Thai Child Language Issues In New Country

[xybadog]

I would eventually want my gf and her daughter (6yo) to live in the UK with me, obviously, but first we would get married next year before I would consider this.

My question is, if the visas were successful and the child came to the UK how do they cope with the schooling system if their English language is virtually non-existent? Maybe the question should be how does the school system cope with them and introduce them to school in the UK because obviously the schools are geared up for English speakers?

Does anyone have any experiences they can share in the possible difficulties or how we would go about having her schooled?

[tw25rw]

She's 6. It will be easy for her. Before she's been here a year, she'll be fluent.

[Schmackos]

Make it fun for her daughter to learn English.

Introduce a reward system for comprehension of the language.

Read English bedtime stories.

Barbie or Ice Age movies etc ... only in English.

Mother will benefit also from the exercise in English.

Don't worry about the grammar, concentrate of the vocabulary, then the pronunciation ... grammar will naturally follow.

As a tip for you ... get married in Thailand, not in the UK.

[David48]

^^ Sounds about right.

Up to you where to get marrried, but some members consider that the Thai system is fairer if the relationship turns sour ... not that we ever plan for that to happen ... but it does sometimes.

Start the young one as soon as possible as the language is most easily absorbed the younger the learner.

[theoldgit]

Whilst I can understand why you have posted this in the visa forum, you are really asking about UK schools, not visa requirements - though I suspect that will be another question down the line.

I'm going to move it to another forum where you might get a better response.

[candid]

Can't imagine there is a country better equipped for immigrant children education than the UK. Younger they are, easier it will be.

[xybadog]

Whilst I can understand why you have posted this in the visa forum, you are really asking about UK schools, not visa requirements - though I suspect that will be another question down the line.

I'm going to move it to another forum where you might get a better response.

Not sure why you thought this didn't fit into the forum I originally posted in. The forum was titled "Visa and migration to other countries" and my question is specific to the migration of a child to another country!

[payak]

my friendscan hold a conversation after six months

[7by7]

Your local LEA once in the UK will have a legal obligation to provide her with a school place and arrange any necessary extra English tuition.

When my step daughter arrived she was 9 and her middle school arranged extra English tuition for her; as she was the only non English speaker in the school these were 1 to 1.

Though to be honest, the quality of this does depend on the school and LEA concerned. The head at my daughter's middle school organised everything, saying that if we waited for the LEA to sort it out we'd wait for ever!

Being in the UK, making friends here and watching TV in English also meant she picked up English very quickly; she had to so she could talk to her friends and they helped her.

She starts at university in two weeks time.

As said by Schmackos says, you can help her now by talking to her in English etc.

Remember that the younger someone starts to learn another language, the easier they find it. Maybe you can enroll her on an English course in Thailand? How's her mother's English? She'll have to pass an English test to get her visa, so maybe mother and daughter can go to English classes together?

Marrying in Thailand is, in my opinion, the better option because of the UK immigration rules; it's cheaper to enter as a spouse than it is to enter as a fiance; see UK Settlement Visa Basics.

Edited September 8, 2012 by 7by7

[tigerjohn]

believe me she will have no difficulty at all, i brought 2 boys over last year age now 12 and 7, the schools have been so good and even me cannot believe just how well they have both done in the their respective schools, infact the oldest one did so well at the end of last term he won an ipod for the best student in his year, and they hardly spoke a word of english when they came over here.

[daftpunker]

well as thai kids struggle with there own Language yeah there would be a problem.just go back home and give your child a chance of a proper education not the silly thing they call education here.

[I Like Thai]

I think that you will need to be a very active part in the English education of the child. You will need to speak with the child very regularly and read stories etc. You will need to speak with the child more than her mother does. Children pick up language by copying the adults around them. As it is more likely that your future wife will have developed bad habits (Pidgin English), the onus will be on you to ensure that the child begins her education without forming bad habits, this will also help for your wife to break her habits.

If you have developed a habit yourself of speaking Thaiglish with your wife, then this also needs to be stopped, This will ultimately improve your wife's English and by default the English of the child.

[damo]

My daughter picked up English quickly, its not hard and quite fun even for myself. You have picked a good age, this way he'll be proficient in 1 language as opposed to coming in his mid teens and becoming average in 2 languages. My daughter, myself, my mother etc are all chatterboxes which IMO helped.

I was also married in LOS, not that it means a pinch of shit.

[7by7]

well as thai kids struggle with there own Language yeah there would be a problem.just go back home and give your child a chance of a proper education not the silly thing they call education here.

My step daughter had been in a Thai school before migrating to the UK with her mother and I. When she started school in the UK she found she was ahead of her British contemporaries in subjects like maths and science.

This was in a way a help, as she could attend her English classes whilst her friends caught up with her in these subjects!

[xybadog]

Thanks for all the replies but I think maybe I didn't word my original question correctly, maybe.

What I was wanting to know is how do they start to integrate into a school in the UK from day 1? Obviously, speaking little or no English already, she couldn't be put straight into a class with all the other pupils. Are schools geared up for this or is it expected that she would have to be home-schooled until her English is at a certain level. I don't have any children myself so I don't know.

And, for those that have mentioned it, I am planning on getting married in Thailand, not the UK.

[yourauntbob]

She's 6. It will be easy for her. Before she's been here a year, she'll be fluent.

Agreed, I work in an international school and even though the kids learn all their subjects in english, most of them are fluent (or near fluent) thai speakers very quickly if they moved here at a young age. make sure that english is the language in your house, as in when any of you are in the house you all (including wife and daughter) speak english with each other. the key to learning a new language is getting immersed in it.

[breadbin]

She's 6. It will be easy for her. Before she's been here a year, she'll be fluent.

100% agree, so easy for kids.

She'll be bi-lingual before a year has passed.

Don't worry, the chaneg will be rapid!

[breadbin]

Thanks for all the replies but I think maybe I didn't word my original question correctly, maybe.

What I was wanting to know is how do they start to integrate into a school in the UK from day 1? Obviously, speaking little or no English already, she couldn't be put straight into a class with all the other pupils. Are schools geared up for this or is it expected that she would have to be home-schooled until her English is at a certain level. I don't have any children myself so I don't know.

And, for those that have mentioned it, I am planning on getting married in Thailand, not the UK.

She'll make frineds from day 1.

I think as she is so young a person in her class will be her chaperone on 1st day/week and once she is there, after 10 minutes she'll be fine.

all easy, but I unerstand its a worry

[breadbin]

OP, feel free to PM me, I am in UK.

[daftpunker]

well as thai kids struggle with there own Language yeah there would be a problem.just go back home and give your child a chance of a proper education not the silly thing they call education here.

My step daughter had been in a Thai school before migrating to the UK with her mother and I. When she started school in the UK she found she was ahead of her British contemporaries in subjects like maths and science.

This was in a way a help, as she could attend her English classes whilst her friends caught up with her in these subjects!

yeah yeah

[dansat]

well as thai kids struggle with there own Language yeah there would be a problem.just go back home and give your child a chance of a proper education not the silly thing they call education here.

My step daughter had been in a Thai school before migrating to the UK with her mother and I. When she started school in the UK she found she was ahead of her British contemporaries in subjects like maths and science.

This was in a way a help, as she could attend her English classes whilst her friends caught up with her in these subjects!

I have never read so much rubbish in my life. Do you honestly believe what you have just wrote ? It's great that your step daughter fitted in well to a UK school. But please don't tell us that Thai schools are teaching better Maths and science than UK schools.

Utter rubbish

[xybadog]

well as thai kids struggle with there own Language yeah there would be a problem.just go back home and give your child a chance of a proper education not the silly thing they call education here.

My step daughter had been in a Thai school before migrating to the UK with her mother and I. When she started school in the UK she found she was ahead of her British contemporaries in subjects like maths and science.

This was in a way a help, as she could attend her English classes whilst her friends caught up with her in these subjects!

I have never read so much rubbish in my life. Do you honestly believe what you have just wrote ? It's great that your step daughter fitted in well to a UK school. But please don't tell us that Thai schools are teaching better Maths and science than UK schools.

Utter rubbish

He didn't say that Thai schools are teaching better Maths and science than UK schools, what he said was his step daughter was ahead in Maths and science so it wasn't an all encompassing statement it was a specific case. I understood it, maybe you just missed the point?

[dansat]

well as thai kids struggle with there own Language yeah there would be a problem.just go back home and give your child a chance of a proper education not the silly thing they call education here.

My step daughter had been in a Thai school before migrating to the UK with her mother and I. When she started school in the UK she found she was ahead of her British contemporaries in subjects like maths and science.

This was in a way a help, as she could attend her English classes whilst her friends caught up with her in these subjects!

I have never read so much rubbish in my life. Do you honestly believe what you have just wrote ? It's great that your step daughter fitted in well to a UK school. But please don't tell us that Thai schools are teaching better Maths and science than UK schools.

Utter rubbish

He didn't say that Thai schools are teaching better Maths and science than UK schools, what he said was his step daughter was ahead in Maths and science so it wasn't an all encompassing statement it was a specific case. I understood it, maybe you just missed the point?

It is still was still a load of BS.. So the school was letting his 'daughter' miss maths and science classes to have English classes. I wouldn't happen like that at all. His daughter would have had her extra English lessons after school.

Load of rubbish.

[bobrussell]

My daughter was ahead in maths (tables/adition/subtraction etc) because of the formal teaching she had received in Thailand. She did struggle with the 'concepts' way they teach here. She would have been fine with facts and figures but struggled with homework that started 'what do you know or what do you think'. She was nine when she came to the UK so a six year old will have no similar troubles.

She had friends on day one!

The school did make a lot of effort and had notices in Thai and translation software on the computers used in the classroom but none of it was necessary but the other kids in the class enjoyed the preparation for her arrival (delayed by visa processing time!) and she ended up being a bit of a celebrity to start with.

She adapted well and won the 'best personal development' prize for her efforts!

A six year old will have no problems.

[Roadman]

With our first teen daughter here into Kiwiland at 14 we found at Maths, Science and computer work (less reliant on English) she was getting Excellent and Merit passes easily at the start while other subjects which required more English understanding she struggled with, and still does now at university. At first we were pleased that she had two other thai students in her class to help her settle in...that was the bad mistake we made.

We have just brought the youngest girl (12) back to NZ and started her at immediate school yesterday. There is an international class that she attends for ESOL in the afternoons and at this school there is no other thai's in the whole school and that along with the mother of the house is already agreed to and applying English speaking in the family home with this one is the biggest chance that any thai student will have to being confident in an English speaking country. LImit the opportunity they have of being thai (mostl;y the language use) and immense them in English or they always be Thai just living in an English country.

[swlondonmum]

Thanks for all the replies but I think maybe I didn't word my original question correctly, maybe.

What I was wanting to know is how do they start to integrate into a school in the UK from day 1? Obviously, speaking little or no English already, she couldn't be put straight into a class with all the other pupils. Are schools geared up for this or is it expected that she would have to be home-schooled until her English is at a certain level. I don't have any children myself so I don't know.

And, for those that have mentioned it, I am planning on getting married in Thailand, not the UK.

Hi, I was a senior EAL (English as an Additional Language) teacher at a UK secondary school for a while - we assessed all incoming students whose first language wasn't English and on the whole they were put straight into classes (if they didn't speak a word of English they spent about a week studying with me - classroom/everyday language plus a bit on British culture/behaviour. They would also be taken out of English and sometime Maths or Science to study with me for the first few months (eg I would teach them Maths but in a way they could understand). As your gf's child is younger I would imagine they would be integrated very quickly as the gap in language would be lower, plus primary kids usually spend the day in the same class together so it will help her integrate faster. Within a year all the kids' English was generally fine plus they were usually great with other languages (eg Spanish/French). It is different in every area and every school (I was in London where schools can have a high number of non-English speakers) but from my experience the school made a great effort to help them with both language and social issues (ie making friends). So I would say don't worry she will most likely be fine.

I would also recommend your gf continues to speak Thai to her (not English) - difficult I know as a lot of Thai mums I have met in the UK speak English to their kids. Presumably you speak Thai to her at the moment but you could start speaking English to her when you move to the UK as she will learn lots of good English at home this way. Just be patient as it will be hard at the start but it will come more naturally when you are around other English speakers.

Just my personal opinion but it is worth doing what you (or more to the point your wife) can to maintain her Thai, even the reading and writing, as it will be invaluable not only for holidays but also if you decide to move back to Thailand or if she wants to live here when she's older. Hopefully your wife can make some Thai friends so she can get some more Thai input.Take lots of the cheap school study books back with you. A relative of my husband's is dying to move back to Thailand but they can't as their 100% Thai daughter can't read or write Thai so can't go to a regular school here - she's 14 and they now have to wait - very unhappy - until she has finished her education.

Good luck anyway!

Edited September 29, 2012 by swlondonmum

[xybadog]

A lot of useful info. Thanks.