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

[portroyal]

If you consider the future of your kids is to go western europe, better and far more useful for them to learn arabic, linguala and swahili than english

[duanebigsby]

19 hours ago, AlexRich said:

 

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.

Yes of course, I was going by "world ranking" which doesn't take into account differing areas of a country.

I haven't any direct knowledge of UK schools butI  was in the US system and it was the same scenario, rich districts had good schools, poor not so much.

[khunPer]

14 hours ago, guzzi850m2 said:

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.

Thanks...

 

The Law changed last year – for dual nationality in August, if I remember right, but already before that, in the application forms for "neutralization", dual nationality was an option. Children born before 2015, by an unmarried couple with foreign mum and Danish father, need to apply for Danish citizenship, but shall not fulfill any tests or like.

 

However, you can only keep the Danish citizenship till the age of 20 (think it's when reaching the age of 21), if you live abroad. At that time – and in due time before – you at present need to apply again, and prove some connection with Denmark, which normally is considered acceptable if the young Dane over the years have been staying in Denmark altogether around 1 year (some says that 8 month is enough); or at the time of re-applying is living in Denmark and registered as so at "Folkeregisteret" (I think one then automatically is approved, but check upon it). I said "at present", because Laws may change, unfortunately both ways, as they at the moment seem to do with "udedanskere" (Danes living abroad), due to EU-regulations and the so-called "26-year rule", with a new "7-year earning", living registered in Denmark for, for example support during school and study (in Danish called SU).

 

A good source of Information is the society "Danes Worldwide" – which also provides language courses and summer schools for "udedansker"-kids – you can also follow them on Facebook, and get their update-posts in your Startpage-flow. The society has a branch in Bangkok, and also language school there.

Edited November 20, 2017 by khunPer

[AlexRich]

7 minutes ago, duanebigsby said:

Yes of course, I was going by "world ranking" which doesn't take into account differing areas of a country.

I haven't any direct knowledge of UK schools butI  was in the US system and it was the same scenario, rich districts had good schools, poor not so much.

So I'd take back kids from Thailand if I were going back to a school that I know to be of a very high standard ... in fact, in the same area there is an excellent fee paying school (not boarding) that is cheaper than any that I have come across in Thailand, and I'd state of a much higher standard.

[guzzi850m2]

Many thanks khunPer, much appreciated.

 

Sorry to others for going off topic

[HooHaa]

On 11/18/2017 at 11:43 PM, 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.  

agreed, and its a matter of degree. my child was enrolled in a "private school ep" for grades 1 and 2.  

the plan was to move her into an international school at great personal cost once she reached grade 3 or 4.

happily or (unahppily)  i split with her mother and at the age of 7 she had an opportunity to move to the US . I decided that my daughter would be best served by joining her and attending school in the US.

Interestingly upon arriving stateside and joining classes my daughter was moved ahead a grade, it turns out the education she had been receiving was better than anticipated. after he first year she was moved to a charter school focusing on academics for gifted children.

the higher end international schools are of a very high standard academically however, but as said expensive.

of course it is your responsibility to make sure your child is getting a proper education and to round out any thainess they may encounter.

in this case 7 years of reading with me was enough to set her well above most children in her age group either in thailand or the US.

you do the best with what you have.

[bermondburi]

Some interesting ideas, and everyone is different. There is no right or wrong and you just have to do what is right for you or what you can afford. That's the way life goes.

 

Personally, my children will be going to a mid level international school in Thailand next year after spending half their lives in Saudi Arabia. I'm happy with the decision. After six years in Saudi the more Thainess the better.