Expats Kids - Public or Private Schools - Future ???

[moonseeker]

I would be interested in facts from local expats about schooling of their kids. Do you send them to public schools, private schools? What do you see for the future

of your kids? Staying here and living here? Moving back home when they get older? Prepare the kids here to be able to go back home and be successful in adult life.

Just a few personal experiences and thoughts would be very interesting. Thank you all and have a nice Sunday   MS>

[AlexRich]

My view is that kids would get a better education in the West, with better opportunities for their future. I’ve looked at a few private schools in Thailand and they seem expensive for what you get. I wouldn’t want my kids indoctrinated in “Thainess”.

[Fat Prophet]

1 hour ago, AlexRich said:

My view is that kids would get a better education in the West, with better opportunities for their future. I’ve looked at a few private schools in Thailand and they seem expensive for what you get. I wouldn’t want my kids indoctrinated in “Thainess”.

You are absolutely right -- "kids ... get a better education in the West, ... and [private schools] seem expensive for what you get".  But for westerners residing in Thailand, you have no choice but to put your kids in schools in Thailand. And you need to make the "best" choice given what is available and your ability to pay. Every measure puts Thai public/government schools close the very bottom internationally and as regards English instruction, at the absolute bottom. For any parent that cares about the education that his children will receive and its preparing him/her for their future, Thai government schools are simply unacceptable. Some parents will try to convince/delude themselves that Thai government schools are "acceptable" but they are wrong by any reasonable measure. 

 

Thai private schools provide a "better" education but still substandard/inadequate, probably with some hard to find and unlikely to last very long exceptions. Thai private schools generally use Thai and non-native English speaking (Philippine) teachers in their English programs, and the level of English education is generally poor, but again there are probably exceptions. Parents can greatly improve the outcome with a focus on improving English speaking and writing skills at home, but it will in no way prepare a child for higher education outside Thailand, so the child's future is very likely to be limited to Thailand. 

 

A huge amount has been written about the international schools in Thailand, and they range from exceptionally good to poor, and from very expensive (by even western standards) to "affordable", although all are still more expensive that the English program Thai private schools. And there is probably a relatively strong, although not perfect, relation between the quality and the cost of the international schools in Thailand. Almost all use native English speaking teachers and all classes (except Thai instruction) are taught in English. They are on average not as good as good government schools in the US and the UK, but they do, with some help from parents, provide children with an education that will allow them to continue higher education outside Thailand relatively easily.  For most western parents, that should be a very important consideration in selecting schools for their children.

 

My children attend an international school that I consider to be a "not very good" but acceptable and grossly over priced. But is it only 20 minutes from where we live and a better option would be an hour's plus drive away, which is not acceptable for young kids. So, for the present we consider it to be the best option, but I monitor the available options continuously and will move them as soon as an obviously better option appears. I have no desire to move my kids on a whim and want to be sure the move will be a good one for them and not impose an unreasonable commute on them. The school is not cheap, but in my view the other options in Thailand are simply unacceptable. A good education will give them good opportunities for their futures and I owe them that to the extent that I am able. Their written and spoken English is very good, and they could easily move to a school outside Thailand without a difficult transitionary phase. 

 

As for being "indoctrinated in 'Thainess'”, I completely agree. My kids live in Thailand, but they are not in any way "Thai kids". They speak Thai, but not especially well. They know the Thai holidays, but they also know and celebrate Christmas, Halloween, Easter, etc. They only know the western calendar and use a lot of American slang which I like to hear. I expect that they get most of it from YouTube.  They do eat bugs. 

 

So, it is far from ideal. But so long as we are in Thailand, it is about as good an educational experience as I am able to provide for them. And I am happy to do it, no question. And hopefully, better options will arise in the future, but they are doing well and I am pleased/grateful for that.  

[AlexRich]

28 minutes ago, Fat Prophet said:

You are absolutely right -- "kids ... get a better education in the West, ... and [private schools] seem expensive for what you get".  But for westerners residing in Thailand, you have no choice but to put your kids in schools in Thailand. And you need to make the "best" choice given what is available and your ability to pay. Every measure puts Thai public/government schools close the very bottom internationally and as regards English instruction, at the absolute bottom. For any parent that cares about the education that his children will receive and its preparing him/her for their future, Thai government schools are simply unacceptable. Some parents will try to convince/delude themselves that Thai government schools are "acceptable" but they are wrong by any reasonable measure. 

 

Thai private schools provide a "better" education but still substandard/inadequate, probably with some hard to find and unlikely to last very long exceptions. Thai private schools generally use Thai and non-native English speaking (Philippine) teachers in their English programs, and the level of English education is generally poor, but again there are probably exceptions. Parents can greatly improve the outcome with a focus on improving English speaking and writing skills at home, but it will in no way prepare a child for higher education outside Thailand, so the child's future is very likely to be limited to Thailand. 

 

A huge amount has been written about the international schools in Thailand, and they range from exceptionally good to poor, and from very expensive (by even western standards) to "affordable", although all are still more expensive that the English program Thai private schools. And there is probably a relatively strong, although not perfect, relation between the quality and the cost of the international schools in Thailand. Almost all use native English speaking teachers and all classes (except Thai instruction) are taught in English. They are on average not as good as good government schools in the US and the UK, but they do, with some help from parents, provide children with an education that will allow them to continue higher education outside Thailand relatively easily.  For most western parents, that should be a very important consideration in selecting schools for their children.

 

My children attend an international school that I consider to be a "not very good" but acceptable and grossly over priced. But is it only 20 minutes from where we live and a better option would be an hour's plus drive away, which is not acceptable for young kids. So, for the present we consider it to be the best option, but I monitor the available options continuously and will move them as soon as an obviously better option appears. I have no desire to move my kids on a whim and want to be sure the move will be a good one for them and not impose an unreasonable commute on them. The school is not cheap, but in my view the other options in Thailand are simply unacceptable. A good education will give them good opportunities for their futures and I owe them that to the extent that I am able. Their written and spoken English is very good, and they could easily move to a school outside Thailand without a difficult transitionary phase. 

 

As for being "indoctrinated in 'Thainess'”, I completely agree. My kids live in Thailand, but they are not in any way "Thai kids". They speak Thai, but not especially well. They know the Thai holidays, but they also know and celebrate Christmas, Halloween, Easter, etc. They only know the western calendar and use a lot of American slang which I like to hear. I expect that they get most of it from YouTube.  They do eat bugs. 

 

So, it is far from ideal. But so long as we are in Thailand, it is about as good an educational experience as I am able to provide for them. And I am happy to do it, no question. And hopefully, better options will arise in the future, but they are doing well and I am pleased/grateful for that.  

Excellent summary from someone who understands the system. I very much take your point about having little choice if moving to the west is not an option.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

36 minutes ago, Fat Prophet said:

You are absolutely right -- "kids ... get a better education in the West, ... and [private schools] seem expensive for what you get".  But for westerners residing in Thailand,

 

Why?

[Bootstrap]

You need to become teacher and parent, but be careful to distinguish between the roles......and make sure your children understand when you are teacher and when you are parent 

[Rc2702]

This indoctrination thing. Surely you have to get the kids to tow the line where that is all concerned. Lick it to kick it? I think about this a fair bit and if the kid is in thailand how do you get them to unlearn their environment? If a kid can do that I reckon that's a very good foundation.

[Fat Prophet]

31 minutes ago, theguyfromanotherforum said:

You are absolutely right -- "kids ... get a better education in the West, ... and [private schools] seem expensive for what you get".  

--------------------------

Why?

Frankly, I would have though that the reasons (at least some of them) would be obvious.

 

In the US and the UK instruction in government schools is all in English by all native English speakers. That alone puts the education experience in US and UK government schools heads and shoulders above Thai government and private schools (and most of the Thai international schools). Teachers in the US and UK are paid more, are generally better educated and qualified and the government spends much more on education than is the case in either Thai government or private schools. On average, the government spends $10,615 to send a child to public school for a year in the US. (That's federal, state and local government spending combined; in New York and the District of Columbia over $18,000). The cost in Thailand (figures from 1987) show B4795 ($145) for government schools and B2562 ($78) for private schools spent per student. The figures are very old, but if you assume a five fold increase in education spending in Thailand per student since 1987, that sill means that educational spending for government schools is almost 20 times higher in the US than in Thailand. And in the US and I suspect in the UK it is relatively easy to select a suburban school district with superior schools in which to purchase or rent a home and get a better than average education for you children for "free". And parents in middle class suburban school districts put a lot of pressure on local government and school officials to provide a quality school environment; I really doubt that happens here. Most Thai parents who care about education for their children simply move their kids to private Thai schools. 

 

And most Thailand international schools cannot attract top teachers from English speaking countries without paying substantial salaries (even then it is a serious challenge), and most foreign teaches would probably prefer being located in Bangkok, so getting quality teachers from English speaking countries to come to other cities and towns in Thailand is difficult and comes with high turnover, which is not conducive to a stable and well managed school environment. The real key to quality education is skilled, motivated and committed teachers. The very top international schools in Bangkok attract and retain such teachers and charge fees that allow them to offer salaries that achieve this goal. The rest of the international schools in Thailand try to varying degrees to attract and retain highly qualified teachers (salaries being the most obvious incentive and associated school fees the limiting factor), but most fail rather badly at it and the educational experience at those schools suffers as a result. 

 

There are lots of other reasons, but that's a start. 

[evadgib]

The forces in our homelands are a good place for dual national kids to top up their education & learn how to do things properly as soon as they leave school here. The wages aren't bad either with daily rates exceeding what a Natl Serviceman can expect in LoS per month.

 

Just my 2p 

Edited November 18, 2017 by evadgib

[Fat Prophet]

1 hour ago, Bootstrap said:

You need to become teacher and parent, but be careful to distinguish between the roles......and make sure your children understand when you are teacher and when you are parent 

Are the roles so different? As a parent, I try to teach my kids continuously, not in a rigorous class room setting, but in a more casual discussion mode, relying heavily on Google and YouTube for a full description of the topic we are talking about. I never try to make a distinction between the roles and I really don't see why they need to see/understand such a distinction either. 

[naboo]

My daughter is in a British International School in Thailand. It's not a top school, but results are far better than they are on average in the UK.

 

The Thai students sit IGCSE exams in Thai, and achieve results in line with their results in Maths, Sciences English and other subjects. Being Thai, it is important she becomes proficient in her first language in speaking, listening, reading and writing. This proficiency would not happen in the UK.

 

My daughter enjoys school. That is very important to me.

 

I have considered returning to the UK, but the cost to rent and pay the bills on housing in a suitable location with good schools would be more than the school fees here.

[guzzi850m2]

My 8 year old son attend a fairly good private school with Cambridge tuition in 4 subjects and English native speakers as head teacher in each class but he will be fluent in Thai language as well.

Alternatively moving back to Skandnavia and not having English as main language will not make his future better I think.

I will likely put him 1 year in a bording school up there when he is around 16 years old and if he likes it up there he can continue his education there.

We moved him out of his last private school as the teachers were hitting him and I couldn't stand that and got very upset.

[daveAustin]

Personally, suggest Thai school to Prathom level only and finish off last few years in the West for the boost in English and to give them the option of furthering life in the West should they wish... courtesy of GCSEs and the like. They will always have the Thai language to fall back on + will be fluent in English and have those all-important, unfettered critical thinking skills that only a Western school (or the very best Thai privates, like Prem) can instill. If you don't do this, options for them in the West will be limited, whereas it will typically be a lot easier going the other way.

 

As for being indoctrinated into Thainess being a detriment, while I get this (rote learning/not questioning authority etc), it also makes me cringe a little. There is a ton of respect imparted into the Thai system and the kids generally turn out to be very polite and respectful, and also get to grow up in a fun culture. In contrast, if you get your kids into a UK school with the wrong crowd, they can turn into a right little shits devoid of all that wonderful Thai uniqueness.

 

If you go with the latter, be sure to make frequent visits back to Thai and keep em in touch with the place.

All the best

[NormanW]

There are so many students who have successfully graduated from international schools in Thailand to institutions such as St Andrews University  of Scotland, Durham University and Harvard university in America. 

 

The statements of ' you get a better education in the west' are not always accurate.

 

[Fat Prophet]

7 minutes ago, NormanW said:

There are so many students who have successfully graduated from international schools in Thailand to institutions such as St Andrews University  of Scotland, Durham University and Harvard university in America. 

 

The statements of ' you get a better education in the west' are not always accurate.

 

For diversity reasons, those schools give a preference to foreign students, so it is in no way surprising that graduates from Thai international schools are admitted to top universities in the US and UK. And, if you attend one of the top 5 international schools in Thailand, you get an education that is probably as good as the top private school education in the US and UK -- it is really not helpful to form conclusions by comparing the best with the best (or the worst with the worst). But on average, the education in Thai international schools is not as good as a "good" public/government school education in the US or UK -- this is, I think an accurate statement. And the tuition at the top international schools in Bangkok (NIST; Bangkok Patana School; International School Bangkok; British International School (Phuket); The American School of Bangkok; Shrewsbury International School; Ruamrudee International School; St. Andrew International School Bangkok) is B800,000+ per student per year, so if you are one of the 200,000 expats living in Thailand and have a few kids (or perhaps only 1), these schools may not be an option that is available to you.  

[DMC1]

If you have the opportunity to school your kids back in the West, then do it. Thailand will always be here later on if you/they decide to return. I have said this in previous school related posts that I have yet to meet anyone that regretted schooling their kids back in the West. There is more emphasis on developing critical thinking in the West and this can only help in their future.

[gjoo888]

My daughter attends an international school that teaches the British curriculum, and I'm very pleased with the education she's getting. Her school has an 8:1 teacher to student ratio, and students from her school do consistently well in the Cambridge IGCSE testing. In fact, two students from her school ranked #1 in the world in two subjects. 

 

The cost is definitely prohibitive, but giving her the best education we can afford, hopefully will be well worth it in the long run. Also, the cost of living in my home country compared to the cost of living (other than the school) here in Thailand, more than makes up for the cost of her education. 

[tootall]

12 hours ago, AlexRich said:

Excellent summary from someone who understands the system. I very much take your point about having little choice if moving to the west is not an option.

I totally agree. I live in Thailand but my boys are coming of age of attending school . I am going to take family to USA to the better schools. I can have peace of mind that my boys will not be beaten, harassed, chastised by the teachers/students. If you want any kind of education in Thailand you pay big money for the private schools. Way too much. I will take my boys to the best education they can get, with the best chance to further their education/careers. We will come back to Thailand during breaks in school, but the most important thing you have to think of is what is the best for your children

[DMC1]

My daughter attends an international school that teaches the British curriculum, and I'm very pleased with the education she's getting. Her school has an 8:1 teacher to student ratio, and students from her school do consistently well in the Cambridge IGCSE testing. In fact, two students from her school ranked #1 in the world in two subjects. 
 
The cost is definitely prohibitive, but giving her the best education we can afford, hopefully will be well worth it in the long run. Also, the cost of living in my home country compared to the cost of living (other than the school) here in Thailand, more than makes up for the cost of her education. 

Now weigh up the costs if you’ve got 2-3 kids going through international school! What do you think her prospects will be like after finishing school in Thailand? Better than your home country? From my experience school results are one thing, but it’s the whole mentality/mindset that also matters greatly.

[duanebigsby]

Many posters judge the Thai government system on English language programs. Thai students get an average of an hour and forty minutes a week of lessons. That's pretty much what I had for French classes growing up in Canada. I don't speak a bloody word of French, so I understand poor English by students in Thailand. The level of math being taught is way beyond me, and the history and social studies: although Asia-centric is in depth. Critical thinking? My students are constantly questioning things and asking about the world. I agree with the poster who said send the kid to Thai school until the end of prathom, and then send back to home country to finish. And not in US or UK which don't even register  in top 10 of the world for education.

[bbi1]

17 hours ago, Fat Prophet said:

You are absolutely right -- "kids ... get a better education in the West, ... and [private schools] seem expensive for what you get".  But for westerners residing in Thailand, you have no choice but to put your kids in schools in Thailand.

Who said you have no choice? You can send your kids overseas and send them to a boarding school! Never heard of a boarding school or parents sending their kids to study overseas before???

[Megasin1]

If you truly love your children, then you will up sticks and return to the West, for their benefit and for their future. Unless of course you are extremely rich, in which case an education for your kids doesn't really matter. Don't fall into the 'let them become proficient in Thai first trap'. I allowed this and my daughter (now in an English primary school) has a woefully inadequate vocabulary despite being a fluent English speaker. She adores her new school, which encourages creativity and the Western system also encourages the kids to think their own way around to find the solutions and she is gradually catching up, but now with hindsight, I should have bought her here as soon as she was 4.

[Megasin1]

1 minute ago, Megasin1 said:

If you truly love your children, then you will up sticks and return to the West, for their benefit and for their future. Unless of course you are extremely rich, in which case an education for your kids doesn't really matter. Don't fall into the 'let them become proficient in Thai first trap'. I allowed this and my daughter (now in an English primary school) has a woefully inadequate vocabulary despite being a fluent English speaker. She adores her new school, which encourages creativity and the Western system also encourages the kids to think their own way around to find the solutions and she is gradually catching up, but now with hindsight, I should have bought her here as soon as she was 4.

She is discovering new things every day, for example in Thailand they have 'dog dogs', she was very interested when she discovered 'hearing dogs for the deaf' and 'seeing dogs for the blind' and that dogs go to school !!!

[evadgib]

1 hour ago, Megasin1 said:

She is discovering new things every day, for example in Thailand they have 'dog dogs', she was very interested when she discovered 'hearing dogs for the deaf' and 'seeing dogs for the blind' and that dogs go to school !!!

Hmmm, I can feel an anecdote coming on; Two in fact as they happened within minutes of each other on the second day of my (then) 8 year old son's first visit to UK....

 

1. We were walking around a recreation ground that had all the fittings and fixtures befitting the riverside scene. In front of us were a family walking a pair of well behaved longdogs that were muzzled & on a lead. As we walked he asked "What's that?" (Life Rings, Bins, Rugby Posts, Swings, Fly Fisherman in the full J R Hartley...) & I duly answered & where possible gave a bit of a demo. After a while the absence of dog sh1t dawned on him & he asked why. I tried explaining but he didn't believe me so I suggested he keep an eye on the longdogs & sure enough one of them 'dropped one' & the woman duly caught it almost before it hit the floor & placed it in the designated bin as did all the other dog owners. His eyes nearly popped out of his head!

 

2. Upon leaving the park we passed a car park with a dozen or so recycling skips in various colours around 100m away. Starting from the nearest I explained each one in turn but couldn't resist a little bit of fun while doing so. A minute or so earlier I had observed a father passing some old clothing to his son of around the same age who had fallen in to the brown skip at the far end and was giving it the full 'Fred Flintstone' from inside (thump-thump-thump "Wilmerrrr!").

 

"What's that one for?" my son asked.

 

"That one's for naughty boys" I said. "Daddies can put them in there any day during the week and pick up a girl the following Monday".

 

His face was quite a picture...until the other kid climbed out and he realized I was having him on 

Edited November 19, 2017 by evadgib

[AlexRich]

2 hours ago, bbi1 said:

Who said you have no choice? You can send your kids overseas and send them to a boarding school! Never heard of a boarding school or parents sending their kids to study overseas before???

That presumes that the parents have substantial funds put to one side, and that is not the case for many people.

[AlexRich]

6 hours ago, duanebigsby said:

Many posters judge the Thai government system on English language programs. Thai students get an average of an hour and forty minutes a week of lessons. That's pretty much what I had for French classes growing up in Canada. I don't speak a bloody word of French, so I understand poor English by students in Thailand. The level of math being taught is way beyond me, and the history and social studies: although Asia-centric is in depth. Critical thinking? My students are constantly questioning things and asking about the world. I agree with the poster who said send the kid to Thai school until the end of prathom, and then send back to home country to finish. And not in US or UK which don't even register  in top 10 of the world for education.

 

I can't comment on US schools but I do know that if you live in a relatively upmarket area in the UK you will find the schools to be of a high standard ... the small town where my mother lives has both primary and a secondary school that are excellent. And better still they are not fee paying. If you reside in a deprived area you may not be so lucky.

[moonseeker]

Excellent info & views. Thank you all.  MS>

[smotherb]

22 hours ago, Fat Prophet said:

You are absolutely right -- "kids ... get a better education in the West, ... and [private schools] seem expensive for what you get".  But for westerners residing in Thailand, you have no choice but to put your kids in schools in Thailand. And you need to make the "best" choice given what is available and your ability to pay. Every measure puts Thai public/government schools close the very bottom internationally and as regards English instruction, at the absolute bottom. For any parent that cares about the education that his children will receive and its preparing him/her for their future, Thai government schools are simply unacceptable. Some parents will try to convince/delude themselves that Thai government schools are "acceptable" but they are wrong by any reasonable measure. 

 

Thai private schools provide a "better" education but still substandard/inadequate, probably with some hard to find and unlikely to last very long exceptions. Thai private schools generally use Thai and non-native English speaking (Philippine) teachers in their English programs, and the level of English education is generally poor, but again there are probably exceptions. Parents can greatly improve the outcome with a focus on improving English speaking and writing skills at home, but it will in no way prepare a child for higher education outside Thailand, so the child's future is very likely to be limited to Thailand. 

 

A huge amount has been written about the international schools in Thailand, and they range from exceptionally good to poor, and from very expensive (by even western standards) to "affordable", although all are still more expensive that the English program Thai private schools. And there is probably a relatively strong, although not perfect, relation between the quality and the cost of the international schools in Thailand. Almost all use native English speaking teachers and all classes (except Thai instruction) are taught in English. They are on average not as good as good government schools in the US and the UK, but they do, with some help from parents, provide children with an education that will allow them to continue higher education outside Thailand relatively easily.  For most western parents, that should be a very important consideration in selecting schools for their children.

 

My children attend an international school that I consider to be a "not very good" but acceptable and grossly over priced. But is it only 20 minutes from where we live and a better option would be an hour's plus drive away, which is not acceptable for young kids. So, for the present we consider it to be the best option, but I monitor the available options continuously and will move them as soon as an obviously better option appears. I have no desire to move my kids on a whim and want to be sure the move will be a good one for them and not impose an unreasonable commute on them. The school is not cheap, but in my view the other options in Thailand are simply unacceptable. A good education will give them good opportunities for their futures and I owe them that to the extent that I am able. Their written and spoken English is very good, and they could easily move to a school outside Thailand without a difficult transitionary phase. 

 

As for being "indoctrinated in 'Thainess'”, I completely agree. My kids live in Thailand, but they are not in any way "Thai kids". They speak Thai, but not especially well. They know the Thai holidays, but they also know and celebrate Christmas, Halloween, Easter, etc. They only know the western calendar and use a lot of American slang which I like to hear. I expect that they get most of it from YouTube.  They do eat bugs. 

 

So, it is far from ideal. But so long as we are in Thailand, it is about as good an educational experience as I am able to provide for them. And I am happy to do it, no question. And hopefully, better options will arise in the future, but they are doing well and I am pleased/grateful for that.  

Well, if you really think the Western education is better for your kids; then go back to live while your kids are in school. That is what we did and while there we supplemented our investment portfolio by working. After our son graduated from US university he came to Thailand to visit us and stayed six years to work and play.

[khunPer]

On 11/18/2017 at 2:09 PM, moonseeker said:

I would be interested in facts from local expats about schooling of their kids. Do you send them to public schools, private schools?

I've send my luk khrueng (half Thai child) to a private school, or rather an English Program School, from K1 (Kindergarten) to K3, and P1 to P6. My daughter is in P6 now, and we plan to continue with International School "Year 8" instead of a Thai School M1, mainly to give her a change to continue with the last years abroad, i.e. similar to International Year 12-13, or 11-13, in my home-country. That is however a question of her performance in school, and if she, when that time comes, wish to continue abroad in a bording school.

 

So far we have been very satisfied with the Thai EP-school, and when I compare to the first 6 years in a normal public Danish school – I have friends working as teachers "back home" – I'm very happy with the level of tuition here. Might be we're lucky, having a good EP school in the vicinity, however the influence from home is also extremely important in my view, wherefore I avoid bording school as long as possible; mentioned because many Thais, if the can afford it, will send their kids to a bording school from M1, or even earlier.

 

On 11/18/2017 at 2:09 PM, moonseeker said:

What do you see for the future

of your kids? Staying here and living here? Moving back home when they get older?

Well, "stay and living here" or "moving back home" – to my kid "back home" is definately here – but I understand the meaning of your question...

 

The final decision of future is my daughters only, I can only prepare in accordance with what level of options I have – which also is a question of financial limitations, as some International Schools in Thailand will be beyond my reach – but of course the family, mainly mum & dad, and school and friends, affects her decision; including what I "see".

 

I originate from Denmark, and when my daughter was born in Thailand she could not obtain Danish citizenship, due our little special rules that did not equal father and mother; i.e. if the mother was Danish, the child would be Dane, even when born abroad; but if the father only was Danish, a child born abroad would not obtain Danish citizenship. So initially my daughter was Thai citizen only, and her future therefore Thailand; or South East Asia, where ASEAN in time ahead may include numerous possibilities, just like EU (European Union) in Europe. That was also fine with my thoughts, as I see this region of the World moving up, and with great potentials for a splendid life; and furthermore I had no intentions of "moving back home", my girlfriend and I are too happy here – I shall mention that my girlfriend spend time in my home country over a number of years, and liked it, and even sometime miss the good time there; but as for most Thais, Thailand is number one.

 

Because of that, Thai language and culture, combined with the English – and some Chinese – in the EP school, was a benefit, especially including the Thai-part, as that is important for a successful life in this country. Furthermore, even I appreciate the possibilities of a good higher level education, I don't see that as a must for a happy life; there are so many options of success and happiness that does not especially require an university-level education, and many of the most successful people in the World, did not have a high education, or finished their education. I mention that, because I hear many talking about limitations when graduating from a Thai university.

 

However Danish rules suddenly changed, caused by a verdict by the EU Court about equality between father and mother, when a child is born abroad. So last year only, my daughter could become Danish citizen, and even with dual nationality, as same year the Danish government also changed the Law, which before did not accept dual nationality. This gave further possibilities in my futuristic views.

 

So at this point my daughter now both has the possibility "back to my home", or "back to her home" after school and studying abroad. I believe that's what a lot of expats have as options for their kids, and in my view a fantastic opportunity for the children. However, my thoughts might be a bit different, because I see South East Asia and Thailand as great future options, presumable even better than a future in a rapid changing Europe...

 

Reminds me, that it's difficult to predict, especially about the future...

[guzzi850m2]

I agree with you khunPer, our kids can be perfectly happy here with a Thai education and also about the future of EU, not looking too good.

My wife will prefer staying in Thailand and not moving abroad.

Where did you read about dual citizenship for Danish /Thai kids? I thought they need some years in Denmark to prove that they have some connection to DK or they can't keep Danish citizenship when adult? That's one of several reasons I put them in boarding school up there.