International Schools

[kayaker]

Am looking into schools for my daughter, have some experience of international schools Just want to know how things work, how do visa renewals go if you work there? are you really incorporating the british curriculum, if so how? how are children graded, SAT's GCSE's etc are they real or just cpoied from long ago. Are the children really getting a british education? do the facilities/opportunities available justify the cost?

lots fo questions, have heard lots of stories, just want clarification. There never seems to be much on these forums about international education just TEFL.

[paperplates]

Am looking into schools for my daughter, have some experience of international schools Just want to know how things work, how do visa renewals go if you work there? are you really incorporating the british curriculum, if so how? how are children graded, SAT's GCSE's etc are they real or just cpoied from long ago. Are the children really getting a british education? do the facilities/opportunities available justify the cost?

lots fo questions, have heard lots of stories, just want clarification. There never seems to be much on these forums about international education just TEFL.

The schools do all your visa renewals for you - you just sign a piece of paper every three months and that's it. Initially you need to give them all your original degree and teaching degree certificates and they get your license and work permit. The curriculum in a British International school will be very similar to a school in the UK. They keep themselves updated on all new developments and incorporate them into their curriculums. They do 'real' exams, sent from abroad, properly invigilated and set on the same days they are set in the UK. If they were copied then the students wouldn't have genuine qualifications! They really are getting a British education. Most of the school fees go to paying the teachers' salaries which are generally similar to what they would get in a UK school. If you pay less you are likely to be getting unqualified teachers. The 'TEFL' teachers in International schools are usually fully qualified teachers with additional qualifications in TEFL so they are also on UK salaries.

[mbkudu]

I used to tutor a young Thai kid who went to Harrow, a school with a British curriculum , and from what I could see, he was getting a good education. He was required to pass a series of Cambridge tests; the KET, PET and FCE that were graded and evaluated externally. He also seemed to think his teachers were good, whereas, he did not have a good experience at the Thai run 'international' school that his parents had pulled him out of.

[konungrid]

Kayaker - did you have any luck finding a school for your daughter?

I'm in the same boat but for next academic year. My son (12 yrs old) is at a public school in the UK at the moment and we are heading to the Kingdom of Siam next year. Have been browsing the web for info and would really appreciate some more info from expats already in Thailand. So, two (big) questions really.

1. Have seen websites of schools like "Harrow" and all that, but do these schools have anything to do with the schools in England? I'd like my kid to go to a good school but don't want to pay for just the badge. Are any of the teachers at these 'branded' school actually from the original UK school? Do they have anything to do with the 'real' schools in the UK (sorry, very cynical, but this is important right?) Are these schools owned by the likes of Harrow and Shrewsbury (or is it Marlborough) or are they owned by Thais? This is important to me, as if I'm going to spend money on Harrow, I want it to be run by Harrow, if you know what I mean.

2. Have read from these forums some good words (and some quite worrying ones too!) for Thai international schools. Have you found that these are better value than the 'branded' schools? Pattana sounds really good, but I'm not sure about the size or the value (vs. keeping my son in the UK). My son's current school has about 800 students and that's about as large as I can tolerate (but 90 students at St. Stephen's is too low for me).

3. Ok, so I said two questions, but this isn't that important, but could be a deal clincher - any good catholic international schools? Not the evangelical types though please - don't want my son to be a monk.

Thanks for any replies and sorry for the v. long post.