Moving To Thailand With 3 Kids

[ThaisGood]

Hello. My wife of 15 years is Thai and our 3 kids have Thai passports. As a family we've never resided in Thailand, but over the years we've made plenty of visits. Our kids have basic Thai language skills, and I know Thai fairly well because I spent years as a kid there. I am farang but I think my own visa issues for staying in Thailand are under control.

Now we are planning to move to Thailand early next year. The plan is to close up our house here, and go stay in Thailand through end of summer 2012, maybe longer if we can swing it.

Our oldest child is in high school here in USA, we have a middle schooler and one in elementary.

I wonder if anyone can give advice concerning renting a house. We have family in Kanchanaburi but we don't need to be in the same area. I'd like to avoid Bangkok. I want the kids to go to an international school, one with a reasonable tuition. What can we expect as far as school tuition goes?

I was thinking that Pattaya has an international community (?). I do prefer a quiet highlands area such as Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai, etc, but I wonder if there are going to be schools for the kids there.

Any suggestions about where to stay, how to find a place to live, and anything else is highly appreciated. Thank you!

ThaisGood

[slapout]

If your looking for schools, houses for rent/buy and want out of the Bangkok area, Chiang Mai might be a consideration. Tuition for 3 to International school (more than 6 in the area) as you mentioned will be anywhere from 600,000 baht upwards, depending on your choice of schools. Unless your a missionary, then it can be reduced to half that at specific schools. Housing rental, family of five, 6,000 baht to 25,000/month depending on your wishes. Transport, new, 700,000 to 1,300,000 or more if your into imported new vehicle. Don't try to rent in advance, if you can afford all the estimated costs, you can afford to rent an apartment on month to month and look around, Agents, brokers drive up price and are self serving for the most part.

Hope this helps and am sure others will give their experience/knowledge/opinions also

[ThaisGood]

If your looking for schools, houses for rent/buy and want out of the Bangkok area, Chiang Mai might be a consideration. Tuition for 3 to International school (more than 6 in the area) as you mentioned will be anywhere from 600,000 baht upwards, depending on your choice of schools. Unless your a missionary, then it can be reduced to half that at specific schools. Housing rental, family of five, 6,000 baht to 25,000/month depending on your wishes. Transport, new, 700,000 to 1,300,000 or more if your into imported new vehicle. Don't try to rent in advance, if you can afford all the estimated costs, you can afford to rent an apartment on month to month and look around, Agents, brokers drive up price and are self serving for the most part.

Hope this helps and am sure others will give their experience/knowledge/opinions also

Hi. Thanks a lot for info. Nice info on the rental. My wife said the same thing. She says we should stay at a local tourist-type resort for a month, negotiating some type of discount, and from there we can seek out a rental. We don't want to buy anything, just rent. The rental rate sounds very good.

The tuition seems high but I am not surprised. It is not an ideal option but I may have to put the kids into an online "homeschool" program rather than pay 600k. My kids are doing very well in school here, all A grades and not enough challenge. My son is a local chess competitor who can win against top players, so I know he has the brains. I think putting them in Thailand to master the language is enough to consider one year there a great benefit. They can always catch up later if they fall behind, I suppose. I was thinking we could find something less expensive but, so much for wishful thinking!

Even though we could afford Baht600,000 for a one year tuition, I don't think the value is there. For example, we helped one of our Thai nieces with her tuition so she could attend a local "privileged" school. This is just outside of Bangkok. I am not sure how much money my wife was sending to Thailand for this school, but it was not cheap. Once on a trip to Thailand I decided that since our daughter is a Thai citizen she might be interested in attending that school for a semester. I went to the school, and what an embarrassment. It was a pure money factory. They were squeezed into a TINY piece of land, and the kids were all packed into rooms that took up every possible bit of space, and it was about 6 levels tall. They must have had at least 2000 kids there, and no common area, no playground, NO LIBRARY, no nothing. Just pack into classrooms. There was a really professional looking miniature swimming pool at the entrance, nobody was in it of course, but it gave the impression that your kid would someday be an olympic swimmer if you paid them the tuition. This was just a charade of course. Our niece is not likely getting any kind of education there. For one thing she is now 16 and speaks not more than a handful of English words with an accent that only the most experienced farang could understand.

Another option, a bit of a wild option I suppose, would be to have my kids study agriculture in Thailand. Perhaps there are some who would be willing to teach them about Thai practices. We live on a farm here and have raised animals as a hobby for several years. For kids, there is nothing like an early education focused on agriculture.

[samran]

There are 'international schools' (packed full of Thai kids, taught by foreign teachers where the tuition is in English. Pure money factories as you say, and the kids end up speaking neither Thai or English well). These are a dime a dozen and are probably a bit like the school your niece goes to.

Then there are international schools. The BKK equivalents are the Australian school, Singaporean School, French School, Bangkok Pattana, ISB or NIST (New International School of BKK)...the fees increase going from left to right starting at 280K per child/year moving onwards to 600-700K per year all in.

These are 'proper' international schools (probably the type you went to as a child growing up in Thailand)and in the main, provide a very good standard of education and extra curricular activities, with the hefty price tag that comes with it.

I know there are similar equivalents down Pattaya way to cater for the expats on the eastern seaboard, but don't know about up north.

I'm not sure your reasons for writing off Bangkok, being a bit of a Bangkok-phile myself, there are many nooks and crannies in BKK where you are basically out of the madness that sometimes characterises the place (ie traffic) - and it is really a good international city in its own right.

[Dag]

Check out st stephens school in khao yai

[ThaisGood]

I'm not sure your reasons for writing off Bangkok, being a bit of a Bangkok-phile myself, there are many nooks and crannies in BKK where you are basically out of the madness that sometimes characterises the place (ie traffic) - and it is really a good international city in its own right.

HI. Thanks a lot for that perspective. I should not write off Bangkok, as you suggest. The main reason I want to avoid it is because of the air quality. Where we are now it's pristine fresh air and I've come to enjoy that so much. When I lived in Bangkok almost everyone had a perpetual cough. Perhaps things are better now. That was years ago. Decades really. Thanks again for the insight.

[samran]

I'm not sure your reasons for writing off Bangkok, being a bit of a Bangkok-phile myself, there are many nooks and crannies in BKK where you are basically out of the madness that sometimes characterises the place (ie traffic) - and it is really a good international city in its own right.

HI. Thanks a lot for that perspective. I should not write off Bangkok, as you suggest. The main reason I want to avoid it is because of the air quality. Where we are now it's pristine fresh air and I've come to enjoy that so much. When I lived in Bangkok almost everyone had a perpetual cough. Perhaps things are better now. That was years ago. Decades really. Thanks again for the insight.

It is interesting that one, definitely was the case that BKK air was pretty murky.

Bangkok air quality has improved dramatically over the years, especially since the mid 1990's. Most of Thailand's electricity now comes from either natural gas power or hydro imported from Laos. This has replaced the diesel generation 'back in the day'.

Obviously newer cars have better emission standards, and the buses these days are more often than not powered by NGV rather than the smoke belching busses of old.

Of course, you do get your smoggy days, but from my office tower, more often than not I can see for miles.

Edited September 12, 2011 by samran

[thaiclan]

Hi "ThaisGood"

We live close to Pattaya and after trying out a couple of the "top" international schools down this way we opted for Homeschool and have never looked back.

If like you say your eldest is bright and capable (and I assume your other ones too) then following an at-home curriculum whether delivered online or via tutors will be so easy for them.

As Brits we started our children using the British Curriculum, but as we learned more about education in general we began using Singapore Math and also following the Australian curriculum alongside the British one.

Our expat "package" does include schooling fees, yet even this does not lure me over to the incompetence and pointlessness (in many cases) of the international schools here in Thailand.

We have homeschooled now for 2 years and have found it a far superior experience, allowing us to travel, mix with other children (not just the 20 or so that are born into the same year and thus placed in the same class as a school institution does), hone self-study skills that are most important for life learners and also we have found that you cannot help but accelerate through the curriculum, it takes us about 3 to 4 months to complete 1 academic year of institutional schooling.

In regards to houses we did the same and rented our home at 50% of the asking price - so listen to your wife on this one!

Good Luck

[ktamp]

My son attended Regents in pattaya for 3 years. While I won't say that the school didn't have issues, academically I thought it was outstanding. We have just moved back to the US and my son is struggling to fit into the american curriculum. He is at least 2 grades ahead of the curriculum but the method of teaching in the US is hard for him. Regents was very hands on and they did very little busy work. My son comes home now with tons of worksheets , sometimes I wonder if that is all they do all day. Thankfully, the new school is being very accomodating in integrating him into the new curriculum. Regents cost us around 300,000 thb per year. I only put my son on the bus in the morning as we had one car and driver and there was not enough time for the driver to get back after taking my husband to work. Bussing ran around 3000 thb per term one way. Lunch was around the same price but we did not buy lunch there. The food was very good but my son was unhappy. They served buffet style. A variety of thai and western foods. But you know how kids can be. My son never liked thai food and if the western food didnt look exactly the way I made it, he wouldn't eat it. They tried to tell me it was compulsary to pay for the lunches but I threatened to withdraw my son and they dropped it. The first year, I bought everything they handed me in the uniform shop which was one uniform for every day of the week. Stupid. When it came time to buy new ones when he outgrew them, I bought 2 regular uniforms and 1 PE uniform.

Some things I did not like about regents was the quality of the champus. It looked much better when I left than when we moved there. We parents fought hard on some things. There is no playground for the older primary children. The swimming pool was constantly closed because the filter didn't work properly. They did not enforce a hands to yourself policy so my son learned some behaviors there I didn't care for. But as I stated before, academics were outstanding IMO, especially compared to american schools which is why we stayed. We were happy with all the teachers he did and the curriculum and method of teaching.

[serenitynow]

600,000 Bt for 3 kids sounds about right if you don't attend one of the more expensive schools (note I didn't say better). Probably the best value for money and IMO the best lifestyle to be had is in Chiang Mai. For your youngest child you might consider this school which IMO (again) is pretty special:

http://www.panyaden.ac.th/admission/

That'll save you a few baht to apply to the education of the elder children.

Edited September 19, 2011 by serenitynow

[hedonist44]

Check out st stephens school in khao yai

Your joking right? Do you have kids going there yourself?

[joedee]

I have 2 children 1 aged 3 and 1 aged 4 and half years. We live in Pattaya. Having checked out most

westernised areas to live in Thailand we settled on Pattaya(the outskirts) due to the facilities

available...

Currently my kids go to primary school/kindergarten

We are looking carefully at schools for the future for the kids and I have researched Pattaya

International schools..

I would like to suggest that Rayong International schools seem to be on par with Pattaya International schools.

Also Rayong is close enough for commuting daily(several school minibuses run daily)from Pattaya or Rayong

and surrounding areas seem a nice enough area to live in. Most cost in that area are lower than Pattaya and life

is more "real' rather than the touristic/transient type life in Pattaya..

Just a suggestion and I hope it helps ... We may well be moving there orselves in the future..

Good Luck...

[ThaisGood]

Thank you very much for these replies. As we get closer to the move date I will really focus on these things. Thanks for all responses!

[missapa]

Hello,

I have briefly took a look at a school in Yannawa (BKK) called NSIS (New Sathorn International School) as I am considering moving in the area (am in London now). Has anyone anything to say about it ? I have two children, a boy (11) and a girl (9).

For some reason NSIS didn't seem really "international", there were only 4 or 5 white faces in the playground, all the other kids looked thai, but maybe it was just coincidental. Is this a proper school or is it just a "business" ? Someone on this thread mentioned the money-making machines ... How do you spot them ?

Fees are a bit less outrageous at NSIS than at Shrewsbury's which is also in the area, but if it is just a cash machine, then it certainly is too much

Any advice ?

Many thanks

[thaiclan]

Hello,

I have briefly took a look at a school in Yannawa (BKK) called NSIS (New Sathorn International School) as I am considering moving in the area (am in London now). Has anyone anything to say about it ? I have two children, a boy (11) and a girl (9).

For some reason NSIS didn't seem really "international", there were only 4 or 5 white faces in the playground, all the other kids looked thai, but maybe it was just coincidental. Is this a proper school or is it just a "business" ? Someone on this thread mentioned the money-making machines ... How do you spot them ?

Fees are a bit less outrageous at NSIS than at Shrewsbury's which is also in the area, but if it is just a cash machine, then it certainly is too much

Any advice ?

Many thanks

Bearing in mind these schools charge MORE than private schools in the UK, yet pay staff less and with less perks (no maternity/sick/retirement etc) these schools are cashing in on the expat need for international schools.

We have tried The Regents and St Andrews in Thailand and would compare them to a moderate comprehensive in the UK. They try and use borrowed names (Eton, Harrow, Shrewsbury etc) but really they are parking grounds for expats with corporate packages and no alternative, as well as wealthy Thais who are not wealthy enough to send their kids to Europe.

Staff turnover is over 60%, class sizes are smaller than the UK BUT with many non-English speakers teaching cannot progress at a pace equal to a full English speaking class.

We have a full education package but after trying some of the schools we chose homeschool as a better option for us. Since then we have met many families doing the same which is great for social events and curriculum support.

[soihok]

Check out st stephens school in khao yai

Your joking right? Do you have kids going there yourself?

Please enlighten us.

I have seen the school and read the web site.

[jenigirl]

Hello,

I have briefly took a look at a school in Yannawa (BKK) called NSIS (New Sathorn International School) as I am considering moving in the area (am in London now). Has anyone anything to say about it ? I have two children, a boy (11) and a girl (9).

For some reason NSIS didn't seem really "international", there were only 4 or 5 white faces in the playground, all the other kids looked thai, but maybe it was just coincidental. Is this a proper school or is it just a "business" ? Someone on this thread mentioned the money-making machines ... How do you spot them ?

Fees are a bit less outrageous at NSIS than at Shrewsbury's which is also in the area, but if it is just a cash machine, then it certainly is too much

Any advice ?

Many thanks

Hi,

I just visited BKK last weekend and was able to do some campus tours. Although we will be living right next to NSIS, we didn't consider it because it wasn't what we were looking for. I can't say if it's one of those so-called "international schools" but we were looking for an IB school or one which offers the British curriculum.

We did visit Shrewsbury and the campus was very impressive. My son will only be in Year 1 but I heard very good reviews about the students graduating from the school. The big campus was a concern at first but the "Pre-Prep School" has its own little campus so they don't really mingle with the bigger kids. The fees are very high and ISB and Patana charges even more if you can believe it. From what I saw, the population is at least 50% Thai, which is probably the same for most international schools.

We also visited St. Andrew's Sathon and their fees are more affordable but I believe they only cater up to Year 6 so it might not be a good fit for you. The only other school we went to was KIS. It was a bit far from Sathon but we really liked it and it offers a full IB curriculum. The travel time is a concern though so we are still weighing our options.

I guess the only way to really gauge a school is through the campus tours and a lot of research. I agree with the other poster that homeschooling is the best option but I'm afraid it doesn't work for everyone. Good luck on your search!