Walen Or Pro Language?

[leosmith]

Even if one day immigration decided that there are no more ED visas we still can operate as a business and provide students with lessons they paid for. So we do indeed guarantee providing the service as students pay for lessons not for the visa, visa assistance is provided free of charge. Nobody will lose money with Walen.

Regarding losing money at Walen. Will everyone who completes their studies there be able to pass the "Thai Proficiency Exam" offered at the end of each year? (That's the test they give now which replaced the old ป.๖test they used to give a few years back.) About how many of your students have taken this test?

[MacWalen]

Even if one day immigration decided that there are no more ED visas we still can operate as a business and provide students with lessons they paid for. So we do indeed guarantee providing the service as students pay for lessons not for the visa, visa assistance is provided free of charge. Nobody will lose money with Walen.

Regarding losing money at Walen. Will everyone who completes their studies there be able to pass the "Thai Proficiency Exam" offered at the end of each year? (That's the test they give now which replaced the old ป.๖test they used to give a few years back.) About how many of your students have taken this test?

Means if someone is not interested in taking the proficiency exam they will lose money? I don't think so.

Edited December 6, 2011 by MacWalen

[leosmith]

No sir, not after 180 lessons, show me a school that will be able to do it in that time. Also this is not a popular exam, very rarely anyone is interested in taking it.

You mean that none of your students have ever taken it? You realize many of your competitors' students take this exam, right?

(edit - I'm sorry; looks like I caught your post before you were able to edit it)

Edited December 6, 2011 by leosmith

[khaan]

There was one poster in another thread -I can't remember his name I think it was Richard and I will look for the post

but he described the chronology of the education Visa and his conclusion was it could eventually even be stopped.

I was wrong it was " kriswillems " at post number 58 on page 3 in this thread.

[MacWalen]

Those who are interested in learning Thai and also need an ED visa assistance will get good service. There are some posters that dislike our school and no matter what will keep writing negative things. The two guys in this thread, leosmith and khann have never studied at our school but will make regular efforts to attack our school.

Walen School - try for yourself.

Edited December 7, 2011 by MacWalen

[wandrinstar]

Whats the School for. Learning Thai or getting round visa requirements. No one knows what i say in the N.E.. They don't speak Kings Thai up there .

[leosmith]

Those who are interested in learning Thai and also need an ED visa assistance will get good service.

Those who are interested in learning Thai usually want to converse. You don't teach conversation, so they will not get good service.

Those who are interested in learning Thai may need to pass the Thai Proficiency Exam. Nobody in your school has ever taken it, so they will not get good service.

Those who need ED visa assistance, don't care about the quality of education, and don't mind paying a premium price will probably be fine.

[leosmith]

Whats the School for. Learning Thai or getting round visa requirements. No one knows what i say in the N.E.. They don't speak Kings Thai up there .

No offense, but it's probably your accent, or some other aspect of your Thai. Educated people from BKK are well understood in isaan, and I've never had a problem either. Understanding them can be more difficult though.

[Hillside4Phil]

For me I would aim to get the goal of learning Thai to a point of doing the Proficiency exam not just to get a Ed Visa and so I will search for a school that will assist me in doing so.

[MacWalen]

For me I would aim to get the goal of learning Thai to a point of doing the Proficiency exam not just to get a Ed Visa and so I will search for a school that will assist me in doing so.

Walen is not just for ED visa as some may want you to believe. We offer free lessons, come and see for yourself. It is actually serious language study and no transliteration. It would also be a good idea to observe classes at other schools and see what works for you. You can try to ask if leosmith would be so kind and give you a demo lesson because I certainly could. You can compare who teaches better and who just has big mouth. Not mention my teachers as many of them must be some of the best Thai teachers in the world.

[wandrinstar]

Whats the School for. Learning Thai or getting round visa requirements. No one knows what i say in the N.E.. They don't speak Kings Thai up there .

No offense, but it's probably your accent, or some other aspect of your Thai. Educated people from BKK are well understood in isaan, and I've never had a problem either. Understanding them can be more difficult though.

Quite so, clumsey post Leo .Tons are O.K. In some of the Lao Villages though , their Thai is awfull , and literally hundreds of old folk have not ventured over 25 Klics from their village. I was told by a Thai Copter Pilot years ago there are over 10 Lao dialects spoken up there. Im quite good at Standard Thai Lao , {CENTRAL} if there is such a beast.. .As for Mr Wallen , seems malcontents stalk him.. I could recommend 2 Anglo Saxon words of advice for them , Universally understood

[leosmith]

You can try to ask if leosmith would be so kind and give you a demo lesson because I certainly could. You can compare who teaches better and who just has big mouth. Not mention my teachers as many of them must be some of the best Thai teachers in the world.

Based on earlier posts, you seem to think your critics are owners of schools. I am not in any way affiliated with any school. But if I did teach Thai, I would definitely teach conversation, and adequately prepare students for any proficiency tests they would need to pass. As for who has the biggest mouth, I would base that on the number of posts.

If, on the other hand, you are generally interested in how the schools I've learned in normally teach conversation, I would be glad to share that with you, provided you would keep an open mind. This is actually what you should be using this forum for, rather than taking the offensive on every criticism of your school.

Quite so, clumsey post Leo .Tons are O.K. In some of the Lao Villages though , their Thai is awfull , and literally hundreds of old folk have not ventured over 25 Klics from their village. I was told by a Thai Copter Pilot years ago there are over 10 Lao dialects spoken up there. Im quite good at Standard Thai Lao , {CENTRAL} if there is such a beast.. .As for Mr Wallen , seems malcontents stalk him.. I could recommend 2 Anglo Saxon words of advice for them ,

A little cryptic, but I get your point. Thai isn't understood by everyone. Agreed. Regarding Walen, I leveled some criticism on his school based on my experience and the experience of others. He called me a liar, and wouldn't specify what exactly was a lie. Some people create their own malcontents.

[111tingtong]

I'm not interested in the visa aspect of these institutions, I do however require flexibility with the course sessions. I work out the country on a rotational month on/off basis. Is it still possible to attend either one of these establishments?I am concerned that I may not be able to hold a conversation at the completion with Walen. I have always thought that learning to read/write first regardless if you can converse, gives you a far stronger language base to move forward with. Would the conversational aspect not become second nature afterwards?I also have to be honest and say I'd rather have a little hottie teach me than an old dragon, I think it would spur me on to produce the goods, sort of a male ego thing.When do I start?

[khaan]

Walen is not just for ED visa as some may want you to believe. We offer free lessons, come and see for yourself. It is actually serious language study and no transliteration. It would also be a good idea to observe classes at other schools and see what works for you. You can try to ask if leosmith would be so kind and give you a demo lesson because I certainly could. You can compare who teaches better and who just has big mouth. Not mention my teachers as many of them must be some of the best Thai teachers in the world.

Are you able to comment about the remarks on this website ?

http://www.scam.com/...ad.php?t=137827

Edited December 15, 2011 by khaan

[Rumblecat]

I'll be honest and say I'm not a fan of the method used in Walen schools. Not enough actual 'teaching' and too much reliance on the book- I've switched to Language Express and I'm a lot happier with their method- you get taught to read and write, with good emphasis on recognising tones and the class of letters, there are regular tests, and the conversation side of the class relies a lot on role play, so you get to use the words you're learning in practical situations.

I think Walen has very good teachers, I just feel they're held back a little by the method- but, y'know, personal opinion and what doesn't work for one person might be great for another. Certainly there are people there who seem to get on with it very well.

Having said that, the school is definitely not a scam. I attended for two years and there were never any hidden charges, and the idea that you'd need to hire a lawyer to protect yourself from the school is ridiculous. They were always very thorough, helpful and up-front when it came to the visa side of things. There was definitely no extra charges levied along the way. And certainly I never heard any other pupils having problems of that kind there either and I got to know a lot of folk attending the school. That post you linked to sounds very removed from reality.

Edited December 15, 2011 by Rumblecat

[khaan]

I'll be honest and say I'm not a fan of the method used in Walen schools. Not enough actual 'teaching' and too much reliance on the book- I've switched to Language Express and I'm a lot happier with their method- you get taught to read and write, with good emphasis on recognising tones and the class of letters, there are regular tests, and the conversation side of the class relies a lot on role play, so you get to use the words you're learning in practical situations.

I think Walen has very good teachers, I just feel they're held back a little by the method- but, y'know, personal opinion and what doesn't work for one person might be great for another. Certainly there are people there who seem to get on with it very well.

Having said that, the school is definitely not a scam. I attended for two years and there were never any hidden charges, and the idea that you'd need to hire a lawyer to protect yourself from the school is ridiculous. They were always very thorough, helpful and up-front when it came to the visa side of things. There was definitely no extra charges levied along the way. And certainly I never heard any other pupils having problems of that kind there either and I got to know a lot of folk attending the school. That post you linked to sounds very removed from reality.

thanks for your feedback. The Language Express website looks interesting but it is not a solution for those living in places other than Bangkok.

Can i ask you when you chose Walen for 2 years, had you also considered Pro Language and what made you choose Walen in the end ?

Did you also try a free lesson in both places before you decided ?

[Rumblecat]

No, I was a bit stupid and didn't try any lessons before hand. I did Walen for two years because I liked my classmates and the teachers, even if I wasn't a fan of the teaching material. Plus I really wanted to learn to read and write properly, so it was time to move on. But I don't want it to sound like I didn't get anything of value out of Walen because I did- and even in the end if it wasn't for me, doesn't mean that it isn't for other people.

I did try a free lesson in Pro Language and was very impressed by them. Teaching method seemed good and thorough- if I hadn't gone with Language Express I would have chosen them. Course material looked good as well.

[MacWalen]

No, I was a bit stupid and didn't try any lessons before hand. I did Walen for two years because I liked my classmates and the teachers, even if I wasn't a fan of the teaching material. Plus I really wanted to learn to read and write properly, so it was time to move on. But I don't want it to sound like I didn't get anything of value out of Walen because I did- and even in the end if it wasn't for me, doesn't mean that it isn't for other people.

I did try a free lesson in Pro Language and was very impressed by them. Teaching method seemed good and thorough- if I hadn't gone with Language Express I would have chosen them. Course material looked good as well.

Thanks for your kind comments. Sure, there are many schools around and people can decide which one works best for them. Some love Walen, some do not like us so much. That is the way it should be.

Walen School - knowledge is power, share it

[jak2002003]

I would like to recommend Pro Language School for your friend. I have been studying there for nearly 3 years on my ED visa and find it really good. They will process the Visa quickly and I have never had a problem with it. The most important thing for me is the standard and professionalism of the staff there.

The teachers are all very experiences and properly qualified to teach (which is a lot more than can be said for many other schools in Chiang Mai who would rather employ good looking, but somewhat brain-dead girls, to attract new students).

The Pro Language School has been going a number of years and has grown a lot, having many students now. The good thing about this is that there is great flexibility for new students in terms of class scheduling and getting into a class that is the right level for them.

Finally, I would recommend going along to one of their free trial lessons to see how good they are.

Good luck.

[NewlyMintedThai]

If you want to learn at Walen and don't need a ED visa you could start with 60 lessons.

http://www.thaiwalen.com/prices.php

I must say the picture of the teachers is making me reconsider taking lessons at Walen.

Young and pretty looking is not a guarantee for good lessons, more like eyecandy which can be distracting to say the least.

They are very good at teaching Thai, just try for free first and talk to students.

They are lovely, but what other qualifications do they have besides their looks? Teaching degrees? Thai language degrees? Any degrees at all?

[Paangjang]

If you want to learn at Walen and don't need a ED visa you could start with 60 lessons.

http://www.thaiwalen.com/prices.php

I must say the picture of the teachers is making me reconsider taking lessons at Walen.

Young and pretty looking is not a guarantee for good lessons, more like eyecandy which can be distracting to say the least.

They are very good at teaching Thai, just try for free first and talk to students.

They are lovely, but what other qualifications do they have besides their looks? Teaching degrees? Thai language degrees? Any degrees at all?

I used to study with Walen. None of the teachers who taught me had any degrees. There is a previous post on here somewhere, i remember. Its written by Walen saying his staff all finished high school but they don't have degrees as they dont need them to teach this method. It was something like that. Try to find that statement from him.

[Paangjang]

If you want to learn at Walen and don't need a ED visa you could start with 60 lessons.

http://www.thaiwalen.com/prices.php

I must say the picture of the teachers is making me reconsider taking lessons at Walen.

Young and pretty looking is not a guarantee for good lessons, more like eyecandy which can be distracting to say the least.

They are very good at teaching Thai, just try for free first and talk to students.

On your www site where you present the teachers/instructors I find only photos, names and nicknames,

no presentation of CV/academic qualifications.

Walen trains teachers in-house. We have our own way of teaching so we cannot find any teaching qualifications from other institutions that would be useful to us. We do it the Walen way.

Heres the statement i was looking for in the above post

Edited January 30, 2012 by Paangjang

[NewlyMintedThai]

Interesting. One usually needs a degree or at least an ESL certificate to teach English in Thailand, but it looks like the only qualification needed to teach Thai is a nice rack.

[poanoi]

That TEFL is a complete joke, 3 weeks of some form of training and you're suppose to be a teacher ?

worse yet they can't explain anything since they don't even know the language of their students in the first instance.

Unfortunatley almost none of the schools spend energy on explaining either

[midas]

Interesting. One usually needs a degree or at least an ESL certificate to teach English in Thailand, but it looks like the only qualification needed to teach Thai is a nice rack.

TIT

[Paangjang]

Interesting. One usually needs a degree or at least an ESL certificate to teach English in Thailand, but it looks like the only qualification needed to teach Thai is a nice rack.

Actually none of the Phuket staff even had that. Very disappointing. Especially for the kind of money we were paying.

[poanoi]

I can tell one thing for a fact:

in Pattaya, out of all students i know of, none has any complaints on Bpoo,

instead most that had her refuses to have any other teacher, myself included.

And we all had experiences with other schools & teachers. no-one named

(Well some are using other schools too since she does not yet run ED visa classes , but hopefully she'll get that going soon)

Edited January 31, 2012 by poanoi

[alexpoker]

I live in a house with 4 other guys. 3 of us go to Pro Language and 1 goes to Walen.

1 went to Walen last year but didnt like it and switched to Pro Language and says its much better. You learn to read and write at Pro Language, whereas at Walen you just read out loud the same stuff from the same book and there is no homework given. Once you complete the book, you start over lol. The good thing about Walen tho is that all the teachers are good looking. Pro Language teachers are just normal teachers but seem pretty competent.

The guy who goes to Walen says he doesn't recommend it and will switch to a different school when his year is up. He hardly goes to class anymore cuz hes exceeded his class by studying himself.

just my 2cents.

[MacWalen]

If you want to learn at Walen and don't need a ED visa you could start with 60 lessons.

http://www.thaiwalen.com/prices.php

I must say the picture of the teachers is making me reconsider taking lessons at Walen.

Young and pretty looking is not a guarantee for good lessons, more like eyecandy which can be distracting to say the least.

They are very good at teaching Thai, just try for free first and talk to students.

They are lovely, but what other qualifications do they have besides their looks? Teaching degrees? Thai language degrees? Any degrees at all?

Yes, most have degrees and a very few do not have but still are well trained and competent at what they do. Perhaps you can come and sit in a demo lesson and see for yourself. They teach the Walen method for a long time, hundreds and some even thousands of lessons and are really good at what they do. If you are trying to belittle them then shame on you.

[MacWalen]

I would like to recommend Pro Language School for your friend. I have been studying there for nearly 3 years on my ED visa and find it really good. They will process the Visa quickly and I have never had a problem with it. The most important thing for me is the standard and professionalism of the staff there.

The teachers are all very experiences and properly qualified to teach (which is a lot more than can be said for many other schools in Chiang Mai who would rather employ good looking, but somewhat brain-dead girls, to attract new students).

The Pro Language School has been going a number of years and has grown a lot, having many students now. The good thing about this is that there is great flexibility for new students in terms of class scheduling and getting into a class that is the right level for them.

Finally, I would recommend going along to one of their free trial lessons to see how good they are.

Good luck.

Jak this comment about brain dead teachers is one of the most stupid I have ever read on TV. Perhaps you should think more carefully about the rubbish you write? I give it to you straight seeing you have no manners man.