Best Thai Language School

[HappyInCM]

I just came across a limited time offer to get 12 Thai lessons at Walen for 490 Baht which they say represent an 80% discount off the regular rate. This offer applies to all Walen branches in Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiang Mai. Seems to me like a good chance to test their teaching system and judge it by myself. I saw the ad on Facebook. The website selling this offer is gotogezr dot com and the promotion will be available this week only.

For Thais they offer English classes on the same terms. Gonna send my wife there ))

If you like the Walen method, but want smaller more attentive classes in Pattaya, there's Excel Language which was started by a former Walen teacher. Very small classes (at least for now) and she was one of their better teachers. it's cheaper and they do the visa too.

http://www.excelanguage.com/

[zorro1]

Hi all i need to chose between pro language or Wallen for the ed -visa 180 lessons.

Both are similar pricing. It has to be one or the other since they are next door to where i live. Any recommendation?

[MacWalen]

Easy, go and visit both, see classrooms, have a look at the teaching materials. Talk to students. It is not just a matter of money. Also the management, if you prefer Thai management or foreign. It can make a differences if some problems arise.

Walen has a big party on the 17th December in Insomnia in Bangkok in soi 12, you are welcome to join and get to know us better, we are not just a school, we are a community. 9 pm till late, only 350 Baht for 3 drinks and food and 6 lucky draws, you can actually win a one year course! That is 24,960 Baht value.

Our mostly female staff love dancing

Walen School - all study and no party is totally missing the point!

http://www.thaiwalen.com

PS. All former and present and future students are invited!!! Don't miss it, party with Walen!

For priority service please register

www.dcs.walenschool.com/1mw290910.eng

Edited February 28, 2011 by macwalen

[punuruthan]

Hi i was looking for best thai language school , u guys helped me lot thank .....

[ThaiBerliner]

Sawaddee krub,

It`s thai language diff. to learn? clearly "No!"

am, a Thai, sonce 1991 in Germany, teaching Thai Lang. to over 200 german learners in 12 yrs. with 100% success.

I teach 2X 4 hrs. per week with own develop Lecture and materia for learner.. in about 100 hrs. from Zero to able to read and write and understand basic grammar of thai lang.

My succes depends on small group "4 learners" and outstanding own delvelop Lecture and teaching materail; they ONLY in german Lang. yet.

Thai Lang. is not magic or such kind of "unable thing to reach" with clear concept in teaching, thing goes much easier as you could imagine.

To teaching a adult age learner and not the same stuff for Kids in thai school, sure we mostly know that. We, adult, are cognitive learner and if this issue not beeing "fill" than is the long and hard trail begins; for learners.

Thank you

[languageexpress]

Hi all,

For those wishing to learn Thai in Bangkok, you may wish to consider Language Express. We specialise in teaching Thai to learners at all levels, in both writing and speaking and we are able to supply our students with a 1 year education visa which can be renewed up to 3 times.

There are some details below about our school but if anyone would like to read an impartial opinion about Language Express (and indeed many other Language Schools), I highly recommend reading Todd Daniels review here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/429983-revisit-to-language-express/page__p__4118779#entry4118779. Todd is perhaps one of the only people in Bangkok who regularly takes the time visit and review Thai language schools (if you click on his profile you will see he has been an active member of Thai Visa for over 5 years and has posted over 1500 articles!), and we are very proud of the kind words he spoke about our school.

"I strongly urge ANYONE who is serious about learning the thai language to stop in at Language Express, take their level testing, look at their material, and decide for yourself. I am far from easily impressed by thai language schools. However, this material is some of the best stuff I’ve EVER come across in ALL the schools I’ve toured!"

- Todd Daniels (Thank you very much Todd! - Language Express)

If you are thinking about learning Thai and would like any information on what we do, then please give us a call on - 02-675-3915. Alternatively why not come in for a chat, we're 1 minute away from Ploenchit BTS station, and we'd be happy to walk you through our course, the materials we have designed specially for our Thai course and give you a free week trial in our classes to see what you think.

We look forward to hearing from you soon,

Jez

.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why study at Language Express?

• Fast effective learning
• Experienced, professional teachers
• Affordable prices
• 3 year education visa available
• Classes designed to get you talking from day one
• Well resourced & comfortable learning environment

Language Express specializes in Thai language education. Language Express offers courses in Thai and English, as well as specialist courses in IELTS Preparation, Accredited TESOL Certificates and Business English. Our Thai Language Course requires 4 hours study each week, and this can be take in 2 x 2 hours blocks on weeknights, or a single 4 hour block on Saturdays. Students who take a year long course (192 hours) are eligible for a Thai Education Visa. It is also possible to take the Thai Course in smaller units for those who only wish to improve their conversational abilities or learn how to read and write.

Language Express is not into educational fads or gimmicks; the two owners are qualified teachers in their home countries, each with around twenty years teaching experience in universities, language centres and high schools. They have taken the best of their Australian and Japanese schools and fitted them into a state of the art facility only metres from the escalators at BTS Ploenjit station. Language Express has a strong emphasis on quality. The school uses its own textbooks supplemented by commercially published texts such as "Thai for Beginners". These textbooks all feature Thai script, transliterations and translations. Our Thai teachers are university qualified native speakers selected for their energetic and professional approach, who receive ongoing training and development.

Students learn in a fast, effective manner using the Step System which is based on the tried and tested Communicative Approach - with an emphasis on memorizing and using grammatical structures with practical vocabulary and correct pronunciation. A critical part of our lessons is the 'production' segment, where students practice speaking using the language they have just studied, while integrating it with other Thai they know. On the Thai Course you'll acquire solid skills that let you communicate with Thai people as fast as possible. You will literally be speaking right from your very first lesson, then building on this step by step.

If you're thinking of learning Thai or taking a Thai Visa Course, please visit us when you make your enquires. We are always happy to outline our language programs, and are confident that once you compare the alternatives, you'll note a real difference in professionalism and quality.

CALL: 02 675 3915

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.languageexpress.co.th

EMAIL: [email protected]

[languageexpress]

Hi all i need to chose between pro language or Wallen for the ed -visa 180 lessons.

Both are similar pricing. It has to be one or the other since they are next door to where i live. Any recommendation?

Obviously I'm a bit biased but have you considered Language Express? We offer exceptional value for money and can provide you with an ed visa as well.

Rather than hit you with a sales pitch why not check out a review that was done of our school recently by one of Thai Visa's longstanding members: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/429983-revisit-to-language-express/page__p__4118779#entry4118779 (Todd Dnaiels has posted over 1500 articles in 5 years and regularly takes the time to visit and review Thai language school all over Bangkok - we're very proud that he think of us as one of the best!)

I've included some further information below about our school, but if you would like more then please feel free to call us on 02-675-3915 or why not drop in, we're right outside Ploenchit BTS station.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Cheers,

Jez

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why study at Language Express?

• Fast effective learning
• Experienced, professional teachers
• Affordable prices
• 3 year education visa available
• Classes designed to get you talking from day one
• Well resourced & comfortable learning environment

Language Express specializes in Thai language education. Language Express offers courses in Thai and English, as well as specialist courses in IELTS Preparation, Accredited TESOL Certificates and Business English. Our Thai Language Course requires 4 hours study each week, and this can be take in 2 x 2 hours blocks on weeknights, or a single 4 hour block on Saturdays. Students who take a year long course (192 hours) are eligible for a Thai Education Visa. It is also possible to take the Thai Course in smaller units for those who only wish to improve their conversational abilities or learn how to read and write.

Language Express is not into educational fads or gimmicks; the two owners are qualified teachers in their home countries, each with around twenty years teaching experience in universities, language centres and high schools. They have taken the best of their Australian and Japanese schools and fitted them into a state of the art facility only metres from the escalators at BTS Ploenjit station. Language Express has a strong emphasis on quality. The school uses its own textbooks supplemented by commercially published texts such as "Thai for Beginners". These textbooks all feature Thai script, transliterations and translations. Our Thai teachers are university qualified native speakers selected for their energetic and professional approach, who receive ongoing training and development.

Students learn in a fast, effective manner using the Step System which is based on the tried and tested Communicative Approach - with an emphasis on memorizing and using grammatical structures with practical vocabulary and correct pronunciation. A critical part of our lessons is the 'production' segment, where students practice speaking using the language they have just studied, while integrating it with other Thai they know. On the Thai Course you'll acquire solid skills that let you communicate with Thai people as fast as possible. You will literally be speaking right from your very first lesson, then building on this step by step.

If you're thinking of learning Thai or taking a Thai Visa Course, please visit us when you make your enquires. We are always happy to outline our language programs, and are confident that once you compare the alternatives, you'll note a real difference in professionalism and quality.

CALL: 02 675 3915

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.languageexpress.co.th

EMAIL: [email protected]

[DavidHouston]

Dear Language Express,

Thank you so much for your informative posts regarding your language school and its programs. And, for recognizing the valuable service that Tod-Daniels is providing your commercial efforts.

Many posters on these forums have specific questions regarding Thai language, from name spelling to tattoo translations to letters from their Thai-speaking friends. I would like to ask you to demonstrate your earnestness in wanting students to sign up with you by having members of your teaching staff take some time to answer these questions on this forum. Your goodwill in providing this service would go a long way to enhance the attractiveness of your school.

The courtesy of a reply would be appreciated.

[languageexpress]

Dear Language Express,

Thank you so much for your informative posts regarding your language school and its programs. And, for recognizing the valuable service that Tod-Daniels is providing your commercial efforts.

Many posters on these forums have specific questions regarding Thai language, from name spelling to tattoo translations to letters from their Thai-speaking friends. I would like to ask you to demonstrate your earnestness in wanting students to sign up with you by having members of your teaching staff take some time to answer these questions on this forum. Your goodwill in providing this service would go a long way to enhance the attractiveness of your school.

The courtesy of a reply would be appreciated.

Hi David,

Thanks very much for the response, I'd be happy to arrange our teaching staff to spend some of their time on here helping with general questions about Thai language in some of the other forum threads. Furthermore I'm sure I could get some of our admin staff to post advice on visa issues as well. I hope this doesn't apprear disingenuous, I think your right in saying that offering this will hopefully increase the attractiveness of Language Express to people who may want to study Thai.

That being said this thread is specifically about 'Best Thai Language School', and it will probably be myself engaging with users of this thread in the future. However, I do so explicity under the Avatar - Language Express, and make quite clear to other users who I am posting as, ultimately it's up to them to decide. I concede that my previous posts - which also happen to be the first posts in 6 months - have been quite text heavy and I'll tone that down in the future.

All the best,

Jez

Language Express

[email protected] / www.languageexpress.co.th

02-675-3915

[languageexpress]

Rather than hit you with a sales pitch...

That whole post is a sales pitch. Does insulting people's intelligence normally work for you in terms of driving business?

Hi Softwater,

Thank you for your response. I concede that the words written by myself were certainly a plug - and explicitly so given that I was writing under the avatar Language Express, and included a lot of information about our school while responding to somebody asking a question about where to study Thai. Had I been writing under a fake avatar, which I don't do, there would certainly be some ethical issues to address...

However, since the link to the review I provided (http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/429983-revisit-to-language-express/page__p__4118779#entry4118779) was written by somebody who has been writing credible, independent reviews of Thai language schools for longer than Language Express has been open, I don't feel I'm insulting peoples intelligence by suggesting that they read what someone else thinks of our school. Indeed, I highly recommend people wishing to study Thai to search around and make their minds up for themselves.

All the best,

Jez

Language Express

[email protected] / www.languageexpress.co.th

02-675-3915

[MacWalen]

Glad to see that learning Thai is now promoted by more and more schools. Competition is always good for potential students.

Just to keep reader up to date, Walen now has a new school in Phuket. We also offer free demonstration lessons for those who would like to compare different methods of teaching Thai. Our method definately works if you attend your lessons. Also moving between schools is no problem.

Walen School of Thai - Bangkok Sukhumvit, Bangkok Ladprao, Pattaya, Chiangmai, Phuket and online

www.thaiwalen.com

For priority service please register

www.dcs.walenschool.com/1mw290910.eng

Edited February 28, 2011 by macwalen

[R7BKK]

Looking for a school recommendation from some knowledgable folks here. I've looked through this long chain and still unsure about what the best options might be. I will probably take the top few recommendations and try some test classes and see what's a good fit.

I'm one of those farangs with schizophrenic Thai skills. I KNOW a lot of Thai...in theory...but just need to unlock the fluency.

Lived here for several years now. I've picked up a lot osmotically - but my Thai skills are a very mixed bag:

- Vocab - Large. Better than a lot of dek nawk and look kreung friends.

- Pronunciation - Horrible. Especially the tones. (I never formally studied Thai - never learned the tone rules. It shows.)

- Reading - In very short doses (e.g. a billboard) it's second nature, almost like English. But anything more text heavy (like a page of a newspaper) and my brain freezes up. Could probably read the kind of book they sell at 7-11 but would be nice to be able to read real literature eventually.

- Writing - Can kind of write simple Thai - and do on a regular basis - but don't know how to spell a lot of everyday words. Never learned step by step like a language student - and not knowing the tone rules is probably holding me back here too.

- Listening comprehension - Pretty good. But can improve.

- Conversation - Very mixed. In theory should be able to hold a decent conversation with anyone. In practice - it varies. A lot.

In terms of skills to learn my priorities are:

- Big push to improve my pronunciation

- Big push to converse more fluidly and with more confidence

- Shape up reading and writing skills in the process

- Learn the tone rules once and for all (this is maybe one of the earliest step to get out of the way)

Any recommendations on schools or maybe even specific teachers who might be a good fit? Somewhere in Bangkok. Don't mind hard work, fast paced. In fact I'd prefer a place or person who's a hardcore serious teacher. Cheaper is strongly preferred - but won't sacrifice quality just because of price. Education visa strongly preferred - but open to learning options where visa is not an option.

Anyone who's gone through a similar learning process have any advice? Are there courses out there that will work? Do I need to do it all with a private tutor? Crash course for a while with a private tutor to fill in the gaps and speed through the beginning levels of a school's offering and then go into group classes at a higher level? Are there any schools that are better at teaching intermediate and advanced levels?

[meadish_sweetball]

Given your stated shortcomings, starting with a cram school like Unity, Piammitr etc. sounds like it would do the trick. <br /><br />They will teach you to read properly, and in the process you will learn tone rules and pronunciation, and get a better grasp of formal grammar and formal texts, all of which you stated as weak points. What they will not improve so much is your conversation skills - but once you've got the tone rules and more advanced reading down properly, combined with the passive vocabulary you say you have, I honestly don't think that part will pose a problem - your best practice method for conversation is simply to converse as much as possible. Make Thai friends, hang out, talk to them and listen to them talking to each other.

[R7BKK]

Given your stated shortcomings, starting with a cram school like Unity, Piammitr etc. sounds like it would do the trick. <br /><br />They will teach you to read properly, and in the process you will learn tone rules and pronunciation, and get a better grasp of formal grammar and formal texts, all of which you stated as weak points. What they will not improve so much is your conversation skills - but once you've got the tone rules and more advanced reading down properly, combined with the passive vocabulary you say you have, I honestly don't think that part will pose a problem - your best practice method for conversation is simply to converse as much as possible. Make Thai friends, hang out, talk to them and listen to them talking to each other.

Thanks. WIll look more into Unity, Piammitr, etc. and maybe try to sit in on a class to test them out...

To clarify a bit...it's really my speaking skills that are the problem. (Plus long reading because I just have a mental block there and don't have practice doing it. And writing - because of the basic spelling/tone problems and also because I haven't had any formal instruction in Thai composition and don't read often enough to have absorbed all the peculiarities of written forms of the language.)

While the hang out and talk and listen to people advice is great in theory - I've been doing that for several years already. So at least I know AUA would be a waste of my time. I understand more or less everything friends or strangers say to me or around me. If it's a long conversation I might miss some details here and there - but I catch most of it. My vocab's probably several thousand words and I understand everyday constructions and spoken grammar. I can and do translate from Thai into English for people... like if I'm out with a mixed group of Thais and non-Thai-speaking farangs and a Thai person isn't sure how to express what they want to say in English. But going the other direction is much tougher.

Even my Thai friends think my Thai is absurd. I'm way past the stage where people compliment you on how good your language abilities are and well into and stuck at the stage where people tell you your abilities suck. All things considered, my pronunciation is really bad. I know it - and people tell me. Tones are the biggest problem - but I also need to shape up on reproducing exactly the right consonant and vowel sounds, with all of the subtleties that matter in Thai but that native English speakers don't automatically distinguish between.

In terms of carrying on a conversation, friends expect that I should be able to whip out fluent Thai in a conversation. I can't.

With a few close friends I'll speak in Thai or just slip naturally between a mix of Thai and English -- and then they just occasionally laugh at my wretched mispronunciation and botched sentences.... and every once in a while stop me with a, "What the hell were you just trying to say?".

With most other friends - especially if you're talking a group setting with Thais who are bilingual, their parts of the conversation are mostly in Thai and my parts are mostly in English.

With people who don't speak English, I just have to limit what I want to say. If I want to say something and don't know how to express it in Thai, I don't.

But maybe the first part of your advice is one of the big keys? Do a cram school - get the basics I missed... tone rules for proper pronunciation/reading/writing... and the rest will follow...

[Tod Daniels]

Any of the Thai language schools which offer that “cram” (one month, 5 days a week, 3 hours a day kinda schedule) would work for you!

My advice, FOREGT ANY tone that isn’t Rising or Falling; because no matter what any foreigners or Thai Language schools say, the rest of the tones can be BLURRED and Thais will understand them in the context of what you’re saying! YES even the ‘high’ tone!!

In Thai, you’re either talking about a “Tiger” or a “Shirt",!

Then again, it could be just me! I’m certainly NOT tryin’ to speak Thai like a thai; I’m tryin; to speak Thai to thais, albeit with a foreign accent.

There is a HUGE difference!!!

I’ve yet to meet a foreigner here who spoke Thai like a thai. BUT if I EVER meet one, I’ll letcha know..

Close? Yes! But who spoke LIKE a thai with a Thai accent, NO Way! No Matter how much the Thais says your thai is clear.

You’re a foreigner here! How strange is it to think you might speak Thai with a foreign accent? Not too strange huh?

[fredjones]

just finished a thai language course at a new school in chiang mai. great teacher.... talk talk language highly recommended

[MacWalen]

Walen is starting book 3 in Chaingmai, contact the school for more information.

Also still free demonstration lessons available. We have 4 excellent teachers in Chiangmai.

Walen school in Phuket now has a regular book 1 class going every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 am till 12.50. If you live in Phuket visit us for a free demo. This is just a new school but becoming more and more popular. If you are serious about your Thai give us a call. Walen - it really works!

www.thaiwalen.com

For priority service please register

www.dcs.walenschool.com/1mw290910.eng

[Tod Daniels]

Just a note;

Language Express, at Mahatun Plaza (near the Ploenchit BTS station) just went thru a MASSIVE re-write of their already superior Thai course materials!

They polled their existing students and asked for input on what they felt the shortcomings or strengths of the current books were; then they took the suggestions to heart and had their talented team re-format and re-write a new set of course materials.

For the Thai conversation portion of their material; they now provide a review lesson after every 4 study lessons and a comprehension test after every 8 lessons. They deleted some lessons which didn't provide good useful vocabulary and added others which give more 'bang-4-the-baht', and each book has its own c/d with crystal clear sound files to practice getting your pronunciation down out of class. The Thai reading/writing books are easier to use and have much more practice insofar as learning to write and read Thai

FWIW: I've 'acquired' textbooks from about 15 private Thai Language Schools and hafta say Language Express has some of the most well written Thai course materials available in the private Thai language school market out there now!

I try to stay up on what schools are doing material wise..

ALSO: (despite some claims to the contrary) I'm NOT affiliated with ANY Private Thai Language School! I offer out my opinions as I want people to get 'bang-4-their-baht' when they attend a school. The last thing a student needs to do is pay for a year’s tuition at a school which they later find out isn't all it's cracked up to be.

[kikenyoy]

For the Thai conversation portion of their material; they now provide a review lesson after every 4 study lessons and a comprehension test after every 8 lessons. They deleted some lessons which didn't provide good useful vocabulary and added others which give more 'bang-4-the-baht', and each book has its own c/d with crystal clear sound files to practice getting your pronunciation down out of class. The Thai reading/writing books are easier to use and have much more practice insofar as learning to write and read Thai

Do you know if these books/cd's are available to purchase? Unfortunately I live too far away to attend classes there.

[Goinghomesoon]

I was looking at studying the part-time course at Thammasat University (see post #138 for earlier info) but found I had missed the beginning of this semester already and next semester's dates don't suit. Anyway, if anyone is interested, their 2011 dates and course details are here www.tu-training.com/project/project_07.html

[Lobo4819]

How about in Chiang Mai?

[Jawnie]

This very helpful, even if it is really loooong.

I've been in Thailand four months and only touched on Thai language. I studied mandarin for several years and would still study it if I were in China. I'll be in Bkk for at least one year, so, time to get started...

I'm going to visit these schools and want to start within the next week:

Thai Solutions

Walen

Language Express

Piammitr

I might visit others and I'll let you know how it's going.

Cheers.

[balo]

How is AUA doing these days?

I have been offered 30 hours for free by a friend who gave me a gift card.

[Tod Daniels]

How is AUA doing these days?

I have been offered 30 hours for free by a friend who gave me a gift card.

AUA's still plugging right along. They're Thai classes have a lot of students in them and I've sat thru quite a few hours at their Bangkok location.

While I'm less than impressed with their 'passive listening' methodology, still you do get value out of them. They offer Thai reading and writing too, but if you didn't attend enough levels of AUA's classes you hafta test into it.

As far a price point, you can't find a more inexpensive Thai Language school to attend. Their bulk hour deals are the most cost effective in the Bangkok Metro area HANDS DOWN!!

I know people who LOVE going there and one's who well, don't love it so much. They are certainly entertaining to watch as the teachers are all top notch and are good at miming or acting out the meanings of new Thai words.

The three no’s; no ‘asking questions', no ‘vocabulary sheets’, and no ‘interaction with the teacher’ put me off of using it as a primary resource to learn thai.

FREE is FREE! If I had a 30 hour pass, I'd go!!

[nickmanchester2]

How is AUA doing these days?

I have been offered 30 hours for free by a friend who gave me a gift card.

you'd better get going if its the pass i am thinking of - you only have till the 8th of April.... tik tok, tik tok.

I went to my first 2 hours today after buying said voucher for 900b on Craigslist.

[balo]

How is AUA doing these days?

I have been offered 30 hours for free by a friend who gave me a gift card.

you'd better get going if its the pass i am thinking of - you only have till the 8th of April.... tik tok, tik tok.

I went to my first 2 hours today after buying said voucher for 900b on Craigslist.

Yes its tik tok.

I have been there a few times , I pick up a few words but I find it hard to learn this way.

And Tod is right , watching how the teachers act and mime is almost like watching a thai soap opera....

Edited March 29, 2011 by balo

[ungcas]

Looking for a school recommendation from some knowledgable folks here. I've looked through this long chain and still unsure about what the best options might be. I will probably take the top few recommendations and try some test classes and see what's a good fit.

I'm one of those farangs with schizophrenic Thai skills. I KNOW a lot of Thai...in theory...but just need to unlock the fluency.

Lived here for several years now. I've picked up a lot osmotically - but my Thai skills are a very mixed bag:

- Vocab - Large. Better than a lot of dek nawk and look kreung friends.

- Pronunciation - Horrible. Especially the tones. (I never formally studied Thai - never learned the tone rules. It shows.)

- Reading - In very short doses (e.g. a billboard) it's second nature, almost like English. But anything more text heavy (like a page of a newspaper) and my brain freezes up. Could probably read the kind of book they sell at 7-11 but would be nice to be able to read real literature eventually.

- Writing - Can kind of write simple Thai - and do on a regular basis - but don't know how to spell a lot of everyday words. Never learned step by step like a language student - and not knowing the tone rules is probably holding me back here too.

- Listening comprehension - Pretty good. But can improve.

- Conversation - Very mixed. In theory should be able to hold a decent conversation with anyone. In practice - it varies. A lot.

In terms of skills to learn my priorities are:

- Big push to improve my pronunciation

- Big push to converse more fluidly and with more confidence

- Shape up reading and writing skills in the process

- Learn the tone rules once and for all (this is maybe one of the earliest step to get out of the way)

Any recommendations on schools or maybe even specific teachers who might be a good fit? Somewhere in Bangkok. Don't mind hard work, fast paced. In fact I'd prefer a place or person who's a hardcore serious teacher. Cheaper is strongly preferred - but won't sacrifice quality just because of price. Education visa strongly preferred - but open to learning options where visa is not an option.

Anyone who's gone through a similar learning process have any advice? Are there courses out there that will work? Do I need to do it all with a private tutor? Crash course for a while with a private tutor to fill in the gaps and speed through the beginning levels of a school's offering and then go into group classes at a higher level? Are there any schools that are better at teaching intermediate and advanced levels?

I highly recommend Piammitr Language School. I was a former student there and actually encountered another student similar to what you've described. He knew a lot a vocabulary and is able to to converse quite well, but not so great in the reading and writing. He was mainly interested in Listening/Speaking so he took a couple of months there, and in the end he was extremely satisfied. Actually, for the second month he only studied for 2 weeks, and the school allowed him to pay only half-month (he was quite happy with that)

If you have trouble with the tones and pronunciations I would recommend you sit in on the first 3 classes of level 1. (this was actually my first exposure to the school. they let me sit in for 1 week, free of charge. i knew quite a bit of Thai going in but never learned the vowels and tones. after the first 3 days it really opened my eyes and helped me pronounce a lot of words correctly, which at first I was pronouncing them close, but not properly.

Learning to read/write is a 2 month process, but from what you've described you need more of a refreshment on both so I would suggest you take a private 1 month course because you probably don't need to spend the full 2 months learning to ready and write. But if you have the time, it is not a bad thing, since some people don't like to rush.

If you study in the afternoons there are less students than in the morning. I was able to get 1 on 1 teacher time for a few months this way, but pay normal prices.

You can talk to Khruu Lek(the manager) to let you observer some different classes to see what you like the best.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me. I've been through the whole course so I can tell you just about all aspects of the school/system.

[KoreaElte]

For boot-camp style training I recommend Intensive Thai at Chulalongkorn University.

It's a take-no-prisoners full-time gig where you can walk into Basic 1 with zero prior knowledge and after 10 weeks (200 hours) of campus time + about 90 minutes of homework per day you will be able to read, write, correctly pronounce and understand texts such as the attached.

Basic 1 is 5 weeks and teaches the concept of the tones and basic vocab plus a prep on the alphabet.

Basic 2 is all about reading, writing and grammar. First 2 weeks of Basic 2 you learn all of the regular spelling rules. Following two weeks deal with irregular stuff like loan words from other languages, silent consonants, etc. Final week of Basic 2 is daily reading and dictation.

I have a love-hate relationship with the Chula course.

Dislike: It rips me right out of my comfort zone, the other students are all full on so there's no downtime. No time to "digest". There's homework which after being on Campus 1000 - 1500 + having real world business to take care of I don't wanna do (getting back to the comfort zone thing).

Pros: It actually works! I am driving around BKK reading street signs, I understand basic radio commercials I hear. My pronunciation is much clearer than before because I now understand the underlying concepts and origins of it all. I can read and understand most of my friends BBM / Facebook posts

CU-Read.PDF

Edited April 3, 2011 by KoreaElte

[ChanridaKim]

i think Chula is the best university in Thailand also get high rank in the world. This university is recognize as the quality for local and international students.

[ChanridaKim]

So what is the university in Thailand that is the best for study computer science? Any place i can find to study mobile application? web design?