schools

[joey in thailand]

hello all I am a new member , 

 

I am seeking information regarding schools in the Pattaya area , for my 10 year old daughter , 

 

I am an Australian expat working in Africa , however I have been living in Thailand for about 10 years , 

 

recently married my wife and our daughter will be moving to Pattaya in the near future from bankapi , our daughter does not speak English , and we would like her to attend a school that teaches English in its curriculum . 

 

any information would be greatly appreciated , I have had a look at international schools however they require English proficiency for entry level . and considering we will not be moving to another country I think it isn't necessary for an international school .

 

 

 

 

[saakura]

Pattaya may not be the best place to bring up a 10 year old child.

[tolsti]

what a stupid reply!... there are many expat families here that have children in EP program schools and in International Schools. 

[joey in thailand]

I have lived here in Thailand for many years , I fully understand how Pattaya is and many many other places , however we are moving here for the expat lifestyle in the area ,food, activities and other expat friends, not for the nightlife 

[tolsti]

22 minutes ago, joey in thailand said:

I have lived here in Thailand for many years , I fully understand how Pattaya is and many many other places , however we are moving here for the expat lifestyle in the area ,food, activities and other expat friends, not for the nightlife 

My point exactly. Saakura... an apology is appropriate... unless the WiFi in Soi 6 is on the blink.

 

[NanLaew]

If the OP names his budget, per-term or annual, I am sure that will get the ball rolling. Plenty choices across the board.

[joey in thailand]

NanLaew , 

 

im not so sure if an international school is even needed , basically I'm looking for a recommendation of a school that has English in its curriculum for our 10 year old Thai- national daughter ,

 

seeing as we don't move regularly to different countries and will be staying in Thailand  , it is only myself that works away and returns , I have looked at the pricing for terms on a couple of the international schools and to be honest it is ridiculous , I can take the whole family and live in Australia and pay smaller fees than that .to me those schools are geared around company expats and almost certainly subsidised if not paid for by the parent companies ,I find it hard to believe a normal family can afford 300-500 thousand baht per term , lets keep it real for a comment , I don't recall ever hearing of a graduate neurosurgeon or parliament members coming from studying in an international school . (not saying they don't produce grade A students ).

I'm looking for a decent school in the Pattaya area that teaches English in the classes .

[toenail]

Though my kids are all grown up (and attended international schools overseas) , I have a couple golf buddies who send their children to private international schools in the area. The following schools have the "pros" & "cons", and not are not cheap. When you look at international schools in the area, there are four: Garden International School(Rayong); St. Andrews (British Curriculum, outside of Pattaya); Regents (near Pattaya); and International Seaboard School -ISE (outside of Pattaya, on Burapha Golf Course.  I do know all of them have transportation service (vans) that will pick up the students in Pattaya.

 

The one that is well known is Regents School since one passes by it on their way to Bangkok. Lovely buildings, a pool, and very large body of students. (They have boarding also). It has a very solid set  curriculum (British) but a big turnover of staff, ( mostly first time overseas teachers or local hire due to the British company running which seems to put profit over academics). My one friend, British, has a son (age 9)  attending this school. He seems happy with his teachers there.

 

Two of my golfing  buddies I know of (one Australian and the other South Korean) send their children to ISE , which is out towards Bowen (a 20 minute ride from here). Both fathers seem to be satisfied with the small international school (one of the few in the area with a decent ESL program and accredited). Because of the small size, both kids (one a girl, the other a boy) are busy with afterschool activities and the sports program. The class size is  around 12-18 students per class so the students get a lot of individual attention.  It follows an Australian-American program. Though the school buildings are simple and  does not have the façade of an "university appearance" , the classrooms are spacious and quiet since the school is out in the country. Because the pay and benefits are decent, teachers are older,  tend to stay longer and most have their masters degrees having taught in other international schools around the world. My Australian friend's son is in secondary school this year and loves it. The Korean dad, (who works for LG near Bowen, ) likes the small ESL class size for his nine year old and the school's   emphasis  on working in groups and collaborating for his 15 year old son  than just memorizing  for tests which is done in many schools, especially in Korea.

 

Both schools offer an IB program, both schools are for profit making. There is also a new one called "Rugby" which one of my Thai friend sends his children to. It just opened up this year.

 

Schools around here are not only important for the academic part of a child's life but also for his/her social part since there are no real "neighborhood" schools that students walk to and hang out together after school. The families around here are spread out all over the place in apartments, housing developments, or other cities of Sriracha or Rayong. 

 

Choose wisely.

 

 

[JSixpack]

You're not gettin' much help in the non-international-but-with-English-programs area. Lemme throw out the usual names so that members familiar with them might comment.

 

Assumption (Sriracha), Srisuvit (Laem Chabang), Best, Maryvit, Aksorn, Satit UdomSeuksa

[wonder6281]

Hi Joey. 

 

My 7yo son (Aussie/Thai) has just completed his first term at Aksorn Pattaya IEP (Intensive English Program). 

 

His English and Thai has always been a bit below average. 

 

Both are improving well now and the best thing is he loves "big school" and loves doing his homework. 

 

Hope this helps. 

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, JSixpack said:

You're not gettin' much help in the non-international-but-with-English-programs area. Lemme throw out the usual names so that members familiar with them might comment.

 

Assumption (Sriracha), Srisuvit (Laem Chabang), Best, Maryvit, Aksorn, Satit UdomSeuksa

Great short list and probably all within a few hundred baht of each other in fees.

 

Next filter will be where the OP's home is since the commute to some of these can be a bit of a chore if one doesn't want to trust their sprogs to the school minivans.

[banjoe]

So youve been here 10 years and your 10 year old daughter doesnt speak English?
Strewth.
You say youve looked into International schools but you obviously havent because none are 300-500k per term. You can get a whole school year starting from 200 and odd thousand baht. M.I.S( Mooltripakdee) near Regents is one of the cheaper ones that you shoild look into and get her some extra tuition after school and at weekends. She will be miles behind those students now though



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[LongTimeLurker]

2 hours ago, banjoe said:

You say youve looked into International schools but you obviously havent because none are 300-500k per term

I expect he meant 300-500k per year.

 

http://www.regents.ac.th/1467/admissions/fees

 

https://www.standrewsgreenvalley.com/admissions/fees.html

 

http://www.gardenrayong.com/files/GIS Fees_2011-2012.pdf

 

[LongTimeLurker]

4 hours ago, JSixpack said:

Assumption (Sriracha), Srisuvit (Laem Chabang), Best, Maryvit, Aksorn, Satit UdomSeuksa

These and REPS in Ban Chang depending on where the OP lives.

 

Edit: International School of Chonburi, It's out by the junction of Sukhumvit and the 36 bypass road.

 

Wuttichot bi-lingual, is on Sukhumvit on the right when heading towards Banglamung, It's where the road opens out from 2 lanes to 4 coming towards Pattaya.

Edited October 23, 2017 by LongTimeLurker