oilman79

Hi Chris,

I have my two children at the school. I work in the oil industry and was the same as yourself. I did a bit of research on the internet and came up with Songkhla International school. There are a few adds for Fillipino teachers but they are old now as all the teaching staff are now UK teachers. And all have taught in UK schools. I think they advertise with the Time Educational Supplement online now. There was this Fairview school before but they seemed only interested in money and not the kids education and that was just fillipino teachers. The wife says the school is the only great thing about Songkhla! Hahaha..! I tend to disagree! they have a few watering holes im partial to but thats a bit off topic. As for the Cambridge credentials I know they have the curriculum and login details with my kids names on the Cambridge system. They analyse results or something the wife knows all about that stuff. I know as well the school was inspected by Cambridge before they would give them the accreditation. It's basically like any quality international school you'll find around the world and better than a state school back home (im from the UK) more like a private school education. I was in Brunei before here and it comes across as the same school there. All the other oil guys send there kids there. Im here until June and then my contract is up and I'm off to Angola!! I recommend coming before the family to see about relocation options. especially housing...the company did there best but in the end i had to drive round and round with the wife! we found a nice place in the end. If you have any other questions just post em here ill be going offshore for a last trip in three weeks and then up and off again.

Carlo

There is an international school in Songkhla

check out there website... Google "Fairview International School Songkhla Thailand"

Great teachers and students. Alot of students parents work at the Malay consulant and the others are half Thai and foreigner. There are also Thai kids there too.

It's a great family enviroment

Seriously! This school is located in the fifth floor of a university library and is given only half of that floor! They have no accreditation what so ever in Thailand. The teachers are all Philippine so it might as well be called Fairview Philippine School and there are serious pastoral care issues. I should know I used to send my daughter there. The classrooms are no bigger than the cupboard under my stairs.

Regarding Saeng Thong School - "It is the only school that is almost all A/C. A first in hat yai.

Most kids who get in there are all from high society families.

You won't meet some push cart father or mother in there."

It is not the only school with A/C in Hat Yai. There are many others! The school is over crowded mixing primary children with secondary and college children in the same areas ensures that there are extremely serious pastoral care issues in the school especially as it being a 'Catholic' all boys school.

Saeng Thong may have been a good school in the 1950s, however as mentioned above with 40-50 pupils in a class you are not teaching but merely crowd controlling. Thai education has been on the decline for many years as teachers don't take Professional Development seriously and the pandemic corruption. Thailand spends 20% of its GDP on education that accounts to 123 Billion Dollars US. Where does all that money go?

Parents are having to send children to extra tutor classes just to pass exams. Which of course the teachers at the schools who write the exams are the tutor teachers! Parents are told their children have to take part in summer and after school programs to get into the next school year!

Thailand is a uniform society especially here in the south. Parents are scared to not send their children to a school like this! School pays graft money to universities to take a certain amount of their children. This graft money is funded from the graft money the school takes from parents to guarantee placement in the school. It's a vicious cycle.

​All this is common knowledge to all Thais. It is just an inconvenient truth that is chosen to be ignored.

All the royals, aristocrats and high society in Bangkok send their children abroad or to international schools in Bangkok. Why? because, they know the truth and do not subject their children to a sub-standard education. Nevertheless, it is good for them because it means the populous stay the same unquestioning blockheads they have been trained to be in school.

​Songkhla Province has only one accredited international school which has a license from the Ministry of Education is an International School Association of Thailand (ISAT) full member and Cambridge School. I am aware that this school is the only school that employs fully qualified western teachers. I think at the moment the school only caters up to year 5 and is going to be building a larger international campus for secondary. The name of the school is Songkhla International School. In my experience as I am sending my child there it is the only school that can provide an enriching academic experience for my child.

I encourage all readers to do a little research on the standards of the Thai education system.