Is Thailand All That if you have to work everyday?

[A1Str8]

It is just social conditioning. You can see, how the newer generations dont fall for this -just get a job and retire-mentality any longer.

[bwpage3]

5 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Understood...  And this is why I live in Bangkok. 

 

If I couldn't get my Son into what I consider to be one of the best Int'l schools in Bangkok (BKK Patana) we'd be in the UK. 

 

 

 

What you consider to be the best and what is actually the best are 2 completely different things.

 

I think the international ratings of all Thai schools prove that

 

The best international school in Bangkok isn't anything to brag about

 

Having some recent experience at a Florida State University, their intensive English course, 6 levels with 3 courses per level (2 years, then need to pass admittance exam) is chock full of people from other countries with Masters Degrees, Teaching Degrees, you name it.

 

Why do you think that is?

 

The level of English required to successfully compete a known college or Uni in the USA is way beyond the education they received in their own countries.

 

This particular course has rich Thai students, Saudis, Brazilian, Portuguese, loads of Chinese, South Koreans and others. What you don't see are Indians, Philippines, or others where english is a main language.

 

All exceptionally smart in their countries but do not possess an english proficiency to get into college upon arrival

 

A couple of us have kids with the Thai international school experience, and then the western experience and all are telling the same story.

 

Kids from ANY Thai schools were behind their western counterparts, and in our own case, 1 year behind

 

Our son with graduate from a US High School this spring with an overall GPA of 3.9 with 3 language skills.

 

He will also be 19 years old which is a full year plus older than the kids that grew up here

 

You can believe what ever you want until you get faced with the truth as so many of us have been faced with

 

 

 

 

 

 

[StreetCowboy]

Maybe traffic has deteriorated since I left, though I don’t think I can be held responsible for it.  My taxi ride into work was about 130 baht, and I would be stationary for less than five minutes.  Traffic was heavier on the way home.

I resent your implication that I may be lying but I understand your desperate cry for support, and I hope for your sake others come on to agree with you - perhaps boiler room scamsters or impoverished undocumented teachers; I believe there are such in Thailand, though I don’t think I ever met one.

What I would say is that the reasons for holidaying in Thailand are not necessarily good reasons for working in Thailand, and it takes a lot of self-discipline to keep a job if those are the reasons that brought you.

[bwpage3]

15 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Understood...  And this is why I live in Bangkok. 

 

If I couldn't get my Son into what I consider to be one of the best Int'l schools in Bangkok (BKK Patana) we'd be in the UK. 

 

 

 

Do you know who General Tinsulanonda is?

 

This is one of the premier international schools in Thailand if you got the 400 to 500k per year

 

Our son, after 10 years there, was still a year behind when we came back to the USA

 

After 5 years in the USA, he is now fluent in speaking, reading, writing Spanish as well as English and Thai

 

That is the main reason we moved back to the USA, plus now he will only have to pay US tuition rates, not international

 

Look at the cost of tuition for college

 

 

[StreetCowboy]

3 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

...

 

The best international school in Bangkok isn't anything to brag about

 

Having some recent experience at a Florida State University, their intensive English course, 6 levels with 3 courses per level (2 years, then need to pass admittance exam) is chock full of people from other countries with Masters Degrees, Teaching Degrees, you name it.

 

Why do you think that is?

 

...

 

A couple of us have kids with the Thai international school experience, and then the western experience and all are telling the same story.

....

 

You can believe what ever you want until you get faced with the truth as so many of us have been faced with

 

 

I’m with Richard here.

The teachers at Alice Smith in Kuala Lumpur would concur.

Check out the higher education destinations of children from the good international schools in Bangkok, talk to the Alumni.

 

i think maybe you and I circulate in different social circles.

[Bangkokhatter]

41 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

I have an idea since I lived in Thailand for 10 years.

 

I also have an idea because being back in Corporate America, I won't ever be one of those trying to live in Thailand on 45,000 baht a month retirement 

My last comment as you obviously have a comprehension defect. 

 

You have no idea about my salary and how it compares to corporate America, suffice to say i also do not and would not live here on 45,000/month. However i would never look down on those who do, their life, their choice.

[GinBoy2]

Now as for traffic. So assuming that the majority of employed expats are in Bangkok, I don't know you do it.

I lived and worked in California for most of my life, San Francisco & San Diego which have some of the most horrendous traffic in the US, yet both pale in comparison to Bangkok.

I used to own condos in Thonglor which were connected by a skywalk to BTS, and I used rent exclusively to Japanese Finance Ministry employees.
They loved them primarily because their office was also adjacent to a BTS station and they could avoid an hour+ taxi journey to work, which was on a good day. If it rains...well all bets are off

[StreetCowboy]

4 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

Do you know who General Tinsulanonda is?

 

This is one of the premier international schools in Thailand if you got the 400 to 500k per year

 

Our son, after 10 years there, was still a year behind when we came back to the USA

 

After 5 years in the USA, he is now fluent in speaking, reading, writing Spanish as well as English and Thai

 

That is the main reason we moved back to the USA, plus now he will only have to pay US tuition rates, not international

 

Look at the cost of tuition for college

 

 

“What” for schools, not “who”. I don’t even know whom General Tinsulanonda school is named after, though I could perhaps hazard a guess as to his name.

 

Maybe if you can’t afford Pattana, it’s a good alternative, if there is adequate parental support.

 

At the school I went to, there were a wide variety of academic outcomes, and I think that was more down to parental influence and ‘culture’ in the home than innate ability of the students.

[blackhorse]

My last comment as you obviously have a comprehension defect. 
 
You have no idea about my salary and how it compares to corporate America, suffice to say i also do not and would not live here on 45,000/month. However i would never look down on those who do, their life, their choice.

At least double or triple if your renting to the level you were accustomed to in the West
Sadly way to many downgrade to a shoe box. More $$ for pussy and beer must be the mindset

[StreetCowboy]

3 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

Now as for traffic. So assuming that the majority of employed expats are in Bangkok, I don't know you do it.

I lived and worked in California for most of my life, San Francisco & San Diego which have some of the most horrendous traffic in the US, yet both pale in comparison to Bangkok.

I used to own condos in Thonglor which were connected by a skywalk to BTS, and I used rent exclusively to Japanese Finance Ministry employees.
They loved them primarily because their office was also adjacent to a BTS station and they could avoid an hour+ taxi journey to work, which was on a good day. If it rains...well all bets are off

Who cares about traffic when you get the train to work?  KL has horrendous traffic, which is rarely a problem for me.  Unlike locals, Expat’s have pretty much a free choice where to live, and can choose what traffic they want on their commute.

[StreetCowboy]

36 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

They are not your kids so you really have no direct knowledge what is happening.

 

Western Universities can mean the Kangaroo Uni, doesn't mean anything if you are in a no name Uni anywhere

Her particular is at a respected English university.  My daughter recently started at one of the top universities back in The Old Country, after graduating from high school with internationally respected qualifications.

You can call us all liars, and keep telling us our children and their peers are at second rate universities.  You can keep saying we were stuck in traffic for hours.  You believe whatever you want.  But please don’t ask us to support your misconceptions.

 

Please, can someone who is slaving in a boiler-room, or fruit-picking with the Burmese for the sake of staying with their total come on here to support this guy?

[bwpage3]

52 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I used to commute to work in London 5x a week then once more for overtime.

Took me 90 minutes each way. It's the way most people in the western world live.

If you live in America, why do you post on a Thai forum?

When I was back in the UK, 2016-2018, I didn't post here at all.

You tell us your life is great, but you sure spend a lot of time posting here!

I have such an easy job I can afford this time to share with all of you!

 

I have family in Thailand, my wife and I still own a rice farm, so I keep tabs now again

 

Anything else?

[bwpage3]

35 minutes ago, StreetCowboy said:

Maybe traffic has deteriorated since I left, though I don’t think I can be held responsible for it.  My taxi ride into work was about 130 baht, and I would be stationary for less than five minutes.  Traffic was heavier on the way home.

I resent your implication that I may be lying but I understand your desperate cry for support, and I hope for your sake others come on to agree with you - perhaps boiler room scamsters or impoverished undocumented teachers; I believe there are such in Thailand, though I don’t think I ever met one.

What I would say is that the reasons for holidaying in Thailand are not necessarily good reasons for working in Thailand, and it takes a lot of self-discipline to keep a job if those are the reasons that brought you.

Certainly don't need support, specially from people I could give a **** about!

 

If you want to be truthful, post up your former traffic route to work and lets see the evidence

 

shouldn't be hard to find a map screen shot

 

Then you will have nothing to resent

[bwpage3]

5 minutes ago, StreetCowboy said:

Her particular is at a respected English university.  My daughter recently started at one of the top universities back in The Old Country, after graduating from high school with internationally respected qualifications.

You can call us all liars, and keep telling us our children and their peers are at second rate universities.  You can keep saying we were stuck in traffic for hours.  You believe whatever you want.  But please don’t ask us to support your misconceptions.

 

Please, can someone who is slaving in a boiler-room, or fruit-picking with the Burmese for the sake of staying with their total come on here to support this guy?

Everybody is top something, except there is never a mention of any facts or any evidence. You can claim what ever you want right? But if you were indeed right, how come there is not ONE shred of evidence?

 

What internationally respected qualifications are you referring to? You must have some facts right? I am very curious what Internationally Respected Qualifications can be gained from any Thai School, since Thai schools are internationally ranked as some of the worlds worst? 

 

What English University is she attending? You must know the name?

 

How much does it cost? How are you paying for it? Room and Board?

 

I don't have to tell you the second rates schools if you know how to read the international rankings for yourself. Do I? Or can you Google this for yourself?

 

Here, I will help you out with a current article

 

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30344984

 

The facts are there and easily verifiable. Find the facts because your opinion is contrary to the internationally published facts about the state of all Thai schools

 

You are one that has no substance to backup one word you say.

 

Do you need someone to tell you the name of the school your daughter is going to?

 

No need to fear the facts, if indeed they are the facts

 

If you want to be taken seriously, deal with the facts

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bwpage3]

41 minutes ago, StreetCowboy said:

“What” for schools, not “who”. I don’t even know whom General Tinsulanonda school is named after, though I could perhaps hazard a guess as to his name.

 

Maybe if you can’t afford Pattana, it’s a good alternative, if there is adequate parental support.

 

At the school I went to, there were a wide variety of academic outcomes, and I think that was more down to parental influence and ‘culture’ in the home than innate ability of the students.

 I don’t even know whom General Tinsulanonda school is named after

 

You appear to know little about Thailand then

 

And if you know that little, you probably know even less about quality of schools

[bwpage3]

48 minutes ago, Bangkokhatter said:

My last comment as you obviously have a comprehension defect. 

 

You have no idea about my salary and how it compares to corporate America, suffice to say i also do not and would not live here on 45,000/month. However i would never look down on those who do, their life, their choice.

I think it is fair to say Thailand is not known as the land of exorbitant salaries

 

You have a Benz or BWM or 2 in the drive? Perhaps 3 cars?

 

Or a Honda Jazz?

 

Or even a car at all?

[bwpage3]

1 hour ago, StreetCowboy said:

Maybe traffic has deteriorated since I left, though I don’t think I can be held responsible for it.  My taxi ride into work was about 130 baht, and I would be stationary for less than five minutes.  Traffic was heavier on the way home.

I resent your implication that I may be lying but I understand your desperate cry for support, and I hope for your sake others come on to agree with you - perhaps boiler room scamsters or impoverished undocumented teachers; I believe there are such in Thailand, though I don’t think I ever met one.

What I would say is that the reasons for holidaying in Thailand are not necessarily good reasons for working in Thailand, and it takes a lot of self-discipline to keep a job if those are the reasons that brought you.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30352400

 

I am sure when they hear you are in a taxi on your way, that the traffic gives way and lets you pass right through, same as the Royals?

 

Once again there is always facts and if you want to be taken serious, post some facts or evidence

 

 

[FritsSikkink]

On ‎10‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 6:19 PM, bwpage3 said:

Isn't it a proven fact you need money to live on?

 

There is nothing materialistic about that now is there?

 

Isn't it a fact that one day everyone gets old and if you have no pension or retirement, you have no way to financially survive?

 

For every year a person works outside of their own countries retirement system, they lower the amount they will have at retirement.

 

For instance if you have worked in Thailand as a school teacher for 20 years, your US social security would be nothing.

 

One day you turn 65, have no job in Thailand and nothing to live on.

Did you ever think about that there are people earning a lot of money here too? Not everybody is a school teacher.

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, bwpage3 said:

1 hour ago, StreetCowboy said:

Why do you drive down that road?  It’s easy to find pictures of cars in any city.  

Be serious, is there any road into the city that is not backed up like this because if you are answer yes, send a photo.

 

Bangkok, Manila, Delhi, Jakarta all have terrible traffic which make the place awful for the work commute. 

London has an overcrowded public transport system which makes it awful for a work commute, it has a congestion and parking charge making it prohibitively expensive to commute via private vehicle. Winter commuting in rain and sleet is simply dreadful. 

Singapore has a better transport options in that the MRT and busses are not quite so overcrowd - but its still depressing.

Dubai has has traffic, but its not quite as bad. 

 

Of the cities I have worked the transport options are barely tolerable - with perhaps the exception of Dubai and Abu Dhabi traveling to and from work is nothing more than an chore.

Bangkok is not really any worse than many other cities.

[FritsSikkink]

9 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

I think it is fair to say Thailand is not known as the land of exorbitant salaries

 

You have a Benz or BWM or 2 in the drive? Perhaps 3 cars?

 

Or a Honda Jazz?

 

Or even a car at all?

How many luxury cars do you have and what brand and year?

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, bwpage3 said:

What you consider to be the best and what is actually the best are 2 completely different things.

 

I think the international ratings of all Thai schools prove that

 

The best international school in Bangkok isn't anything to brag about

 

Having some recent experience at a Florida State University, their intensive English course, 6 levels with 3 courses per level (2 years, then need to pass admittance exam) is chock full of people from other countries with Masters Degrees, Teaching Degrees, you name it.

 

Why do you think that is?

 

The level of English required to successfully compete a known college or Uni in the USA is way beyond the education they received in their own countries.

 

This particular course has rich Thai students, Saudis, Brazilian, Portuguese, loads of Chinese, South Koreans and others. What you don't see are Indians, Philippines, or others where english is a main language.

 

All exceptionally smart in their countries but do not possess an english proficiency to get into college upon arrival

 

A couple of us have kids with the Thai international school experience, and then the western experience and all are telling the same story.

 

Kids from ANY Thai schools were behind their western counterparts, and in our own case, 1 year behind

 

Our son with graduate from a US High School this spring with an overall GPA of 3.9 with 3 language skills.

 

He will also be 19 years old which is a full year plus older than the kids that grew up here

 

You can believe what ever you want until you get faced with the truth as so many of us have been faced with

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why would somebody go to a school in the USA with all the gun crazy idiots around.

[richard_smith237]

10 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

I think it is fair to say Thailand is not known as the land of exorbitant salaries

 

You have a Benz or BWM or 2 in the drive? Perhaps 3 cars?

 

Or a Honda Jazz?

 

Or even a car at all?

 

You're getting silly... this is an interesting debate - please don't let it deteriorate by trying to win at all costs to your credibility with unintelligent pettiness. 

[JLCrab]

This is a photo of the Thai student Association at the University of Florida - Gainesville. Most I would guess attended high school in Thailand.

[StreetCowboy]

2 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30352400

 

I am sure when they hear you are in a taxi on your way, that the traffic gives way and lets you pass right through, same as the Royals?

 

Once again there is always facts and if you want to be taken serious, post some facts or evidence

 

 

I told you I spent about 130 baht in a taxi on the way to the office, and rarely stood stationary for more than five minutes. 

 

If I was lying, I would lie about the names of the universities and qualifications.  If you have to resort to calling anonymous strangers liars to boost your self belief, then I am not going to piss on your bonfire.

 

I believe people can have different experiences.  Richard seems to share similar experiences to me.  I can assure you some people are happy working in Thailand, some people work in Thailand because of the job and not because of the place and are happy here, as they would be elsewhere.

 

I believe there are also some people that accept jobs in Thailand for the sake of the place and not the job, and I believe some of them are happy to do so. 

 

Thailand was different from any other place that I worked, but so were all the other places that I worked.  I and my family would probably rate it middling of all the places that we've lived, but different times, different family circumstances.... 

 

It's probably best explained if I tell a little story, which you might find irrelevant. 

 

While still a young student I worked in a certain English town, and from time to time would go drinking with my colleagues.  "You've been  to the USA", one said, "I'm planning on going travelling; where would you recommend?"

"Well," I said, "the best night out I had was in Albaquerque, but.."

"Albaquerque?"

"But .... "

"That's all I need to know"

"No it isn't..."

"Albaquerque!"

Years passed, and I found myself back in that English town, and called up my old acquaintances and met them for a drink.

"Yefookinbastirt. FookinAlaquerque! Ah'venever beensobored soquickly in my life asin fookinAlbaquerque"

and I can see that if you didn't get invited to a hardcore skinhead punk gig in somebody's house out in the suburbs, and then get chased home by the coppers, I can see that his experience of Albaquerque might not have been the same as mine.  Which is what I tried to tell him ,but he wouldn't listen.

 

Before anyone's tempted to go there, Albaquerque may have changed in the last thirty years.

 

SC

[StreetCowboy]

12 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

How many luxury cars do you have and what brand and year?

I used to have a Proton.  It was a pleasant surprise. 

I'd rather pay school fees than drive a Mercedes or a Jaguar or a Honda.

I'm currently driving a Nissan, and its pish compared to the Proton.

 

I was cycling through a tunnel recently, and a bloke went roaring past with a tuned exhaust, and I said to my mate "If you need an exhaust like that to pass cyclists, you really need to man up".

 

SC

[StreetCowboy]

24 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30352400

 

I am sure when they hear you are in a taxi on your way, that the traffic gives way and lets you pass right through, same as the Royals?

 

Once again there is always facts and if you want to be taken serious, post some facts or evidence

 

 

Out of interest, what date is that photo? It seems to show the skytrain under construction. 

 

I think that the Skytrain is one of the best Asian transit systems I've seen.  Unlike the BMCL Underground, they don't try to be a world class railway.  They just run packed trains in both directions all day long.  What more can you do?

[StreetCowboy]

34 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

 I don’t even know whom General Tinsulanonda school is named after

 

You appear to know little about Thailand then

 

And if you know that little, you probably know even less about quality of schools

All I know about schools in Thailand I learnt from sending my children to one, and some gossip on this forum.  People on this forum often talk about schools in Thailand, but I have never heard anyone mention General Tinsulanonda until I did just now, on the basis of someone mentioning a school named after him.

[richard_smith237]

4 minutes ago, StreetCowboy said:

Out of interest, what date is that photo? It seems to show the skytrain under construction. 

 

I think that the Skytrain is one of the best Asian transit systems I've seen.  Unlike the BMCL Underground, they don't try to be a world class railway.  They just run packed trains in both directions all day long.  What more can you do?

 

Not long ago - you can see the new Model Honda CRV and Fortuna.

 

The skytrain 'could' be much better if they added additional carriages at rush hour. 

London's equally overcrowded at rush hour... and so is Tokyo's... being exposed to regular overcrowding is an unfortunate byproduct of living in a capital city.

 

None of it makes Bangkok any more or less enjoyable than the other cities... As mentioned somewhere earlier... a lot of whether or not a city is 'all that' relies solely on your mental outlook. 

 

If someone has decided that working and living in Bangkok is a drag its going to be difficult to persuade them otherwise... as highlighted by this thread.

 

[observer90210]

To the OP: Is there any...any country in the world where working is all that fun ? ? ? 

 

I'm sure that even those in positions,  that general thought may consider "dream jobs", must be fed up on few mornings or evenings to go to work.

[richard_smith237]

9 minutes ago, StreetCowboy said:

45 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

 I don’t even know whom General Tinsulanonda school is named after

 

You appear to know little about Thailand then

 

And if you know that little, you probably know even less about quality of schools

All I know about schools in Thailand I learnt from sending my children to one, and some gossip on this forum.  People on this forum often talk about schools in Thailand, but I have never heard anyone mention General Tinsulanonda until I did just now, on the basis of someone mentioning a school named after him.

 

More commonly known as General Prem...  I'd never heard of him being referred to as General Tinsulonda before either.

 

It would seem that the Op is using his experience with one particular school in Chiang Mai and drawing that parallel to all International Schools.

 

When looking at an International School it is worth looking at the Universities attended by its alumni - some prestigious Universities are commonly listed. It is this which helped me choose my Son's school and also give me confidence that his educate would not be negatively impacted by being schooled in Thailand (at a top Int'l School), conversely, I am of the opinion that his education here will be better than the school he would attend in the UK unless I were to send him to a UK Private School.