Schools in Phuket

[Eibot]

Hi All,

 

Currently living in Khon Kaen with my wife and two kids (7yo and 10yo). We are thinking of moving to Phuket as we want to be closer to the ocean and more expats. I have been searching for schools but some of them are at really silly prices 300K and up per year.

 

Can anyone recommend a school in the price range of maximum 150K per year per child (cheaper but good is also welcome ???? )

 

We havent decided on a location of our stay yet, and that will all be depending on schools location.

 

Thanks!

[osmar]

English only programme or an IEP programme?

[Eibot]

Just now, osmar said:

English only programme or an IEP programme?

IEP I would say. I want my children to be speaking the language of the country they live in ???? 

[osmar]

Two schools to look at are Darasamuth and ThaiHua. Both are Phuket Town. Darasamuth has the edge on Thai Hua and is favoured by the Chinese speaking of Phuket. 

[zzzzz]

for That price ur only looking at the 2 thai schools mentioned above,

 

Even head start,QSI,  Kajonkiet , Montessori and some lessor bi lingual schools are in the 300,000++ range\

the better ones  600,000++

 

Edited February 23, 2021 by zzzzz

[stevenl]

Kajonkiet EP, Dowroong, also within range.

[beechbum]

6 hours ago, zzzzz said:

 

 

Kajonkiet , 300,000++

 

He's looking at EP not International.

Kajonkiet Kathu EP for a P5 student is around baht 63,000 a semester at the moment.

 

 

Edited February 23, 2021 by beechbum

[fiddlehead]

On 2/22/2021 at 2:48 PM, osmar said:

Two schools to look at are Darasamuth and ThaiHua. Both are Phuket Town. Darasamuth has the edge on Thai Hua and is favoured by the Chinese speaking of Phuket. 

 

My son went to Darasamuth and then Thai Hua (where he is now).  

Both schools are quite near each other in town.  
Thai Hua much less expensive.  Only around 52,000 per year.  
Studying Chinese language is mandatory at Thai Hua. 
I didn't know they even teach it at Darasamuth.   
Some teachers are good and some:  not so good, at both schools. 
That's what it really comes down to isn't it?   

If you visit both campuses, I think you'll see that Thai Hua is a cut above. With their own music building, swimming stadium, rubberized track, etc.   
The Thai kids really seem to dislike learning Chinese though.   

 

[osmar]

Thai Hua has more lessons of Chinese a week than Darasamuth.

Costs for EP,IEP and Thai programes at each school are very different.

Websites for many schools need updating as they don't always necessarily reflect post-covid costs. Get a Thai speaker to phone. Quality of teaching is more important than pretty buildings; the classroom experience is the most important thing.  

[Eibot]

On 2/23/2021 at 8:14 PM, fiddlehead said:

 

My son went to Darasamuth and then Thai Hua (where he is now).  

Both schools are quite near each other in town.  
Thai Hua much less expensive.  Only around 52,000 per year.  
Studying Chinese language is mandatory at Thai Hua. 
I didn't know they even teach it at Darasamuth.   
Some teachers are good and some:  not so good, at both schools. 
That's what it really comes down to isn't it?   

If you visit both campuses, I think you'll see that Thai Hua is a cut above. With their own music building, swimming stadium, rubberized track, etc.   
The Thai kids really seem to dislike learning Chinese though.   

 

Thanks for the response.

 

In hindsight, which school do you recommend now? Does your kid speak fluent Thai and English? 

[Eibot]

On 2/23/2021 at 10:58 AM, zzzzz said:

for That price ur only looking at the 2 thai schools mentioned above,

 

Even head start,QSI,  Kajonkiet , Montessori and some lessor bi lingual schools are in the 300,000++ range\

the better ones  600,000++

 

Thanks, im looking really at bilingual/EP. I have no interest in solely English schools as they already speak the language. 

[zzzzz]

28 minutes ago, Eibot said:

Thanks, im looking really at bilingual/EP. I have no interest in solely English schools as they already speak the language. 

are your kids thai? and ur planning on them living and staying in Thailand?
other wise ur cheating them by not giving them a western education 

Even in the international schools, thai is taught/required

schools more than just speaking english as i am sure you know

[Eibot]

17 hours ago, zzzzz said:

are your kids thai? and ur planning on them living and staying in Thailand?
other wise ur cheating them by not giving them a western education 

Even in the international schools, thai is taught/required

schools more than just speaking english as i am sure you know

My ex went to shrewsbury international school and could barely spell her own last name. Furthermore norms and values were long gone since most were richers kids, who were used to being able to do everything they want.

 

My children just came from the UK, and I would like to teach them Thai language, with these norms and values. My children have the opportunity to go to University/college for free when they reach a certain age in the Netherlands. So we are talking about 3-5 years in Thailand. 

At this moment they are going to an international school here in Isaan. 

[zzzzz]

wow this puts a whole new spin on things,  I  assumed I, ( now it seems incorrectly) that they are half thai> living in thailand

If at their age in and currently in an international school and not being able to speak thai they wont survive a thai school.  They need to be taught in english.  How will they transition to a HS or university in Holland if they dont have the background subjects?

MY daughter did years 3-12 at an international school and went on to university in the states with no problem, I'd hate to think how she would have even passed the sat tests without the international school education. 

 

I doubt this,,, "My ex went to shrewsbury international school and could barely spell her own last name."

 

Good luck, phuket is a great place for a family

[stevenl]

9 minutes ago, zzzzz said:

wow this puts a whole new spin on things,  I  assumed I, ( now it seems incorrectly) that they are half thai> living in thailand

If at their age in and currently in an international school and not being able to speak thai they wont survive a thai school.  They need to be taught in english.  How will they transition to a HS or university in Holland if they dont have the background subjects?

MY daughter did years 3-12 at an international school and went on to university in the states with no problem, I'd hate to think how she would have even passed the sat tests without the international school education. 

 

I doubt this,,, "My ex went to shrewsbury international school and could barely spell her own last name."

 

Good luck, phuket is a great place for a family

So you doubt the OP's words, and think you know better than he does regarding his wishes. If I were the OP I would take your suggestions with not one but quite a few grains of salt.

[osmar]

Forget even an EP Programme at a "Thai" school there will still be too much Thai  for your children to survive. I am afraid to say a "cheap" International school is the only answer and such do not exist in Phuket where they are ridiculously expensive and in many cases not worth the money.

 

You probably are best to stay where you are.

[stevenl]

6 hours ago, osmar said:

Forget even an EP Programme at a "Thai" school there will still be too much Thai  for your children to survive. I am afraid to say a "cheap" International school is the only answer and such do not exist in Phuket where they are ridiculously expensive and in many cases not worth the money.

 

You probably are best to stay where you are.

"Forget even an EP Programme at a "Thai" school there will still be too much Thai  for your children to survive."

Disagree with that.

 

"I am afraid to say a "cheap" International school is the only answer and such do not exist in Phuket"
Not true.

 

"You probably are best to stay where you are."

Disagree with that as well.

[Eibot]

On 2/26/2021 at 12:55 PM, zzzzz said:

wow this puts a whole new spin on things,  I  assumed I, ( now it seems incorrectly) that they are half thai> living in thailand

If at their age in and currently in an international school and not being able to speak thai they wont survive a thai school.  They need to be taught in english.  How will they transition to a HS or university in Holland if they dont have the background subjects?

MY daughter did years 3-12 at an international school and went on to university in the states with no problem, I'd hate to think how she would have even passed the sat tests without the international school education. 

 

I doubt this,,, "My ex went to shrewsbury international school and could barely spell her own last name."

 

Good luck, phuket is a great place for a family

You assumed correctly. They are half Thai and they are living in Thailand. They have been raised in the UK.

 

Exactly, they won't be able to survive, hence they need to learn Thai. They are fluent in English and speak it better than myself (because they were raised in the UK). We have special Erasmus programs for people who have studied abroad in The Netherlands (not Holland). We don't have SAT tests like in the States, but there ofcourse need to be a baseline level of the Dutch language (which I'm teaching them at home). 

 

Thanks for the help!

[Eibot]

On 2/27/2021 at 7:37 AM, osmar said:

Forget even an EP Programme at a "Thai" school there will still be too much Thai  for your children to survive. I am afraid to say a "cheap" International school is the only answer and such do not exist in Phuket where they are ridiculously expensive and in many cases not worth the money.

 

You probably are best to stay where you are.

My kids are half Thai, and speak fluent english and very decent Dutch. Thai is what needs to be focussed on know, and preferably for a decent price. The EP programs seem perfect to be honest. 

 

I will have a look at them, thanks!

[zzzzz]

good idea to have them speak Thai, BUT they need the subjects taught in an international school to prepare them for further education in a western country!!

really it seems like you cant afford the international school charges as otherwise you'd keep them in one and if the 4-5 hours/week of Thai taught ( mandatory for half Thai kids)  is not enough, hire a Thai ONLY tutor.

[Eibot]

2 hours ago, zzzzz said:

good idea to have them speak Thai, BUT they need the subjects taught in an international school to prepare them for further education in a western country!!

really it seems like you cant afford the international school charges as otherwise you'd keep them in one and if the 4-5 hours/week of Thai taught ( mandatory for half Thai kids)  is not enough, hire a Thai ONLY tutor.

I understand your concern and point of view. My children go to an international school now where they follow the British curriculum. I'm far from impressed. It's not that I cannot afford to pay it, it's more that the cost doesn't way out the benefit. Maybe I change my mind after a year, who knows.

 

Also for further education in The Netherlands, it doesn't matter if their baseline education is Western, or from Russia, or China, or South America.. It matters that the subject you want to focus on, is on a certain levels. Besides this, we have three levels in the netherlands; MBO (lower) - HBO (Higher) - University (highest). 

 

We have many students from China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil who never went to an international school. Don't forget, the international schools in Thailand just teach basic curriculums that are being taught in public schools in home countries. 

Edited March 6, 2021 by Eibot

[fiddlehead]

On 2/25/2021 at 4:55 PM, Eibot said:

Thanks for the response.

 

In hindsight, which school do you recommend now? Does your kid speak fluent Thai and English? 

Sorry, I don't come on this site very often, and just now saw this. 
Yes, he speaks both fluently.  Mostly because  I am a native English speaker and corrected him throughout his life and he started in the Montessori school when it was in Rawai and had real Montessori teachers.  (i don't know if they can still say that though)          He speaks Thai more because that's all a lot of his friends speak.  But his English is perfect.    In school he is no 1 or 2 in his English class.  (he says)      Good luck.