How Many Off You Have Kids In Thailand

[Rigger]

Interested how many of you out there have kids in Thailand. Do they go to the local schools or a international schools. Do they get treated any different for being only half Thai. Are you happy with the education that they are receiving. I have two kids not yet ready for school but I have to start thinking about weather we would move back to Australia or maybe move into Khon Kaen for there schooling

[uncle paul]

Interested how many of you out there have kids in Thailand. Do they go to the local schools or a international schools. Do they get treated any different for being only half Thai. Are you happy with the education that they are receiving. I have two kids not yet ready for school but I have to start thinking about weather we would move back to Australia or maybe move into Khon Kaen for there schooling

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

the weather is fine in thailand plenty of good schools if yuo can pay, however, i suspect it would be free in australia & oz is probably better for them in the long run

[Veritas]

Interested how many of you out there have kids in Thailand. Do they go to the local schools or a international schools. Do they get treated any different for being only half Thai. Are you happy with the education that they are receiving. I have two kids not yet ready for school but I have to start thinking about weather we would move back to Australia or maybe move into Khon Kaen for there schooling

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

the weather is fine in thailand plenty of good schools if yuo can pay, however, i suspect it would be free in australia & oz is probably better for them in the long run

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You mean they would reach their fathers standard of English

[Kringle]

I would say that they will get a better education in OZ rather than here. The closest school to me is grades 1-6 and according to one teacher I know there, all of the students are on the same level of reading, writing and comprehension of the English language. This school charges 60K baht a term and for that i would expect more. You can go to the 200-400k range and get a better quality school but I can't do that. I've still got time before my girl goes to school but it is a worry for me. I'm trying to bring in teaching material from the US to help her get a better start but what to do after that, I'm not sure.

I have met UNI students that were struggling with what I would say is an 8th grade textbook and that is worrying to me. Does make you wonder.

[terdsak_12]

I got 2 kids, a 5 year old girl, and a 6 month boy. My daughter goes to a Bi-Lingual school, costs me around 90K a year, they do wonders there, she reads and writes both lingos, is good at maths and other subjects. No complaints. I speak to her in the same English I use with other native speakers, and her Mum speaks regular Thai with her.

She knows shes a bit different from most Thai kids a gets loads of attentions off locals. I teach her to shout at them when they start touching her, filthy habit.

I have no probs raising kids here.

I see so many Farangs out and about who can't even communicate with their own kids, sad!!!

[billd766]

At this stage as my son is only one it is not a big problem.

However firstly he is Thai and secondly he is English and he will go to the local schools up here near Khampaeng Phet.

I will teach him English and hopefully some of his school friends as well.

He will have dual nationality and as he grows older it will be his choice as to where he will go to school and what he wants in his life. We live outside a village and there are no english or international schools outside of the big cities so if he wants to go to one he will have to leave home and family and we will not force him to do that.

He was born and always will be Thai.

[Nepal4me]

At this stage as my son is only one it is not a big problem.

However firstly he is Thai and secondly he is English and he will go to the local schools up here near Khampaeng Phet.

I will teach him English and hopefully some of his school friends as well.

He will have dual nationality and as he grows older it will be his choice as to where he will go to school and what he wants in his life. We live outside a village and there are no english or international schools outside of the big cities so if he wants to go to one he will have to leave home and family and we will not force him to do that.

He was born and always will be Thai.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I take it you are a falang??? It seems to me that a child wouldn't have the capacity to decide where he wants to go to school. He needs guidance and help to understands his options and he/she must be exposed to different experiences. If he grows up in the chonabot, his/her English skills will be limited to 'home speak' with you and with "some" other half Thai/English children. Would he/she really be able to make a proper decision about the benefits of leaving home and family? Also I have heard that village schools are mostly, although not always, lacking in proper educational standards. Shouldn't he/she be educated somewhere that will better prepare him/her for the future?

I'm speaking not yet as a parent but as a parent-to-be in a few short months and therefore this type of information will be of importance to me very soon. Am I not correct in my thinking?

[OldAsiaHand]

We have two sons, both of whom go (went) to school here. In our personal experience, the very top international schools in Bangkok (ISB, Bangkok Pattaya) are, in most respects, the equal of most any top schools in the world. But they will also cost you what the very top international schools will anywhere else in the world as well. Actually, perhaps a little less, but count on B500,000 per year per child or there abouts. That's just the reality of it if you want to get the best for your kids regardless of cost.

If that's something you can't do, then you don't want your kids going to school in Thailand. There are cheaper international schools here, but they aren't, in my experience, anything to write home about. And forget about public schools. No, at the very top in terms of cost, your kids are as well off here as anywhere. Below the very top, they will be better off in nearly any western country with a reasonable public education system.

[mpdkorat]

My wife and I are expecting are first child in December. I for one am very interested in all your experiences. Education is a bit of a worry, but I have a few years to work on that problem.

Most of my friends that have Thai kids have worked very hard to ensure that their children are bilingual.

[Rigger]

Interested how many of you out there have kids in Thailand. Do they go to the local schools or a international schools. Do they get treated any different for being only half Thai. Are you happy with the education that they are receiving. I have two kids not yet ready for school but I have to start thinking about weather we would move back to Australia or maybe move into Khon Kaen for there schooling

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

the weather is fine in thailand plenty of good schools if yuo can pay, however, i suspect it would be free in australia & oz is probably better for them in the long run

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You mean they would reach their fathers standard of English

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[/quote

Yes I am poorly educated and I hope my kids will get a better education so as they to can add such important posts to Thaivisa such as your self

[colinj]

This topic has been discussed often in my household. I live in Australia and the main thing that is holding us here is my daughters education. My wife attended Thai Public schooling in a village up to the end of high school. She then went to Bangkok enrolled in a Business College, so even though she does not hold a high degree she does understand the importants of a good education.

My wife would love to move back to Thailand but she will not because she wants our daughter to get an Education here. I also agree as I believe the education that she will receive here will be a lot better, and accepted by more establishments world wide, than one obtained in thailand. This is the same reason that we have two of our nieces from Thailand completing senior high school here. We are not paying for them, their parents are footing the bill.

My daughter speaks both English and Thai ( she is only 4) and next year she starts at a Thai School which is held Sundays for 4 hours and concentrates on teaching thai, oral and writing, plus some thai culture.

The way we see it as my daughter holds both Australian and Thai citizenship when she has finished her schooling she will be in a position to choose where she wants to live and work.

The draw back is I have to wait until I am at least 65 before being able to retire in LOS

[billd766]

At this stage as my son is only one it is not a big problem.

However firstly he is Thai and secondly he is English and he will go to the local schools up here near Khampaeng Phet.

I will teach him English and hopefully some of his school friends as well.

He will have dual nationality and as he grows older it will be his choice as to where he will go to school and what he wants in his life. We live outside a village and there are no english or international schools outside of the big cities so if he wants to go to one he will have to leave home and family and we will not force him to do that.

He was born and always will be Thai.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I take it you are a falang??? It seems to me that a child wouldn't have the capacity to decide where he wants to go to school. He needs guidance and help to understands his options and he/she must be exposed to different experiences. If he grows up in the chonabot, his/her English skills will be limited to 'home speak' with you and with "some" other half Thai/English children. Would he/she really be able to make a proper decision about the benefits of leaving home and family? Also I have heard that village schools are mostly, although not always, lacking in proper educational standards. Shouldn't he/she be educated somewhere that will better prepare him/her for the future?

I'm speaking not yet as a parent but as a parent-to-be in a few short months and therefore this type of information will be of importance to me very soon. Am I not correct in my thinking?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes I am a falang. We live near a small village where my wife owns some land and a house. Are you suggesting that we sell up assuming that anyone has the money to buy around here and go back to living in a polluted city where it will cost us a lot more just to buy a place and live there? Perhaps we should just find a boarding school that he can live at on his own away from the love and care of his family.

I am fortunate in that when I was young living in the UK I was not sent away to school but lived at home and went to the local secondary school. I have had a good life, lived well and worked in many countries around the world and managed to survive using english and as much of the local language as I could learn or needed to survive.

When our son grows up here in Thailand he will always have a good income from the farm and land and will inherit everything when we die. If he was to live in the city assuming that he got a good education he would spend half of his income trying to survive. A good education is no guarantee of a good job or life in Thailand as many of the university graduates would tell you back in 1997 when the baht crashed and graduates could not get a job anywhere.

In the Bangkok office where I used to work some of the staff were earning less than 15,000 baht a month and travelling 2 hours each way a day just to get that and they held Masters and Batchelors degrees. As for working overseas there are not that many graduates successfully employed in foreign companies compared to the numbers who pass every year and try to find jobs.

Most village schools are lacking in facilties and quality but if I can help the local people in any way I will. Also I dont have 500,000 or so baht to spend on education every year and I suspect that quite a few other people don't either.

[Nam Kao]

I have a 3 and 5 year going to a private school upcountry. I would never

raise them in the US.

Also i wouldnt raise them in BKK or any city areas for the same reasons.

If i have to explain why - you wouldnt understand anyways.

nam

Edited August 13, 2005 by Nam Kao

[capco1]

Due to the fact that my family will be relocating back to Korat in December and we have two small daughters I have arrived at the following solution.

Girls will attend a decent public Thai school

Girls will also be in home school from the local elementry facility in the States.

If you have family in your home town, the schools will let them pick up assignments every month which can then be mailed to your Thai address.

[aletta]

I think if your children go to the best school you can find and prove to be bright then they can always go to one of the top universities and shine.

[ilyushin]

2 boys. The local program here is until grade school then possible a bi-lingual school or Guam/Saipan. Wait and see.

The schools are a factory here with the administrator's hands out to get what you'll pay. Friendly around tuition time.

Good luck wth your kid's education.

[Nepal4me]

At this stage as my son is only one it is not a big problem.

However firstly he is Thai and secondly he is English and he will go to the local schools up here near Khampaeng Phet.

I will teach him English and hopefully some of his school friends as well.

He will have dual nationality and as he grows older it will be his choice as to where he will go to school and what he wants in his life. We live outside a village and there are no english or international schools outside of the big cities so if he wants to go to one he will have to leave home and family and we will not force him to do that.

He was born and always will be Thai.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I take it you are a falang??? It seems to me that a child wouldn't have the capacity to decide where he wants to go to school. He needs guidance and help to understands his options and he/she must be exposed to different experiences. If he grows up in the chonabot, his/her English skills will be limited to 'home speak' with you and with "some" other half Thai/English children. Would he/she really be able to make a proper decision about the benefits of leaving home and family? Also I have heard that village schools are mostly, although not always, lacking in proper educational standards. Shouldn't he/she be educated somewhere that will better prepare him/her for the future?

I'm speaking not yet as a parent but as a parent-to-be in a few short months and therefore this type of information will be of importance to me very soon. Am I not correct in my thinking?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes I am a falang. We live near a small village where my wife owns some land and a house. Are you suggesting that we sell up assuming that anyone has the money to buy around here and go back to living in a polluted city where it will cost us a lot more just to buy a place and live there? Perhaps we should just find a boarding school that he can live at on his own away from the love and care of his family.

I'm not suggesting anything, I'm just trying to understand other peoples thoughts on how to raise children in Thailand since I have one on the way.

I am fortunate in that when I was young living in the UK I was not sent away to school but lived at home and went to the local secondary school. I have had a good life, lived well and worked in many countries around the world and managed to survive using english and as much of the local language as I could learn or needed to survive.

You are indeed fortunate, you have had a good and interesting life. You obviously have some skills or abilities that have allowed you to live such a life. How important was your "native English language ability" in leading this good life? If you raise your child locally in the village, will he have the same great opportunities in life that you have had?

When our son grows up here in Thailand he will always have a good income from the farm and land and will inherit everything when we die. If he was to live in the city assuming that he got a good education he would spend half of his income trying to survive. A good education is no guarantee of a good job or life in Thailand as many of the university graduates would tell you back in 1997 when the baht crashed and graduates could not get a job anywhere.

Hopefully he likes living and working on the farm because without the benefit of a good education he will not have any other opportunities. A good education doesn't guarantee anything but it does give you a fighting chance.

Also I dont have 500,000 or so baht to spend on education every year and I suspect that quite a few other people don't either.

500K is for the top elite ISB school, is there a happy medium? Maybe not ISB, but something better than a substandard village method of education?

My point really is that you've had a varied and interesting life working all over the world and you seem content that your child not have the same chances in life that you had. I think if you polled all the families in the villages all over Thailand, you would find the majority of parents would want to try to give their children as much help in life as possible, starting with the best education possible (of course within their means).