Educating Your Child-how Do You?

[leprechaun]

All Thai International Schools appear to charge a registration fee for enrolling a child into their program. What do the said child or parents receive in return for this often extortionate and seemingly unnecessary charge???

Unless I'm mistaken (correct me if I'm wrong) there are absolutely no benefits received in return.

Obviously in Thailand education is a business and the schools are expected to charge tutorial fees for the child’s education in order to survive and compete but I find this additional administration charge totally unjust.

How as teachers on often extremely low wages do you manage to give your child a decent education and still remain in Thailand?

[Nam Kao]

How much is the charge?

Also how much to they rip you off err I mean charge for 1 year ?

[leprechaun]

Without quoting specifics I have looked at various websites and the 'enrollment charge ranges from approx 30,000 baht to 300,000 baht.

In both of these extremes and everything in-between your child has only registered and not even walked through the door to begin their first lesson.

What do you get in return for this charge or is it as I say another way to con the general public.

[siam]

My partner and i are in the same boat as many,We have 4 children and all but one will be of school leaving age when we emmigrate,

So we are now looking at home studies for the children with books and CD roms,I think we have a better chance of them learning on a one to one basis than they would in a class of many,

All we are doing now is getting the structure ready for our children to be able to take the exams when the time arises,Which can be quite expensive.

[Martin_F]

At least with the international schools you get a receipt for your money.

At the other schools there is no receipt given and this is pure........

[Martin_F]

How as teachers on often extremely low wages do you manage to give your child a decent education and still remain in Thailand?

Generally overseas' teachers get free education for their children if they get the jobs overseas.

I understand that there are preferential rates for local hired teachers.

The other option is stay where you are.

The education system is generally better over there - unless you are at the premium schools over here.

[astral]

At my son's Thai private school the application form asked how much we would "donate" to the school.

The money was requested after he had passed the entrance exam, and we did get a receipt. Possibly the larger the sum offered the lower will be the pass mark for the exam?

My general rule is, No receipt, no money.

[francois]

hi'

my daughter started in a Thai school for the time we were still there, the first year it was

1,000B a month, (with a receipt), the second year, higher level 1,600 B a month with a receipt too ...

the education she recceived there was more than correct .. nothing special to say about.

At the other schools there is no receipt given and this is pure........

just ask for it ... and don't make a general statement about "all the others" ...

I can compare now, our little one going to a french school, (not private) , they do take a good care of the children, but it's a bit more strict; you have to be there to pick up your kid back home at 4pm precise! ...

and arrive before 8.30am precise ... this is europe!

just be happy to have your kid in a Thai school, just choose it well

after the primary school, you may want your kid to go to international one, then it's same, choose it well, ask around to some expats with experience about it ...

cheers

francois

[Darknight]

At least with the international schools you get a receipt for your money.

At the other schools there is no receipt given and this is pure........

??? never heard about the double receipt book method ?

Ask any local police officer , they got two ticket books and two receipt books

[phuketrichard]

Hi ;

OK here in Phuket we have 2 international schools. Dulwich (where my daughter is ) and GSI

Dulwich charges a NON_REFUNDABLE deposit of 120,000 baht when your child starts. What do you get for that ZIP<NADA>NOTHING

You do get the privalge of being able to attend the school.

they also charge you a refundable deposit of 75,000 which you get back when your child leaves, No interest at all. I have so far for 3 years not paid this and when they send me the notice i ignore it ( as do many parnets I know)

so you figure it out

120,000 times 600 ++ kids 72,000,000 for free PLUS her fees /year ( she is in year 6) 300,000

add on the 75,000x600 kids and you get anohter 45,000,000

Thats 117,000,000 baht!!!!

PLus every year the ennorlment grows.

Not bad running an internatioal school huh!!!

BUT your stuck giving a farang kid or half thai kid a thai education is next to worthless and all you can do is the ebst for your kids even if it does cost you an arm and a leg

[angie]

Hi all,

My son goes to Bangkok Patana International School.

The registration fee was 250,000 baht (get nothing back for it not even if he leaves for whatever reasons)

Each term costs 120,000 baht (3 per year) Plus 10,000 for return school bus.

Next year he goes in to senior school or year 7 and the fee's go upto 160,000 per term.

The only reason i sent him there was because they follow the British Cirricullum, but the fee's are outrageous.

Anyone have children in NIST? What are their fee's?

angie

[phuketrichard]

WOWWWWW and I though Dulwich was costly.

You could send him down here and pay bording (60,000/term) and save money and he could be breathing good clean air and still get his british education.

year 7 is first year secondary here and the costs are about 110,000/term ( 3 per year)

[Up2U]

Thai schools also charge an initial registration fe and term-fees.

maybe not all, but the one my daughter is in, which is quite good, and the one I first looked at - with twice the registration and, talking to Thai parents, less academic tutoring.

My daughter has to take English as a paid extra, but she also gets help on that at home.

It is the system - if you want your children to go to school over here, then you'll have to fit in with the system. It is a poor system, but I really cannot see anyone changing it in my lifetime.

I intend to make sure my daughter is fluent enough in English in another ten years to be able to sit UK entrance requirements for my home town - Cambridge.