Moving To Pattaya And Looking For An International School

[wvg]

They are already reading and writing now in Grade 1.

Did your daughter do Grade 1 in Belgium or is the 3rd year of kindergarden counted as Grade 1 there?

St. Andrews do 2 years of kindergarden 1 year Reception, and then start Grade 1.

No she has not done grade 1 .... and 3rd year of kindergarden is not counted as 1st grade.

I mentioned this to St Andrew but they said they place them according to their age.

She has started writting some letters and numbers but appart from reading her name she is not able to read. They only start with this next year in 1st grade. I believe she needs to go to grade 1.... we will see when I get there :-)

They want to place my son in grade 7 but he's only in grade 5 here ... again cause of his age ... I'll have to figure all that out when I get there I suppose.

Where are you from and how long have you been there?

[PattayaParent]

Your daughter might struggle with the reading and writing in year 2 as year 1 are now at reading levels between 3 and 10 but I suppose the school will give your kids a test to assess their level when you actually get over here.

There are a couple of kids in my daughters class that are a year older than the grade as the parents deliberately wanted them held back a year. And if your daughter was born in August (I think you said ?) she would be the youngest in the year.

I'm from England, been here since 1994.

[wvg]

Your daughter might struggle with the reading and writing in year 2 as year 1 are now at reading levels between 3 and 10 but I suppose the school will give your kids a test to assess their level when you actually get over here.

There are a couple of kids in my daughters class that are a year older than the grade as the parents deliberately wanted them held back a year. And if your daughter was born in August (I think you said ?) she would be the youngest in the year.

I'm from England, been here since 1994.

I would not like her to be the youngest in class .... it will be hard enough to learn English to begin with then add on the reading and writing .... She is from May 6th 2004 so I think I will ask them to just put her in 1st grade :-) ...luckely she is pretty smart, she should be fine

It's more my son I am worried about he has a hard time in school staying focused ... time will tell

I'm sure we will hear and see eachother by the time school starts then

any tips on where or how to find a nanny/maid plus driver

[PattayaParent]

A May birth date won't make here the youngest then.

I rarely get to the school as I work, most likely you'll meet my wife though.

Sorry don't know how you'd go about finding a nanny/maid or driver.

Maybe start a new topic on that.

[wvg]

A May birth date won't make here the youngest then.

I rarely get to the school as I work, most likely you'll meet my wife though.

Sorry don't know how you'd go about finding a nanny/maid or driver.

Maybe start a new topic on that.

Thanks for all your advice

[manarak]

Are your kids mixed Thai/Farang with some ability to speak Thai already?

If not a bilingual school would be no good as the majority of teaching (except English language) is in Thai.

Forget Aksorn Tech, it's Thai.

St. Andrew's teaches Farang kids Thai but it's not serious, they also teach Dutch if you're Belgian?

Nearer to your location would be Regent's School which is more expensive than St. Andrew's, did you not consider Regent's or did not hear about it?

Thank you

Yes I am from Belgium. My kids are European and don't know any Thai at all.But if we are going to live in Thailand I want to know the language and I also want my children to learn it. I believe it's important.

I looked at The Regents but it's to big and to expensive I feels as if my children would get lost at such a big school and be just a number. I have talked to St Andrews and they are the first school to have given me an e-mail response in proper English. I've also had contact with their Dutch teacher and have become quit comfortable with the idea of the kids going there.

It just a bit of a ride and seems the bus is expensive??? 12.000 Bath per months for two children from Inside HOrse Soe Point to the school and back in the afternoon????? Is this teh normal price??, It seems I could have a private driver for them at the same price not???

Is it easy to find a nanny/maid and driver for the children?

Thank you

Wendy

Err.. Regent's is not so big, do you live in a village in Belgium?

I think Regent's has nice infrastructure and is nicely located near the residential area in Pattaya's hinterland.

Yes I live in a village in Belgium why?

oh, just because when I went to school, my school had around 2500 students and it was considered a mid-sized school, situated in a small city of 60.000 inhabitants. There were a bunch of other schools there as well.

Your saying that Regent's was big got me thinking.

[NanLaew]

I don't understand why people don't search the forum for past discussions. The subject of international schools has been raised so many times already and all the pro and cons discussed ad nauseum.

I don't understand why this thread has anything to do with you if you have no input to it.

Perhaps the posters are looking for real up-to-date info.

This is one for newbie-ish mod Rimmer.

How about a 'sticky' on the Pattaya forum about international schools as it is a frequent subject and the TV search 'engine' is quite frankly a bit of a joke. Maybe a mod with kids could maintain it and not let it grow old and useless like the Hotels sticky which hasn't been updated since.... when?

[manarak]

google's search engine works quite well:

type in: "site:thaivisa.com "+your search. Best is to learn about the use of + - and ""

[NearestTheTee]

Hello,

We are moving to Pattaya ( near Mapracham Lake ) in June and are looking for a International School for our children age 5 and 11. We would like them to study in English and learn to speak Thai. Currently both are in school in Belgium Europe.

I was considering four different school and would appreciate any info or experiences you guys could share with us good or bad.

International School of Pattaya

St Andrew's International School

International School Eastern Seaboard

Askorn tech School ( not sure this International )

Thank you for any advice you can give :-)

wvg,My three kids all attend REPS - Rayong English Programme School. It is a bi-lingual school located in Ban Chang. Some students come from Thai families, some are half Thai half western, some are Korean, some Dutch, Australian etc. The aim of the school is for all the kids to become fluent in English and Thai. School fees are very reasonable especially when compared to the International Schools. The principle is British and they have many teachers whose native language is English. I would recommend that you check their website and maybe send them an email. PM me if you want more personal feedback/details.

[NearestTheTee]

Are your kids mixed Thai/Farang with some ability to speak Thai already?

If not a bilingual school would be no good as the majority of teaching (except English language) is in Thai.

Forget Aksorn Tech, it's Thai.

St. Andrew's teaches Farang kids Thai but it's not serious, they also teach Dutch if you're Belgian?

Nearer to your location would be Regent's School which is more expensive than St. Andrew's, did you not consider Regent's or did not hear about it?

My children are in REPS and the majority of their teaching is conducted in English

[chael]

Hello,

I recommend you check these websites: www.repsrayong.com and www.gardenrayong.com. Make enquiries, have a tour around the school. Don't be deceived or misled by the outside appearance.

REPS (Rayong English Programme School) is the first bilingual school that I have ever visited that has many qualified english speakers. it's truly bilingual.

My 5 year old daughter comes to REPS and my 4 year old son goes to GIS (Garden International School). Both are enjoying and doing well.

I hope I have helped you somehow. I've been here for 21 years.

[JSixpack]

I've looked on here and found many damaging reports regarding the Assumption school that was mentioned earlier in this thread. Many posts from teachers and students and students' parents there portray it as a really deplorable place to send your children to.

I would highly recommend reading some of them before considering it.

Be nice if you gave the links so each one of us won't have to dig for them.

[Phil Conners]

I don't understand why people don't search the forum for past discussions. The subject of international schools has been raised so many times already and all the pro and cons discussed ad nauseum.

Be nice if you gave the links so each one of us won't have to dig for them.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/search.html&...onal+schools%5C

[JSixpack]

I don't understand why people don't search the forum for past discussions. The subject of international schools has been raised so many times already and all the pro and cons discussed ad nauseum.

Be nice if you gave the links so each one of us won't have to dig for them.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/search.html&...onal+schools%5C

That link is just a general search for all international schools, of which Assumption is not actually one. Looking at random, this little report flatly contradicts what you said about Assumption:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/English-Lang...47#entry2570947

So what was needed were a few links to the threads specifically with the negative reports about Assumption, since you brought up the topic. And I think you know that, really. Tnx for nothing.

[PattayaParent]

Are your kids mixed Thai/Farang with some ability to speak Thai already?

If not a bilingual school would be no good as the majority of teaching (except English language) is in Thai.

Forget Aksorn Tech, it's Thai.

St. Andrew's teaches Farang kids Thai but it's not serious, they also teach Dutch if you're Belgian?

Nearer to your location would be Regent's School which is more expensive than St. Andrew's, did you not consider Regent's or did not hear about it?

My children are in REPS and the majority of their teaching is conducted in English

How are they doing with the maths lessons conducted in Thai?

[NearestTheTee]

Are your kids mixed Thai/Farang with some ability to speak Thai already?

If not a bilingual school would be no good as the majority of teaching (except English language) is in Thai.

Forget Aksorn Tech, it's Thai.

St. Andrew's teaches Farang kids Thai but it's not serious, they also teach Dutch if you're Belgian?

Nearer to your location would be Regent's School which is more expensive than St. Andrew's, did you not consider Regent's or did not hear about it?

My children are in REPS and the majority of their teaching is conducted in English

How are they doing with the maths lessons conducted in Thai?

They are getting on ok. The current topics they are covering are not new to them so that helps when the teacher is making diagrams and writing on the board. Most of the Thai teachers also speak some English and will use both Thai and English to explain something if the student is struggling to understand in Thai alone.

[emugirl]

Hello wgv,

I understand this is an old post but I just wondered if you could do an update on how your kids setteled in and which school you ended up choosing?

We are in a similiar situation , soon to be moving from an International school in Belgium with our 7 and 12 year old. I'm also interested in the housing at Horseshoe Point and the Grand Regent next to the Regents school, if anyone

has some input about those I would love to hear it.

I have read some reports about these areas being too isolated but with a young family we don't feel the need to be in the thick of things every night. I just need to know I can do the school run, supermarket trips without too much bother.

Any info at all will be most appreciated.

Cheers,

emugirl.

[PattayaParent]

^I met someone new who has 2 kids at St. Andrews last week and lives at Horsehoe point, (not wgv as they are Swedish not Belgian) and she says it's really nice living there

[mogy]

Schools change and people change. For those of us that are interested it's good to get new opinions on these places. There's no-one forcing anyone to open a link that has a heading they may not be interested in - just scroll on. It's not taking up too much cyberspace either.

I don't understand why people don't search the forum for past discussions. The subject of international schools has been raised so many times already and all the pro and cons discussed ad nauseum.

[humpty]

The International School of Pattaya isn't even open anymore, the building is now Dusit College

[janverbeem]

Are your kids mixed Thai/Farang with some ability to speak Thai already?

If not a bilingual school would be no good as the majority of teaching (except English language) is in Thai.

Forget Aksorn Tech, it's Thai.

St. Andrew's teaches Farang kids Thai but it's not serious, they also teach Dutch if you're Belgian?

Nearer to your location would be Regent's School which is more expensive than St. Andrew's, did you not consider Regent's or did not hear about it?

My children are in REPS and the majority of their teaching is conducted in English

If you call less than 30% the majority then you are correct.

[luudee]

My kids are 9 and 7 now, and have been at Regents since pre-nursery.

I am VERY happy with the school overall, great teachers, curriculum

appears to be good as well. But yeah, VERY expensive ...

My kids are mixed Thai/Farang and both speak fluently Thai and English

and also read/write thai and English (to their age level). They have kids

books in both languages.

The oldest one has been also taking Mandarin as a third language for a

year now and loves it. Lots of after school activities and additional courses

for the once who are interested. They have also additional thai classes for

farang kids who want/need to catch up quickly.

The administrators are mostly Thai and it takes a lot patients dealing

with them. Other than that no complaints at all.

Cheers,

rudi

PS: As for transportation, we have the equivalent of a driver (grandfather) who

does it. Regents also quoted some extremely high price for them to transport the

kids. They claim that each kid they transport has a dedicated supervisor person

that hand the kids to the parents/dedicated recipient only. So it supposedly not

just a bus. I would not trust a random Thai driver with my kids (both girls).

Edited September 22, 2011 by luudee

[emugirl]

Thanks luudee, glad to hear your kids are very happy there. Can't wait to get over on our look-see and check it out for ourselves.

Cheers,emugirl.

[thaiclan]

"We are in a similiar situation , soon to be moving from an International school in Belgium with our 7 and 12 year old. I'm also interested in the housing at Horseshoe Point and the Grand Regent next to the Regents school, if anyone

has some input about those I would love to hear it.

I have read some reports about these areas being too isolated but with a young family we don't feel the need to be in the thick of things every night. I just need to know I can do the school run, supermarket trips without too much bother.

Any info at all will be most appreciated.

Cheers,

emugirl"

Hi Emugirl. We live on Lake Mabprachan 2 mins from Horshoe Point. It's a great family rural area and does not feel isolated at all. We are British and have 2 kids age 3 and 9 and they have many friends they play with each early evening. There are a few restaurants around the lake and of course it only takes 15-20mins to get into town. There are no loud bars and you don't have to drive your children past any beer bars with girls dancing around poles or sitting outside on stools attracting the local clients :-)

We love it out here and feel the quality of life living just outside Pattaya is great for a family. Hope you enjoy it too!