Looking For Eng School For 10 Yo Stepdaughter In Pattaya

[dishrace]

Stepfather to Thai child 10 yo....mother has full custody...we both just recently moved to usa...child remains in pattaya are with grandmother...to be following after the end of next school year in april 2010...looking for best intl or other school or tutor arrangment to teach her as much english before moving her to usa in mid 2010...she has been exposed to only limited english and has been living in NE Thailand until now. looking for crash course with heavy imphasis before her coming to usa...any recommendations appreciated...thanks!

[PattayaParent]

Sathit?

Montessori?

Private tutor?

Edited January 9, 2009 by PattayaParent

[dishrace]

Sathit?

Montessori?

Private tutor?

not really sure...would you please add some insight...thanks for the questions...as any solution would be possible...within budget reason of course.

[think_too_mut]

Stepfather to Thai child 10 yo....mother has full custody...we both just recently moved to usa...child remains in pattaya are with grandmother...to be following after the end of next school year in april 2010...looking for best intl or other school or tutor arrangment to teach her as much english before moving her to usa in mid 2010...she has been exposed to only limited english and has been living in NE Thailand until now. looking for crash course with heavy imphasis before her coming to usa

Do you think "best international school" will just accept a child from the wild dumped on them?

10 years old would have to be reasonably educated already to mix in the class of children who may have been attending it since age of 4-5 while she was somewhere in Isaan.

[Boo]

I would think intensive private tutoring would be more beneficial if only 2 months to get up to speed.

[dishrace]

I would think intensive private tutoring would be more beneficial if only 2 months to get up to speed.

she would have the next 12 months there not just 2...but tutoring is something we agree might be an option...thank you for the comment

[dishrace]

Stepfather to Thai child 10 yo....mother has full custody...we both just recently moved to usa...child remains in pattaya are with grandmother...to be following after the end of next school year in april 2010...looking for best intl or other school or tutor arrangment to teach her as much english before moving her to usa in mid 2010...she has been exposed to only limited english and has been living in NE Thailand until now. looking for crash course with heavy imphasis before her coming to usa

Do you think "best international school" will just accept a child from the wild dumped on them?

10 years old would have to be reasonably educated already to mix in the class of children who may have been attending it since age of 4-5 while she was somewhere in Isaan.

i understand what you are saying from the perspective of the other children and that possible point of view from the school's administration....just looking for possibilities and the forums input, ideas, opinions and recommendations given the situation we are in and trying to do anything possible there to help her...it will take us the next year to work out visas and the situation on this end here out of the country and didn't wan tthe time there to be wasted for her...to reduce future challenges for her that will be on her and us in any case next year. thanks for the comment.

[philo]

Stepfather to Thai child 10 yo....mother has full custody...we both just recently moved to usa...child remains in pattaya are with grandmother...to be following after the end of next school year in april 2010...looking for best intl or other school or tutor arrangment to teach her as much english before moving her to usa in mid 2010...she has been exposed to only limited english and has been living in NE Thailand until now. looking for crash course with heavy imphasis before her coming to usa

Do you think "best international school" will just accept a child from the wild dumped on them?

10 years old would have to be reasonably educated already to mix in the class of children who may have been attending it since age of 4-5 while she was somewhere in Isaan.

i understand what you are saying from the perspective of the other children and that possible point of view from the school's administration....just looking for possibilities and the forums input, ideas, opinions and recommendations given the situation we are in and trying to do anything possible there to help her...it will take us the next year to work out visas and the situation on this end here out of the country and didn't wan tthe time there to be wasted for her...to reduce future challenges for her that will be on her and us in any case next year. thanks for the comment.

'A child from the wild'? Did you mean 'A wild child' or 'A child from the wilderness'?

Anyway - Your post is shit. Who are you to judge this girl's future. The OP is trying to do a decent thing.

Get a brain before you Think (the Too Much part must be a mistake).

[think_too_mut]

Stepfather to Thai child 10 yo....mother has full custody...we both just recently moved to usa...child remains in pattaya are with grandmother...to be following after the end of next school year in april 2010...looking for best intl or other school or tutor arrangment to teach her as much english before moving her to usa in mid 2010...she has been exposed to only limited english and has been living in NE Thailand until now. looking for crash course with heavy imphasis before her coming to usa

Do you think "best international school" will just accept a child from the wild dumped on them?

10 years old would have to be reasonably educated already to mix in the class of children who may have been attending it since age of 4-5 while she was somewhere in Isaan.

i understand what you are saying from the perspective of the other children and that possible point of view from the school's administration....just looking for possibilities and the forums input, ideas, opinions and recommendations given the situation we are in and trying to do anything possible there to help her...it will take us the next year to work out visas and the situation on this end here out of the country and didn't wan tthe time there to be wasted for her...to reduce future challenges for her that will be on her and us in any case next year. thanks for the comment.

'A child from the wild'? Did you mean 'A wild child' or 'A child from the wilderness'?

Anyway - Your post is shit. Who are you to judge this girl's future. The OP is trying to do a decent thing.

Get a brain before you Think (the Too Much part must be a mistake).

My dear poverty packer (known from other threads when it comes to paying for school), that is how schools work. You would have no idea that both parents and the child must attend an interview with the head master, picturs of whole family living in the same house...

And what else than hating me you can say? Even the OP understood what I meant.

[dishrace]

Stepfather to Thai child 10 yo....mother has full custody...we both just recently moved to usa...child remains in pattaya are with grandmother...to be following after the end of next school year in april 2010...looking for best intl or other school or tutor arrangment to teach her as much english before moving her to usa in mid 2010...she has been exposed to only limited english and has been living in NE Thailand until now. looking for crash course with heavy imphasis before her coming to usa

Do you think "best international school" will just accept a child from the wild dumped on them?

10 years old would have to be reasonably educated already to mix in the class of children who may have been attending it since age of 4-5 while she was somewhere in Isaan.

i understand what you are saying from the perspective of the other children and that possible point of view from the school's administration....just looking for possibilities and the forums input, ideas, opinions and recommendations given the situation we are in and trying to do anything possible there to help her...it will take us the next year to work out visas and the situation on this end here out of the country and didn't wan tthe time there to be wasted for her...to reduce future challenges for her that will be on her and us in any case next year. thanks for the comment.

'A child from the wild'? Did you mean 'A wild child' or 'A child from the wilderness'?

Anyway - Your post is shit. Who are you to judge this girl's future. The OP is trying to do a decent thing.

Get a brain before you Think (the Too Much part must be a mistake).

My dear poverty packer (known from other threads when it comes to paying for school), that is how schools work. You would have no idea that both parents and the child must attend an interview with the head master, picturs of whole family living in the same house...

And what else than hating me you can say? Even the OP understood what I meant.

hey thanks for the back up and support...i expected all sides and points of view...the girl has been going to a private school in khon kein area for last 5 years and has consistantly ranked 1 or 2 for each of her grades representing the school in testing and other competitions with thai schools in other towns and cities...now i know that is not at all necessarily equal to other education facilities in pattaya and bangkok...but she is no dummy and i am only trying to help find the best possible solution that will help her abroad her last year in thailand and her only year in pattaya...additional comments are appreciated

[Boo]

can I ask why you have moved her to Pattaya, is it just to enrol in a better school to learn English? I ask because one of our members here, Devona is a British women who lives in KK city & does private tutoring after her classes. She teaches at one of the private schools in KK & is fully qualified & has a degree etc. I was planning on having my niece in law go to her for private lessons as she too is a boarder in the city but she has become a bit of a 15 year old tearaway so plans are on hold for the moment.

[bkk_mike]

You could try an International school - in Pattaya, Regents, or I think there's an American one too.

Your step-daughter would almost certainly, if she gets in (does she have good grades already?), be put into an ESL stream to help with the English requirements. You may even have to sign up to the summer school in advance as a condition of getting in.

If she's primary age, the schools tend to be flexible, although I think it's mainly for foreign nationals (Korean, Taiwanese, etc.) rather than Thai as your other problem is that "International" schools are restricted to 25% from any one nationality, making it harder for Thais to get in..., but if you go along to the interview at the school, she could get classified as Thai/American and sneak past that requirement.

[Nampeung]

Can't remember the name but there is a pretty good Bilingual school in Pattaya catering for mixed race children and Thai and Western children

[PattayaParent]

Sathit?

Montessori?

Private tutor?

not really sure...would you please add some insight...thanks for the questions...as any solution would be possible...within budget reason of course.

Sathit is a Thai school which claims to have more English language tuition than any of the others so she should fit in there and maybe with private tuition make a go of the English ability.

Montessori is primarily English speaking teachers with Thai assistants so probably wouldn't be suitable in the circumstances you describe.

[dishrace]

Sathit?

Montessori?

Private tutor?

not really sure...would you please add some insight...thanks for the questions...as any solution would be possible...within budget reason of course.

Sathit is a Thai school which claims to have more English language tuition than any of the others so she should fit in there and maybe with private tuition make a go of the English ability.

Montessori is primarily English speaking teachers with Thai assistants so probably wouldn't be suitable in the circumstances you describe.

some good input one and all...thanks to all for the responses so far...

[thaihome]

Would agree that if you cannot afford one of the major international schools, like Regents, etc. then Sathit might be a good place. Lot's of mixed Tha/farang and step kids of farangs there. Can't say she will learn that much English as all the kids just talk Thai to each other and as well as most teachers are Thai.

The trick with kids that age, which is a little old to pick it up quickly, is to have them in an environment that requires English all the time. St. Johns in Bangkok has a demerit system for not using English that seems to work pretty well. But since you are not here, she probably only gets Thai at home.

You will have to face the fact she will not be fluent in English within a year in her current environment. That may not be so bad, most public schools in the US will make arrangements for her to have get up to speed.

TH

[dishrace]

Would agree that if you cannot afford one of the major international schools, like Regents, etc. then Sathit might be a good place. Lot's of mixed Tha/farang and step kids of farangs there. Can't say she will learn that much English as all the kids just talk Thai to each other and as well as most teachers are Thai.

The trick with kids that age, which is a little old to pick it up quickly, is to have them in an environment that requires English all the time. St. Johns in Bangkok has a demerit system for not using English that seems to work pretty well. But since you are not here, she probably only gets Thai at home.

You will have to face the fact she will not be fluent in English within a year in her current environment. That may not be so bad, most public schools in the US will make arrangements for her to have get up to speed.

TH

thanks...

[PattayaParent]

Would agree that if you cannot afford one of the major international schools, like Regents, etc. then Sathit might be a good place. Lot's of mixed Tha/farang and step kids of farangs there. Can't say she will learn that much English as all the kids just talk Thai to each other and as well as most teachers are Thai.

The trick with kids that age, which is a little old to pick it up quickly, is to have them in an environment that requires English all the time. St. Johns in Bangkok has a demerit system for not using English that seems to work pretty well. But since you are not here, she probably only gets Thai at home.

You will have to face the fact she will not be fluent in English within a year in her current environment. That may not be so bad, most public schools in the US will make arrangements for her to have get up to speed.

TH

With a place like Regents though they might not want to take a child with little English ability when their classes are 99% in English, and she would be completely out of her depth in terms of learning ability due to the language.

But you are right about her being in a primarily Thai school she will speak primarily Thai and that won't help either.

Edited January 16, 2009 by PattayaParent

[englishhometutor]

It might be a little bit difficult to enroll the international school if her English background is limited. I don't know how well of her background. There are few in'l school here, Regents school, I.S.E school lacates in Burapha golfcourse, another one that might be better for her is Wootichot (not sure for the spelling) this is Bilingual school on Sukhumvit, most students are Thais ... this might be an option for her. She can enroll with Thai school system semester period. Regent is British ... I.S.E is American ... these two are different from Thai school for the semester timeline. I have been teaching Regent and I.S.E students at their houses in the area. There are quite numbers of Japanese students in I.S.E and Regents because their parents are working around Sriracha, and Eastern Seaboard. These students have their tutors come to thier home for teaching them homework, some struggle with ESL .. but they stay more than one year here. Only one year in school might be too much for her to focus on both ESL and other subjects. I recommend you try to get her into the Thai bilingual one because it might be easier for her with school system and friends. * I am Thai myself, been studied both in Thailand and overseas, I would think bilingual school is also an option for her.

[dishrace]

It might be a little bit difficult to enroll the international school if her English background is limited. I don't know how well of her background. There are few in'l school here, Regents school, I.S.E school lacates in Burapha golfcourse, another one that might be better for her is Wootichot (not sure for the spelling) this is Bilingual school on Sukhumvit, most students are Thais ... this might be an option for her. She can enroll with Thai school system semester period. Regent is British ... I.S.E is American ... these two are different from Thai school for the semester timeline. I have been teaching Regent and I.S.E students at their houses in the area. There are quite numbers of Japanese students in I.S.E and Regents because their parents are working around Sriracha, and Eastern Seaboard. These students have their tutors come to thier home for teaching them homework, some struggle with ESL .. but they stay more than one year here. Only one year in school might be too much for her to focus on both ESL and other subjects. I recommend you try to get her into the Thai bilingual one because it might be easier for her with school system and friends. * I am Thai myself, been studied both in Thailand and overseas, I would think bilingual school is also an option for her.

thank you very much...do you know anything about the Sathip school mentioned by another responder...would you please try and get the spelling and address or TN for the school you mentioned...

[PattayaParent]

Wuttichot Bilinguql School (WBS)

Located on the ground of International School of Pattaya (ISP)

Address: 382 Moo 6 Sukhumvit Road, Naklua Km 142 Pattaya, Chonburi 20150

Tel: 421-032-3

Fax: 726-549

The school opened in 1975 and was originally a kindergarten and primary school, following the Thai curriculum. In 1996 it became a bilingual school.

Grades: Nursery through to P6

Age Range: 2-12 years

Enrolment: 130 students

http://www.wbspattaya.com/Eng/index.html

[tvaddict]

From what you 're saying the best you could do -- if you are willing to afford it is to put her in an international school.

Do not even consider Sathit or Wuttichot in this case. These are bilingual and whilst not having the best of reputations anyway, they certainly won't expose her to enough English. BEST is a better Bilingual school in Pattaya and would suffice in the short term. The best school in the region at this financial level is REPS in Ban Chang, Rayong. They have western teachers, school buses from pattaya

here's the link....

http://www.repsrayong.com/

it really is a very good school which many parents in pattaya have chosen to send their children to, despite the journey, precisely because it's so much better than the options offered in pattaya

if you really don't want to send your child so far the best of the rest in Pattaya is BEST.

However, as picking up English seems to be your main concern the International School is the best option.

You have 4 choices in no particular order:

1. International School of Eastern Seaboard, north of pattaya-- and the advantage here is this has the American curriculum

2. Regents, west of Pattaya on highway 36-- British Curriculum

3. St Andrews, Ban Chang, British Curriculum

4. Garden International School, British Curriculum

All 4 are good- you need to now consider the prices and do your research

One more thing-- if you really want her to pick up English quickly the secret is to use it at home- too often parents think that by sending their child to international schools they will quickly learn english but it is slowly picked up if the child doesn't use it at home-- therefore in your case consider boarding - either from Monday to Friday and then go home for the weekend or 7 days a week if you want that-- for a young child though i wouldn't recommend 7 days a week for other reasons; homesickness

but before you put her into a boarding ask for the nationalities of the other boarders she'll be sharing with and the person in charge-- if they are Thai - then a lot of the good boarding and non stop exposure to English usage offers will be undone by the fact that she'll lapse into talking Thai with her boarding friends, especially young girls of a similar age

good luck

by the way-- it takes many years to pick up a language well so don't expect fluency by 2010 even if you do choose an international school

[teacup]

I will make this short.......St John is GOOD!!

I went to St John (thai program) till M3 and had no problem whatsoever continuing the high school in the US

edit: opps sorry, did see the word "in Pattaya".....nevermind

Edited January 18, 2009 by teacup

[PattayaParent]

Do a search on this board about BEST school and you'll see many opinions on it before you make a judgement.

As regards to sending her to an International School, she will be exposed to English speaking from the teachers but the children tend to separate into groups of Thai speakers and non-Thai speakers so she won't be getting much English exposure from her peers and may struggle with the lessons being in English.

Anyway there's no harm to take her along to an International school for an assessment (costs 2,000 Baht I think) and have a word with the teachers and see what they think. No doubt you'll have to pay extra for the extra ESL tuition (about 22,000 Baht per term)

Then look at a bilingual school with a private tutor option.

[tvaddict]

I only said BEST was the best of the rest- but they are all disapppointing in Pattaya-

hence the recommendation to put up with the travelling (45m each way) and head out to REPS

of the international schools - you're right Pattaya Parent -- the students will naturally try to use Thai to talk with their friends-- it's unavoidable--

the school can do its best to encourage english being used and the students can be sat with non thai speakers to help this situation but regardless you'll always find this is an issue

as always it's up to the student to make the effort-

you know that saying- you can take a horse to water...

anyway, you won't get a perfect situation whilst the child is living here in thailand

they have to be fully immersed in the english language to really pick it up fast-

that will happen in america in 2010

the OP is looking for an option to fill the gap now until then so the recommendation holds

[think_too_mut]

by the way-- it takes many years to pick up a language well so don't expect fluency by 2010 even if you do choose an international school

It takes about 6 weeks to establish a communication platform, then only grows.

Out of an el cheappo school in Bangkok (with English lessons 3 times a week) our daughter knew words but could not connect them into anything meaningful. She had learned them from cards that teachers were showing.

For example:

What does mouse eat?

Everything in red would whoosh past and she would only understand "mouse". She would not know what any of the surrounding words mean. She would not even realize she was being asked a question.

That is how it was on October 5.

By Christmas, after only 6 weeks (11 weeks had only 6 weeks of teaching) of attending International school she would answer:

"Mouse likes cheese. Mouse is scared of cat."

A world of difference. That is called "communication" in a language and was non-existent before this school.

In 5 months, when ELC term ends, I expect her to be near native speaker.

Funny, when I showed her Tom & Jerry cartoon just when they arrived, she would say "rat" for Jerry. Not mouse.

Then I found why: she had a Thai DVD with alphabet and English words for each letter. "R" was for "rat" and the picture was of a mouse that, enlarged, would be a rat.

Edited January 19, 2009 by think_too_mut

[dishrace]

I only said BEST was the best of the rest- but they are all disapppointing in Pattaya-

hence the recommendation to put up with the travelling (45m each way) and head out to REPS

of the international schools - you're right Pattaya Parent -- the students will naturally try to use Thai to talk with their friends-- it's unavoidable--

the school can do its best to encourage english being used and the students can be sat with non thai speakers to help this situation but regardless you'll always find this is an issue

as always it's up to the student to make the effort-

you know that saying- you can take a horse to water...

anyway, you won't get a perfect situation whilst the child is living here in thailand

they have to be fully immersed in the english language to really pick it up fast-

that will happen in america in 2010

the OP is looking for an option to fill the gap now until then so the recommendation holds

thanks to all for the opinions and advice...this feeback is very useful for me in making a decision...thanks again

[tvaddict]

I hate to say it , 'think too mut' but you will be disappointed

there is no way 5 months is enough to be fluent

your examples are of very basic language acquisition

'mouse'

'mouse likes cheese' this is basic simple present tense 3rd person singular-

this is the first tense to get introduced to language learners

and if you listen carefully you may well find she doesn't say the s on the end of likes as the thais do not pronounce final consonants like this nor have the verb change as a result of the change of subject

Mouse is scared of cat

is a more complex sentence without the article 'The ' with present simple again and then the used of ed at the end of scare and then also use of 'of' which thais often won't get right- could have been a 'to' or missed out altogether

obviously you know there is a missing word in this sentence- 'feeling' as this is a present continuous tense

in practical usage we often drop out words - as in this case ' but for a new learner to SEE THE PATTERN it is important to include it back in as this stage

however, these sentences are still a LONG way away from fluency

trust me it takes years

anyhow, she'll reach a practical usage level by the end of the year which will allow her to express herself well enough-

the secret is to keep using the target language at home so she is constantly applying english just learnt in the 'real world'

for rapid learning and long term memory

[think_too_mut]

I hate to say it , 'think too mut' but you will be disappointed

there is no way 5 months is enough to be fluent

your examples are of very basic language acquisition

I am not kicking tyres here, I am talking about own child in a full blown International school.

Before this school, I could not communicate with my child. Could not be left to look after her even 1 hour, even in a known environment (her own room).

After 3 months through the school (6 weeks of teaching) I am taking her for a full day swimming or iceskating, involving the trip, lunch, afternoon nap, some shopping on way back and return.

On her way to fluency, she has even adopted American accent, from her teachers. Laughing at my Australian pronunciation.

[thaihome]

TTM, age plays a huge part in speed of fluency. I believe your daughter is what 4 or so? The OP is talking about a 10 year old. Big difference

TH