Thai Language Course

[bipper]

Hi,

I have just arrived in Chiang Mai area for one year living in the HangDong area and I was hoping to attend a good Speaking Thai language course for very much the beginner.

Does anyone have any good recomendations?

Thank you.

[cqr]

Hi,

I have just arrived in Chiang Mai area for one year living in the HangDong area and I was hoping to attend a good Speaking Thai language course for very much the beginner.

Does anyone have any good recomendations?

Thank you.

Try to go to AUA close to Tha Phae Gate.

/Claus

[butterisbetter]

Hi,

I have just arrived in Chiang Mai area for one year living in the HangDong area and I was hoping to attend a good Speaking Thai language course for very much the beginner.

Does anyone have any good recomendations?

Thank you.

If you're living in the Hang Dong area then I recomment Cornerstone language school in World Club. They are a serious school. Actually it was orignally set up to train christian missionaries but they will cheerfully accept heathens like me and heathens unlike me as well. Missionaries who come to Thailand are very motivated people, whether you agree with their motivation or not. And they have to learn Thai well in order to carry out their mission. So the school has to be good otherwise they'll go elsewhere.

[bluweyze]

I'd concur with Cornerstone Language School. I'm currently studying there and find their teachers good and their methods work but only after you get used to the phonetics.

[MacWalen]

Do not forget about Walen School of Thai, opening in Chiang Mai soon and free demo lessons offered to all interested. Regards.

Walen school

www.thaiwalen.com

[marsteele]

I looked at doing thai language course but the price of 20,000 baht per week (15 hours) is outrages. Thai lanuage course for 80,000 baht per month forget it. An english teacher only earns about 10,000 baht per month. Don't know why it is more expensive to learn thai than english.

[Lost in LOS]

I looked at doing thai language course but the price of 20,000 baht per week (15 hours) is outrages. Thai lanuage course for 80,000 baht per month forget it. An english teacher only earns about 10,000 baht per month. Don't know why it is more expensive to learn thai than english.

please tell me your figures are wrong......cant be that much. i pay 300 baht for private lessons in pattaya an hour and thats a lot.........but worth it

your numbers are 1,333 per hour?

[marsteele]

I looked at doing thai language course but the price of 20,000 baht per week (15 hours) is outrages. Thai lanuage course for 80,000 baht per month forget it. An english teacher only earns about 10,000 baht per month. Don't know why it is more expensive to learn thai than english.

please tell me your figures are wrong......cant be that much. i pay 300 baht for private lessons in pattaya an hour and thats a lot.........but worth it

your numbers are 1,333 per hour?

definately correct the cheapest I could find in Chiangmai. some range up to 45,000 baht per week.

[marsteele]

I looked at doing thai language course but the price of 20,000 baht per week (15 hours) is outrages. Thai lanuage course for 80,000 baht per month forget it. An english teacher only earns about 10,000 baht per month. Don't know why it is more expensive to learn thai than english.

please tell me your figures are wrong......cant be that much. i pay 300 baht for private lessons in pattaya an hour and thats a lot.........but worth it

your numbers are 1,333 per hour?

I know in Australia you can do an english language course at a school for approximately 25,000 baht per 6 months so I find the prices of a thai course extrodinary.

[NancyL]

A couple weeks ago I paid 2050 baht for a 30-hr Thai language class and book at the YMCA. It meets three times a week, 2 hrs each session for a total of 30 hrs of instruction over the course of 5 weeks. There are 6 students in my current class. So, over the course of a year, I'm going to pay something like 20,000 baht for a year's worth of classes. My husband has taken group courses at the AUA and they're about twice as expensive, but they meet every day and the classrooms are airconditioned.

We've hired private tutors for one-on-one instruction at a rate of 150 - 300 baht/hr depending upon how long a commitment we were making. Agree to take several weeks of private tutoring and the hourly rate goes down.

I've heard that the CMU year-long program is something like 30,000 baht. It meets two times a week, for a couple of hours each time. The classroom is nice and airconditioned. I'm hearing this second-hand. Our only first-hand experience has been at the AUA and the YMCA.

With this competition, I can't see how a Thai language school could survive charging 20,000 baht a week per pupil for group lessons! I think marsteele may be confused.

[NancyL]

Oops, sorry. I sumitted my reply twice.

Edited July 22, 2009 by NancyL

[marsteele]

A couple weeks ago I paid 2050 baht for a 30-hr Thai language class and book at the YMCA. It meets three times a week, 2 hrs each session for a total of 30 hrs of instruction over the course of 5 weeks. There are 6 students in my current class. So, over the course of a year, I'm going to pay something like 20,000 baht for a year's worth of classes. My husband has taken group courses at the AUA and they're about twice as expensive, but they meet every day and the classrooms are airconditioned.

We've hired private tutors for one-on-one instruction at a rate of 150 - 300 baht/hr depending upon how long a commitment we were making. Agree to take several weeks of private tutoring and the hourly rate goes down.

I've heard that the CMU year-long program is something like 30,000 baht. It meets two times a week, for a couple of hours each time. The classroom is nice and airconditioned. I'm hearing this second-hand. Our only first-hand experience has been at the AUA and the YMCA.

With this competition, I can't see how a Thai language school could survive charging 20,000 baht a week per pupil for group lessons! I think marsteele may be confused.

No not confused reading it here right in front of me Ratchprat language School / Thai English classes,

Thai 20,000 per week 5 days per week 3 hour classes. Thai / english speaking instructors. 3,500 baht booking fee. Max 15 per class.

English classes 3,000 baht per month 3 classes per week 3 hout per class (Sat, Sun, Mon) Max 20 per class

Edited July 22, 2009 by marsteele

[lukeskywalker]

What are some good schools near the San Sai area? Where is the YMCA located?

[JonLee]

The bar girls will fix you up nicely.

And that's the best way of learning Thai.

I am serious, this is not a joke.

[dave2]

to nancyl and the OP

i saw this notice about CMU language courses on rimping notice board yesterday.

it might be worth looking into ?

dave2

[tomartoh]

Are the chiang mai university thai lang courses any good, they cost 30,000 for a year.

Is it possible to learn thai in 2 sessions of 2 hours each a week? is there any urgency to learn or are intensive courses better?

[WaiWai]

Some market demand for visas via the "education" route is no doubt contributing to the cost of Thai classes.

[NancyL]

I've not taken the CMU courses; just know some people who have and they say they're good. Plus, some of my teachers at the YMCA have their Masters degrees from CMU and one just got hired at the CMU Thai language institute. It is a well regarded program. I don't think the 30,000 baht/yr charge includes the visa. I think that's an extra charge.

Yes, I'd think you could learn Thai with just a few hours of class time per week if they assign a lot of homework, have a good book, CDs, etc. When I took classes in reading/writing Thai at the YMCA, I was doing about two or three hours of homework for every one hour I was in class. Others just showed up unprepared and let the class wash over them, though, so much depends upon your motivation. Maybe those students would have been better in a program that emphasized classroom time and didn't assign homework.

The YMCA is located a few blocks directly north of Kad Suan Kaew in a residential area. You really need to look at a map. Check out the International Hotel portion of the YMCA Chiang Mai's website for a map. They don't help students get educational visas and the facilities are pretty basic -- the rooms a bit grimmy, no air conditioning, no hand towels in the rest rooms -- but the costs are low and the teachers are pretty good. Most are working on their Masters at CMU.

They are focused on teaching "proper" Thai, which means Bangkok Thai. I beg to differ with people who say you can learn Thai via intensive study of "bedroom Thai". While that may be more fun than attending morning classes in an unairconditioned room, you may end up speaking like an under-educated farm girl. Plus, most of the ladies available to teach bedroom Thai don't have their Masters degrees in the language from one of the best universities in Thailand.

Some of the best entertainment I've seen in my Thai language classes is when guys get into a big fight with the teacher about something they "already know" from their bedroom Thai lessons. As one of my husband's teachers says, "there's lazy Thai and there's proper Thai. We're teaching proper Thai here" (note that was at the AUA, where they also have similar disagreements with students who think they've already learned Thai via the bedroom)

[harrry]

I looked at doing thai language course but the price of 20,000 baht per week (15 hours) is outrages. Thai lanuage course for 80,000 baht per month forget it. An english teacher only earns about 10,000 baht per month. Don't know why it is more expensive to learn thai than english.

please tell me your figures are wrong......cant be that much. i pay 300 baht for private lessons in pattaya an hour and thats a lot.........but worth it

your numbers are 1,333 per hour?

definately correct the cheapest I could find in Chiangmai. some range up to 45,000 baht per week.

I think you read wrong

45 hour courses are about 5000 baht and I year courses up to 30000 baht for 180 hrs ($1000us) for the year not week

[0zz1]

Does anyone know where and where the Walen school will open?

Does anyone know about the Pro Language School?

I think I will also take one of the 1 year Thai courses sometime in the future at the moment I think Payap Uni and CMU are the 2 to choose between but would like to learn more about the Walen and Pro Language schools if their any good.

One of my friend did visit the Walen in BKK and said that the prices they have on website is BS and when you walk in and if you want also the ED Visa thing you can multiply the website prices with 3 or 4, any experiences on this?

[MacWalen]

Dear Ozz1, here is the info.

We will open on the 1st of September 2009 in Chiang Mai. Address is 12 Huey Kaw, opposite Ket Suen Kaw shopping center.

I am disappointed with your friend not telling you the truth regarding our prices. The prices on our website are exactly what you get. Maybe you can get some more info from you friend or perhaps a receipt to prove the information he gave you.

When we open I would like to invite you for a free demonstration of our method.

Regards, Walen School of Thai

www.thaiwalen.com - 1st of September opening in CM!

Edited July 26, 2009 by macwalen

[mickmac]

I looked at doing thai language course but the price of 20,000 baht per week (15 hours) is outrages. Thai lanuage course for 80,000 baht per month forget it. An english teacher only earns about 10,000 baht per month. Don't know why it is more expensive to learn thai than english.

Hi Marsteele,

Try this web site, http://www.teflcmu.com/courses.php?course=...uage&ref=li

This shows the prices at CMU.

[THAIPHUKET]

@ macwalen

I am interested , pls send invitation when time has come

[MacWalen]

THAIPHUKET absolutely.

Regards, Walen