TEFL Agency Scam

[tinywitch]

So, I'm an ESL teacher and I've been teaching since September. I was contracted to an agency directly after my TEFL training, and they got me a job with a small international school right away. The agency is supposed to assist with the work permit, housing, and immigration for 3000b per month taken off my salary. Long story short, it is now February and I still do not have a work permit. Between the school and the agency, every week it's another excuse and delay. I have been expected to continue working illegally (as well as funding my border runs and extensions -- on my own time and never taking a day off from school) I have documentation of all communications, and going back thru I can now see so much deception. 

 

For example, they told me I'd need to get an education affidavit because the name on my diploma and transcripts didn't match my passport. This is straight up not true; the documents all have the same name. There are a number of other delays and outright lies, and it now looks like the school is taking aim to dismiss me after this contract. 

 

I'm not the world's best teacher, but I am pretty damn good. I know that this is about scamming labor. And I know that the school will continue to hire first-year teachers fresh out of training, string them along, and then cut them off for some fabricated reason. Why would they invest in long term teachers, when giving pay-raises and providing benefits is apparently so expensive? And as for the agency, is there anything I can do about their explicit breach of contract? (Do I have to wait until the contract runs out before taking action, because they never provided the work permit as stated in Clause whateverwtvr..?) 

 

They are now telling me that they will have to wait to file my non-B visa until after I get my next 30-day tourist visa extension, which will be in another ten days. (The rule is legit, the timing is not.) 

 

It seems to me, at this point the smartest course of action is to stop working illegally, like right now. Which means I will need to tell both parties they are in violation of the contract and therefore I am not liable to be further employed. Both are signed on to the contract, which ends in mid-March. I definitely don't think it's a good idea to keep on working without the permit. I know the consequences are arbitrarily severe. But from there, what can I do? Does it make sense to take legal action? 

 

I don't want remuneration other than the full pay for the hours I've worked so far. I would also like my 15,000 baht back from the agency, since they did not fulfill their obligation. But this is not the litigious society of the US-of-A, and I'm not sure what to do. 

 

Sorry this is so long. Thanks in advance for your advice, and if you mock me for being stupid enough to fall for an agency scam, I'm laughing right along with you.