bornslippy

Thanks all.

Samadhi - you need an offer of employment in order to start the process of getting a non immigrant visa B (as Mizzi39 says above). Legally and morally, I see little difference in looking for work while you are in Thailand as opposed to looking for work while staying in your own or another country. Luckily, I didn't look for very long before the right opportunity came along. I applied, interviewed, and was successful.

My plan was to always stay here, but I wanted to change jobs (previous job gave a contract every semester and only paid for 9 1/2 months of the year). My previous extension to stay expired with the end of my last contract, hence the need to get another tourist visa and start the process all over again. If you stay in the same job it is a lot easier I believe. In some cases at least.

Thanks guys - sorry I wasn't being ignorant (I thought I had e-mail notifications on and forgot to check back in).

Loburi - I can extend my tourist visa until the 2nd July, but there are no certainties I would have my contract by then. Mind you, given that they sent off the recommendation to hire paperwork early May, I would have thought 2 months would be sufficient!?. I thought the key thing for converting was 21 days (alongside necessary paperwork) - so this won't give me much leeway. Lopburi, you know people who have converted a tourist visa into a non imm B with less than 15 and 7 days left on the visa?  

I now have a VOID non imm B visa occupying 2 pages in my passport! Immigration did advise extending my tourist visa while I waited for the contract though, so this does sound sensible now.

Failing everything, I would still have the option to leave at the end of June and get another tourist visa / non imm B in a neighbouring country!

Thanks Mario - yes it is a government university. I will get them to check with the consulate in Penang, if they can do this.

It's definitely the Thai Consulate you want for a visa (not the Thai Embassy). The address I have is:

Unit 15, Bourichane Road,
Ban Phone Si Sattanak,
Vientiane.

That didn't really help though when getting a Tuk Tuk, but the drivers seem to know where to go. It's about a 3km walk out of town maybe. Not that far.

Bornslippy

Not trying to hijack your thread, but have just done a visa run to Vientiane from Bangkok (left from Suvarnabhumi, returned to Mo Chit), so thought it would be useful to add a bit more info. I hope you don't mind.

Similar experience to yours, except I paid 100 baht for a tuk tuk to the Nong Khai border! I had acquired some $s for the visa, so that worked out more than 300 baht cheaper (I paid 1$ extra due to weekend, so $36).  I met a Swedish guy there who hitched to Vientiane, as he considered the 200 baht for private hire too expensive (which it is really). There is also public bus to the centre I believe and maybe minibuses, but you get accosted by tuk tuk drivers of course.

The Thai consulate isn't particularly far out of town (maybe 3km), and I walked back on the first day due to feeling like I was not getting a fair deal on Tuk Tuks. The Swedish guy I met walked to and fro each time! I paid 20000 kip for a tuk tuk one way to the consulate when I used them (approx 80 baht). I'm sure you could get a bus if you figured it out.

I got the international bus back from Talat Sao bus station (near the mall), which is 15000 kip (approx 60 baht) and takes you directly to Nong Khai bus station. There are also direct international buses to Udon Thani, Khon Kaen and Khorat respectively (Udon 22000 Kip, Khon Kaen maybe 50000 Kip). I got a VIP bus from Nong Khai back to Mo Chit in Bangkok (700 baht). Journey time 9 hours each way (from and to Bangkok).

Bornslippy