Step 1: Accepting & Processing Your Contract

When the school has issued an offer of employment, you will need to complete and submit several documents prior to receiving your official employment contract.

Step 1A: Sign and return the letter of intent, which includes a sample of the current Thai tax rate

Step 1B: Complete and return the employment screening form as a part of our child protection programme

Step 1c: Complete and submit the online registration through Veracross

After each of these has been completed, you will receive a copy of your employment contract for review. Upon signing and returning the contract, you will be able to proceed to step 2.

 

Step 2: Submitting Required Documents

When we receive the signed contract, we will begin processing your application for the pre-employment application letter from the Ministry of Education (MOE), a key document for obtaining your visa and work permit. The following documents must also be sent to obtain the MOE letter. (Please note that scanned copies are preferable, as faxed copies are often not clear enough.

• Signed employment contract
• Copy of your original bachelor’s/master’s diploma(s)/degree(s)
  • If your original degree is not in education, additional certificates may be required: a current national teaching credential, license or diploma in teaching/education
• Copy of your original transcript(s)
• Copy of the photo page of your passport
• Copy of a police clearance certification (criminal background check) from all countries in which you have worked, as well as your country of origin
  • Please note that Thai laws in this area are currently shifting, and we highly recommend that the police clearance for the country in which you currently reside be dated within three months of your visa application
• Full address of the Thai embassy where you will apply for the visa
• Your summer or permanent mailing address where express mail from the school can be sent
• If applicable, we may also ask for other documents such as a letter of recommendation from a previous employer

 

Step 3: Applying for Your Visa(s)

We will send a consent letter from the Office of Private Education (Ministry of Education), a NIST employment letter, the NIST registration (company information) and school director’s paper (as your local guarantor). Upon receiving these documents, you will need to schedule an appointment at the Thai embassy you specified in order to apply for and receive your visa. Along with these three documents, please bring:

• A copy of the employment contract, signed by you and the school
• Your original bachelor’s/master’s degree(s)/diploma(s)
  • If applicable, also bring any national teaching credential, license or diploma
• Your original transcript(s), sealed by the university
• A copy of your CV
• A copy of the police clearance from the country in which you currently reside
• Your passport and, if applicable, those of your family members
• Birth and marriage certificates for dependents

The visa that you should apply for as a teacher is the non-immigrant B visa (single entry). Any dependent(s) should apply for a non-immigrant O visa (single entry). Please keep all receipts, as this expense can reimbursed. Single entry visas are sufficient in all cases, as your work permit will provide multiple entries.

 

Step 4: Preparing for Your Arrival

Upon approval and receipt of your non-immigrant B visa from the Thai embassy, you will need to bring all of the original documents you brought with you to the embassy to Bangkok in order to apply for and receive your work permit (which is separate from the visa). If you are being accompanied by any dependents who have received non-immigrant O visas, the following must also be brought:

• Birth certificates of all members of your family (must be translated into English if necessary)
• Marriage certificate (must be translated into English if necessary)
• Divorce certificate (must be translated into English if necessary, especially if your name and your children’s names are different)
  • Please note that you will be required to get children birth certificates and your marriage certificate notarized at your national embassy in Bangkok after arrival and before we extend your visas in October.

 

Step 5: Arriving in Thailand

When your plane lands in Bangkok, you will need to fill out an arrival card. This is usually distributed to passengers on the inbound flight, but can also be picked up before reaching the immigration desk at Suvarnabhumi Airport. To proceed through immigration, this must be filled out completely (front and back), and you must also complete the departure card (for which you can leave the departing flight portion blank).

Make sure that when you complete the arrival card, you correctly enter the number of your visa as shown in the image below. Also check the stamp that you receive at the immigration desk to ensure that it matches the details below.

As you begin your first day at NIST, we will gather your documents and submit them to Kurusupa (The Teachers’ Council of Thailand), Ministry of Education and Ministry of Labour to begin the process of acquiring your work permit and temporary teaching license. The latter will later be converted to a permanent (five-year) license. Note that you will be required to accompany our government liaison staff on at least one trip during the orientation process for the submission of the documents.