penkrew

The whole idea of having age limits for movies is quite a new thing - it only came in here about 5 years ago. In those 5 years, I've never once seen anyone be asked to produce any ID to get in. You often see young children sitting, incongruously, through movies with endless violence and sexual scenes. I think the lack of checking comes down to Thai culture's dislike of confrontation.

In short, your friend is never going to get stopped and asked for id. Go watch the movie.

I wouldn't disagree with any of the comments about the poor state of the Thai educational system. I would point out, though, that the survey simply asked businesses what their opinion was of each education system, so the results are based on pretty subjective data. They didn't go and check assessment levels, count the number of computers and books or monitor teaching. It just asked non-teachers what they thought of their country's schools. Still pretty embarrassing to be behind Laos in anything, though...

No problem. Outside facilities are similar, yeah, but Garden has full computer suites, science labs, music rooms and other things, which REPS doesn't.

In terms of housing, rock bottom would be 8,000baht for a house; most people I know rent for 15,000-20,000 baht.

Sorry, don't know about waiting lists or fees for REPS.

Timewilltell, if you are heading to Rayong and looking for an EP school, then REPS may be the best option. If you want a full international school, then Garden International School is right next door, so you could check out both at the same time. Both have a swimming pool, football pitch, basketball courts and an athletics track.

In terms of which school is better value, there is certainly a difference in the fees. Garden International School is the only school in the region to have full accreditation from the Council of International Schools (CIS), which maybe something worth considering. Both schools offer IGCSE and IB exams and have similar results.

I don't suppose any of these mystery contributions are mentioned in your contract? (assuming they gave you a contract in the first place)

Paying for the electric is absurd.

I think the A/A*s refers to the student's IGCSE results; IB is graded 1-7. Getting an A* at IGCSE is no guarantee of a 7 at IB though.

I imagine those 25 lesson plans a week are quietly filed away somewhere and only dusted off when an inspector calls.

You could earn more doing private work; you'd just need to figure out the visa/WP situation.

Hope things work out; don't think it's a battle worth fighting - they won't care if you stay or go as there'll be someone else willing to do the job.

Chao Lao, no problem.

GIS (Garden International School) and ISE (International School Eastern Seaboard) are the local schools. IGCSE and IB are exams (GCSEs are the tests 16-year-olds in the UK take; IGCSE is the international version). The International Baccalaureate (IB) is a pre-university course.

Teachers usually need a post-graduate certificate of education (PGCE) to teach in the UK and in international schools.

Hope that helps. Can see how that first post could have been confusing!

Agree largely with what the other posts have said. GIS is an international school, like Regent's or ISE, while REPS and St Joseph's are bilingual schools. GIS offers IGCSE and IB and only has teachers with PGCE or equivalent. I'd agree that it is a big step from REPS or St Joseph's to an international school, but if the students' English is good enough, it's a step worth taking.

If you're really stuck, why not go for an education visa? No visa runs, just 90 day reporting. Can attend classes part-time.

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I'm in need of a decent tour guide for Ayutthaya. I used to know a guy called K.Monthorn from Classic Tours but can't seem to find his details now. If anyone knows anybody, that'd be great. Thanks.

I saw the iPhone 5 at Central, in Pattaya, last weekend. The girl there said it was from Hong Kong, hence why it's double the normal price. She didn't think the normal-priced version would be out in Thailand until early 2013.

I met Bill while working on a guide book in Kanchanaburi. He was incredibly helpful and went out of his way to show me around and explain the history of Hellfire Pass. His dedication to the museum and commitment to maintaining it were first-class. He was a gentleman and I'm very saddened to hear of his passing.

Went to Tuxedo a while back and thought it was pretty polished and professional. The guy's been abroad and won a few awards, so he knows what he's doing.

http://www.pattaya24seven.com/index.php/component/content/article/2-uncategorised/57-tuxedo-magic-theatre

I've worked with many Filipinos and found them to be a cheery, hardworking bunch. A lot of private Thai schools like hiring them as they can still charge parents more for learning with a 'foreigner' but the Filipino salaries are much lower. Not fair, but that's life.

Would certainly be happy for more Filipinos to come to Pattaya.

Was pulled over once for being in the 'wrong lane' on a bypass. The guy admitted I wasn't speeding but said (with a straight face) the fast lane was for overtaking only. After 5 minutes of protesting he gave up and flagged down an easier 200B.

Despite the change in dates, I thought the festival went really well. Good security, great sound systems and huge crowds. There's a review of this year's Pattaya International Music Festival 2012 here.

Have you also considered Garden International School? It's about the same distance as St Andrew's, also uses the British curriculum and is cheaper. www.gardenrayong.com is their site if you want to check it out.

Well done to everyone who took part in the St Patrick's Day celebrations in Pattaya. I was impressed by the turnout and the number of floats to be seen along Beach Road on Saturday. Looks like everyone got in the spirit, nice to see some local school bands taking part as well.

I took some pics of the floats and folk taking part; you can see highlights from the St Patrick's Day Parade here.

A great event that seemed to be really well organised.

For central Pattaya, I'd head to the Pig and Whistle as it's got a decent range of Western and Thai dishes.

Or, for a good Italian, there's Da Tiziano. They're both in central, both aircon and both reasonably priced.

There's another great Italian on Beach Rd, in North Pattaya, but I can't remember the name now. It's a little more pricey though.

I'd go for this one, the Green Hotel (the one that's painted all orange...) Good rooms, a pool, breakfast, and a minute's walk to the beach.

http://www.pattaya24seven.com/index.php/sleeping/2-uncategorised/31

Forgot to mention, there's a few reviews of places to go in Pattaya here

http://www.pattaya24seven.com/index.php/days-out

I know the restaurant you mean, think it's Rim Haat (as in Beach's Edge), wouldn't recommend you go googling 'Rim Hard, Pattaya' Beautiful place to see the sunset and really good food too.

I quite like the Floating Market, and it's undercover so good for youngsters. Nong Nooch is impressive but mostly outside, so go early in the morning. Underwater World is also great, and again it's undercover. It's on the second floor of Royal Garden.

For a bit of culture, Viharna Sien is an amazing place, full of Chinese sculptures and antiques.

Hope your friends have a good time.

Agreed, Blues Factory on WS is just about the best place for some rock. Jazz Pit's not bad either.

Found Tattoo on Second Road to have a decent Thai band, they do tend to do the same rock standards but they do them well and the bands that play there get a good atmosphere going.

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short review of Tattoo here.

So who is your favourite crime writer in Thailand? Jake Needham, Christopher G Moore and Stephen Leather are pretty high on my list. I think I’d give the nod to Leather as his characters seem more three-dimensional, Moore’s characters seem more clichéd at times.

Am always impressed how foreign investigators manage to infiltrate Thai organizations, when I’m pretty sure they’d be shot or arrested if they tried the same in real life.

Nevertheless, I saw this story onforeign investigatorsand it seems there are a few private eyes around. Liked the one story about an old grandfather who’d gone missing in Thailand. His family hired help to see where he was, and turns out he was living large in a gay hotel with a raft of boyfriends! Sometimes real life is so much better than fiction…