Chiangmai For Families

[Blackandwhite]

I am planning our an inevitable move to live in Thailand and have concluded that as we have a young daughter who is of school age we will need to choose where we live based on the schools in the area, we had looked at Hua Hin but since finding out the schools do not have much to offer, we are looking at options of other places based on what the schools have to offer. That aside it also needs to depend on if the area its self suits a family. We are me British and 37, wife 32 Thai and my little Iysha is 8 and full of life as most kids are. Wondering what CM is like as a day to day life not a holiday thing. If your a family I would love to hear from you regards how you find it. I have a deep passion to live in Thailand and not sure how long I will be here in the UK. I have my main priority my daughter and her future is of utmost importance to me. Any info would be great, thank you.

[millwall_fan]

Chiang Mai is a safe and exciting place to bring up kids with the zoo, the countryside and mountains all nearby. There are schools to suit all budgets and although you need to conduct extensive research there are good quality schools here. The fact that your daughter is too old for a pushchair is a major advantage. My lads 2 1/2 and still need a pushchair on long walks - they're a nightmare on Chiang Mai's pavements.

[sarahsbloke]

I'm living very near ChiangMai with my wife (Thai age 34) and daughter (Thai age 12)

We live in a rented 3 bedroom house in a quiet moobaan aimed mainly at mixed race families

My step-daughter has only recently joined us (from her village) to start at the local Kings school (1 km away from the house)

Not entirely sure what you expect from a school

There are various Kings schools (free)

Dual language schools (80kbht a year)

International schools (600kbht a year)

My children always go to local schools, if the school isn't very good I teach them any additional requirements.

I don't believe in making my children different to their peers by sending them to elitist schools.

As far as I can see if you want a good school then you don't bring your children to Thailand, all the schools here are educationally poor to very poor (no matter what you pay, just my opinion)

But a child who can speak Thai and English well, will have a big advantage over here, and that's up to you and your Thai wife.

You need to be able to describe what you actully want for your family, busy city life, quiet semi-rural retreat, etc.

ChiangMai seems to be a good place for a family to live, but the moobaans outside have a much quieter atmosphere and a more villagey feel to them. I'm 20km from central CM, takes about 25 minutes to get into the town centre. house rental 2 bed 5500bht, 3 bed 7000bht, 4 bed 10000bht. Wang Taan resort swimming pool 6km in one direction, another pool 2km in opposite direction.

Only this afternoon a 2 year old let himself into my house (half white), closely followed by a 2 1/2 year old Thai from various neighbours houses (almost every house has a white husband and his Thai wife along with assorted rellys). One of their mothers eventually came and got them, after she noticed they had wandered off, but stayed for a while to chat to my Thai mother-in-law and me. No traffic out here, children are safe, the wives wander from house to house during the day, cooking, eating and chatting.

Edited May 3, 2010 by sarahsbloke

[Blackandwhite]

I'm living very near ChiangMai with my wife (Thai age 34) and daughter (Thai age 12)

We live in a rented 3 bedroom house in a quiet moobaan aimed mainly at mixed race families

My step-daughter has only recently joined us (from her village) to start at the local Kings school (1 km away from the house)

Not entirely sure what you expect from a school

There are various Kings schools (free)

Dual language schools (80kbht a year)

International schools (600kbht a year)

My children always go to local schools, if the school isn't very good I teach them any additional requirements.

I don't believe in making my children different to their peers by sending them to elitist schools.

As far as I can see if you want a good school then you don't bring your children to Thailand, all the schools here are educationally poor to very poor (no matter what you pay, just my opinion)

But a child who can speak Thai and English well, will have a big advantage over here, and that's up to you and your Thai wife.

You need to be able to describe what you actully want for your family, busy city life, quiet semi-rural retreat, etc.

ChiangMai seems to be a good place for a family to live, but the moobaans outside have a much quieter atmosphere and a more villagey feel to them. I'm 20km from central CM, takes about 25 minutes to get into the town centre. house rental 2 bed 5500bht, 3 bed 7000bht, 4 bed 10000bht. Wang Taan resort swimming pool 6km in one direction, another pool 2km in opposite direction.

Only this afternoon a 2 year old let himself into my house (half white), closely followed by a 2 1/2 year old Thai from various neighbours houses (almost every house has a white husband and his Thai wife along with assorted rellys). One of their mothers eventually came and got them, after she noticed they had wandered off, but stayed for a while to chat to my Thai mother-in-law and me. No traffic out here, children are safe, the wives wander from house to house during the day, cooking, eating and chatting.

Thank you for the information it is so kind of you to give me some feedback, I am desperate for as much info as possible. Not sure how long I can stick things out here in the Uk, but the most important part of all my plans need to be my little lady Iysha, I fully understand that there is a compromise from Uk educational to Thai school even when a child attends International school, but that said. Here in the Uk we have a good school not amazing but okay, but on the back of that we live in a very rushed and stressed society, I myself have a hard time at work and a hard time to not get absorbed into the rat race of stress and work life here, that in turn does effect our family life and I am sure there is more to life than all that.

Thank you again, more would be good if anyone can help me.

[PeaceBlondie]

International schools here are very good.

[doppa]

noticed your name b/w, couldnt be from my neck of the woods could you?

[mamborobert]

noticed your name b/w, couldnt be from my neck of the woods could you?

From Newcastle or a Minstrel?

[Blackandwhite]

noticed your name b/w, couldnt be from my neck of the woods could you?

From Newcastle or a Minstrel?

No sorry, Gloucester old joke from years ago, when I was a cook in a chip shop.

[doppa]

noticed your name b/w, couldnt be from my neck of the woods could you?

From Newcastle or a Minstrel?

hold on now smog monster

[iainiain101]

noticed your name b/w, couldnt be from my neck of the woods could you?

From Newcastle or a Minstrel?

No sorry, Gloucester old joke from years ago, when I was a cook in a chip shop.

Ok, so when you get here you will be able to offer an 'expert' opinion on where the best chips are to be had in town!

[somtampet]

Chiang Mai is a safe and exciting place to bring up kids with the zoo, the countryside and mountains all nearby. There are schools to suit all budgets and although you need to conduct extensive research there are good quality schools here. The fact that your daughter is too old for a pushchair is a major advantage. My lads 2 1/2 and still need a pushchair on long walks - they're a nightmare on Chiang Mai's pavements.

What about the pollution a few months of the year,i here its horrendous and the temperature this year has plummeted.These are the main reasons i dont want to live in Chiang Mai

[sarahsbloke]

I myself have a hard time at work and a hard time to not get absorbed into the rat race of stress and work life here, that in turn does effect our family life and I am sure there is more to life than all that.

What employment were you thinking of doing out here?

Not much of a rat race for me, good internet connection, tv and movies all downloaded, swimming pool nearby, plenty of places to eat out (noodle soup for 4 total cost 100bht), safe environment for the children, lakes and mountains nearby. Almost cheaper to eat out than cook yourself!

ChiangMai is full of English second-hand book shops, Cinema is 70bht per person with all the latest movies shown in English.

Loads of places cater for English speakers, if you haven't learnt Thai yet.

Edited May 4, 2010 by sarahsbloke

[chiangmaiexpat]

I found myself thinking the same thoughts five years ago before we moved to Chiang Mai.

Actually, the education facilities in Chiang Mai are good by comparison with other Thai cities. The choice is more narrow than in Bangkok, but you can find a number of quality international schools, bilingual schools, and good universities.

If you want to send your children to an international school, prepare to spend a small fortune in the range of 150k-300k per year per kid. The Thai private schools are cheaper, but they often require difficult and sometimes costly entry procedures. Some of the more reputable Thai schools are very strict and require intensive tutoring, while some of the bilingual schools offer a non-standard syllabus.

It's not an easy choice, and it always pays to do some research. It depends on several factors, such as your expectations, budget, children's ability and preferences, distance to school, etc. The best thing is probably to come here and get to know the schools a little better.

Cheers, CMX

[Thaihog]

There are various Kings schools (free)

Dual language schools (80kbht a year)

International schools (600kbht a year)

All International schools are not 600K per year. Most International schools would be in the 140-200K Thai Baht bracket for a 8 year old.

Do a search, as this topic has been covered a few times recently.

Good luck......

[Thakkar]

Fees for International schools start at about 150k baht for elementary and about 200k Baht per year for High school. Schools charging these fees are all good schools:

Chiang Mai International School

Nakorn Payap International School

Grace International School

Lanna International School

American Pacific International school (a little more expensive than the above range)

Then there's Prem, the most expensive school which I think charges about 500k a year. I'm told it is a world class school.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Within Thailand, Chiang Mai is good for families, relative to most other places in Thailand. However keep in mind that Thailand in general is of course very UNsuitable for families with children. Most Western countries have better/cheaper education, and are of course heaps safer.

[Puwa]

Pros:

- Depending on lifestyle, not much of a rat race here

- Close to natural environment, national parks

- Children see a different way of living

- Extended family help with childcare

- Affordable housing, domestic help, etc

- Chance to grow up bilingual

Cons:

- Few choices for good education

- Poor public safety: traffic, pollution, food cleanliness etc

- Almost no green space like public parks

- No kid-oriented public libraries

- Books are expensive

- Very little feeling of neighborhood-- friends tend to be dispersed, so you rely on a car

[WinnieTheKhwai]

> - Very little feeling of neighborhood-- friends tend to be dispersed, so you rely on a car

In general I'd agree with that, but there are exceptions. I live in a moo ban with LOADS of kids. Many missionary families as well, those people BREED.

> - Books are expensive

Books you'd just have to get from Amazon or get people to ship in a box or two. There's no taxes on books, so pretty safe/smooth to send through customs.

> - Almost no green space like public parks

True compared to where I was born, but as far as Thailand goes Chiang Mai probably probably ranks near the top. Then I include the places up the mountain, the zoo, the area around the Night Safari (where they have deer walking around), and some resorts such as the Horizon resort & botanic garden and others. The 'actual' public parks of which there are two are indeed crap.

[sarahsbloke]

> - Almost no green space like public parks

The 'actual' public parks of which there are two are indeed crap.

ChiangMai is surrounded by green spaces, there are public walks all the way up Doi Suthep, with waterfalls and picnic areas.

About 1km from the centre.

At Doi Saket it is almost entirely public green spaces, dams, resorts, wats, rivers, mountain walks.

[gotlost]

n general I'd agree with that, but there are exceptions. I live in a moo ban with LOADS of kids. Many missionary families as well, those people BREED.

[PeaceBlondie]

I'm gay and made my wife pregnant nine times.

[MESmith]

The OP says "I have my main priority my daughter and her future is of utmost importance to me".

Stay in UK, until she finishes schooling.  You're still young, CM can wait.  You have a job in UK, there's a global recession on, Thailand is getting more & more expensive , & exchange rates may still be heading south.

Raising kids here.  We have 2 young boys, & the amazingly timed long school holidays here coincide with pollution season & very hot season.  Confined to house most of the day.  

[Gonzo the Face]

I'm gay and made my wife pregnant nine times.

My %^$# , 9 times...... all this is search of the green space

[gotlost]

I'm gay and made my wife pregnant nine times.

My %^$# , 9 times...... all this is search of the green space

Green space, hel-l their all brown with no rain.

[OOB]

The OP says "I have my main priority my daughter and her future is of utmost importance to me".

Stay in UK, until she finishes schooling. You're still young, CM can wait. You have a job in UK, there's a global recession on, Thailand is getting more & more expensive , & exchange rates may still be heading south.

Raising kids here. We have 2 young boys, & the amazingly timed long school holidays here coincide with pollution season & very hot season. Confined to house most of the day.

That could be another 15 odd years. If somebody had advised me to spend another fifteen years doing my 4 hour round trip commute each day for the sake of a UK state education for my children, I'd have politely told them where to stick their advice.

International schooling here, as stated elsewhere in the thread, is very good. It is as good as any of the 7-8 state schools my children attended in the UK. It is almost as good as the 1 private school they also attended (because we lived the wrong side of the state school boundary and missed out on places in our three chosen state schools).

If one can afford the move to CM, there may be many reasons not to make it, but leaving state schooling in the UK is certainly not one of them.

[anonymouse]

Pros:

- Depending on lifestyle, not much of a rat race here

- Close to natural environment, national parks

- Children see a different way of living

- Extended family help with childcare

- Affordable housing, domestic help, etc

- Chance to grow up bilingual

Cons:

- Few choices for good education

- Poor public safety: traffic, pollution, food cleanliness etc

- Almost no green space like public parks

- No kid-oriented public libraries

- Books are expensive

- Very little feeling of neighborhood-- friends tend to be dispersed, so you rely on a car

Agreed with most of this except;

Almost no green space like public parks

I'm one of those lucky Doi Saket residents who lives pretty close to Taweechol

Very little feeling of neighborhood-- friends tend to be dispersed, so you rely on a car

The Moo ban as with other posters is great for the wife and kids, I tend to go into town and meet up with friends anyway.

Books are expensive

True, but we are lucky to have such a huge number of second hand bookshops in CM so there is a wide range of books out there and they all seem to give you a 50% return on your books when you take them back, so it negates the costs a bit.

Otherwise pretty much agree with Puwa, especially about the safety of my children regarding transport etc and a decent library would be nice for the kids.

I've though long and hard about my family living in the UK and quality of life would dramatically decrease if I took that option.

Good luck

Edited May 5, 2010 by anonymouse

[hmficc]

You must ask yourself if CM is a safe place to live? Air pollution, death by automobile, on a 1st world basis, poor medical care. On has a duty to dependent children they may disregard for themselves.

[OOB]

You must ask yourself if CM is a safe place to live? Air pollution, death by automobile, on a 1st world basis, poor medical care. On has a duty to dependent children they may disregard for themselves.

And you must balance that against all of the positives concerned with living abroad, meeting new people, learning another language, expanding one's horizons etc. Not to mention the weather, food, extended family, cost of living, quality of life...

Wrapping kids up in cotton wool is unhealthy, wherever one lives. Besides a happy parent here is infinitely better for a child than an unhappy one sat in the smog, rain and dark winter days of London.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Yeah, if I sat in the London smog, rain and dark winter days, I may even have no other choice but to spend time with my kids!

[Crow Boy]

I'm gay and made my wife pregnant nine times.

As a straight man I can only applaud your efforts.

CB