April 20, 201213 yr Any comments on some ( or maybe all) of the best schools demanding huge under the table money to get a good student in ( in the $6k range( ?
April 20, 201213 yr $6k isn't "huge" in the context of the importance of going to a good school it is peanuts compared to the guaranteed place scheme at Tanglin in Singapore
April 21, 201213 yr That's nothing, I heard of one school wanting a donation of a new school van !! All I can say is that these schools are only as 'good' as the students they select. They may well have good teachers, but they do select most of the best students from across the country. So most would be guaranteed of a spot in university anyway. But yes it's quite common here; and the better the student, the less you pay.
April 22, 201213 yr Students with good scores and track records dont pay under the table here, only those with low entrance exam scores who want to go to a faculty that has higher entrance requirements than they can attain do this. The sad fact here is most students dont get to pick their preferred field of study, entrance exams and money dictate what faculty they go to. Like everything else in thailands hierarchical society their river in life to follow is usually set when they are born and buying youre way out of the stream is the only way to advance
April 22, 201213 yr Author Students with good scores and track records dont pay under the table here, only those with low entrance exam scores who want to go to a faculty that has higher entrance requirements than they can attain do this. The sad fact here is most students dont get to pick their preferred field of study, entrance exams and money dictate what faculty they go to. Like everything else in thailands hierarchical society their river in life to follow is usually set when they are born and buying youre way out of the stream is the only way to advance thunder30101 Thank you for the reply to my post. I have to disagree with your explanation though. The student I am writing about was the top grades in her class ( also, student body president last term) and in in the top 5% of the entrance exam. The school " officials" are still demanding $6,000 ( and I suspect none of the money directly benefits the students or school)
April 23, 201213 yr Surangw: the school you mention has a very good academic reputation overall. It is not unusual at *any* school in Thailand for 'tea money' to be suggested, which as others have commented usually depends on the level/reputation of the school, who you know, how well the student did on entrance exams, and how well everyone *else* did, and whether the student is associated with any normal 'feeder' schools for that school. It is rarely up to merit 100%. That's not right, but that's how it is. You may get a lower financial demand from another school, but it is likely to be in proportion to lower school rank or status. Your mileage in this case may vary widely.
April 23, 201213 yr Author Surangw: the school you mention has a very good academic reputation overall. It is not unusual at *any* school in Thailand for 'tea money' to be suggested, which as others have commented usually depends on the level/reputation of the school, who you know, how well the student did on entrance exams, and how well everyone *else* did, and whether the student is associated with any normal 'feeder' schools for that school. It is rarely up to merit 100%. That's not right, but that's how it is. You may get a lower financial demand from another school, but it is likely to be in proportion to lower school rank or status. Your mileage in this case may vary widely. Ijustwannateach thanks for the info. It seems to me, if it is know that tea money is used to get into a school ( no matter how good the school is) the diploma from such a school would be questionable if used to transfer to another education system like in America for example.
April 24, 201213 yr If that were widely known (and demonstrable) then that might be the case- I wouldn't want to be the foreigner living here who starting campaigning to try to 'prove' that, and if they're ALL doing it- what would you do, ban the entire nation? As you say, your daughter is talented- even though talented people have to play the same crooked game, it doesn't mean they're not talented. It is a demonstrable fact that many Thais from public schools DO get into quite impressive and advanced foreign universities, and not just the Thais who go to the 'true blue' international schools. Look through the resumes of people who serve on various different company boards here and you'll see what I mean. Oh, and one more thought: the tea money system doesn't work with SAT's, GCSE's, IB's, AP's, A-levels, and so forth- and these days those are in many ways more important than the mere existence of a diploma to college entrance.
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