'No poop, Sherlock', I hear many cry.

I have a degree in education and I was planning on returning to the UK to end my teaching career there in about five years' time. Even though I have an education degree, I actually still need to do my 'QTS' which would take almost a year (my Ed degree does not carry full QTS). Obviously, this will incur costs so this is why I wanted to work a few years out in Thailand first in order to save (my wife is Thai and will be coming with me).

However, after landing a job recently in Bangkok paying around 55,000 baht a month, it appears all is not as it once was here. My current job has required me to pay for all of the following. It appears many schools are doing the same after other interviews I had. Anyway, check these costs out!

1) Visa run to Laos for 60 days = 11,000 baht all in
2) Non B visa - 2,000 baht (refunded only at end of contract)
3) Work permit - 3,100 baht (refunded only at end of contract)
4) Official sealed copy of degree and transcripts sent from UK by DHL - 5,000 baht all in
5) Degree 'true' copies from my embassy - 2,300 baht
6) Translations of degree/transcript - 1,000 baht
7) Degree legalisation at Consular Affairs = 800 baht (three visits required)
8) Taxis for such trips = 4,000 baht
9) Various gadgets needed to wire up my laptop to their TVs - 600 baht
10) Criminal records check - 2,500 baht
11) I've also been told that I 'should' get a good printer and Microsoft Office 2016 (I have an older version) so I can do my many spreadsheets at home. This is so I can just print them off at school instead of waiting until 8.00pm to use the shared computer at work. This is going to set me back another 4,000 baht up.

I'm pretty sure I'll be the one paying for any TCT course requirement too.

Over 30,000 baht just to get legal now and have the 'privilege' of working in Thailand.

My employer stated in the contract and interview, 'full assistance with work permit and visa. All fees paid.'

What they really meant was, 'take these papers with you, go to such and such, look on google maps for it and do whatever it is you need to do. And we'll give you back 5,000 baht maximum only after a year, but not the rest of the cash you forked out.'

Other schools I went to for an interview with were pretty much doing the same thing too.

I've also noticed that the forum for this website has gone, as has the unofficial 'replacement', 'TeachingThailandAsia'. Probably due to teachers realizing that Thailand is dead for teachers (unless in international schools) and them moving on to China, Korea or the Middle-East.

I can understand why.

I honestly think most Thai schools do not want Western teachers anymore as they can get cheap and obedient Pinoys instead. Some of them are excellent to be fair, but my experience is that most of them make a lot of mistakes when it comes to teaching English. However, Pinoys are willing to work until 9.00 pm at night during the week and to come in on weekends for free. For 16,000 baht a month!

Because they are doing this, the Thais are fully expecting Westerners to enslave themselves too, it seems!

I can't compete with that! I'm not doing 70 hours per week and being dragged in at weekends at the drop of a hat for 16,000 baht (or even my 51,000 baht net) Sorry.

A real shame but it's over. Leave the Thais to it.

China here we come, once this contract ends!

Ajarn dot com says - I need to correct you on the part about discussion forums. Ajarnforum.net (which I think is the forum you mistakenly refer to as 'the forum for this website) was never part of the ajarn dot com website and was a completely separate business with different owner, domain name, server, etc. Ajarn dot com ceased to have a forum as part of the website as far back as 2004. Nor would I say that the TeachingThailandAsia discussion forum was a replacement either. Again, it was a completely separate business.

Anon, Bangkok