Bringing Up Mixed Race Kids In Thailand

[Blackandwhite]

Hello all, I am churning through all the if's, buts and maybes about raising children in Thailand over Europe and would like to present the following question.

If you have brought your children up in Thailand or moved from Europe have you had any regrets on doing this ??

Children are very dear and trusting in what their parents do, they will once older look back at decisions we make for them when they were young and perhaps feel that there were things that they do or did not like

Not pointing the finger or suggesting anything should or should not be done, but more of a research point of view.

[mkawish]

Perhaps, you ought to ask yourself first about your own personal goals and objectives.

Everyone of us have different goals and objectives and different tolerant thresholds.

If you do not have your own predetermined goals, objectives and standards; you would probably be swayed by everyone else opinions and experiences which may or may not have any bearing for you whatever.

Another thing to remember, where else can a child learn to speak English, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Malay, Hindu even before they finish their middle school.....?

Where else can you have a personal assistant at about 300 USD per month to take care of your precious child?

We have no regret whatever moving to Thailand.

The older children when they return to the well known US universities, they maintained a 4.00 GPA and appeared to be well ahead of their contemporaries in terms of life experiences and general global knowledges as well.

However, if I were you, I would definitely move away from large and congested cities, such as Bkk, ChiengMai, PartTaYar and PhuKet for example; to a much smaller town where clean air and natural surroundings prevail and

more importantly, won't need more than 15 minutes to drop off your child and to work.... imho.....

[MikeyIdea]

No regrets whatsoever, I am glad I took the decision to move considering how big the door of opportunities I have opened up for my daughter is

[Blackandwhite]

Perhaps, you ought to ask yourself first about your own personal goals and objectives.

Everyone of us have different goals and objectives and different tolerant thresholds.

If you do not have your own predetermined goals, objectives and standards; you would probably be swayed by everyone else opinions and experiences which may or may not have any bearing for you whatever.

Another thing to remember, where else can a child learn to speak English, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Malay, Hindu even before they finish their middle school.....?

Where else can you have a personal assistant at about 300 USD per month to take care of your precious child?

We have no regret whatever moving to Thailand.

The older children when they return to the well known US universities, they maintained a 4.00 GPA and appeared to be well ahead of their contemporaries in terms of life experiences and general global knowledges as well.

However, if I were you, I would definitely move away from large and congested cities, such as Bkk, ChiengMai, PartTaYar and PhuKet for example; to a much smaller town where clean air and natural surroundings prevail and

more importantly, won't need more than 15 minutes to drop off your child and to work.... imho.....

Hi, I am not so worried about what I want to do I have a very clear idea of that, I am not looking for a personal assistant to take care of my child nor would I feel this appropriate.

Agreed some of the bigger cities are busy and perhaps not suitable.

Interested in your comment about older children returning to US to university have yours done this ?? How did you find this them being so far away from Thailand ??

Thank you for the imput

[Thailaw]

No regrets whatsoever, I am glad I took the decision to move considering how big the door of opportunities I have opened up for my daughter is

I have no idea what the OP is asking, nor do I think he does. But, I seriously doubt that you have "opened a[ny] door of opportunities" for your daughter in Thailand -- that statement is, I think, a joke. Had you said that she is in Singapore, I might tend to agree (but not fully). But in a land biased against women, and a society and legal system that imposes such huge responsibilities on women (such as raising and supporting children, often alone), the chances/opportunities are not good. If you are saying that she will spend her early formative years here, isolated in a farang enclave, before you send her off to a place where she will have real opportunity for growth and development, then we agree, except for perhaps the timing. I have two young daughters, and they will grow up in the US from the age of 7 -- I would not keep them here a day beyond that, even in a "good" international school.

[champken]

I would be interested to hear from parents whose kids haven't returned to some US or UK university but remained in Thailand, how have they got on?

[MikeyIdea]

No regrets whatsoever, I am glad I took the decision to move considering how big the door of opportunities I have opened up for my daughter is

I have no idea what the OP is asking, nor do I think he does. But, I seriously doubt that you have "opened a[ny] door of opportunities" for your daughter in Thailand -- that statement is, I think, a joke. Had you said that she is in Singapore, I might tend to agree (but not fully). But in a land biased against women, and a society and legal system that imposes such huge responsibilities on women (such as raising and supporting children, often alone), the chances/opportunities are not good. If you are saying that she will spend her early formative years here, isolated in a farang enclave, before you send her off to a place where she will have real opportunity for growth and development, then we agree, except for perhaps the timing. I have two young daughters, and they will grow up in the US from the age of 7 -- I would not keep them here a day beyond that, even in a "good" international school.

How do we best prepare our kids for what they will need in 20 to 60 years time? => their working life. Not by only giving them what WE needed

OP, my advice stands. Good luck with your choices

[mkawish]

Perhaps, you ought to ask yourself first about your own personal goals and objectives.

Everyone of us have different goals and objectives and different tolerant thresholds.

If you do not have your own predetermined goals, objectives and standards; you would probably be swayed by everyone else opinions and experiences which may or may not have any bearing for you whatever.

Another thing to remember, where else can a child learn to speak English, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Malay, Hindu even before they finish their middle school.....?

Where else can you have a personal assistant at about 300 USD per month to take care of your precious child?

We have no regret whatever moving to Thailand.

The older children when they return to the well known US universities, they maintained a 4.00 GPA and appeared to be well ahead of their contemporaries in terms of life experiences and general global knowledges as well.

However, if I were you, I would definitely move away from large and congested cities, such as Bkk, ChiengMai, PartTaYar and PhuKet for example; to a much smaller town where clean air and natural surroundings prevail and

more importantly, won't need more than 15 minutes to drop off your child and to work.... imho.....

Hi, I am not so worried about what I want to do I have a very clear idea of that, I am not looking for a personal assistant to take care of my child nor would I feel this appropriate.

Agreed some of the bigger cities are busy and perhaps not suitable.

Interested in your comment about older children returning to US to university have yours done this ?? How did you find this them being so far away from Thailand ??

Thank you for the imput

Well, they only managed to graduate with Summa Cum Laude....

Really now, from Bkk to SFO it is only some 14,000 miles apart which would only take about 15 hours to get there.

We are only apart from our children physically, every night we setup webcam to see how they are doing....

Many times, we have our late breakfasts while we talk to your children while they are having their late late dinner....

Like an old saying -- train up a child in the way they should go, when they grow up they'll stay in the narrwor path....

Usually, parents will find different ways to keep in touch with their childen one way or the other.... :jap:

Edited January 14, 2011 by mkawish

[onnut]

It's all down to you as a parent. Doesn't matter where you live.

[Thailaw]

No regrets whatsoever, I am glad I took the decision to move considering how big the door of opportunities I have opened up for my daughter is

I have no idea what the OP is asking, nor do I think he does. But, I seriously doubt that you have "opened a[ny] door of opportunities" for your daughter in Thailand -- that statement is, I think, a joke. Had you said that she is in Singapore, I might tend to agree (but not fully). But in a land biased against women, and a society and legal system that imposes such huge responsibilities on women (such as raising and supporting children, often alone), the chances/opportunities are not good. If you are saying that she will spend her early formative years here, isolated in a farang enclave, before you send her off to a place where she will have real opportunity for growth and development, then we agree, except for perhaps the timing. I have two young daughters, and they will grow up in the US from the age of 7 -- I would not keep them here a day beyond that, even in a "good" international school.

How do we best prepare our kids for what they will need in 20 to 60 years time? => their working life. Not by only giving them what WE needed

OP, my advice stands. Good luck with your choices

I read your post, and I don't see any "advice" in it, other than "no regrets" for bringing/raising your daughter to/in Thailand -- I will be polite and call that "naive". If you have given your daughter so many "opportunities" you should identify them (very short list, so it should not take long) so the rest of us have some idea of what (nonsense) you are talking about. Vague (meaningless) generalizations are of very little help. Work, and skills to prepare you for it, are very important, and you won't get much of those here in Thailand. This is a great place to spend the money you earned in a western job after acquiring a western education (works for me). It is not the place to be educated and to earn a living, unless you are happy earning B25k a month as a well paid "college grad" (I would estimate that a college graduate here, in Thailand, has the equivalent to a high school degree from a medium school in the west). And I stick by my statement (not really advice) that raising a child in Thailand (unless you put them in a top international school in Bangkok and then send them to university in the west, as all of the Thais with any money do) won't prepare them for anything except a job as a maid or a motorcycle taxi driver (or maybe selling cosmetics at Central) -- if that is what you want for your kid, fine (it is not really fine). I want to give my daughters more than that and more than can be found here in Thailand -- schooling is best in the west (and maybe in Singapore, as I mentioned earlier). Live in a dream and rationalize your selfish choices (at least as far as your child is concerned), but please don't try to convince people with unsupported (unsupportable) statements that childen are not missing great opportunities by being raised by ignorant parents here in Thailand. To succeed, children will need exactly what their parents needed to succeed -- a good education, thoughtful examination of ideas (probably part of a good education), and encouragement to excel and succeed. The elements that make up a good education may have changed, but the requirement for a good education in this now highly competitive "global" world has never been greater.

[ExpatJ]

.

Edited January 15, 2011 by ExpatJ

[ExpatJ]

No regrets whatsoever, I am glad I took the decision to move considering how big the door of opportunities I have opened up for my daughter is

I have no idea what the OP is asking, nor do I think he does. But, I seriously doubt that you have "opened a[ny] door of opportunities" for your daughter in Thailand -- that statement is, I think, a joke. Had you said that she is in Singapore, I might tend to agree (but not fully). But in a land biased against women, and a society and legal system that imposes such huge responsibilities on women (such as raising and supporting children, often alone), the chances/opportunities are not good. If you are saying that she will spend her early formative years here, isolated in a farang enclave, before you send her off to a place where she will have real opportunity for growth and development, then we agree, except for perhaps the timing. I have two young daughters, and they will grow up in the US from the age of 7 -- I would not keep them here a day beyond that, even in a "good" international school.

The good international schools in bkk- NIST, Pattana are far better than public schools in US/UK.

[Thailaw]

No regrets whatsoever, I am glad I took the decision to move considering how big the door of opportunities I have opened up for my daughter is

I have no idea what the OP is asking, nor do I think he does. But, I seriously doubt that you have "opened a[ny] door of opportunities" for your daughter in Thailand -- that statement is, I think, a joke. Had you said that she is in Singapore, I might tend to agree (but not fully). But in a land biased against women, and a society and legal system that imposes such huge responsibilities on women (such as raising and supporting children, often alone), the chances/opportunities are not good. If you are saying that she will spend her early formative years here, isolated in a farang enclave, before you send her off to a place where she will have real opportunity for growth and development, then we agree, except for perhaps the timing. I have two young daughters, and they will grow up in the US from the age of 7 -- I would not keep them here a day beyond that, even in a "good" international school.

The good international schools in bkk- NIST, Pattana are far better than public schools in US/UK.

You are of course correct regarding public schools in the UK, they are uniformly terrible. No Brit that I know would consider putting his/her children in public schools in the UK -- full stop. But the public schools in the US are not homogeneous, and while some (typically those large cities, such as Detroit and Washington, DC) are absolutely deplorable, others (like those in more affluent suburbs, New Trier HS in Winnetka, Illinois, for example, are exceptionally good, on par with good private schools in the US and any private school in Thailand. I am sure that it is possible to get a quality education at an elite private school in Bangkok, and I did not intend to suggest otherwise, but there is more to education than only book learning. As far as the academic, social, cultural and attitudinal aspects of education, the better private schools in the US (and in the UK, and Switzerland) cannot be surpassed for a quality education, and I would rank the best public schools in the US as far superior to the best private schools in Bangkok, although reasonable minds might differ on that, depending what aspect of an education are viewed as most valuable/important.

[boogie]

No regrets whatsoever, I am glad I took the decision to move considering how big the door of opportunities I have opened up for my daughter is

I have no idea what the OP is asking, nor do I think he does. But, I seriously doubt that you have "opened a[ny] door of opportunities" for your daughter in Thailand -- that statement is, I think, a joke. Had you said that she is in Singapore, I might tend to agree (but not fully). But in a land biased against women, and a society and legal system that imposes such huge responsibilities on women (such as raising and supporting children, often alone), the chances/opportunities are not good. If you are saying that she will spend her early formative years here, isolated in a farang enclave, before you send her off to a place where she will have real opportunity for growth and development, then we agree, except for perhaps the timing. I have two young daughters, and they will grow up in the US from the age of 7 -- I would not keep them here a day beyond that, even in a "good" international school.

The good international schools in bkk- NIST, Pattana are far better than public schools in US/UK.

You are of course correct regarding public schools in the UK, they are uniformly terrible. No Brit that I know would consider putting his/her children in public schools in the UK -- full stop. But the public schools in the US are not homogeneous, and while some (typically those large cities, such as Detroit and Washington, DC) are absolutely deplorable, others (like those in more affluent suburbs, New Trier HS in Winnetka, Illinois, for example, are exceptionally good, on par with good private schools in the US and any private school in Thailand. I am sure that it is possible to get a quality education at an elite private school in Bangkok, and I did not intend to suggest otherwise, but there is more to education than only book learning. As far as the academic, social, cultural and attitudinal aspects of education, the better private schools in the US (and in the UK, and Switzerland) cannot be surpassed for a quality education, and I would rank the best public schools in the US as far superior to the best private schools in Bangkok, although reasonable minds might differ on that, depending what aspect of an education are viewed as most valuable/important.

As you are asking Mikeyidea to provide facts to back up his argument , perhaps you would be so kind to provide the facts to support your sweeping statement that UK public schools are uniformly terrible.

[mkawish]

You appeared to be well heeled and educated....

Neither wanting to probe nor pry....

if it is not confidential....

which high school or schools did you graduate from, pls?

I myself attended a few high schools.... during those rebellious years....

No regrets whatsoever, I am glad I took the decision to move considering how big the door of opportunities I have opened up for my daughter is

I have no idea what the OP is asking, nor do I think he does. But, I seriously doubt that you have "opened a[ny] door of opportunities" for your daughter in Thailand -- that statement is, I think, a joke. Had you said that she is in Singapore, I might tend to agree (but not fully). But in a land biased against women, and a society and legal system that imposes such huge responsibilities on women (such as raising and supporting children, often alone), the chances/opportunities are not good. If you are saying that she will spend her early formative years here, isolated in a farang enclave, before you send her off to a place where she will have real opportunity for growth and development, then we agree, except for perhaps the timing. I have two young daughters, and they will grow up in the US from the age of 7 -- I would not keep them here a day beyond that, even in a "good" international school.

The good international schools in bkk- NIST, Pattana are far better than public schools in US/UK.

You are of course correct regarding public schools in the UK, they are uniformly terrible. No Brit that I know would consider putting his/her children in public schools in the UK -- full stop. But the public schools in the US are not homogeneous, and while some (typically those large cities, such as Detroit and Washington, DC) are absolutely deplorable, others (like those in more affluent suburbs, New Trier HS in Winnetka, Illinois, for example, are exceptionally good, on par with good private schools in the US and any private school in Thailand. I am sure that it is possible to get a quality education at an elite private school in Bangkok, and I did not intend to suggest otherwise, but there is more to education than only book learning. As far as the academic, social, cultural and attitudinal aspects of education, the better private schools in the US (and in the UK, and Switzerland) cannot be surpassed for a quality education, and I would rank the best public schools in the US as far superior to the best private schools in Bangkok, although reasonable minds might differ on that, depending what aspect of an education are viewed as most valuable/important.

[Thailaw]

As you are asking Mikeyidea to provide facts to back up his argument , perhaps you would be so kind to provide the facts to support your sweeping statement that UK public schools are uniformly terrible.

From the Telegraph, 7 May 2008:

"State education so poor it's offensive, says schools chief

The head of Britain's biggest independent schools' organisation has launched an extraordinary attack on the "very poor" quality of state education.

By Graeme Paton , Education Editor 8:24PM BST 07 May 2008 Chris Parry, the new chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), said standards were "offensive" to parents who pay their taxes and forced hundreds of thousands to go private."

I can site numerous other articles from prominent sources that say generally the same thing -- UK state schools (the term "public school" in UK parlance has the same meaning as "private school" in the US -- sorry about that) suck. But that was not the main focus of my post, and I just included that statement to avoid much discussion on the poster's comment concerning UK schools and focus on US schools, with which I am much more familiar and knowledgeable. Sorry if this comment offended anyone. I believe that Thailand private schools are better than UK state schools, almost universally, but I would not debate the issue. This is not true of public schools in the UK, which in many cases are "brilliant". Cheers,

[SantiSuk]

As you are asking Mikeyidea to provide facts to back up his argument , perhaps you would be so kind to provide the facts to support your sweeping statement that UK public schools are uniformly terrible.

From the Telegraph, 7 May 2008:

"State education so poor it's offensive, says schools chief

The head of Britain's biggest independent schools' organisation has launched an extraordinary attack on the "very poor" quality of state education.

By Graeme Paton , Education Editor 8:24PM BST 07 May 2008 Chris Parry, the new chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), said standards were "offensive" to parents who pay their taxes and forced hundreds of thousands to go private."

I can site numerous other articles from prominent sources that say generally the same thing -- UK state schools (the term "public school" in UK parlance has the same meaning as "private school" in the US -- sorry about that) suck. But that was not the main focus of my post, and I just included that statement to avoid much discussion on the poster's comment concerning UK schools and focus on US schools, with which I am much more familiar and knowledgeable. Sorry if this comment offended anyone. I believe that Thailand private schools are better than UK state schools, almost universally, but I would not debate the issue. This is not true of public schools in the UK, which in many cases are "brilliant". Cheers,

He would say that wouldn't he? Perhaps you missed the fact that the Head of Independent Schools is likely to have an axe to grind as regards (non-independent) state schools. Your presumptions about a school system you seem to know little about are breathtaking, as is your belief that all UK state schools are poor. Complete rubbish. Yes there are some bad ones but equally there are some very good ones.

Edited January 15, 2011 by SantiSuk

[ExpatJ]

No regrets whatsoever, I am glad I took the decision to move considering how big the door of opportunities I have opened up for my daughter is

I have no idea what the OP is asking, nor do I think he does. But, I seriously doubt that you have "opened a[ny] door of opportunities" for your daughter in Thailand -- that statement is, I think, a joke. Had you said that she is in Singapore, I might tend to agree (but not fully). But in a land biased against women, and a society and legal system that imposes such huge responsibilities on women (such as raising and supporting children, often alone), the chances/opportunities are not good. If you are saying that she will spend her early formative years here, isolated in a farang enclave, before you send her off to a place where she will have real opportunity for growth and development, then we agree, except for perhaps the timing. I have two young daughters, and they will grow up in the US from the age of 7 -- I would not keep them here a day beyond that, even in a "good" international school.

The good international schools in bkk- NIST, Pattana are far better than public schools in US/UK.

You are of course correct regarding public schools in the UK, they are uniformly terrible. No Brit that I know would consider putting his/her children in public schools in the UK -- full stop. But the public schools in the US are not homogeneous, and while some (typically those large cities, such as Detroit and Washington, DC) are absolutely deplorable, others (like those in more affluent suburbs, New Trier HS in Winnetka, Illinois, for example, are exceptionally good, on par with good private schools in the US and any private school in Thailand. I am sure that it is possible to get a quality education at an elite private school in Bangkok, and I did not intend to suggest otherwise, but there is more to education than only book learning. As far as the academic, social, cultural and attitudinal aspects of education, the better private schools in the US (and in the UK, and Switzerland) cannot be surpassed for a quality education, and I would rank the best public schools in the US as far superior to the best private schools in Bangkok, although reasonable minds might differ on that, depending what aspect of an education are viewed as most valuable/important.

I agree there are some excellent public schools in the US- unfortuantely every rich american family knows about them and they push up home prices to sky high levels in the areas necessary to live in to be considered for these schools- i would say you would need to be an on paper millionarie at least to get any chance to send your schools there....

[Thailaw]

I agree there are some excellent public schools in the US- unfortuantely every rich american family knows about them and they push up home prices to sky high levels in the areas necessary to live in to be considered for these schools- i would say you would need to be an on paper millionarie at least to get any chance to send your schools there....

It is rarely the case that a school district is so homogeneous that there are only million Dollar homes within it. Most affluent school districts in the US have many high priced homes (that build a good tax base for property taxes to fund the school district) but also have some/many apartment buildings and smaller homes with residents with much more modest incomes. If someone wants to send his children to a good public school in the US, income and property affordability won't prevent him. Other factors, such as proximity to work, transportation (and the lack of public transportation in the suburbs and rural areas), etc. may be limiting factors for lower income people, but the cost of housing will not per se prevent a child from going to a good school.

[Thailaw]

He would say that wouldn't he? Perhaps you missed the fact that the Head of Independent Schools is likely to have an axe to grind as regards (non-independent) state schools. Your presumptions about a school system you seem to know little about are breathtaking, as is your belief that all UK state schools are poor. Complete rubbish. Yes there are some bad ones but equally there are some very good ones.

I was asked to support my "sweeping statements" regarding UK state schools. I did that. I could have included several more articles from various authors with the same conclusion. I suspect that you would have found some reasons to claim bias or incompetence with each of them. I have worked with dozens of London based lawyers and investment bankers for over the last 15 years. Not a single one has ever had their children in state schools, and several live as far as 50 to 100 miles outside London and commute in on the high speed train. Many will go on endlessly about how bad the state schools are and how they wish they had an option but that they "have no choice but to send their kids to private (public) schools" -- the same point made in the ariticle I quoted. This is not true in the US. The majority of the lawyers in my former law firm in several different cities and most professionals with whom I worked have their children in public (state supported) elementary and high schools schools. They could, of course, afford private schools for their kids, but they choose public schools because they provide a very good education, and many prefer the social interaction and atmosphere in the public schools rather than private schools. I am not going to debate the quality of British state schools, but nothing that I have read or been told indicates that there are more than a small hand full of good ones. As between their views and your's, I am pretty sure I know which is the rubbish.

Edited January 15, 2011 by Thailaw

[xerostar]

I retired to Thailand in 2008 aged 65 and I was going to apply for the Australain pension.

I did not have a lot of savings at that time, although I'd established a nice home and farm

for my wife and her extended family.

In February 2009 my wife unexpectedly became pregnant with our daughter, now aged 17 months.

We have now been married for 5 years.

I have two Thai stepsons aged 16 and 11.

I have had to return to Australia to get employment.

I need to save as much as I can while I'm still able to work.

I have a duty to give my children a good education.

The 16 year old wasn't interested in school but he is now helping on the family farm.

We brought the 11 year old boy with us and he attends a primary school in Perth and he loves it.

He will be finished high school by the time our daughter is of school age so we intend

to move back to Thailand then.

I'm keen to buy a house in Nakhon Sawan which is about 85 Km from the farm.

We hope to give our daughter an education at an international school there if we can afford it.

I don't want her to attend a Thai country school where corporal punishment

and bullying is rife, as well as the poor education system and unhygienic conditions.

Depending on his achievments our 11 year old may hopefully be ready for university by then.

Eventually if all goes well, our daughter could attend high school or university in Thailand or Australia.

It's a tough job at my age, but I have to do my best for them or at least die trying.

I don't want to have any regrets about opportunities they should have had, when I'm on my death bed.

One thing is for sure, our daughter has given me the motivation I need.

We are very proud of her and she is the light of our life!

[Boo]

I work in a major investment bank in London & everyone except a very few, send their kids to their local school. As did my uncle who is a solicitor (his 2 kids both now graduated from UK unis with firsts, his son has just actually come back from a year internship with the EU, daughter waiting to hear back about officer training from the army) and most everyone else sends their kids to a local school. There are numerous very good government schools which top league tables year after year, you have to live in the right catchment to get your kids in but they do exist & they are plenty. I think the suggestion that the majority of Uk govt schools are bad comes from someone who has no experience of putting a child through one

[Boo]

just to clarify, my son goes to a private independent school btw but that is becuase my husband work there, we get a 75% staff discount & with his government early years funding it costs nothing for him to attend, he gets to go into nursery with daddy in the morning, go home with him in the afternoon & have dinner at home without the need for us to employ a childminder or nanny. If we didn't have all these factors then he would be at a local government run school, of which we have about 7 with high ofsted ratings & a lot of personal recommendation from friends who's kids have attended & if for some reason he isn't able to carry on through to reception & junior school at the pre-prep I would have no issue sending him to the local junior school that my niece left to join secondary school last year.

[giruz]

just to clarify, my son goes to a private independent school btw but that is becuase my husband work there, we get a 75% staff discount & with his government early years funding it costs nothing for him to attend, he gets to go into nursery with daddy in the morning, go home with him in the afternoon & have dinner at home without the need for us to employ a childminder or nanny. If we didn't have all these factors then he would be at a local government run school, of which we have about 7 with high ofsted ratings & a lot of personal recommendation from friends who's kids have attended & if for some reason he isn't able to carry on through to reception & junior school at the pre-prep I would have no issue sending him to the local junior school that my niece left to join secondary school last year.

Just out of curiosity, where do you live?

I currently live in East London (working for a major bank) and around me schools are far from good. We are thinking about moving and settling but unsure where to go.

We had a look at areas such as Chiswick but at this stage we cannot afford to live there :-(

giruzz

[Boo]

South East London/Kent borders, lot of affordable property here & decent schools. Travel is ok if you stay near the commuter belt, it takes me 40 minutes to cannon street from my front door. West London is still pricey but there are a lot of affordable places south east & further south west. Just depends what you are looking for & how close to your current location you want to be.

A friend moved a few years ago out near Chigwell, Essex, central line connections & medium sized 3 bed semi for under 300k. Some rough areas but finding the right catchment is the key.

[Thailaw]

I retired to Thailand in 2008 aged 65 and I was going to apply for the Australain pension.

I did not have a lot of savings at that time, although I'd established a nice home and farm

for my wife and her extended family.

In February 2009 my wife unexpectedly became pregnant with our daughter, now aged 17 months.

We have now been married for 5 years.

I have two Thai stepsons aged 16 and 11.

I have had to return to Australia to get employment.

I need to save as much as I can while I'm still able to work.

I have a duty to give my children a good education.

The 16 year old wasn't interested in school but he is now helping on the family farm.

We brought the 11 year old boy with us and he attends a primary school in Perth and he loves it.

He will be finished high school by the time our daughter is of school age so we intend

to move back to Thailand then.

I'm keen to buy a house in Nakhon Sawan which is about 85 Km from the farm.

We hope to give our daughter an education at an international school there if we can afford it.

I don't want her to attend a Thai country school where corporal punishment

and bullying is rife, as well as the poor education system and unhygienic conditions.

Depending on his achievments our 11 year old may hopefully be ready for university by then.

Eventually if all goes well, our daughter could attend high school or university in Thailand or Australia.

It's a tough job at my age, but I have to do my best for them or at least die trying.

I don't want to have any regrets about opportunities they should have had, when I'm on my death bed.

One thing is for sure, our daughter has given me the motivation I need.

We are very proud of her and she is the light of our life!

Another true success story -- congratulations and best of luck!

[Thailaw]

South East London/Kent borders, lot of affordable property here & decent schools. Travel is ok if you stay near the commuter belt, it takes me 40 minutes to cannon street from my front door. West London is still pricey but there are a lot of affordable places south east & further south west. Just depends what you are looking for & how close to your current location you want to be.

A friend moved a few years ago out near Chigwell, Essex, central line connections & medium sized 3 bed semi for under 300k. Some rough areas but finding the right catchment is the key.

Is "decent" a synonym for "good" in your vocabulary? (to me, "decent" is a few rungs below "good" -- "adequate"). It sound like if you have L300,000 (about US$450,000 -- a pretty "decent" amount), you can buy a home in an area that has some "decent" state schools, and then, if you are lucky enough to "find the right catchment area" (which is the "key") you can avoid one of the "rough areas" and get your kids into a decent state school. It sound like a 1 in a 100 prospect, and means that 99 in 100 will have their kids in schools that are not even "decent", which is, I think, what I said (and what others have told me). It sounds pretty much like the British health care system -- free health care for everyone that is worth exactly what you pay for it (actually, you pay a lot for it in taxes, but people seem to forget (or ignore) that).

[Boo]

Have a child, move to the UK & then make an informed opinion

You sound like you are only interested in being right rather than listening to those of us who actually know & have children within this system. Decent means high pass rates, parent to parent recommendations of life for the kids there, high safety & proven well established education track record. What it means to you is your business.

[Boo]

and if you have ever lived in Uk you will know that in any place there can be a million pound a house minimum street half a mile away from a council estate. all the kids from either economic range have access to the local schools but there is a limit to how far away you live (catchment) that decides if your child will be offered a place.

[Thailaw]

Have a child, move to the UK & then make an informed opinion

You sound like you are only interested in being right rather than listening to those of us who actually know & have children within this system. Decent means high pass rates, parent to parent recommendations of life for the kids there, high safety & proven well established education track record. What it means to you is your business.

I thought you said that your child was in private school, or did I miss something? I am of course interested in being right, but i will also acknowledge when i am shown to be wrong. And I am always interested in listening to and learning from those that know more than me on any subject (I wish it happened more often). Your earlier post, I think, proved my point rather well, notwithstanding your rather silly retort above. Regardless of what "decent" means to me (assuming that I don't twist "black" to mean "white" or "decent" to mean "exceptional"), it is not good enough for my kids. They deserve and will get the best that I am able to afford. If "decent" state schools in London are good enough for your child, that's your business.