (i.e. pay the school for 2024). That's too bad, I didn't anticipate this snag.

@John *********

He will start up at the next grade level, but at another school, that fall. Perhaps a new school will arrange for his visa starting a few months before he starts there, but I'm assuming they won't deal with it until their school year begins.

It's not expected that all the kids studying grades 1-12 in Thailand just don't have visas during the summers...?

I'm going ask the school if they expected this. It's our last year before he ages out so I'm starting to make an assumption that's why we've been dropped off the cliff.

But I can't imagine there is any skin off the school's back to issue another letter and request a one year extension... to get us all the way to the next school's start.

@Brandon ***********

Yes, the school wrote that the end of the school term is 12th of July 2024. All the previous years letters, best I can remember, also had similar language.

The immigration officer said she only gives until 12 July 2024 because of the date written on the letter.

@Aaron ******

It is a risk everywhere in the world, rules or no rules

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

Yes, of course. You are technically correct. I'm thinking of the "reality on the ground" component where Thai authorities often don't utilize the rules as written or there are "unwritten rules" that are up to the local guy you're in front of at the moment, and suggesting it would be interesting to know if the OP is successful. Given that I know others who have been able to do this despite what is written, there is a non-zero chance that success is possible despite what we could ever know in advance.