International Schools - Fees

[think_too_mut]

Ah, forgot to say....there are 185 teaching days at expensive schools...so, for 400,000B first year my daughter would be on 2,200 baht per day. Geez, in wife's village whole family is happy to have that money every 2 weeks.

Oh, and what a day it is? from 8:30 to 12:30 is not a day....only 4 out of 24 hours.

Stop being a Cheap Caharlie

Education is important

You pay for what you get

Do you drink cheap homemade whisty?

That's not true. You pay whatever they charge and get whatever they deliver. Their call.

Just get any explanation what 10K US$ registration fee means. Before any education services have begun.

What is "whisty"? You meant "whiskey"?

[esbobes]

Ah, forgot to say....there are 185 teaching days at expensive schools...so, for 400,000B first year my daughter would be on 2,200 baht per day. Geez, in wife's village whole family is happy to have that money every 2 weeks.

Oh, and what a day it is? from 8:30 to 12:30 is not a day....only 4 out of 24 hours.

Stop being a Cheap Caharlie

Education is important

You pay for what you get

Do you drink cheap homemade whisty?

That's not true. You pay whatever they charge and get whatever they deliver. Their call.

Just get any explanation what 10K US$ registration fee means. Before any education services have begun.

What is "whisty"? You meant "whiskey"?

You known what I mean you drink cheap whiskey I will bet

Spend the money on your childs edcuation

[think_too_mut]

Ah, forgot to say....there are 185 teaching days at expensive schools...so, for 400,000B first year my daughter would be on 2,200 baht per day. Geez, in wife's village whole family is happy to have that money every 2 weeks.

Oh, and what a day it is? from 8:30 to 12:30 is not a day....only 4 out of 24 hours.

Stop being a Cheap Caharlie

Education is important

You pay for what you get

Do you drink cheap homemade whisty?

That's not true. You pay whatever they charge and get whatever they deliver. Their call.

Just get any explanation what 10K US$ registration fee means. Before any education services have begun.

What is "whisty"? You meant "whiskey"?

You known what I mean you drink cheap whiskey I will bet

Spend the money on your childs edcuation

If good education, as good health care, is expensive, there could be better than what I came accross.

Is there a hospital more expensive than Bumrungrad? I want that one!

With schools, why only 10,000US$ for registration fee?

A good school out there should charge more - 50, 60, 100K US$ just for registration, if they are worth their salt.

Edited September 12, 2007 by think_too_mut

[bggg]

It always amazes me the comments parents make about their young childrens education. The first years are the most important, that is where you lay the foundation for the rest of their years not vice versa. People who think I will send my child to an okay or adequate school until they are older really do their children a diservice in my opinion. Once they have formed their attitudes and learning styles it is very hard to change them when they reach an age that some of you seem to think suddenly matters when is that? 10? 12? university? It would be better to give them the best schools at the youngest age so they develope the ability to learn discover and challenge themselves. This they will carry with them the rest of their lives. Think about it, you build the foundation of anything 1st to serve as the support and strength for all that will come after.

[think_too_mut]

It always amazes me the comments parents make about their young childrens education. The first years are the most important, that is where you lay the foundation for the rest of their years not vice versa. People who think I will send my child to an okay or adequate school until they are older really do their children a diservice in my opinion. Once they have formed their attitudes and learning styles it is very hard to change them when they reach an age that some of you seem to think suddenly matters when is that? 10? 12? university? It would be better to give them the best schools at the youngest age so they develope the ability to learn discover and challenge themselves. This they will carry with them the rest of their lives. Think about it, you build the foundation of anything 1st to serve as the support and strength for all that will come after.

Best schools are not Internationals schools.

It would be hard to find Nobel prize winners who had attended some International school, possibly not even many scientists or prominent figures (other than entertainment).

Finally, we all understand that. This thread is about school fees and doubts that expensive International schools available in BKK are best possible as their price lists would suggest.

Just check how many people have trashed Bumrungrad, the most expensive hospital in BKK, for a mediocre or even ill care.

[esbobes]

Thats ridiculous, my son 5yo...does 8.30 till 3pm and costs 36k by 3 terms and i consider that expensive.

I know the best schools don't take Farangs in my children's class all 7 of them they don't have Farang or half Farang children. I am glad to pay 600,000 baht per child year per child.

<edit>

Edited September 22, 2007 by Totster
Idiot / troll comment removed

[think_too_mut]

Thats ridiculous, my son 5yo...does 8.30 till 3pm and costs 36k by 3 terms and i consider that expensive.

I know the best schools don't take Farangs in my children's class all 7 of them they don't have Farang or half Farang children. I am glad to pay 600,000 baht per child year per child.

Trolling? 7 x600,000 = 4.2 mil baht per year.

What's that International school that does not admit farang or half farang?

Edited September 22, 2007 by Totster

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Thats ridiculous, my son 5yo...does 8.30 till 3pm and costs 36k by 3 terms and i consider that expensive.

I know the best schools don't take Farangs in my children's class all 7 of them they don't have Farang or half Farang children. I am glad to pay 600,000 baht per child year per child.

Trolling? 7 x600,000 = 4.2 mil baht per year.

What's that International school that does not admit farang or half farang?

If he is not a troll he will do until we get one.

[Ijustwannateach]

I would advise parents to be very inquisitive about their children's schools and their budgets- especially the salaries of the teachers. Remember that high fees do not translate necessarily into high salaries; and if the school pays peanuts it will get monkeys no matter what *you* are paying. I'd say if the school is paying at least 60-70K a month to its teachers there is a chance that it is getting the best pick of the local hires (which *can* be sufficient though it is not a sure thing); if the school is "true-blue" international it should be paying more in the neighborhood of 120K+.

Most "true-blue" licensed-back-home teachers won't be found working for long in Thai schools (EP, MP, or otherwise) at any wage level because they are unwilling to tolerate the unprofessionalism/corruption of local management practices in many schools (by "Western" standards, anyway).

"Steven"

[trader1]

if the school is "true-blue" international it should be paying more in the neighborhood of 120K+.

Can someone confirm that genuine international schools pay over 120,000/ month.

[think_too_mut]

if the school is "true-blue" international it should be paying more in the neighborhood of 120K+.

Can someone confirm that genuine international schools pay over 120,000/ month.

I thought it's a common knowledge. 80K +

Then 120K is not outlandish.

[samran]

if the school is "true-blue" international it should be paying more in the neighborhood of 120K+.

Can someone confirm that genuine international schools pay over 120,000/ month.

yep. My wife is an International teacher...but taking a couple of years off while we start a family. Salaries like that are in the ball park, plus all the other things like flights home, reasoanble health insurance coverage, accomadation allowance, and educational allowance. Your get to study there free.

Depending on the school, sub-work can pay between 3K to 4k per day. They obviously handle the work permits etc.

[YangYaiEric]

It would be great if some of the posters would mention the names and locations of these affordable schools....I'm sure there will be a lot of interest.

Does anyone know of any reasonably priced schools in the Phimai area? I imagine Korat will be my best bet.

Hi pumpuiman.

My 2 daughters attend Assumption College in Korat. I pay 20k B. per. term for each (term = 6 months). Excellent school IMHO, with and English Program too!

[sylvafern]

if the school is "true-blue" international it should be paying more in the neighborhood of 120K+.

Can someone confirm that genuine international schools pay over 120,000/ month.

Yes, it is true and them some .... as someone said there are all the other benefits on top of that as well. I think ijustwannateach has a good idea .... if you find out what the teachers are being paid then it will give you a reasonable idea of the quality of teaching. Most well-qualified, experienced and excellent teachers would not except anything less, nor would schools employ mediocre teachers when they are paying so much (of course, some still slip through the net). As an international school teacher who is on one of these salaries, it does annoy me that people make claims that int'l schools are only in it to make money, etc. I wonder if those people have ever actually asked a school what their annual profit is .... I think they would be very surprised - not all schools are make the huge profits you might think they are. I do believe that, for the most part, you do get what you pay for. If you want a high quality education delivered in the English language in Thailand, then you will need to accept that it costs a lot of money. The key to finding the right school is by doing your research thoroughly and by asking as many questions as you can think of when visiting prospective schools.

Sorry I can't help with the original poster's question. I just wanted to respond to some of the comments about international schools .... it really irks me when people make comments with out really knowing what they are talking about .... and as for the post about the types of students at international schools, well there may be the odd kid like that but the other 99% of the student body are normal, well-rounded super kids.

[onethailand]

You need to research each school carefully - many of them charge high prices - only some of them deliver high quality education.

I'm putting three kids through international school on my own dime - no discounts - and I am always behind - but fortunately they understand my predicament and my kids have been there from the first year - and I don't regret it for one moment.

There *is* a big difference between an international style education and a Thai one, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It is also important from the earliest years.

In Thai schools, kids are taught to obey, learn by rote, and think only inside the box. I'll make an exception for the private Thai schools, but definitely not the government schools.

Between 100-120K is what you should expect to pay per term, 3 terms/year for the British system.

TTM - which area do you live in? Might be easier to make recommendations that way.

[think_too_mut]

You need to research each school carefully - many of them charge high prices - only some of them deliver high quality education.

I'm putting three kids through international school on my own dime - no discounts - and I am always behind - but fortunately they understand my predicament and my kids have been there from the first year - and I don't regret it for one moment.

There *is* a big difference between an international style education and a Thai one, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It is also important from the earliest years.

In Thai schools, kids are taught to obey, learn by rote, and think only inside the box. I'll make an exception for the private Thai schools, but definitely not the government schools.

Between 100-120K is what you should expect to pay per term, 3 terms/year for the British system.

TTM - which area do you live in? Might be easier to make recommendations that way.

There are 2-3 schools in Thong Lor and Ekkamai (where we are at). Bristish Prep School is one of them but prices are very high.

[onethailand]

There are 2-3 schools in Thong Lor and Ekkamai (where we are at). Bristish Prep School is one of them but prices are very high.

LOL. I live in Ekamai. My kids go to St. Andrews on Sukhumvit 71 but that's in the 110K per term range for each child. Some of their friends go to BKK Prep - for similar fees, I think you've already outlined them earlier. Others go to Ekamai International School (cheap but I wouldn't recommend), American School of Bangkok in Soi 49 (expensive and definitely wouldn't recommend but that's another story entirely), Wells International School on Soi 51...

However - your child is 3, as I recall. There are a few kindergarten/nurseries around this area - there's one on Soi 53 (called Brain or something like that), a famous Thai one called See Pee Nong (4 siblings) down the street from the Japanese village (or Woodstock Bar if you know that better), and I believe there's one or two around Soi 49 (haven't looked lately because my kids are 7 and older).

St. Andrews has been wonderful for my kids though and the fees have clearly been put into good use as they grew from a one-house property to quite a large school (about double the size of BKK Prep).

[Old Man River]

There are 2-3 schools in Thong Lor and Ekkamai (where we are at). Bristish Prep School is one of them but prices are very high.

LOL. I live in Ekamai. My kids go to St. Andrews on Sukhumvit 71 but that's in the 110K per term range for each child. Some of their friends go to BKK Prep - for similar fees, I think you've already outlined them earlier. Others go to Ekamai International School (cheap but I wouldn't recommend), American School of Bangkok in Soi 49 (expensive and definitely wouldn't recommend but that's another story entirely), Wells International School on Soi 51...

However - your child is 3, as I recall. There are a few kindergarten/nurseries around this area - there's one on Soi 53 (called Brain or something like that), a famous Thai one called See Pee Nong (4 siblings) down the street from the Japanese village (or Woodstock Bar if you know that better), and I believe there's one or two around Soi 49 (haven't looked lately because my kids are 7 and older).

St. Andrews has been wonderful for my kids though and the fees have clearly been put into good use as they grew from a one-house property to quite a large school (about double the size of BKK Prep).

My kid also goes to St. Andrews (soi 71) and our experience has been exactly the same.

[onethailand]

My kid also goes to St. Andrews (soi 71) and our experience has been exactly the same.

LOL!

Inevitably one day we're going to run into each other at Fun Day or something... then we can chat about Macau

I occasionally have very minor complaints. On the other hand, I never turn up for parent-teacher conferences and when they ask why, I say they are doing a great job (and they are, besides which those are usually my sleep hours).

I know if anything serious comes up I or my wife will get a call - and nothing has ever happened other than a bad nosebleed once. My kids are at the top of their respective classes (no thanks to me) and good athletes to boot - so I know the school is definitely doing something right!

TTM - if you want to know more, let me know and I will put you in touch with the registrar.

[Old Man River]

My kid also goes to St. Andrews (soi 71) and our experience has been exactly the same.

LOL!

Inevitably one day we're going to run into each other at Fun Day or something... then we can chat about Macau

I occasionally have very minor complaints. On the other hand, I never turn up for parent-teacher conferences and when they ask why, I say they are doing a great job (and they are, besides which those are usually my sleep hours).

I know if anything serious comes up I or my wife will get a call - and nothing has ever happened other than a bad nosebleed once. My kids are at the top of their respective classes (no thanks to me) and good athletes to boot - so I know the school is definitely doing something right!

TTM - if you want to know more, let me know and I will put you in touch with the registrar.

Good in sports? We must have run into each other at one of the various tournaments.

For the OP, St. Andrews was originally started by those that were affiliated with Bangkok Pattana. They have several campuses, but usually the Thai ownership is different at each location, while the ex-pat ownership is often similar. They have told me that they aren't looking for one school with 2,000 students, but rather multiple locations with far less at each location. Hence, while the soi 71 campus has grown (it currently has around 480 students), based on existing infrastructure at this location, the ceiling is 650 students.

[onethailand]

Good in sports? We must have run into each other at one of the various tournaments.

Wouldn't have been at one of those as I am a bad daddy and don't usually attend the tournaments - and actually I think my eldest prefers it that way You know, parental pressure and all...

For the OP, St. Andrews was originally started by those that were affiliated with Bangkok Pattana. They have several campuses, but usually the Thai ownership is different at each location, while the ex-pat ownership is often similar. They have told me that they aren't looking for one school with 2,000 students, but rather multiple locations with far less at each location. Hence, while the soi 71 campus has grown (it currently has around 480 students), based on existing infrastructure at this location, the ceiling is 650 students.

Exactly. And they've maintained a fairly good mix of students over the years. I know of a number of parents/students who actually left for other schools - and came back a year later because there was simply no comparison.

[torrenova]

but also (certainly at my daughters) it is to pay for new buildings etc.

I've been thinking about that argument and I think it is a load of rubbish.

If the school doesn't have the facilities now then the fees should be less. Why should current kids pay for future people's useage of buildings etc. ?

What it really means is that the owners (and remember it is a business) either haven't got enough cash, they are taking too much out in profits or some other lack of capital reason.

To say it is ok to charge some sky high entrance fee is daft. To charge another fee when the child progresses up the school age group is even more absurd. What I'll do I do not know !

[think_too_mut]

but also (certainly at my daughters) it is to pay for new buildings etc.

I've been thinking about that argument and I think it is a load of rubbish.

If the school doesn't have the facilities now then the fees should be less. Why should current kids pay for future people's useage of buildings etc. ?

What it really means is that the owners (and remember it is a business) either haven't got enough cash, they are taking too much out in profits or some other lack of capital reason.

To say it is ok to charge some sky high entrance fee is daft. To charge another fee when the child progresses up the school age group is even more absurd. What I'll do I do not know !

That means 1.st that companies are paying the fees and there is no much complaint from individuals.

Just checked last week American International School here (Japan) and their entry fee is 1800US&. Other prices are similar to what is charged in BKK. About 25KUS$ for everuthing (incl. school bus) a year.

We may all move over here in April for other reasons, the school will be ready if we do.

[torrenova]

Why would anyone care if their company was paying the fees. Only perhaps if they got a kick back from the school !

[MsFigure]

Here are the current fees for St.Andrews which my daughter goes to (Kindergarten).

Expensive, but not as bad as some might think. And it's definitely worth it

[torrenova]

So about 90k per term * 3, plus maybe 20k for extra english * 3, plus 3k * 3 for lunch, plus 17k * 3 for transport and you're doing about 400k per year which is a fair chunk of cash. I only joked that my baby was going to be a 20,000,000 baht project but it is true !

Overpriced ? without much doubt but if you can afford it, who would not pay it.

[PPG]

Why is this topic pinned? Doesn't exactly give any useful info for parents looking for advice/pricing on International Schools as of June 2008.

Cheers,

PPG

Edited June 5, 2008 by PPG

[paulpaul]

I would recommend "System Little House" on Thonglor Soi5. You will like it. It's an international fun-based preschool at a rather resonable fee. My daughter, 3, like the class there a lot.

[APBKK]

For those that are interested, The American School of Bangkok (International School) is offering Full Scholarships!

As part of our celebrations for our 25^th anniversary as a school, we are offering full student scholarships. Please feel free to contact the Communications Director for details on 02-6208600 ext 133.

[johnfb]

Saint John's International School (near Phahon Yothin MRT station and Central Ladprao) has excellent facilities and competitive fees. We have a scholarship programme available. Look at www.international.stjohn.ac.th. You are welcome to PM me for more details. We have a British curriculum for students aged 2-19 and a N. American curriculum for students aged 15 and upwards.