International School Scholarships Available?

[benjaminterrett]

I hope this doesn't count as double posting. I already asked about scholarships in the homeschool thread, but I think this question warrants its own thread, so here it is:

My son is half Thai and is attending the Turkish school (Wichai Wittaya). He is happy enough there, but I would really like him to be educated in English, if I can get him in somewhere for modest fees. For me it ideally needs to be less than 100,000 Baht a year, with a little more at a stretch if it is worth it.

I see from their website that Lanna International School is offering a part scholarship for a student "currently attending a Thai school". This may be an affordable option for us instead of homeschooling.

Do you think that the Turkish school will qualify under their conditions of being a "Thai school"?

Does anyone know any more about this scholarship, OR, any others?

Do all of the international schools offer scholarships every year, but are just not advertising them at the moment?

Are their fees "negotiable", night bazaar style?

My apologies for so many questions in one post. THANK YOU in advance for any informative replies

[Puwa]

As a reference, CMIS for the lower grades is 180-190K per year, so you are not too far off. I think your best bet will be to visit the schools and raise the subject with each one directly. Ultimately those are the people who you'll be dealing with anyway. Good luck!

[Mark1971]

With a budget of 100,000 Baht / Year, Varee English Programme is the best option I am aware of.

The starting budget for a full International School is double that figure.

Varee International School is about 195,000 Baht / Year, going up to 450,000 Baht at somewhere like PTIS.

The different schools offer various scholorships, dependant upon how much academic or sporting excellence the child brings to their school.

Some of the International schools are very heavy on Christianity, this is something else worth considering.

Best look at the different schools websites to see what scholarships are on offer, think about which areas your son excels & speak to the schools directly.

[benjaminterrett]

With a budget of 100,000 Baht / Year, Varee English Programme is the best option I am aware of.

The starting budget for a full International School is double that figure.

Varee International School is about 195,000 Baht / Year, going up to 450,000 Baht at somewhere like PTIS.

The different schools offer various scholorships, dependant upon how much academic or sporting excellence the child brings to their school.

Some of the International schools are very heavy on Christianity, this is something else worth considering.

Best look at the different schools websites to see what scholarships are on offer, think about which areas your son excels & speak to the schools directly.

Thank you for the advice.

If a scholarship is not possible an English programme at one of the large Thai schools may be what we have to do. He is currently in a "bilingual programme", but most of his peers don't have great English. I would really like him to study alongside students with excellent English; which in reality means one of the international schools.

I have been searching all of the international school websites, but have only found the one scholarship offer, from Lanna International school. Their middle school fees are 188,000, rising to 244,000 for the last couple of years. This is still out of my price range, but with a 50% scholarship and no joining fees would be okay. I guess this is what we will try for first.

What I don't understand is how Varee is charging more for their international section than some of the full international schools? From what I read on ThaiVisa (see post #38 here ) they are not a recognised International School: " Varee school's "international" section is called "Varee International : Varee Chiangmai School" rather than the more obvious "Varee International School" for a good reason - it isn't an international school, since it has no accreditation to be one."

That seems like a lot of money for a "nearly" international programme with no track record. I agree, that, for the money, the English programme may be a better option. We may yet be forced down this route. Do you have any opinion on the English Programmes at the other large Thai schools (e.g. Monfort, Prince Royal, etc.)?

You mention other schools offering scholarships too. Do you have any details?

Christian based scholarships are completely out for us. I would rather leave him where he is than force him down that route - even if it was a free education.

My son won't win any sporting excellence awards, but he is academically very good and speaks English perfectly. Any scholarship will have to be on that basis.

[Ruler]

As a reference, CMIS for the lower grades is 180-190K per year, so you are not too far off. I think your best bet will be to visit the schools and raise the subject with each one directly. Ultimately those are the people who you'll be dealing with anyway. Good luck!

less than 100 K a year compare to 180-190K per year is "not to far off" ....

[Rimkok]

Give NIS a look

[zippydedodah]

With a budget of 100,000 Baht / Year, Varee English Programme is the best option I am aware of.

The starting budget for a full International School is double that figure.

Varee International School is about 195,000 Baht / Year, going up to 450,000 Baht at somewhere like PTIS.

The different schools offer various scholorships, dependant upon how much academic or sporting excellence the child brings to their school.

Some of the International schools are very heavy on Christianity, this is something else worth considering.

Best look at the different schools websites to see what scholarships are on offer, think about which areas your son excels & speak to the schools directly.

Thank you for the advice.

If a scholarship is not possible an English programme at one of the large Thai schools may be what we have to do. He is currently in a "bilingual programme", but most of his peers don't have great English. I would really like him to study alongside students with excellent English; which in reality means one of the international schools.

I have been searching all of the international school websites, but have only found the one scholarship offer, from Lanna International school. Their middle school fees are 188,000, rising to 244,000 for the last couple of years. This is still out of my price range, but with a 50% scholarship and no joining fees would be okay. I guess this is what we will try for first.

What I don't understand is how Varee is charging more for their international section than some of the full international schools? From what I read on ThaiVisa (see post #38 here) they are not a recognised International School: " Varee school's "international" section is called "Varee International : Varee Chiangmai School" rather than the more obvious "Varee International School" for a good reason - it isn't an international school, since it has no accreditation to be one."

That seems like a lot of money for a "nearly" international programme with no track record. I agree, that, for the money, the English programme may be a better option. We may yet be forced down this route. Do you have any opinion on the English Programmes at the other large Thai schools (e.g. Monfort, Prince Royal, etc.)?

You mention other schools offering scholarships too. Do you have any details?

Christian based scholarships are completely out for us. I would rather leave him where he is than force him down that route - even if it was a free education.

My son won't win any sporting excellence awards, but he is academically very good and speaks English perfectly. Any scholarship will have to be on that basis.

don't know what you mean by a christian based scholarship.... but most of the international schools here (and world wide) are christian based.... having said that... our child goes to CMIS and i do not find the level of Christianity she is exposed to (at the school) to be overbearing or detrimental to her buddhist family values. What can be disconcerting at times is the impact her very christian peers bring to her social situations... statements like "Kim is not a christian but that's ok, we will teach her" during play dates is something we have to deal with from a parenting perspective.

[benjaminterrett]

Give NIS a look

I have, but they are even more expensive than the other options I have been looking at. NIS's fees, according to their website, are 233,000 Baht/year for middle school students + 92,000 Baht in one-off joining fees. That's a long way beyond my budget I am afraid.

I see no mention of scholarships, unless you know better?

[farangajarn]

In the November issue of City Life Magazine, Lanna International School will be advertising a scholarship. I dont know if it would suit your needs but perhaps you might want to check it out. You can also find out information by contacting the school. Hope this helps.

[Greenside]

Just to get it straight. Varee's International Programme is the Cambridge IGCSE which is based on the UK National Curriculum and designed especially for students studying abroad, although some schools in the UK use it too. The Cambridge course is the most popular and widely used international syllabus available and their advanced level exams (taken at 18) are accepted by virtually all providers of higher education in the English speaking world.

Establishments offering a recognised International education usually apply for accreditation by one or more bodies who check various standards, but which exist primarily to give confidence to prospective parents and guidance to schools by offering a wider perspective. It's a fairly drawn out process and is a couple of years before accreditation is confirmed since, as you would expect, they actually have to monitor a reasonable period of operation. The VCS International Programme is undergoing the accreditation process and, I'm told, expects to have it confirmed during the current school year. The level of fees at International Schools varies quite widely and given the facilities I don't think you'll find they are out of line.

To answer the OP's question: if learning in English is the objective then I agree with the poster above to who suggested you look at the Varee English Programme. It's the Thai National Curriculum but taught in English by native speakers. My stepson has been on this course since he was in Prathom 2 (at eight) and three years later is a confident speaker, comfortable talking to adults in most circumstances. I'd like to see the school give them more demanding homework but overall I remain pleased and, best of all, he loves going to school every day. EP fees stand at about 90,000 baht a year including meals and a lot of stuff that often seems to turn up as extras.

Whether I put him onto the International Programme will depend on my financial circumstances but I like the option of being able to change course without changing school,.which from my recollection is a stressful and less than happy experience.

Edited October 15, 2012 by Greenside

[Rimkok]

Give NIS a look

I have, but they are even more expensive than the other options I have been looking at. NIS's fees, according to their website, are 233,000 Baht/year for middle school students + 92,000 Baht in one-off joining fees. That's a long way beyond my budget I am afraid.

I see no mention of scholarships, unless you know better?

No sorry i don't know better. I just thought it might be worth a try. Good luck.

[Ricardo]

Prem do offer some part-scholarships, see their website's 'Admissions' section.

http://ptis.threegeneration.org/admissions.html?tab=4#TabbedPanels1

[Greenside]

But it will still be way above anything else locally. Beautiful campus. Eye watering fees...

[Rancid]

Just a thought, but are the scholarships intended for half foriegn children who do have the option of being educated in their home countries and Bilingual schools or are they for the poor and disadvantaged Thai kids to give them a leg up in life?

[Mark1971]

Just to get it straight. Varee's International Programme is the Cambridge IGCSE which is based on the UK National Curriculum and designed especially for students studying abroad, although some schools in the UK use it too. The Cambridge course is the most popular and widely used international syllabus available and their advanced level exams (taken at 18) are accepted by virtually all providers of higher education in the English speaking world.

Establishments offering a recognised International education usually apply for accreditation by one or more bodies who check various standards, but which exist primarily to give confidence to prospective parents and guidance to schools by offering a wider perspective. It's a fairly drawn out process and is a couple of years before accreditation is confirmed since, as you would expect, they actually have to monitor a reasonable period of operation. The VCS International Programme is undergoing the accreditation process and, I'm told, expects to have it confirmed during the current school year. The level of fees at International Schools varies quite widely and given the facilities I don't think you'll find they are out of line.

To answer the OP's question: if learning in English is the objective then I agree with the poster above to who suggested you look at the Varee English Programme. It's the Thai National Curriculum but taught in English by native speakers. My stepson has been on this course since he was in Prathom 2 (at eight) and three years later is a confident speaker, comfortable talking to adults in most circumstances. I'd like to see the school give them more demanding homework but overall I remain pleased and, best of all, he loves going to school every day. EP fees stand at about 90,000 baht a year including meals and a lot of stuff that often seems to turn up as extras.

Whether I put him onto the International Programme will depend on my financial circumstances but I like the option of being able to change course without changing school,.which from my recollection is a stressful and less than happy experience.

There is some good advice here.

I visited some International schools in Chiang Mai about 18 months ago, as we are thing of relocating from the UK in the future.

PTIS (Prem) was very good, but also very expensive, I also like the fact they study Internaional Baccalaureate.

There may be some scholarships available, however even with the scholarship the annual cost is way over the OP's budget.

The wife was also worried that most of the kids were from expat families, school fees paid by the company & there was a resulting high turnover of students.

I also thought their I Bac results weren't brilliant, though this may be down to their student intake as much as their teaching.

Varee.

We were interested in the International programme because they study IGCSE.

The English Programme shares the same campus & facilities, only teaching is in separate buildings.

I was impressed with the facilities and teaching I witnessed, additionally the students are local so your children will make life long friends.

The International Programme is new so they couldn't demonstrate their exam results yet.

With the OP's budget this is where I would send my children.

[scorecard]

Just to get it straight. Varee's International Programme is the Cambridge IGCSE which is based on the UK National Curriculum and designed especially for students studying abroad, although some schools in the UK use it too. The Cambridge course is the most popular and widely used international syllabus available and their advanced level exams (taken at 18) are accepted by virtually all providers of higher education in the English speaking world.

Establishments offering a recognised International education usually apply for accreditation by one or more bodies who check various standards, but which exist primarily to give confidence to prospective parents and guidance to schools by offering a wider perspective. It's a fairly drawn out process and is a couple of years before accreditation is confirmed since, as you would expect, they actually have to monitor a reasonable period of operation. The VCS International Programme is undergoing the accreditation process and, I'm told, expects to have it confirmed during the current school year. The level of fees at International Schools varies quite widely and given the facilities I don't think you'll find they are out of line.

To answer the OP's question: if learning in English is the objective then I agree with the poster above to who suggested you look at the Varee English Programme. It's the Thai National Curriculum but taught in English by native speakers. My stepson has been on this course since he was in Prathom 2 (at eight) and three years later is a confident speaker, comfortable talking to adults in most circumstances. I'd like to see the school give them more demanding homework but overall I remain pleased and, best of all, he loves going to school every day. EP fees stand at about 90,000 baht a year including meals and a lot of stuff that often seems to turn up as extras.

Whether I put him onto the International Programme will depend on my financial circumstances but I like the option of being able to change course without changing school,.which from my recollection is a stressful and less than happy experience.

There is some good advice here.

I visited some International schools in Chiang Mai about 18 months ago, as we are thing of relocating from the UK in the future.

PTIS (Prem) was very good, but also very expensive, I also like the fact they study Internaional Baccalaureate.

There may be some scholarships available, however even with the scholarship the annual cost is way over the OP's budget.

The wife was also worried that most of the kids were from expat families, school fees paid by the company & there was a resulting high turnover of students.

I also thought their I Bac results weren't brilliant, though this may be down to their student intake as much as their teaching.

Varee.

We were interested in the International programme because they study IGCSE.

The English Programme shares the same campus & facilities, only teaching is in separate buildings.

I was impressed with the facilities and teaching I witnessed, additionally the students are local so your children will make life long friends.

The International Programme is new so they couldn't demonstrate their exam results yet.

With the OP's budget this is where I would send my children.

Greenside's summation is spot on. My Thai granddaughter is in the EP Prathom program at Varee and our family is very happy with the results in terms of English language conversation, comprehension and grammar development. She also is well capable of confident broad conversation with westerners. We're also very happy with her results and her now broad knowledge in science, maths etc., these subjects are also taught by properly qualified western teachers. Her Chinese (spoken, and written) is also developing nicely. Thai language is not neglected and she's doing well in all the skills.

As said, around 90,000Baht a year including everything for Prathom.

If your interested to know more, suggest you call the school and ask to speak to Ajahn Dani and make an appointment to visit. Ajahn Dani speaks very advanced English, she taught in the UK for many years, she's a good listener and she's very knowledgable about education.

You can be guaranteed the discussion with Ajahn Dani will focus on education and your child, and you'll walk away with clear answers.

You may need to wait a few days until she's available (she has a teaching schdule also) but worth the wait.

Good luck.

[benjaminterrett]

Thank you all for your input. It seems that a lot of people post on here from Varee, but not from the other large Thai schools with English Programmes. I would be interested to know how they compare? Does anyone out there have opinions on the English Programmes at Montfort, Prince Royal College, etc ?

It is good to see that so many posters are happy with the Varee English Programme, but this really isn't what I am looking for. It may be in English, but there is no getting away from it being the Thai curriculum that is followed, and that, from what I can gather, most students have a very low level of English. I desperately want to get him into something more progressive and with peers who communicate well in English.

I agree with previous posters about the advantages of the IGCSE system in the international section of Varee, but the school has never had students sit these exams so far. I am really trying to avoid putting my son into any kind of "experimental" programme. I am looking only for somewhere with a track record and teachers experienced in teaching the school's curriculum; not something entirely new.

My unfortunate realisation is that unless he can win the scholarship to LIST I am probably going to have to double my budget and look at paying full price at LIST (with IGCSEs and A levels), CMIS (with USA system and APs), or NIS (with USA system and a lesser range of APs). These all have track records, to a greater or lesser extent.

Anyway, thank you all for your input - it's helping me to see the "path" forward for my son. Thank you.

[Greenside]

Despite the Thai Education Ministry trying to define what an "English Programme" should be a while ago, there is still no real standard so it means different things in different schools but what they all have in common is that the underlying course is the Thai National Curriculum. At the poor end of the EP spectrum you are looking at some extra English lessons over and above the minimum required by law and (possibly) one or more native speakers on the staff while the high end has the children studying all subjects in English (except Thai) with native speaking teachers. Incidentally, the top end does impose an extra load on the students because they do have to take all their yearly exams in both languages.

My stepson's friends appear to speak English reasonably well so I'm not sure I'd share your view that standards are low. I'd hazard a guess that even in the International schools, the students' progress is strongly influenced by the language used at home - we speak a mixture of Thai and English and as I have some experience teaching I do at least make sure he doesn't develop bad habits.

The bottom line is that if you want IGCSE then VCS and LIST are your only choices in Chiang Mai and, although your point about track record is true at this point, I'd certainly take the time to investigate both before making a decision.

[richard10365]

Yupparat (Government School) has the cheapest program in Chiang Mai. 30,000/semester.

More info here:

http://www.yupparajep.net/about/

[LIST]

Just a thought, but are the scholarships intended for half foriegn children who do have the option of being educated in their home countries and Bilingual schools or are they for the poor and disadvantaged Thai kids to give them a leg up in life?

I am Kevin Pugh the Secondary Principal at LIST and I am posting here on behalf of the school to clarify any issues surrounding our DeMuth Memorial Scholarship that has been discussed here.

I am happy to answer any follow up questions about our school and/or the new scholarship programme; so long as they don't involve drawing direct comparisons with other Chiang Mai schools. I really don't want to go down that potentially unpleasant route; but I will give you as full and detailed answers as I can to any direct questions about LIST.

To see full details of the scholarship, and what it aims to achieve, please take a look at the school website: http://lannaist.ac.th/list-news-a-events/latest-news/143-demuthmemorialscholarship

There doesn't seem much point in me repeating all of the details here, but I am happy to clarify who is eligible. Quite simply, to be eligible a student should be currently in Prathom 6 (the final year of Thai Primary education), they should be in good academic standing at their current school, and they should have sufficient English skills to at least be able to access our programmes at some level.

To address Rancid's question: no, there is no "race" requirement. We are an international school and believe in equality. The aim is to give the chance of an international education to a child with potential who is currently within the Thai education system - be they Thai, half-Thai, or full Martian (although this last one we may have to look at closely to see how they would fit in).

We hope it will provide a "leg-up" regardless of the child's heritage and so welcome applications from those who genuinely couldn't afford the opportunity without a scholarship.

The scholarship lasts for the rest of the child's school life, providing they remain in good academic standing and act as a positive student role model.