Thai-Foreign Child Study In Thailand

[nowork114]

Hi, our child will be turning two thus we have to start thinking about kindergarten. For Thai child they have to pay hefty registration fees but usually for foreign child the fees are either waived or much lower so my questions are:

1. if I take my child for registration and they will see blank foreign passport (no visa / no stamps) would there be any problem? We travel quite a lot but always when returning to Thailand use Thai passport.

2. If the school requires a visa, what docs we will need for the Thai embassy abroad? I have non-B & WP, my wife is Thai and both employed

3. Any suggestions in Silom / Sathorn / Thonburi (close to the river) are for kinderkarten & school? Some reasonably priced with some foreing children ... St. Andrews looks good but the fees are through the roof

Thanks

[bkkjames]

Hi, does your child hold Thai Nationality? Never heard of hefty registration fees for Thais.

On a different topic but of the same line, why do people throw their kids into kindergarten at 2yrs old = especially the ones with financial means not too (mom doesnt have to work)?

Kindergarten for me started at 4 i think. Our first son just turned 3 and only now are we looking to the future kindergarten. We inquired at a couple around where we live and the Thai register / whatever her title is said "why you leaving it so late"? I dont know but when I look at my son at 3 who is pretty fluent in Thai / English and is as sharp as a tack from spending so much with his mom and not in some daycare with 30 other kids, and I compare him to other kids his age, he seems farther along.

To each their own I guess.

[samran]

I think the OP is getting a few issues confused.

There generally aren't differential fees for the schools, BUT, some schools such as ISB, Pattana and NIST will restrict the proportion of Thai students there so as to maintain the make up students seen in a 'true' international school.

However, my experience from asking around is, so long as the child has at least one parent who is NOT a Thai citizen, then dual citizen children will be treated under the foreign student entrance scheme where the only thing stopping you attending is your ability to pay 600,000 baht a year for school fees.

[draftvader]

Hi, does your child hold Thai Nationality? Never heard of hefty registration fees for Thais.

On a different topic but of the same line, why do people throw their kids into kindergarten at 2yrs old = especially the ones with financial means not too (mom doesnt have to work)?

Kindergarten for me started at 4 i think. Our first son just turned 3 and only now are we looking to the future kindergarten. We inquired at a couple around where we live and the Thai register / whatever her title is said "why you leaving it so late"? I dont know but when I look at my son at 3 who is pretty fluent in Thai / English and is as sharp as a tack from spending so much with his mom and not in some daycare with 30 other kids, and I compare him to other kids his age, he seems farther along.

To each their own I guess.

My wife works at a leading International Kindergarten here in Bangkok. Our little girl has just started there at 10 months old. She is the youngest they have ever admitted, but only by 1 month. There are PLENTY of good reasons to start children in education early, however to realise those you have to move away from the traditional view of education and realise that there is a LOT more that can be achieved at an early age than numbers and letters.

In the first year of a child's life it learns to eat, sleep, move and communicate. Read any article about people trying to recover from a stroke to know just how hard those tasks are. The child's brain is SO open to new information that it is really good if you can put them into an environment where they get support in learning "how to be a human". Unfortunately sitting at home with just 1 person for company is going to leave them SO far behind socially that education will be a chore rather than the joy it should be. Involving a young child in regular socialisation with other children is a very positive aspect of early childhood development.

http://en.wikipedia....dhood_education - as an example

http://en.wikipedia....Emilia_approach - also informative

---EDIT---

For the record - Our little girl attends her school 3 mornings a week for 3-4 hours at a time (depending on how much energy she has). My wife's school does not allow progression to 5 days until the child is 2-3 years old. Even then they only attend for 3-4 hours a day. Any more is too much and counter-productive.

Edited September 10, 2012 by draftvader

[bkkjames]

Not going to argue with your Daft, like i said to each their own. NO way would I send my kid to school at 10 months though.

[nowork114]

I was referring to "Enrollment fees" or "Admission fees" for Thai children - ie for NIST the Thai Child "fee" is around 1 mil THB so that's why I want to use my child foreign passport. I would appreciate any reply from someone who has kids in int. kindergarten or school ...

We start going to some "schools" for 1-2 hrs once a week since 8 months and she really enjoyed companion of other children, not only adults. Same when we took her to a daycare when she was 15 month and she could run and play on the big playground with lots of toys and other children. Some kids wanna stay with mommy, some like to stay with other kids.

[samran]

I was referring to "Enrollment fees" or "Admission fees" for Thai children - ie for NIST the Thai Child "fee" is around 1 mil THB so that's why I want to use my child foreign passport. I would appreciate any reply from someone who has kids in int. kindergarten or school ...

We start going to some "schools" for 1-2 hrs once a week since 8 months and she really enjoyed companion of other children, not only adults. Same when we took her to a daycare when she was 15 month and she could run and play on the big playground with lots of toys and other children. Some kids wanna stay with mommy, some like to stay with other kids.

NIST Fee:

Application Fee: 6,000

Assessment Fee: 2,500

Registration Fee: 260,000

Campus Development Fee (CDF):

Option (1). A deposit for the Campus Development Fund which is refundable within 45 days of

335,000 withdrawal of each student, net of any outstanding bills for tuition or other fees.

OR

Option (2). The Annual Campus Development Fee is an alternative to the Campus Development Fund

55 ,000 deposit option. The fee is non – refundable and must be paid each academic year.

Alumni Membership Fee: 5,000

Early Year 1 Fee:355,500

http://www.nist.ac.th/n_admissions/NIST%20School%20Fees%20Schedule%2011-12.pdf

I stand to be corrected, but the fees are the same regardless of nationality?

[draftvader]

I was referring to "Enrollment fees" or "Admission fees" for Thai children - ie for NIST the Thai Child "fee" is around 1 mil THB so that's why I want to use my child foreign passport. I would appreciate any reply from someone who has kids in int. kindergarten or school ...

We start going to some "schools" for 1-2 hrs once a week since 8 months and she really enjoyed companion of other children, not only adults. Same when we took her to a daycare when she was 15 month and she could run and play on the big playground with lots of toys and other children. Some kids wanna stay with mommy, some like to stay with other kids.

Precisely....and learn whilst she is doing it. A far more confident child.

[draftvader]

I was referring to "Enrollment fees" or "Admission fees" for Thai children - ie for NIST the Thai Child "fee" is around 1 mil THB so that's why I want to use my child foreign passport. I would appreciate any reply from someone who has kids in int. kindergarten or school ...

We start going to some "schools" for 1-2 hrs once a week since 8 months and she really enjoyed companion of other children, not only adults. Same when we took her to a daycare when she was 15 month and she could run and play on the big playground with lots of toys and other children. Some kids wanna stay with mommy, some like to stay with other kids.

NIST Fee:

Application Fee: 6,000

Assessment Fee: 2,500

Registration Fee: 260,000

Campus Development Fee (CDF):

Option (1). A deposit for the Campus Development Fund which is refundable within 45 days of

335,000 withdrawal of each student, net of any outstanding bills for tuition or other fees.

OR

Option (2). The Annual Campus Development Fee is an alternative to the Campus Development Fund

55 ,000 deposit option. The fee is non – refundable and must be paid each academic year.

Alumni Membership Fee: 5,000

Early Year 1 Fee:355,500

http://www.nist.ac.t...edule 11-12.pdf

I stand to be corrected, but the fees are the same regardless of nationality?

Certainly at my wife's International Kindergarten they are the same. I believe that there is a requirement for a certain percentage of Thai/Foreign for the intake, but that is the school's problem.

[PattayaPhom]

I think the OP is getting a few issues confused.

There generally aren't differential fees for the schools, BUT, some schools such as ISB, Pattana and NIST will restrict the proportion of Thai students there so as to maintain the make up students seen in a 'true' international school.

However, my experience from asking around is, so long as the child has at least one parent who is NOT a Thai citizen, then dual citizen children will be treated under the foreign student entrance scheme where the only thing stopping you attending is your ability to pay 600,000 baht a year for school fees.

Absolute madness to pay anywhere near this amount for a 2 year old.

[draftvader]

I think the OP is getting a few issues confused.

There generally aren't differential fees for the schools, BUT, some schools such as ISB, Pattana and NIST will restrict the proportion of Thai students there so as to maintain the make up students seen in a 'true' international school.

However, my experience from asking around is, so long as the child has at least one parent who is NOT a Thai citizen, then dual citizen children will be treated under the foreign student entrance scheme where the only thing stopping you attending is your ability to pay 600,000 baht a year for school fees.

Absolute madness to pay anywhere near this amount for a 2 year old.

Given my stand-point, my wife is a teacher at an International Kindergarten and I have witnessed a lot of the results, I would say that it isn't if the care is world class and child-development focused (NOT academic focused) . The difference, that I have also witnessed, is that many establishments are commanding this fee for VERY sub-standard care. When you see 2 year olds able to clearly express their needs, able to rationalise, negotiate and understand complex scenarios with confidence you start to believe that this IS a good thing. If the school is just full of gimmicks then they are only in it for the money.

One of the key indicators in this age group is the attitude to uniforms. In my experience children under 5 being made to wear a uniform is an indicator of a school giving the fee-payer what THEY want, not what the child NEEDS. Very different things. I am not going to say the name of my wife's school as that would be wrong on a number of levels, but I have confidence to say that, if you have seen the development in this age-group (and younger) that I have seen then you might think again about your statement. We are VERY lucky that our child benefits from the "free child education" part of my wife's employment package and it is a major reason in our continued stay in Thailand.

[draftvader]

@OP. I might have to eat my words slightly here.

I had a conversation with a 3rd party yesterday (just want to let you know how to interpret what I am telling you) who has a number of friends in high places in a number of International Schools. He has told me that one leading International School has, apparently, taken "payments" under the table to allow Thai nationals to attend their school. This is BEFORE any official fees are taken into consideration.

Remember I was told by a man who was told by a Thai friend of his that this has happened. 3rd hand information. Take it as you will.

No I will not name names as I think this is a little too "hearsay" to be casting judgements.