markg

Blue's festival? I saw there was a write up about the first day in the gazette online, but that's the only thing I heard about it. Wonder how the new location worked out for Andy?

They went away from the "Blues Festival" and were just calling it the music festival, but yes, one and the same.

Just curious as if there was a turnout as too far for me to travel and drink. Hoping they'll bring it back down south, otherwise maybe should start talking to some local musicians about organizing an alternative festival.

I think they called it the 'blues and rock' festival. Yes, I've been to all of them. I think there were possibly more people when it was at the Hilton. Certainly seemed to be fewer people dancing at Laguna. I think location certainly does play a part in attendance numbers, and the Hilton is pretty much in the middle for people who live way up north or south. It's also a tad pricey to be honest and i think that scares people off. There is a NEED for decent live music. People do want to see something different instead of surviving on a diet of cover bands. Look at the attendance of the free music festivals on Karon beach (thousands of people) versus the Blues festival (couple hundred people). The 1,900 baht entrance fee may have put people off. I think i paid about that to see U2 in England a few years back. Cutting the entrance prices down a bit and moving the venue to a more central location would get more people in.

To each its own, teacher. Glad ONE student is doing well.

It's a bit unfair to suggest that just ONE student is doing well there. How many Darrasamuth students do you privately teach exactly?

Parents very often put struggling kids in for private tuition, ergo, the kids private tutors teach appear to be terrible at English. It doesn't mean that all students in the programme are terrible ! Fact is, if you want your kids to be speaking great English, don't send them to a Thai school, even if it has an EP programme. You just can't expect them to speak English to the same level as their peers in the UK. The playground lingua franca at Thai schools with EP tends to be Thai. In an international school, it tends to be English. My advice to the OP would be to visit both schools and observe lessons. Speak to teachers if you can. Listen to the language in the playground. And don't set your sights too high. Be realistic.

Thanks, @markg. I find it hard to believe there are only four international-caliber schools in Phuket (BIS, QSI, Head Start, PIA). I'm not overly concerned about certification - IB and US certification are cool, but they aren't the whole story: a GED and 800s on the SATs would go a long way for an American kid. I'm comfortable with home schooling in math, computers, various science topics, English lit and composition, so that isn't a big problem.

In the long term, what I'm most concerned about is having my son exposed to many different people, different cultures, different belief systems, in an environment that doesn't crush inquisitiveness. In other words, I want something that's diametrically opposed to the US public school system.

But in the short term, I have a two year old who needs a cool preschool. Any more suggestions?

Ohhhhh Woody ! Let me put this into terms you are more familiar with. What you've just said is the equivalent of 'I want a PC that is fast, reliable, resistant to viruses and is great for graphics, but i don't want a Mac'..................I'm not really sure how you can homeschool a kid whilst exposing them to different people, cultures and belief systems !

Studies show that 'informal learning' - i.e. from peers in the play ground, accounts for up to 40 percent of student's understanding.

You talk disparagingly about American schools Woody, and you may be right, I've never been to one, but here is the rub. Thai schools learn by rote. Right up to and including university. American schools don't. Whilst you may think that they crush inquisitiveness, actually, they don't. Woody - Thai university students wear school uniform !!!!! What does that tell you? The teachers wear pseudo-military uniforms with pretend campaign ribbons on them. What does that tell you? They churn out good Thai citizens, not inquisitive life long learners. Nobel prize winners? Bodies of great literature?

I have no idea how deep your pockets are, but my advice is, put your kid into an international programme. He will meet people from different cultures and belief systems. In a Thai school - he will not. Pay for him to study Thai in the evenings or at weekends - it's important for sure, but in the long run, an international education will benefit him globally.

No country's education system is perfect, but in your shoes, I wouldn't even consider a Thai school.

There are tons of 'apartments' for rent in Phuket town for 3K a month.

You will get one room, a bed and a bathroom.

I know a girl who lives not far from the big SuperCheap that pays 3.5k for a nice big room with balcony/utility room and bathroom.

Place is pretty secure with CCTV, locked main gate at night, plus 'uncle' lives on the premises in his little shop and keeps an eye on the place.

These places are not advertised on the internet.

Your friend will just have to ride around town having a look.

However, if she is only here for 3 or 4 months, then the best people to ask would be the hotel staff and management.

A couple of years ago i was friendly with a girl working at the Six Senses in Rawai. Lovely lovely hotel. The on site staff accommodation was absolutely squalid. Dark and damp. And shared two to a room. I think it was free though...............

Here is the email address for RPIS (Montessori school in Rawai) [email protected]

They have a pre-school class for 2 year olds (half day) and then the kindergarten starts at 3 years old (full day)

They teach in English but all classes have a Thai teacher and Thai language is also taught.

Not sure of others as this is the only one I've sent my son to. He is now 6 and has been in their program for over 3 years and doing well.

Thanks!

I have friends with preschool age kids in HeadStart, Thai Hua, QSI - and I think PIA. So far I've heard the best reports from Thai Hua, but I'd really like to look at all of the options...

Wonder why nobody's put together a simple list?

You're comparing apples and oranges here Woody.

HeadStart, QSI and PIA are run on international school lines - i.e. instruction is given in English and the kids learn Thai a 2 to 5 times per week.

Thai Hua is a Thai/Chinese school. The instruction for all subjects is given in Thai and the kids learn English 2 to 5 times per week.

The international schools will graduate kids with internationally recognized qualifications. HeadStart, for example, do the Cambridge IGCSE exams at age 16, then 'A' levels at 18 which is what you would need for a UK university.

Thai Hua graduates kids with a Thai education certificate which is pretty much worthless in the West.

They're two completely different schooling systems and you can't really compare them. Just got to make a judgement based on where you see your kid being by university age and how deep your wallet is.

Much like the Chalong Stunt show, and the October beerfest in Patong. just to name some of the recent failures.

Yes, sadly true. It's always a heck of a shame when someone has an idea that is different from other things, and it fails. Feel sorry for all these guys to be honest.

There is a lot of 'same same' in Phuket. We need variety !

Slightly off topic, went to Siam Naramit last night (Thai historical culture show) They've taken a HUGE plot on the bypass road (Near Hino trucks). There were only about 50 people in the audience. Hope it doesn't go the same way as Joe Conrad, Stunt Show and Beerfest or all we will be left with is streets and streets of sameness !

Another one bites the dust.

Apparently Joe Conrad has 'vanished' into thin air.

Website has been taken down.

People who were predicting 9 months were right by the looks of things.

I did go to his show once and it was a bit lame.

Not many positive comments on trip adviser either.

Hope the guy didn't lose too much of his own money.

Badly thought out, seemingly no business plan, pretty poor magic tricks. Must try harder next time !

China, South Korea, Japan. Ever look into South America OP? Sounds like you are sick of city life in Bangkok, not TEFLing.

I am in America right now in one of the hardest hit places by this world "recession". Detroit, Michigan. I graduated with a B.B.A in marketing 5 years ago and worked my way up to a director of marketing for a small business outside of detroit. I made enough to buy a starter house and a new Chevy to zip around in. I could go out and eat and buy a new LCD TV and all that crap. You know what, up until I got fired from that job last month, I was aboslutely miserable. I had no savings because I was stuck in the consumer hamster wheel. Going out to the movies with the girlfriend, dinner, beer, my mortage was 800$ a month for a 1200 sq ft shit home.

You are saving close to 1000$ USD per month. I am 26 and about to start my TEFLing journey this year. I almost feel the opposite of some of the people posting here. While I have never TEFLed and am a complete noob, as stated above I have experience working back in the western-world.

You are never to young to do what you want. You are never to young to get an education. Gaps in your life on a resume don't mean as much as the hamster wheel system and society make it out to be. Sure, you should get at least a bachelors degree in something or learn some trade skill. But you know what brother, you can learn to weld or build furniture or get a MBA from Harvard at age 35, age 45, age 55 if you want. Don't ever let society or indviduals tell you that you have to follow a certain path. What if the next person you meet out on your journey could lead you to an important discovery or point in your life? That might come in the form of your next job, who knows.

Shit sucks back here in the United States, I have never been, but it doesn't sound any less shitty in the England or any part of the western world for that matter.

Just don't get suckered back into the rat race by societal pressures and outside influences. Listen and take it all in, but be your own man.

Cheers from Mo-Town

Why on Earth do you think that TEFLing is NOT part of the rat race? Just because you do it in, say, Bangkok, it's still the rat race if you compare like-for-like. If you buy a house or apartment here (as you did in Detroit) then you have a mortgage to pay. You got fired from your last job? You think it's different here? TEFLing is a dog-eat-dog world my friend, with many MANY school directors swapping out teachers like used light bulbs. I work the same, if not more hours than i ever did in the UK. Going out to the movies, dinner and beer is actually what a lot of TEFLers do too. If you were on the consumer hamster wheel in the States, you may very well find yourself back on it here. Thailand is obsessed with consumerism and how you 'look'. I know Thai people who spent 2 months wages on an iPhone 4. I know Thai people living in 6,000baht a month rooms so that they can afford the 12,000 baht a month payments on their new Toyota Vios. I don't know anyone back home that pays double their rent just on the latest motor car. Reason for my post is that over the years, i've met many people who came out here thinking it was an easier life than back home. Many of them quickly became disillusioned !

Most of those I've met working in TEFL here are in it because they have no other viable option to sustain themselves or their Thai 'lifestyle'.

At your age, unless you are a committed teacher, go get another skill set (not on-line, looks naff on your future resume), or go teach in Korea. Big bucks.And it's still Asia, albeit colder climate, but nicest people.

Make up your mind soon as. Time's a'wasting.

There is online and there is online. I have an online degree from a UK university. It was three years of extremely hard work, research, essays and a thesis. It's the exact same degree that you would get if you attended the university in person for 3 years EXCEPT i was also holding down a full time job here in Thailand too. Far from being looked down upon, the right sort of online degree is looked UP upon ! To do a full on degree whilst having a full time job is much harder than just doing one or the other ! Of course, some self accredited 'universities' will confer a 'degree' on you for doing minimal or even no work at all. I'm not talking about them. I did mine with Anglia Ruskin University in England which is a proper university. My degree certificate does not mention that it was done as either distance learning or online. If you've got the self-motivation, then i'd recommend it as a more cost effective way of getting a degree without the hassle of having to move back to the UK for 3 years. It sure aint for everyone though. The drop out rate was 40 or 50 percent with no refund.

I've encountered them twice.

Once in Kuala Lumpur, a monk in Chinatown was selling bracelets to tourists. To get rid of him, I spoke Thai, but b*ggar me, he was Thai ! Explained that he was trying to raise money to get back to Thailand. I gave him a couple of ringit.

Once in BKK, in the wee small hours at a roadside eaterie around Suk soi 6, a monk was asking foreigners for money. I gave him 20baht. A Thai couple at the next table told me that it was nice of me but did i know that he was a fake monk? No, i said, how can you tell? They told me that real monks don't need money and never ask for it.

Sadly, and possibly controversially, I treat beggars (including monks, whether real or not) in the same way, and give things depending on the mood i am in. 20 baht here or there doesnt bother me too much. In India, I'd buy food and give that to the street kids.

I tended to give nothing to the Sadhus (Indian holy men) as they generally chose to drop out of society.

In Burma, I was surprised at just how many monks there were. I often saw them lounging in internet cafes surfing Facebook and even playing online shoot-em-ups.

I'm guessing that what we consider a monk in the West, (Extremely strict, religious, Trappist etc) is different to what constitutes a monk here. In Burma i was told that many monks are unemployed young men or criminals who have no other option but to turn to the monkhood. That's significantly different to the West.

I hope that in Thailand, the crime of impersonating a monk should carry a hefty sentence.

Good video markg, interesting to see that both the thieves were disguised - something to watch out for.

Not hugely disguised. The farang guy was only wearing a baseball cap and sun glasses - quite normal attire in Phuket. The other guy had his motorbike helmet on which is a bit suspect but not altogether that unusual.

When using an ATM, have an imaginary 1metre radius space around you and make sure alam bells ring in your head if anyone comes into that space. Some ATMs (I think Siam commercial) have small mirrors on them so you can keep an eye on who is behind you. Always cover the keypad when typing in your number. If you feel uncomfotable using the ATM for any reason - go with your gut instinct. There are plenty of others around !

This EXACT scam is up on Youtube

It starts from about 40seconds.

You can clearly see that the thieves get hold of the victims card and scan it.

Never let your card out of your sight.

Ever.

As an aside, my GF was buying some furniture in SuperCheap (the original big one) and when you pay by card, it's done on a different cash register, some distance from the furniture cash register. They take the card and are gone for some time. She was ok with that. I followed them !!

He was hired as special lecturer at some universities and private schools.

Nice background check!!!

Background checks are not quite as easy as you may think.

Certainly in the UK, a Thai school or university isn't going to have the authority to do any sort of official back ground check.

And then of course you have the problem of 'say' a UK citizen, applying for a job at your school in Thailand, but is wanted in say, Vietnam. Or Mongolia. Or anywhere else that his passport isn't issued from. How you gonna background check that?

As always, there is more to the story than meets the eye. It would be unusual for someone who is a danger to the public to be given bail. Yet this chap seems to have been..........

Just sayin'.

Since a Chivas here in Pattaya at an open beer bar will be 100 Baht or less that still amounts to 10 drinks or one drink every 12 minutes.

Yes, but Seduction isn't an open beer bar.

One has to pay a premium at a disco. By your logic, we'd all just be better staying at home drinking alcohol bought wholesale.

Going out and having a good time isn't always calculable by mathematical formula.

Patong certainly is sleazy, but a complete rip off? Nah. Only if you walk around with your eyes shut.

Part of the attraction of Patong is the ridiculous sleazyness ! If you want something else, then Phuket is HUGE. Go and live amongst nature in a Muslim village on the east coast if you want to get away from it all. Kata/Karon is more family orientated as is Naiharn. More upmarket? Head up to Surin and Bangtao areas. Don't complain about Patong if that isn't your cup of tea - just move on !!

If you want a nice quiet drink and watch the Bangla world slouch past, then there is nowhere better than 60baht beer bar up at the top end of Bangla, between Margarita and Pizza Company. There are two bars there that sell beer for 60b.

I drink there, not because i'm a cheap Charlie, but because i like to support places that charge reasonable prices. They can do it at 60b and they are making a profit. Anything significantly above that is just rampant profiteering.

Couple of easy tips for Patong (and anywhere where you are new in town)

First, check the drinks menu. If you don't look, then you could get ripped off.

Second - don't run up a tab. Pay for each drink as you get them. No nasty surprises at the end of the night.

Many of the bars in the sois off Bangla have promotions. Just check around. Double check the prices and pay as you drink.

Keep your eyes open and stay safe.

Thinking of heading to Burma for 12 - 14 days touring.

Will be travelling from Phuket.

Want to see a bit of Yangon, Bagan and Mandalay. Want to see some cultural sites but also go to places that have at least some nightlife !

ANy other suggestions on good places to visit? What about travel between these places? Is it feasible to travel between them by public bus or rail ?

If i fly into Yangon do i have to leave by Yangon too back to Phuket?

The visa situation on the air Bagan website is not clear. It says you have to apply for the visa from a Burmese consulate, then under that it gives you the forms to download for Visa On Arrival - so i am confused !

Thanks in advance for any help.

Al Quaida is not a powerful organization anymore. Anyone notice the retaliation for BL's death? Exactly.....

The only reason 9-11 happened is because we (westerners) were too lax in our security. Isreal has been locking the door to the airline pilot's cabin for at least two decades. It doesn't get any easier than that to prevent this whole episode.

EVERY email that gets sent in the civilized world is routed through gov't computers now. Don't believe it? Just as a joke, email a friend and say you figured out how to get a bomb on an airliner. I guarantee someone will pay you a visit if you live in USA. They have been marginalized to the point of insignificance.

I didn't ask HOW 9/11 happened, I asked people to think WHY 9/11 happened. It happened as revenge. So we take revenge against them (in the name of God and justice ! ) and then they will take revenge on us..........and we will continue in a spiral of violence, killing and revenge ad infinitum. Maybe there hasn't been revenge for BL's death because they are broken, or maybe they are planning something huge. Who knows. I do know that whilst Obama was saying the world just got a whole load safer, the US State department issued a warning to all US citizens abroad to be aware of a 'possible escalation of violence' towards them. No shizzle !! Did the world just get safer? Can i now take fluids in my hand luggage when i fly? Nah.........the world just got a whole load nastier.

What was it Einstein said? There are two infinites in life. The universe and mans' stupidity. And i'm not sure about the universe.

Violence spirals into ever decreasing circles of violence. Now someone will avenge the death of bin Laden. Then the US and/or her allies will avenge that, and we continue spiraling on, out of control. Had anyone considered WHY the Twin Towers were attacked? They didn't do it because they were bored one Sunday.

I'm reminded of the Good Friday agreement. To try to end the spiraling of violence, both sides stood up and said ENOUGH! Enough of killing, revenge, killing again, more revenge. ENOUGH! It doesn't work. There must be another way. And there was. And after 80 years of 'live by the bomb, die by the bomb' they stopped. And there is peace. And isn't that a much nicer way to live our lives?

You give football celebrations as an analogy, well frankly there is some truth in that, this is a clash of civilisations, though that word should be used in the loosest sense for the Islamic fundamentalists on the opposing 'team'. War, unlike football does not have a referree so there's no point screaming for an offside flag if you don't like the tactics used by your opponents, that's the unpalatable truth of the matter.

Actually, war DOES have a referee. It's called the Geneva convention. You can have a look at some of it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions

Grave breaches of the convention are listed here as;

Not all violations of the treaty are treated equally. The most serious crimes are termed grave breaches, and provide a legal definition of a war crime. Grave breaches of the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions include the following acts if committed against a person protected by the convention:

* willful killing, torture or inhumane treatment, including biological experiments

* willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health

* compelling someone to serve in the forces of a hostile power

* willfully depriving someone of the right to a fair trial

Willful killing..............?

I personally think it was a mistake to go after him. I remain unconvinced he played a major part in 9/11 (not listed by the FBI as wanted for it....) and i remain unconvinced he continued wielding power within Al Queda. He was reportedly very sick. It might have been better to let him die naturally. I think it was also an extremely crass and immature move to let the mainstream media whip up national fervour by beaming images of whooping Americans at ground zero. So what if they do it in Gaza, we're supposed to be setting the civilised example!! I understand the rationale for burying him at sea, if reports are true that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia refused to take the body. I also think that on balance, Obama made the right choice in not releasing the photos. The conspiracy theorists won't believe them anyway and i think the releasing of pictures of the dead, for public analysis or titillation or just plain morbid curiosity, is unpleasant. The US is damned if they do and damned if they don't on this one. It might have been better to let sleeping dogs lie.

I go to the "super maket" (<<<<please dont correct me on my spelling because that is how its spelled) just opposite the burger shop on the road to kata near chalong circle, The beer is cheaper than any 7-11 or family mart, plus the selection is greater, none of the licencing laws apply there no matter what day or time .

Another thing I like is they have 2 cash registers and they are constantly manned.....unlike 7-11s which have 3 cash registers and only one person serving while the rest of the staff are cooking those lovely hot dogs or re-stacking full shelves

7/11's are a franchise. I guess the franchisee 'interprets' the rules, which is why it varies from shop to shop. There are two 7/11's equi-distant from my house. One sells at any time, the other sticks to the rules. I was once refused at 2.01pm even though i'd been stood in the queue for 5 minutes................frustrating.

I've also been in 7/11's where the staff have had a discussion and then decided to sell me the booze because i'm not Thai.

I'm not complaining. I think licensing laws for adults are ridiculous. Selling to minors is another matter though.

Just an update.

Flew out of Thailand and back in with no problem at all. No mention made of my missing 90 day reporting paper.

As i understand it, the 90 day clock now restarts upon my re-entry to Thailand, so i will probably report my address in 89 days time.

I do not know what a taxi costs in the USA but a taxi in Australia travelling a similar distance would cost 2000 to 3000 baht

Regular tourists here for one or two weeks do not think tuk tuks are expensive, the majority anyway

Most people who come here on a regular basis hire a motorbike for travelling around on the island

Hire cars are not expensive if you want to do longer trips about 7000baht a week or 18000 baht a month.

That is for a late model small sedan, older vehicles are cheaper

You can't compare taxi prices in Aus to Thailand, Peter ! Residents earn more money in developed countries. A 1,000 baht taxi ride to a teacher in Phuket earning 35,000 baht a month is a LOT of money. From a UK perspective, taxi drivers are licensed, generally tested for prior convictions, driving a car which also undergoes testing and is INSURED as a taxi. In Phuket, that is NOT the case. Look how many 'black' licence taxis there are. (They are the ones with normal licence plates - NOT taxi licence plates) They are illegal and unisured to work as a taxi. If it has a crash, you may not get your medical bills paid. Yet the airport and Central et al allow them to ply trade there.

Compare taxi usage in Bangkok or Chaing Mai with Phuket. You ever see a Thai as a passenger in a taxi in Phuket? Or in a tuk-tuk? No ! They are too expensive! Yet in Bkk and Cm and in fact, every other little town or city i've been to in Thailand, you see the indigenous population using taxi and tuk-tuk all the time as a means of convenient transport. The disgraceful carving up of territory is a Phuket problem and it's shameful and indefensible . It is done only to squeezy tourists. If BKK can do it cheaper then so should Phuket.

Time after time after time after survey after survey - including surveys done by the Honorary Consuls - the NUMBER ONE complaint is taxi/tuk-tuk and jet ski.

The writing is on the wall Phuket. Read it !

I live in Chalong, not far from Woody's sandwich shop. (Which is not that far from Villamart)

I use PCC (Phuket Cable Company) for my cable TV. It's 350baht a month and seems pretty reliable. Dunno how it compares with other providers as TV isnt a big part of my life.

I use 3BB for my internet. It's about 800 baht a month. I'm not sure of the package exactly because when they update their speeds, i automatically get updated too. When i signed up 3 or 4 years ago, i was on 2mb/s and now i think i m on about 6mb/s.

Reliability is more important to me than overall speed and i can tell you that in 3 or 4 years, 3BB have never had any serious outages/downtimes at my house. It very occasionally drops out for an hour or so - maybe 3 times a year? Not very often anyway.

I don't get great downspeeds on t0rrentz - i think i've seen up to 250kb/s - but as Woody says, that isn't just due to 3BB.

I just downloaded a 5mb gMail attachment in less than a second.

It's fast enough to stream video.

Skype is reliable - even (usually) with video too.

I'm happy, and they slowly but consistently seem to be upgrading their speeds all the time.

I don't know if you can get this all in one package.

You can now pay the bills at the 7/eleven store.

Hope this helps.

Not necessarily so, for example my work permit and non B run out at the same time, however we have guys coming in to Thailand for specific jobs, their non B lasts 3 months while their work permits are valid for 1 year meaning they often have to renew their non B prior to coming here. It's gets awkward when their non B is due to run out half way through an assignment. They have to come to Thailand, cancel their non B leave again to say Singapore and apply for a new non B, time consuming and costly. It all depends on the type of work permit initially applied for.

That seems strange. I can only comment on how it works for teaching jobs.

1. Apply for non-B outside Thailand - valid for 3 months.

2. The school then apply for a work permit which is normally valid for a year.

3. Go to local immigration office and show them the work permit, they then EXTEND the original non-B visa so that it expires on the same date as the work permit.

This means that;

(a) If you stay with the same school and get a further one year work permit, immigration will then EXTEND again the SAME non-B visa. This goes on forever as long as you stay with the same school (I was on one original non-b for 5 years - they just kept extending it.

( The work permit is tied in to the visa. If you leave your job for any reason, then you lose your work permit and technically, your visa is also cancelled.

Other types of employment may be different.