My agency says they require my degrees notarized by the American embassy in Bangkok in order to do my work permit for my job teaching English at BangkokThonburi Demonstration School. However, the US embassy refuses to notarize degrees under any circumstances. Therefore, my agency says they cannot do my work permit and want me to pay for a TESOL course by myself then not attend and just work on an ED visa. I have been working in Thailand for 25 years and have had work permits done before. I have had my degrees notarized before for other jobs, yet my agency they need me to do it again or do an ED visa. They cannot do a non-B visa.
I smell something fishy. Does anybody have experience with this? Do I really have to get my degrees notarized again for them to do my non-B visa or are they just being cheap and passing the responsibilities all to me? Or maybe even trying to make me pay for a course I cannot attend? I have a colleague who says that once your degree has been notarized once it does not need to be notarized again. But he says he has a stamp on the back of his degree. I didn't get that on the back of my degree. When I had mine notarized it was 15 years ago and they had a notary form filled out and that was stamped. However, when I used it for my job at the time they kept that form and didn't give it back.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Jay
Work permit and visa.
If you've been in Thailand for 25 years then you know that every work permit office is different. Try a different agency and you may get a different answer. Get your work permit in a different province and you may get a different answer. I have never needed my degree certified in order to get a work permit. In fact, I don't even have a degree certificate. I just submit my university transcripts.
If you really want to keep this particular agency, try simply doing an affidavit from the US embassy where you swear that this degree is genuine under penalty of perjury. That will give you an embassy stamp and will most likely be accepted. If they don't accept it, all you've lost $50. Given the difficulties with getting teachers right now they either want you or they don't. Don't play games. Somebody else will want you.
Under no circumstances work on an ED visa. You should know that...
Thanks for the advice. To make a long story short. I quit my job with Edumore because they would not do my non-b visa like promised in the contract. When I confronted them that they were in breach of contract they just said that it was not there fault because I had not provided all the documents necessary for them to do it (a standard denial). It clearly stated in the contract that as long as I provide them a valid degree that they would take care all of the documents and costs to provide me a non-b visa. It said nothing about me having to notarize my degree or to pay for my own ED visa and TESOL course then not attend.
Since I have to renew my visa and Sept. 26th seems to be a deadline, does anybody have any advice on what to do next?
Thank you.
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