I Don'T Know Where To Live! Opinions Please.

[mjj]

Just an update. I've decided to move between October and March to...........

Samui!

I think.

Samui is full I'm afraid.

You are right it is full, but you obviously haven't heard, you are being evicted to make room for me.

[BigSkip]

Have you not considered Songkhla? Hat Yai would be accessable from there for a larger choice of schools and uni. Pretty local to Trang too, so not so much of an upheaval.

What are you smoking???? Does the word bomb come to mind????????? Have you ever been?? I have 3 years ago and the stares I got form the locals...............

Edited June 4, 2012 by BigSkip

[Darrel]

".... schoolling .....

......Too be able to buy .......

I need to work as a teacher."

Hmmm.

[notmyself]

Just an update. I've decided to move between October and March to...........

Samui!

I think.

Samui is full I'm afraid.

You are right it is full, but you obviously haven't heard, you are being evicted to make room for me.

lol

Samui is wonderful but unless you are at the top of you game it can be expensive.

[notmyself]

Have you not considered Songkhla? Hat Yai would be accessable from there for a larger choice of schools and uni. Pretty local to Trang too, so not so much of an upheaval.

What are you smoking???? Does the word bomb come to mind????????? Have you ever been?? I have 3 years ago and the stares I got form the locals...............

+1

That's bandit country.

[mjj]

Just an update. I've decided to move between October and March to...........

Samui!

I think.

Samui is full I'm afraid.

You are right it is full, but you obviously haven't heard, you are being evicted to make room for me.

lol

Samui is wonderful but unless you are at the top of you game it can be expensive.

I know it can be expensive, but I think it may be worth it. Luckily it looks like I will no longer be looking to work as a teacher. My income seems to be quite good at the moment and hopefully for the foreseeable future.

The only sticking point I have at the moment is schooling for my 3 year old. Places like Bluewater and the like are out of my league at the moment.

I lived on Samui for about 7 months 8 years ago and returned for a holiday 3 years ago and was disappointed. However, we went again in April and fell in love with it again, so the island life is the one I have chosen.

Don't suppose you know of a good school for my sprog do ya? He will be 4 when we move. I've heard of one in Nathon, St Joseph's, but little else. Looking at no more than 10,000 per month for the fees.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

If you're working from home don't even worry about it for at least a year or two, keep him happily occupied at home with you, try to arrange play dates, visits from kids his own age for socialization.

IMO regimented schooling cripples young kid's creativity - Finland has one of the top education systems in the world, no formal schooling starts until 7.

[mjj]

If you're working from home don't even worry about it for at least a year or two, keep him happily occupied at home with you, try to arrange play dates, visits from kids his own age for socialization.

IMO regimented schooling cripples young kid's creativity - Finland has one of the top education systems in the world, no formal schooling starts until 7.

I completely agree and would love to do that, but I think kids here have to start school at 4. The school I work at currently have 3 year olds learning Thai, English, Chinese, computers, etc from 8am until 3 pm. My feeling is that they should just be pissing about and playing tbh. Far too regimented here, they seem to favour quantity over quality too. Homework! They are only 3!!!

[notmyself]

Don't suppose you know of a good school for my sprog do ya? He will be 4 when we move. I've heard of one in Nathon, St Joseph's, but little else. Looking at no more than 10,000 per month for the fees.

Not my area of knowledge I'm afraid but I do know a few Thai couples who work their butts of to send their kid to St. Joseph's. Make of that what you will because it's only what I have seen and heard.

[notmyself]

If you're working from home don't even worry about it for at least a year or two, keep him happily occupied at home with you, try to arrange play dates, visits from kids his own age for socialization.

IMO regimented schooling cripples young kid's creativity - Finland has one of the top education systems in the world, no formal schooling starts until 7.

I completely agree and would love to do that, but I think kids here have to start school at 4. The school I work at currently have 3 year olds learning Thai, English, Chinese, computers, etc from 8am until 3 pm. My feeling is that they should just be pissing about and playing tbh. Far too regimented here, they seem to favour quantity over quality too. Homework! They are only 3!!!

It is my understanding that free education is only covered up until the age of 13 and it takes 7 Years to learn Thai. If a child does not start to attend school until 7 then what else will they learn?

[BigJohnnyBKK]

I completely agree and would love to do that, but I think kids here have to start school at 4. The school I work at currently have 3 year olds learning Thai, English, Chinese, computers, etc from 8am until 3 pm. My feeling is that they should just be pissing about and playing tbh. Far too regimented here, they seem to favour quantity over quality too. Homework! They are only 3!!!

Home schooling is allowed by the government anyway if you want to get techical. In practice there is no "have to" for farang kids and it's after 5 anyway.

It is my understanding that free education is only covered up until the age of 13 and it takes 7 Years to learn Thai. If a child does not start to attend school until 7 then what else will they learn?

You think kids only learn one thing at a time? And that the pace of learning in a normal Thai school is the fastest that an average human kid can learn a subject?

A bright kid with attentive parents could keep up with the Thai curriculum in less than an hour per day.

They'd be better off with a live-in Burmese tutor, at least get some competent English instruction that way, and it would be a lot cheaper than many of the rip-off "English Programmes", much less pseudo "International Schools" scamming the parents big-time.

[notmyself]

You think kids only learn one thing at a time? And that the pace of learning in a normal Thai school is the fastest that an average human kid can learn a subject?

Two straw man arguments. I didn't just fall of the back of a turnip truck

They'd be better off with a live-in Burmese tutor, at least get some competent English instruction that way, and it would be a lot cheaper than many of the rip-off "English Programmes", much less pseudo "International Schools" scamming the parents big-time.

I agree with you on the scams but I do know of one which is doing a dam_n good job on Samui, outside the OP's price range though.

[Johnniey]

Easy choice for me - at least 500 km away from my wife's family. This has been proved to be a wise choice.

I live in a great place but don't want to tell you as there are too many farang here now. I used to know most in town but now hardly any and don't want to know many.

Forget about your kids uni education - live, as Thais say, wan dto wan - one day at a time. By the time he's 16, you'll probably want him to live in another town.

[jackr]

Please avoid Chiang Mai, op. The farang population has gone up at least fourfold in the past 10 years, and sadly (though I'm sure you're not) a good deal of those seem to be reprobates.

[DrChopper]

There's a good government school on Nathon, don't know the name I'm afraid. School buses around the island I believe.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

I agree with you on the scams but I do know of one which is doing a dam_n good job on Samui, outside the OP's price range though.

Why not list the name if you're giving them a positive review?

There's a good government school on Nathon, don't know the name I'm afraid. School buses around the island I believe.

Your definition of "good"?

I agree it doesn't make much difference at such a young age, but IMO there isn't a "decent" much less "good" government school in Thailand, and certainly not if he wants the kid to be taught in English.

Of course there may be some special ones for the royals and other upper-crust only, I meant accessible to mere mortals with only cash to throw around. . .

[mjj]

Being taught in English is not of major importance for me except that I will be able to help him with his homework. English is spoken at home so he is like a native speaker and my wife is fluent having spent 6 or 7 years working in the UK. What I would like is a good education, personally (although I think there is more chance of pigs flying) I would like teachers to teach him about thinking, not just copying. From my limited knowledge of the Thai schooling system, is is all about memory - copy this and remember it. Where as in the UK it is more about the teacher asking 'what do you think?'

A lot of what I want him to know will be done at home, but I don't want my hard work to be wasted when at school they are just treating him like a drone - write this down, copy this, remember this, do not use your imagination etc.

If it wasn't for the importance of socialising skills I would home school him, but social skills are important so letting unworthy people (that is everyone, lol) educate him is the only option.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Being taught in English is not of major importance for me except that I will be able to help him with his homework. English is spoken at home so he is like a native speaker and my wife is fluent having spent 6 or 7 years working in the UK. What I would like is a good education, personally (although I think there is more chance of pigs flying) I would like teachers to teach him about thinking, not just copying. From my limited knowledge of the Thai schooling system, is is all about memory - copy this and remember it. Where as in the UK it is more about the teacher asking 'what do you think?'

A lot of what I want him to know will be done at home, but I don't want my hard work to be wasted when at school they are just treating him like a drone - write this down, copy this, remember this, do not use your imagination etc.

If it wasn't for the importance of socialising skills I would home school him, but social skills are important so letting unworthy people (that is everyone, lol) educate him is the only option.

You're 100% right about the drone part, just unavoidable unless you choose to live near one of the few good schools and spend a lot of money.

If you're compensating I don't think the damage will be too bad, and at least he'll get solid grounding in Thai at an early age.

Seriously consider moving home (or someplace with decent schooling at least) by the time he's say 9-11.

[notmyself]

I agree with you on the scams but I do know of one which is doing a dam_n good job on Samui, outside the OP's price range though.

Why not list the name if you're giving them a positive review?

Don't know the name. It's a French school behind Wat Lamai and costs 40k a term. A friend moved her daughter there after a year at an 'international' school which was 50k a term and hopeless I am told. Daughter was not happy about being moved because she would miss the friends she made at the old school but a number of them have over time also migrated to the French school.

[mjj]

I agree with you on the scams but I do know of one which is doing a dam_n good job on Samui, outside the OP's price range though.

Why not list the name if you're giving them a positive review?

Don't know the name. It's a French school behind Wat Lamai and costs 40k a term. A friend moved her daughter there after a year at an 'international' school which was 50k a term and hopeless I am told. Daughter was not happy about being moved because she would miss the friends she made at the old school but a number of them have over time also migrated to the French school.

I will look into that. It's not out of my price range as I said 10k a month, so if it's 40k a term regardless of 2 or 3 terms it's OK.

[notmyself]

I agree with you on the scams but I do know of one which is doing a dam_n good job on Samui, outside the OP's price range though.

Why not list the name if you're giving them a positive review?

Don't know the name. It's a French school behind Wat Lamai and costs 40k a term. A friend moved her daughter there after a year at an 'international' school which was 50k a term and hopeless I am told. Daughter was not happy about being moved because she would miss the friends she made at the old school but a number of them have over time also migrated to the French school.

I will look into that. It's not out of my price range as I said 10k a month, so if it's 40k a term regardless of 2 or 3 terms it's OK.

I'll email my friend for the name

[mjj]

Thank you.

[nocturn]

Thank you.

dont forget to give a shout out in the thai visa educated my child thread.

oh, and perhaps post something good about your wife.

Edited June 6, 2012 by nocturn