Schooling In Thialand For English Children

[sykesy]

hi there, im thinking of selling up and moving to thialand, changmai. ive got 3 children aged 4,6,12. can anybody give me any info on the schooling situation.

how much are the private school fees ect?

any info is welcome.

richard.

[Ijustwannateach]

For a REALLY, REALLY good school (we're talking something that seems like a school back in the States or England) it's probably 150K-300K PER CHILD PER YEAR (pcpy), possibly plus entrance fees, bribes to jump the queues, and other assorted costs.

For an average Thai-western fusion school (frequently called EP) that will at least have native speaking teachers who will probably be pretty good for the most part, you're looking at the 50-100K pcpy range, also possibly with some entrance fees.

Under that, you're looking at the dodgier private schools and Thai government schools- caveat emptor. You get what you pay for. Not to say that good students CAN'T come out of Thai government schools, but there's a reason for the proliferation of non-government schools for those who can afford it.

"Steven"

Edited July 8, 2005 by Ijustwannateach

[Rumpole]

You make no mention of your financial situation in your post, but have you given any serious thought to how you are going to support yourself and your kids in Thailand? Teaching English will not in any way enable you to provide a decent life-style for your family and you will exist in near-poverty, unless you have other funds on which you can regularly draw to pay for every day living expenses. Salaries in Chiangmai are particularly low. Education costs alone for three children will be far more than you can earn as a teacher. What will you do if one of your children requires serious medical attention? Who will take care of the kids whilst you are slaving away at all hours in some sweatshop Thai school? Have you given any consideration to the Byzantine and almost perennial visa hassles which foreigners in Thailand face? It is bad enough having to make frequent border/visa runs yourself, how will you cope with three kids in tow? How will your kids deal with continually being looked down upon and discriminated against as outsiders – no matter how long they remain in the country? What about their university education and/or subsequent careers? Except at the handful of real international schools (which unless you have large amounts of cash will be totally beyond your budget), a Thai education will not in any way prepare a Western child for life in the West and their options in Thailand will be limited to say the least.

The realities of living in Thailand as a farang bear little to no resemblance to the idyll of visiting as a tourist. You mention “selling up” in your post. In my opinion, this would be extremely foolish as it will cut off a primary escape route for when you and your kids eventually realize that you hate living in Thailand.

In my view, you would be doing your children a grave disservice by moving them to Thailand and you should seriously reconsider your plans.

[sykesy]

reallity talks. thanks for the post, i was concerned about all the facts you mentioned.ive now moved a step backwards but probably in the right direction. i was hoping to buy a property for £30k and rent/sell my current house. back to the think tank.

[Rumpole]

Children can benefit in all kinds of ways from living in a different culture and society. However, I don't think Asia in general is a particularly good place to bring up Western kids, unless you have the support systems provided by say a multi-national company or government organisation (diplomats etc.). The possible exceptions are Singapore and Hong Kong, but to get a decent teaching job - one which perhaps includes educational allowances for expat children - in those places requires solid teaching qualifications and a fair amount of experience. Malaysia may also be worth a look. No visa hassles, especially for Brits, and they have English medium schools which are streets ahead of Thailand. Lots of expats too, doing all kinds of work. Maybe also do some research into living in the EU. Much less of a culture shock for both you and the kids and easy to get home if things go wrong.

Renting out your house will bring in much needed extra income - DON'T SELL until you are absolutely sure that your new life is exactly what you and the children want. For the same reason you should rent in your host country, rather than buy. Do not under any circumstances cut off your escape route back to your own country.

Run-of-the-mill TEFL is a good way for a single person to see the world. It is NOT generally a viable proposition for bringing up kids unless you have superior qualifications and/or a non-teaching spouse with marketable skills. The field is far too transient, unstable and generally low paid. There is no way I would gamble my kids' future and well-being on the lies and broken promises propogated by the majority of employers in this business. And that goes double in Thailand.

Edited July 9, 2005 by Rumpole