Thread: A nutter at the British Embassy

Originally Posted by Goodwill

Originally Posted by Warrior

Originally Posted by Goodwill

The only thing that bothers me about the embassy is having Thais representing your country. That's bs. I don't care if they have citizenship. I'd rather see an African, Mexican, Indian, or anyone else but a Thai in my embassy in Thailand. Do you get greeted by anyone other than a Thai when you go to the Thai embassy in the UK or US? No. You'll never see a white face or black face representing Thailand anywhere and it's probably the same for most countries. Get the Thais out. FFS!

Thats just a matter of cost; if a country was willing to pay, you could have your own nationals in all positions at all your embassies around the world.
But your taxpayers are not willing to pay that bill - hence the much cheaper locals.
Personally, I dont care. At 'my' embassy, they seem well mannered and always in a good mood. I joke with the guards, I get swift service at the counter - what more could I ask for?

Do you really think those Thais working at the embassies are making less than the Brits working as TEFLers here? A lot of Teflers are making 30k up base salary. If they offered work to Brits here they probably would get a lot of Brits in Thailand to apply for jobs. It's kind of pathetic that a Brit comes in and begs for change while Thais are working in the jobs Brits could be doing.

Yes, but those jobs have a minimum level of English level required, most TEFLrs wouldn't reach it.

I doubt that a so called "bum," would take a job if offered let along be qualified.

The Thai's in the US embassy seem to be doing their jobs.

Personally I think its a good thing to keep those "consulate types," from America, unemployed in America where they can't do any more damage to foreign countries.

As Davis says they must be bi-lingual, so you'd end up with Thai Americans holding those jobs anyway.

Originally Posted by ltnt

I doubt that a so called "bum," would take a job if offered let along be qualified.

The Thai's in the US embassy seem to be doing their jobs.

Personally I think its a good thing to keep those "consulate types," from America, unemployed in America where they can't do any more damage to foreign countries.

As Davis says they must be bi-lingual, so you'd end up with Thai Americans holding those jobs anyway.

State Department officers don't generally want anything to do with consular work. Thus, the vast majority of consular officers are first-tour officers on 'directed assignment' to the consular section. They serve two years there, and some speak the local language a bit. The local employees, fluent in English and their own language (and often a number of dialects), have often been working in the consular section for a decade or two. They have all the local contacts, know all the local laws, and are about a thousand times more useful (and pleasant) than some pimply-faced first-tour kid who hates his job.

On my last visit to Myanmar embassy in London the front desk was manned by a Ghanaian, dammed nice chap too, very helpful.

A nutter at the British Embassy

A somewhat disrespectful way to describe HM's Ambassador..

Originally Posted by Goodwill

The only thing that bothers me about the embassy is having Thais representing your country. That's bs. I don't care if they have citizenship. I'd rather see an African, Mexican, Indian, or anyone else but a Thai in my embassy in Thailand. Do you get greeted by anyone other than a Thai when you go to the Thai embassy in the UK or US? No. You'll never see a white face or black face representing Thailand anywhere and it's probably the same for most countries. Get the Thais out. FFS!

Arriving at Heathrow and going through passport control you could be forgiven for thinking you'd touched down in Bombay by mistake. As for a trip to the home office in Croyden ........ don't go there...physicaly on mentaly.

Don't mind the Thais at the British Embassy though. The two girls who dealt with me were very friendly and chatty as well as being on the ball. It's good dervice I'm looking for and for a pleasant change....that's what I got.

My visits to the US Embassy in Bangkok has always been decent. They have been busy, but you expect it if you've traveled a bit and experienced the Embassy crush by locals wanting visas to the USA. Long lines going down the roadway from the US Embassy in Venezuela had me in a panic. Seemed every Venezuelan in Caracas wanted out.

As per usual, the Embassy had a door for foreign nationals and one for US Citizens. Right to the head of the line, except no line in the US Citizen door.

I have been serviced by American white faces every time I've visited the Embassy. I end up at the pay window for services rendered and its a local Thai. Seems they have worked out the K.I.S.S. method for the US Embassy in Bangkok.

Originally Posted by Bangyai

Originally Posted by Gravesend Dave

Last time i was at the Embassy I was ask quite politely by a feller if I could spare a bit of cash.

He had an accident,long story short he was way down on his luck and getting nowhere with the consular.

Bunged him 200bt least I could of done,the man was not a bum!

Yes, well at the risk of sounding gay I'll say , I know a bum when I see one. I have helped one or two strangers in distress before but this blokes aggresive effrontery was one too many for me, not so much as request as a demand with menace.
Not too flush myself these days so I've gotten off my arse and tried to remedy the situation by doing something called work.

Had I witnessed that, yeh he would of been ignored or fucked off either way

Originally Posted by Spin

Originally Posted by Gravesend Dave

Bunged him 200bt least I could of done,the man was not a bum!

Of course he wasn't a bum, muppets like you keep him in decent clothes, housing and all the other shit that regular people actually work for.

Sorry spin but this feller was taking a diving course had a minor motor cycle accident.
He was lucky not to be injured to bad( That,s fuck all to worry about graze injury ) but unfortunately he got an infection from the sea needing surgery to cut out a flesh eating but.

The man could not fund this,was now overstaying his visa and in the shit big time.

He came across to me as a well presented polite bloke,but his leg looking fucking shocking!.
Yes maybe he should have been insured or had some kind of safety net in place,fact is he did not.
That don,t make him a fool or a bum to me!

If I had more dough on me at the time I would of been more helpful,as it was I felt like a tight cnvt but did what most would have done,offer a bit.

^ Good on you. A genuine case of needing a little help it would seem. I could have owed a grand when I ended up in hospital. That would have finished my plans off.

The easiest reply to beggars is to tell them to fvck off out of my patch.

Originally Posted by ltnt

Long lines going down the roadway from the US Embassy in Venezuela had me in a panic.

Bog roll queue?

Definitely, oddly, no lines at the British Embassy.

Originally Posted by withnallstoke

Bog roll queue?

Embassy queues dissolved when visa sections outsourced the submission of visa apllications.

Historically, there were never any queues as such for consular help in that the nature of their work is the provision of services for their own citizens only.

I rather think the days Tax is harkening back to were before the advent of the Jumbo jet and cheaper travel, and probably when planes had to stop every thousand miles to take on more wood.

But certainly the consular officer in charge has always been a singleton post with a bevy of locally engaged staff to do his bidding. I imagine in Bangkok the Brit chappie has his work cut out with so many of the lower end ending up here and screwing up.

Being the duty officer must be a nightmare.

He seems to deal with the majority of the problems by ignoring them and assuming they will go away

they often do

the british embassy in rangoon, burma in 1984 was pretty much like i described.

there were palm trees in the garden, ghurkas at the door, chai wallahs and local flunkeys carrying out their duties inside with quiet deference and perfect manners.

documents verified over mahogany have much more authority than those verified over formica.

Originally Posted by Bangyai

The two girls who dealt with me were very friendly and chatty as well as being on the ball

Originally Posted by Bangyai

It's good dervice I'm looking for

Hope you got it mate, the birds down the embassy love a good dervicing.

Originally Posted by DrAndy

He seems to deal with the majority of the problems by ignoring them

Who does?

Originally Posted by thegent

Embassy queues dissolved when visa sections outsourced the submission of visa apllications.

Of course you're speaking about the British Embassy? U.S. still does it "in house."

Originally Posted by ltnt

Originally Posted by thegent

Embassy queues dissolved when visa sections outsourced the submission of visa apllications.

Of course you're speaking about the British Embassy? U.S. still does it "in house."

Correct.

On one of my visits there was this pissed up wanker with his tattooed hooker bittch in tow demanding a new passport because the [at][at][at][at] lost his (probably whilst on the piss). The embassy staff were getting some abuse from this twat. They do a good job, look at the fuckups they have to deal with. Kunts asking for money to help them get home because some lady man or hooker has robbed them the night before

^Perhaps all Embassy staff are ex-bar tenders?