37 minutes ago, phetpeter said:

I have spoken to my daughter and suggested that she become a young soldier and go to Harrogate college and train for a trade with the British army. as they need and train many people as there are lots of trades that don't involve bullet catchers. Plus get paid to learn and have a bright future away from Thailand. 

I have one niece from the Thai bunch of relatives I imported that should have done like that.  She speaks good English, has some sort of degree in logistics (think air cargo or whatnot).  She should have joined the US Air Force.  Ride out a career or jump ship and go to work for a major airline.  Could have gotten a job that would allow her to work in the US and Thailand.  But, no, just a bit too Thai and not adventuresome or career oriented.

11 hours ago, nahkit said:

Both of them rely on me to subsidise their lifestyle, I find nothing in that to be proud of.

Got you. Understandable so stop subsidizing them. They are adults now.

13 hours ago, BritManToo said:

My kids in Thailand are really happy, loving and sharing.

My kids in England are miserable, greedy and selfish.

 

Greed is the way of the west.

 

Greed is the way of the west.....good to know that thais are not greedy and only care about sanuk sanuk...

A couple of troll posts and replies have been removed from this thread.

On 11/19/2018 at 6:23 PM, JimmyTheMook said:

 

Here is a reality check in civility, if you want your kids to be able to even remotely compete in 

todays technology driven modern world - DO NOT EDUCATE THEM IN THAILAND.

 

 

I always find this comment interesting. We brought our 15 year old daughter here to New Zealand straight out of a typical government Thai school and she couldn’t speak a word of English. She was thrown straight into secondary school here with only an ESOl (English as a second language) class every second day and within a few months she was bringing home excellent and merit awards in maths, computing and accounting, which in my professional field I think being able to comprehend maths shows intelligence. Here merits and excellents count towards university entrance which she aced and went on to pass her bachelors of business degree with an A- rating. On the home front she arrived here into a loving home with her mum and a guy who found it impossible not to open his heart to her, which she hadn’t had in her life and who quickly became the Dad she learned very quickly believed in her, was always there for her, and loved her unconditionally which might have motivated her in a desire to return that love but the obvious was that it was the Thai school system that developed that initial intelligence. Perhaps for her the mix of early Thai education to appreciate her birth culture and family environment with finishing off in a Western system with a loving mum and Dad was the perfect blend. 

Interesting topic and posts....thanks fellow Kiwi.

Condolences to the poster loosing a child to a far away war. I lost my own daughter tragically and understand the pain when they leave so young. 

On ‎11‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 3:08 PM, smellyfish said:

well done on putting your kids first! lots of deadbeat dads here more interested in their happy hour circle of friends than giving their kids a first world education !

New Zealand isn't that good: https://worldtop20.org/2017-world-best-education-systems-1st-quarter-report

 

Sounds like you are the exception. I don't know anyone that bought their first home at that age with solely their own money. Also house prices are very different to what they were 30 years ago, having increased by a much higher percentage than salaries.   

I bought my first house in the US age 24 in 1982. Price was $28,000. It was a rental. I stop working in one yr. and my plan is to keep my 7 yr old in Thailand. She goes to an English Program School with classes thru M 6. I don't see anything wrong in remaining in Thailand for her education. A good Uni degree with fluent English skills will provide her with a nice life. Less stressful than the US. 

 

 

Here is a reality check in civility, if you want your kids to be able to even remotely compete in 

todays technology driven modern world - DO NOT EDUCATE THEM IN THAILAND.

 

 

Sorry but wrong ,wrong ,wrong, our son went to junior school in the UK then an international school here in Thailand ,then studied at university ,now at 26 he is running an import export company . just about to buy his first house , his wife also was educated the same as he was (not in the UK) and has a good job as well

On ‎11‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 3:41 PM, FritsSikkink said:

New Zealand isn't that good: https://worldtop20.org/2017-world-best-education-systems-1st-quarter-report

just from what I have seen since returning I am very happy with the level of public education in NZ and it is probably on par with the private schools I had my son in Thailand. I am lucky enough to be able to afford  to buy a house in the best school zone which is obviously important. the teachers my son has had over the last year have been excellent. small sample size of course.

If you can stand an example from another Asian country;

 

My son (I'm Canadian, my wife is Japanese) was born in Canada and stayed there until he was 3 years old. We then moved back to Japan and are still here. He attended local elementary school, then a semi-international junior/senior high school that specialized in educating bicultural children as well as children who had been brought up overseas. After that, accepted to a high ranking national university and graduated in April of this year. Now works for a large auto manufacturer in Global Marketing. Grew up bilingual- we spoke English only at home as a family, he learned Japanese through the school system, friends, extended family, etc.

 

IMHO the home environment and educational opportunities are equally important. You need to make an effort to live in an area that affords your kids the chance to go to a modern and international school if possible. I know lots of foreigners here in Japan who live in the countryside, their kids do local schools all the way through high school. Not terrible, but also IMHO it wastes the potential for their kids to do something special. Plus, a lot of their kids grow up with less than good English skills due to a combination of their home environment (both parents speak Japanese at home, even the foreign one) and their schooling.   Probably Thailand is the same- if you try to raise your kids in the backwoods of Isaan, they will be hard pressed to achieve up to their potential. 

Interesting read and each to their own. I go to see a local pharmacist for any reason I can think of.  I just like to talk to them as they are a young family with a lot of good info. Schools etc. Both husband and wife are pharmacists live in the shophouse which they own and just brought the shop next door and renovated into 1 big shop. While family is a very happy close knit group of 5 in the house. 

 

Both came from virtual poverty but their parents pushed them to education and they responded.

 

They have 2 on way to bilingual under 7 year old girls who attend a standard school, although well regarded.

 

I do not like the idea of moving the Mrs and near 2 year old to uk and touch wood I hope we never have to.

 

The lad will become bilingual at least and the digital age we are now in ensures he will be well upto speed where technology is concerned. I'd agree to an extent if the options were rural schools and localised bad habits were common but we chose wisely in terms of a location to live and I see value in that choice for his future and his mother but more than anything, instilling a good work ethic into the chap will surely provide the best chance for his future.