Hello, OP, what's happening with you? 

On 9/6/2018 at 7:36 AM, dginoob said:

Depends where you live in the UK. I bought a 3-bedroom house for £50k 5 or 6 years ago (granted it hadn't been decorated since the 70's, and I subsequently spent 15k or so on it). The rent I get from that is less than half of what my rent is here for a condo.

Liverpool?

I never thought living here was that great. I got moved here for work, and it’s been okay, I always say the big redeeming factor of working in Thailand was the people.

Now I’m retired here and don’t think that much of it. Kid has a couple more years of high school and then I think it’s back to the states at least for a while...

Inflammatory post removed.

58 minutes ago, mogandave said:

I never thought living here was that great. I got moved here for work, and it’s been okay, I always say the big redeeming factor of working in Thailand was the people.

Now I’m retired here and don’t think that much of it. Kid has a couple more years of high school and then I think it’s back to the states at least for a while...

Had our kid in Prem. International in Chiang Mai.

 

When we came back to the USA, he was already 1 year behind in school. (Started in USA in eighth grade)

 

Since then he has caught up and is scheduled to graduate high school next summer with a 3.9 GPA and go to college at the University of Florida.

 

Smartest thing I ever did, however, looking back I wish I would have brought him back to a US school years earlier.

 

 

Had our kid in Prem. International in Chiang Mai.
 
When we came back to the USA, he was already 1 year behind in school. (Started in USA in eighth grade)
 
Since then he has caught up and is scheduled to graduate high school next summer with a 3.9 GPA and go to college at the University of Florida.
 
Smartest thing I ever did, however, looking back I wish I would have brought him back to a US school years earlier.
 
 

My kid is doing well in one of (apparently) the best schools in the country and he’ll do fine in most any undergrad programs in the US.

His social studies may not be up to US standards but his English, math, chemistry and physics is much then most US high school kids.

8 hours ago, meechai said:

 

We are healthier as we can spend more days outside doing what we love

And you can do them without being eaten alive by Mosquitos and other airborne insects

2 hours ago, mogandave said:

 

My kid is doing well in one of (apparently) the best schools in the country and he’ll do fine in most any undergrad programs in the US.

His social studies may not be up to US standards but his English, math, chemistry and physics is much then most US high school kids.
 

 

You might want to think about that again.

 

We’d put my stepson through private Thai schools all the way through HS. Then he went to college in Chicago, same as his Mom.

It wasn’t so much his knowledge, but his mindset that really was a problem for him. Assuming you you went to college you know one of the almost fundamental parts of it is to be able to debate, to question, to challenge your Professors.

He struggled mightily with that. Thai schools indoctrinate obedience  and conformity, not conducive to a US college environment.

He was a little lucky, since my eldest daughter was at the time also living in Chicago and helped him get through worst parts of his freshman year

1 hour ago, Dick Crank said:

And you can do them without being eaten alive by Mosquitos and other airborne insects

Oh the horror of it all, it's simply not safe to go outside.

Have you noticed the under performers at your School from back in late 50s have done better than You if you were in the top 3 back then.?..My 2 dimmer friends own Cruise Line and Auction Houses but now semi retired. One was a Fisherman, the other a  sort of junk buyer when we were kids.

3 hours ago, mogandave said:

 

My kid is doing well in one of (apparently) the best schools in the country and he’ll do fine in most any undergrad programs in the US.

His social studies may not be up to US standards but his English, math, chemistry and physics is much then most US high school kids.
 

 

I thought the same about English until he was tested.

 

No school in Thailand teaches English proficient enough for the US.

 

Reading, writing, comprehension, literature

16 minutes ago, HAKAPALITA said:

Have you noticed the under performers at your School from back in late 50s have done better than You if you were in the top 3 back then.?..My 2 dimmer friends own Cruise Line and Auction Houses but now semi retired. One was a Fisherman, the other a  sort of junk buyer when we were kids.

Not for me. One classmate was one of the authors of MS Excel, the other is a PhD from Yale

56 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

You might want to think about that again.

 

We’d put my stepson through private Thai schools all the way through HS. Then he went to college in Chicago, same as his Mom.

It wasn’t so much his knowledge, but his mindset that really was a problem for him. Assuming you you went to college you know one of the almost fundamental parts of it is to be able to debate, to question, to challenge your Professors.

He struggled mightily with that. Thai schools indoctrinate obedience  and conformity, not conducive to a US college environment.

He was a little lucky, since my eldest daughter was at the time also living in Chicago and helped him get through worst parts of his freshman year

Have to agree with you.

 

People always claim their kids are up to par in Thai schools, only to find out a mirage of issues when they get to the USA.

 

My son is a good example of that.

 

You might think they know English, but as soon as they get tested, you find out the truth.

 

Plus in the USA, all your HS grades count.

 

If you are not getting A's, you are pretty much doomed to a no name school.

 

Still have to pass the ACT/SAT with a high score across the board just to get into a mediocre school.

 

1 hour ago, bwpage3 said:

Have to agree with you.

 

People always claim their kids are up to par in Thai schools, only to find out a mirage of issues when they get to the USA.

 

My son is a good example of that.

 

You might think they know English, but as soon as they get tested, you find out the truth.

 

Plus in the USA, all your HS grades count.

 

If you are not getting A's, you are pretty much doomed to a no name school.

 

Still have to pass the ACT/SAT with a high score across the board just to get into a mediocre school.

 

My stepson’s English is perfect, he passes for an American no problem, then again he is American. I adopted him legally years ago, so he holds a US passport

 

But if I could do it all again, and yes hindsight is 20:20, I would have moved back right before he started HS, that would have been the optimal time.

 

But water under the bridge now. He survived, graduated got a good job, and as fortune happens now rents a room from my daughter in Denver!

14 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

it's not a luxurious lifestyle but its good and it's well above par, four Pounds a day will feed a pensioner well. And my electricity bill for the past few months has been only fifteen quid, cheaper than Thailand for sure.

 

I wonder , where in the UK do you live ?  And how come the electricity is so cheap in the UK ?   

 

How cheap can you live in the UK and still have a decent life?  

 

 

Electricity, obviously depending how you live, I never found that cheap in Thailand.

Now I am an aircon junkie in both countries. That said as summer winds down(South Dakota, and yes it's hot here in the summer) here I never paid as much monthly as I did in Thailand. I have all the same appliances, adding dishwasher, waste disposal, which probably don't use that much.

But, I've used the aircon all day like I do in Thailand and it's still cheaper

We can argue endlessly about the relative costs of the place, but I'm just giving you my personal experiences of two locations.

I am in no way trying to slam Thailand, we still have a house there and stay through the winter.

But it ain't cheap.

We spend winter there, just to escape the snow, not to save money

You might want to think about that again.
 
We’d put my stepson through private Thai schools all the way through HS. Then he went to college in Chicago, same as his Mom.
It wasn’t so much his knowledge, but his mindset that really was a problem for him. Assuming you you went to college you know one of the almost fundamental parts of it is to be able to debate, to question, to challenge your Professors.
He struggled mightily with that. Thai schools indoctrinate obedience  and conformity, not conducive to a US college environment.
He was a little lucky, since my eldest daughter was at the time also living in Chicago and helped him get through worst parts of his freshman year

My kid went to a Catholic school in the province through 8th and goes to government school in BKK now.

I went to college in the US and outside of the engineering coursework, I don’t remember much of anything that was challenging.

I am more concerned that he will be made to conform in the US than I am he will be made to challenge anyone.

We visit the US at once a year and he is with my friends and family that have kids and he seems to do okay. My brother and sister-in-law both teach and think he will be fine.

And if he’s not, whatever, It’s on him. I did what I could. As long as he’s happy and not on dope I’m happy.

3 hours ago, balo said:

 

I wonder , where in the UK do you live ?  And how come the electricity is so cheap in the UK ?   

 

How cheap can you live in the UK and still have a decent life?  

 

 

I have a newish one bed retirement flat in Lancaster, just on the edge of The Lake District, it's very energy efficient - I'm only here for part of each year and certainly never in winter hence my bills are low.

 

Everyone's definition of what is a decent life will vary, it's hard to comment on that.

4 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

Electricity, obviously depending how you live, I never found that cheap in Thailand.

Now I am an aircon junkie in both countries. That said as summer winds down(South Dakota, and yes it's hot here in the summer) here I never paid as much monthly as I did in Thailand. I have all the same appliances, adding dishwasher, waste disposal, which probably don't use that much.

But, I've used the aircon all day like I do in Thailand and it's still cheaper

We can argue endlessly about the relative costs of the place, but I'm just giving you my personal experiences of two locations.

I am in no way trying to slam Thailand, we still have a house there and stay through the winter.

But it ain't cheap.

We spend winter there, just to escape the snow, not to save money

What did you pay in Thailand for electricity?  What's cheap?

8 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

You might want to think about that again.

 

We’d put my stepson through private Thai schools all the way through HS. Then he went to college in Chicago, same as his Mom.

It wasn’t so much his knowledge, but his mindset that really was a problem for him. Assuming you you went to college you know one of the almost fundamental parts of it is to be able to debate, to question, to challenge your Professors.

He struggled mightily with that. Thai schools indoctrinate obedience  and conformity, not conducive to a US college environment.

He was a little lucky, since my eldest daughter was at the time also living in Chicago and helped him get through worst parts of his freshman year

College must have changed a lot.  As an undergrad my professors always told me to shut up (when I could actually get their attention long enough to ask a question and that was rare).  It wasn't till my first year of grad school that anyone wanted my opinion on anything. 

7 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Still have to pass the ACT/SAT with a high score across the board just to get into a mediocre school.

And then work in a corporate cubby for the rest of your life trying not to offend the feminists and SJWs.

Reported post removed.

5 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

And then work in a corporate cubby for the rest of your life trying not to offend the feminists and SJWs.

The research cited Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data showing the number of self-employed people in the U.S. has grown by nearly 150,000 since 2014 to 8,751,000—up from 8,602,000 by the end of 2016.

 

I told my kids to start their own business.  Credit is cheap. 

45 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

College must have changed a lot.  As an undergrad my professors always told me to shut up (when I could actually get their attention long enough to ask a question and that was rare).  It wasn't till my first year of grad school that anyone wanted my opinion on anything. 

Well I went  to UC Berkeley in 1976, and it was definitely part of the culture then, and when my stepson attended the University of Illinois, I definitely could relate to the culture he experienced

Well I went  to UC Berkeley in 1976, and it was definitely part of the culture then, and when my stepson attended the University of Illinois, I definitely could relate to the culture he experienced

So do you think Cal is more or less open-minded now than they were in 76?

9 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Not for me. One classmate was one of the authors of MS Excel, the other is a PhD from Yale

I did say back in..There were not arty farty ways of wining  in my day.You actualy had to get off yer arse.I did know a few arty farts, but they fell to Demon Drink, where our gang just drank, worked, fell over n got rich enough to retire at 45/50.Learning English was the hardest subject for me, so many dialects,it was for Americans too when i listen to them.

3 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

Well I went  to UC Berkeley in 1976, and it was definitely part of the culture then, and when my stepson attended the University of Illinois, I definitely could relate to the culture he experienced

Not only was I told to shut up but I was flunked for having my own opinion.  I was taking a labor law course and the professor was wrong (technicality, the government agency did not have legal jurisdiction over the area questioned in the final).  Everybody else in the 500 member class wrote 10 blue books of answer.  I wrote one sentence.  "The agency does not have jurisdiction and would not hear the case."  The professor flunked me because I didn't go along with the spirit of the question.  I sued.  We settled out of court.  I wanted an "A" and the other 499 students flunked.  I settled for a C+ and no one else got flunked.  In a history course I had a friend bar the door from the outside till the professor answered my question.  I got thrown in the campus jail for that one.  All in all I got kicked out of school 3 times for trying to ask questions.  

 

I don't think Berkley was any different.  Remember  on October 1, the University of California, Berkeley exploded into the dramatic and prolonged agony that was the free speech movement. Led by a charismatic Friends of SNCC student activist named Mario Savio, upwards of three thousand students surrounded a police car in which a student was being taken away, arrested for setting up an informational card table for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in defiance of the University's ban on politics. The sit-down prevented the police car from moving for 32 hours. The demonstrations, meetings and strikes that resulted all but shut the university down. Hundreds of students were arrested.  

 

No one wanted to hear alternative opinions at Berkley either.  Maybe you just forgot?

5 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

I have a newish one bed retirement flat in Lancaster, just on the edge of The Lake District,

 

Is this a part of the UK that's considered cheaper than other parts ?  Could you  save money on rent and utilities moving away from big cities like Manchester and London ,  just curious.  I spent some time in London back in the 80''s. 

 

 

45 minutes ago, balo said:

 

Is this a part of the UK that's considered cheaper than other parts ?  Could you  save money on rent and utilities moving away from big cities like Manchester and London ,  just curious.  I spent some time in London back in the 80''s. 

 

 

This is my emergency bolt hole in case the Thailand wheel ever falls off, I'm putting a tenant in next week and heading back to Thailand at the end of the month but after six months I'll be able to reclaim use of the flat with two months notice. It's certainly cheaper than London or indeed the South, I paid 75k for the flat and the running costs are very low and are generally covered by the uplift in my pensions that result from being UK resident once again. Even though I say so myself the flat is very nice indeed, it's perfect for my needs and Lancaster is a great place and the people very friendly, it's location on the edge of the Lakes and the Dales is a big plus. Looking around at rent levels here it seems that a minimum rent here is around 450 Pounds per month which is much cheaper than London or the South, I'm getting 495 for my flat - utility costs are pretty much the same countrywide so no, I don't think there are savings to be had by living in one area vs the other.

2 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

This is my emergency bolt hole in case the Thailand wheel ever falls off, I'm putting a tenant in next week and heading back to Thailand at the end of the month but after six months I'll be able to reclaim use of the flat with two months notice. It's certainly cheaper than London or indeed the South, I paid 75k for the flat and the running costs are very low and are generally covered by the uplift in my pensions that result from being UK resident once again. Even though I say so myself the flat is very nice indeed, it's perfect for my needs and Lancaster is a great place and the people very friendly, it's location on the edge of the Lakes and the Dales is a big plus. Looking around at rent levels here it seems that a minimum rent here is around 450 Pounds per month which is much cheaper than London or the South, I'm getting 495 for my flat - utility costs are pretty much the same countrywide so no, I don't think there are savings to be had by living in one area vs the other.

I am totally onboard with having a bolt hole.

 

I’ve said this in many threads over the years. I’m always amazed at how many seem to think that selling up their entire life to go to Thailand, where you are at best a temporary ‘guest’, is a good idea. If not insane, it's reckless at best.

 

You never know what could happen. The regime du jour changes immigration policy, woman problems, health...the list goes on and on.

 

All the time I lived in Thailand, I still had a house back in the States, which I knew I could always, and as it happens ultimately did, return to.