Best Thai Language School

[Dorry]

ThaiBerliner,

are you from ThaiTeachTeam?

[Cordelia]

Hi everyone,

My apology for necroing a very old thread; I'm very new to Thailand, I'm coming here for my second business trip this Friday (15th.) My business ends on the 20th but my company allows me a few days off afterwards to explore Thailand. I'm keen to do an intensive language course but I only have 8 days (21st - 28th)

Any chance there are short intensive beginner courses I can sign up for? I think I will do better in a small group environment rather than 1 on 1, but given the circumstances I realize I don't have much choice. I will appreciate any info on language institutions in BKK with short courses and flexible dates etc. I know it's going to be weekend/ easter holiday so prefer tutor/ school that will teach on holidays. Time of day should not be an issue. Location somewhat flexible as I'll be on my own to travel and pick a hotel. Though I'm a single youngish woman with next to no knowledge of Thailand so prefer area that's relatively safe and not too seedy.

Thanks in advance for advices,

[Tod Daniels]

Hi everyone,

<SNIP>I'm keen to do an intensive language course but I only have 8 days (21st - 28th)<SNIP>

Hi,

I dunno if you're gonna find a private Thai language school which will do a week long "Survival Thai" course like that. You might be better off finding a private tutor and maybe working thru Benjawan Becker's Beginning Thai book, or some other similar material.

Just so you know; with the "handful" of Thai christains here and the equally small amount of foreigner of that persuasion here too; Easter sure ain't all that big of a holiday in this "neck 'o the woods", NOT AT ALL!! .

You could try Jentana & Associates, Language Express at Ploen Chit, PRO Language in Times Square, TLS (Thai Language Station) on Silom, Thai Language Solutions on Asok, or some of the other ones out there.

Even though I've toured 20+ private Thai language schools in Bangkok over the last year; offhand I don't know one which offers a week long dealy like you're lookin' for.

I'm certainly NOT saying they don't offer one or couldn't make up a class for your needs, only that I don't know of a school that does it.

Remember MOST if not ALL Thai language schools are gonna be closed from at least the 13th to the 17th (some are closed already this entire week). Youre unlikely to get an email response or someone to pick up the phone if you dont get a hold of em before tomorrow, or after the 17th.

If you want me to call around, send me a P/M and Ill make some calls to schools I know of in Bangkok for you.

Edited April 11, 2011 by tod-daniels

[ianh68]

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?

Good points. Very helpful.

[pjbradley]

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?

Good points. Very helpful.

I agree: while native English speakers often meet Thais and other non-native English speakers who talk clearly but with accents, many native English speakers seem to think it's mandatory to learn to speak another language like a native, with no accent. If one can pull that off, great, but let's be realistic. Unless you're aiming for a job on local radio or TV, it's unnecessary: the point is communication and understanding (both ways). I don't know if separate accent-reduction classes exist in Thailand for foreigners, as they do in the US and elsewhere for ESL students, but such classes exist for a special clientele (for example, actors learning Australian vs. American English to improve their employment opportunities). I wouldn't expect that from a regular language school.

[Parvis]

" I don't know if separate accent-reduction classes exist in Thailand for foreigners, as they do in the US and elsewhere for ESL students, but such classes exist for a special clientele (for example, actors learning Australian vs. American English to improve their employment opportunities). I wouldn't expect that from a regular language school."

Yes - to my knowledge "Paradigm" can give "vocal training" on a one on one basis to reduce/eliminate accents. I would suspect experienced Private Teachers with appropriate credentials may be able to do the same.

Edited April 14, 2011 by Parvis

[Tod Daniels]

As I was comin' home from checking out Chula's Thai program yesterday, I stopped at a school which is known as an international chain which teaches foreign languages and offers a Thai program for foreigners. Given what happened there, the liability laws in Thailand and their overly broad interpretation I won't name the school!

Still readers may find this of value;

When I went in I used my normal "modus operandi"; a newbie foreigner, fresh off the boat who is interested in learning Thai. I spoke only in English, and the girl I was talking to was really helpful and polite. The school had GREAT materials; which were chocked-full of hi-frequency vocab, phrases, idioms, situational Thai, etc. Plus each of the text books were almost an INCH thick! I wish I coulda slipped one into my bag surreptitiously and ‘borrowed’ it . It was that good!

I asked if I could 'observe a class' to see how it was taught, like I always do. Another girl sitting next to the one talking to me said (not all that softly in Thai), "Tell the foreigner if he wants to 'observe' Thais speaking Thai to go out on the Soi."

Now I was floored someone would actually say that! I totally understood what she'd said, swiveled my chair, switched to Thai and said to her, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch what you said, repeat it!" She wouldn't even look at me, pretending she didn't hear me. So I asked a little louder, "Can you understand Thai or are you deaf?" There was still no acknowledgement from her other than her hunching down in her chair, pretending she was invisible and staring intently the papers in front of her. Then I said, "Next time before you say something rude, remember some foreigners CAN and DO understand Thai, okay?" Her cheeks flamed red! That's when I finally lost it and said, "Oh, red cheeks huh; embarrassed you lost face?" She got up and quickly walked away but still never replied or even looked at me.

Now I know full well a Thai wouldn't ever be so blunt or direct in a situation like that! However, last time I checked (which I do from time to time) I ain't Thai, I'm an American. Also my entire work history before I retired was teaching thousands of employess 'best practices' in customer service, customer satisfaction, problem resolution for a HUGE international company, so I do have a modicum of experience in how customers should be treated.

I turned to the woman who I'd been talking to and asked in Thai, "Suppose I was a Thai person interested in studying English here, would you let me observe a class before I paid the tuition?" She said of course that's their standard practice. She went on to say she would have let me observe a class, but the girl who I called on the carpet for speaking outta turn was her manager, so now she couldn't do it.

That was the FIRST time I've ever been spoken to so blatantly disrespectful by ANY school's staff in, err, I dunno at last count, probably over 25+ Thai language schools!

It was honestly sad; as their pricing wasn't too outta line and their materials were really good. The attitude of the MANAGER and the fact she'd say something so outta line and off the cuff like that in FRONT of a perspective student was really off-putting for me.

[MacWalen]

Just got this email today sent to [email protected]

"Good Morning,

I just recently finished your 60 hour program at the Bangkok school. I want to thank you for a great program. I have greatly increased my vocabulary, knowledge of the language, the alphabet and can even read a little (they might laugh, but even my pronunciation greatly improved). I especially want to thank all of the Walen teachers. Every one of them brings something a little different, yet each of them greatly contributed to my learning. All were patient (really needed with our International group and various skill sets), but they also brought great enthusiasm to our classes every day. It might be easy to ‘come to work’, but it is much more valuable when they ‘really bring it’ to work. Special thanks to the three teachers that we had the most often….Ning, Nat and Ploy. All were great. Thanks again.

Best regards,

Gary Van Haneghan"

Walen School - more than just ED visa experts!

[Tod Daniels]

I think its great when schools get good feedback from their students. Learning Thai is something that can be well, ,, not all that much fun really , but theres no reason it cant be interesting! .

When you are taught by motivated teachers, who have experience in teaching Thai to foreigners, it makes learning Thai by what ever method youre learning a much more enjoyable experience.

Having sat all too many classes at all too many schools where their teachers didnt appear to be motivated, or even worse, werent qualified to be teaching Thai to a room of giant, long-nosed foreigners, I can say without reservation it makes it that much more difficult.

I wish other forum sponsors would post their success stories too. It can only help people decide where they might wanna study Thai.

Edited April 23, 2011 by tod-daniels

[zorro1]

education visa at home?

does anyone know of a thai school that does lessons at my home and provide the visa?

probably they all do subject to extra $$ for one on one?

Just thought I would post in case anyone has done this before and if so what fees and what school? Im in BKK sukhumvit

thanks

[languageexpress]

education visa at home?

does anyone know of a thai school that does lessons at my home and provide the visa?

probably they all do subject to extra $ for one on one?

Just thought I would post in case anyone has done this before and if so what fees and what school? Im in BKK sukhumvit

thanks

Hi Zorro,

Technically attendance at the school (as opposed to home learning or online learning) is a pre-requisite by the Thai education ministry for a Thai language school being able to sponsor an education visa. That being said you'll find many schools in Thailand with a 'flexible' attitude to this, however I'd be a little wary of these as the Thai Education Ministry do perform spot checks on attendance every now and then (there's a few posts about this elsewhere on the forum) and if the school ends up in hot water for doing this then so will you.

Your best bet would be to go through a credible school (of which there are many more - this thread is a good place to find them, there are tons of recommendations from other users here) and come to the lessons. 1 Year visas can be issued for 180 hour courses so you actually only need to attend 3-4 hours a week. These visas can be renewed each year for a maximum of 3 years (once again be wary of schools offering more - 10 year stays or unlimited visas don't exist). The visa then requires that you check in at immigration every 3 months.

Hope this helps!

www.languageexpress.co.th

------

Anyways plug time

We're offering a free one week trial on our Thai course at the moment* (after the success of the campaign we ran in February).

The 1 week free trial entitles you to attend every available lesson within their level band during a 7 day period - that means potential students can participate in up to 16 hours of free lessons. We are confident that those who are serious about learning Thai will see during their trial week the academic value of studying with our method and our highly, trained professional teachers and will continue to study with us in the future - but if not you still get 16 hours FREE!

After the week trial you can consider a couple of packages available, including 1 year courses that come with the education visa.

If anyone would like any further information please call 02-675-3915.

Check out this thread for more information:

http://www.thaivisa....xpress-bangkok/ (please note. This is the original thread we posted in February - we are running this promotion now)

Thanks,

Jez

www.languageexpress.co.th

*We reserve the right to change this in the future. Get in there while you can

Edited April 28, 2011 by languageexpress

[MacWalen]

Quote by Khun Jez.

"These visas (ED) can be renewed each year for a maximum of 3 years"

The quoted statement is not not quite true if the poster indeed means ED visas. Walen has lots of students learning 4th year already so learning for more than 3 years at Walen is possible.

Regards

Walen School - learn and earn

www.thaiwalen.com

For priority service please register

http://dcs.walenscho...m/1mw290910.eng

Have a 'walenful day' -)

Edited May 6, 2011 by macwalen

[MacWalen]

Students learning 4th year are still on ED visas. Just to make sure this is clear. Also their visas were not broken, meaning they continually are using the same ED visa that was issued to them the first time.

Regards, Walen School

Edited May 6, 2011 by macwalen

[jak2002003]

Hi. Hope you are having luck finding a good Thai Language School.

One that I hightly recommend is Pro Language School. I have been studying there for quite a while now and find it excilent. They have really good teachers and will gear the lessons to fit your needs. They have good course material and a series of course books that build on what you learn. In terms or reading and writing they have one of the best methods i have tried.

Its a very friendly environment and they make if fun and relaxed so its very easy to ask questions and not feel stupid lol. Also they give homework and ideas for further study in your own time that gives you some more motivation and interest.

Hope this helps you. Oh, they also give a free trial lesson, so i really recommend you try it out and see for yourself.

Good luck.

[Tod Daniels]

<SNIP>One that I hightly recommend is Pro Language School.<SNIP>

I agree !

The PRO Language location I visited here in Bangkok at the Times Square Building on the 10th floor had really good materials, friendly support staff and really motivated teachers.

I was there last month for 4 1/2 hours and they let me sit several different levels of classes. They also had more material than I've seen at ANY private Thai language school in Bangkok EVER!

I give it a "very good" in terms of "bang-4-the-baht" (a term I coined which means "what you receive in regards to what you pay").

People should drop in there, see their material for themselves and sit a 'sample' class too!

BTW: I am NOT affiliated with ANY Thai Language School!!

[MacWalen]

Hi. Hope you are having luck finding a good Thai Language School.

One that I hightly recommend is Pro Language School. I have been studying there for quite a while now and find it excilent. They have really good teachers and will gear the lessons to fit your needs. They have good course material and a series of course books that build on what you learn. In terms or reading and writing they have one of the best methods i have tried.

Its a very friendly environment and they make if fun and relaxed so its very easy to ask questions and not feel stupid lol. Also they give homework and ideas for further study in your own time that gives you some more motivation and interest.

Hope this helps you. Oh, they also give a free trial lesson, so i really recommend you try it out and see for yourself.

Good luck.

You are making a second post about that school so perhaps I can ask a few questions. If you could please answer. I assume that you are a genuine student at that school and that your two posts are not just advertising posts by somebody who does not study there. ( all is so perfect in your post about that school )

1. Have you visited Walen in Chiangmai? ( you are from Chiangmai so you must be talking about Chiangmai )

2. Have you sat in a demo lesson at Walen?

3. How do you compare our schools?

4. Do you know the Thai alphabet yet or learn using romanized Thai?

5. Which form do you prefer?

6. Where are you from?

7. Do you already speak a second language?

8. What other methods have you tried?

Dear Tod Daniels, possible to stick to Bangkok? You know very well that the poster is from Chiangmai and he refers to a school in Chiangmai. We know you are a very knowledgeable guy but when have you been to Chiangmai last time? Promote schools in Bangkok where you know something more about them and visited them. Your bias toward Walen is super obvious so even if there was a school open yesterday you would likely make positive comments about that school so people do not go Walen. Too obvious sir.

Walen School - learn and earn

[desi]

<SNIP>One that I hightly recommend is Pro Language School.<SNIP>

I agree !

The PRO Language location I visited here in Bangkok at the Times Square Building on the 10th floor had really good materials, friendly support staff and really motivated teachers.

I was there last month for 4 1/2 hours and they let me sit several different levels of classes. They also had more material than I've seen at ANY private Thai language school in Bangkok EVER!

I give it a "very good" in terms of "bang-4-the-baht" (a term I coined which means "what you receive in regards to what you pay").

People should drop in there, see their material for themselves and sit a 'sample' class too!

BTW: I am NOT affiliated with ANY Thai Language School!!

Tod, thank you for sharing your visit to Pro Language. I always look forward to your posts about Thai language schools. They certainly have a unique charm - I like!

[BlueTerrace]

I have been doing the Language Express course since March this year. I am supposed to take 4 hours per week although I have attended slightly less than half the lessons due to other commitments including a short trip home.

We do 2 hours night, twice a week. The first hour is always reading, writing and pronouncing Thai letters. We typically do 3 consonants and 2 vowels (long and short) each lesson. The teacher K. Tang (who is excellent, by the way) always finishes this hour with tone drills. I don’t study at home, but can recognize most of the letters now and am now able to sign out basic words (train station names, drinks on a menu etc). It’s not high level stuff by any means, but I am happy with progress. A few students skip this hour, but I think it’s a mistake, as even if you don’t want to learn to read, the pronunciation work makes it worth attending.

The second hour is always based on conversation. We typically study about 10 -20 items of vocabulary, then use then in dialogue practice with a lot of repetition to get it to sink in., Then finish with speaking practice based on what we have just studied. The units are logically presented in groups of 4 lessons, so we “recycle” a lot of the vocabulary and concepts over a fortnight. Every fourth lesson is a review of the previous 3 lessons and there is a speaking test every few weeks (which I have never made it to).

The other students are a good group of people. They help each other out and seem serious about learning to speak which makes for a good atmosphere. Most them skip lessons at about the same rate that I do, but LX doesn’t mind if you do ’make up’ lessons on other days. Since all classes follow the same weeks schedule this is easy to do and on two occasions I have done “make up” classes on Saturdays instead of weeknights.

So what have I learned? Well, I can ask and answer questions like: “what is your name? Where are you from? What are you doing? Do you like ……? What time is it? Where is the …..? Where do you live? How many people in your family? What are you doing Monday night? etc” . Again, it’s not high level stuff, but its useful and based on previous studies with other languages I feel it’s going well. It would probably help if I did a bit more practice outside of class, but I have no complaints so far, and can blurt my way through most of the free talking activities, which isn’t bad considering how long I have been learning.

[desi]

Hi. Hope you are having luck finding a good Thai Language School.

One that I hightly recommend is Pro Language School. I have been studying there for quite a while now and find it excilent. They have really good teachers and will gear the lessons to fit your needs. They have good course material and a series of course books that build on what you learn. In terms or reading and writing they have one of the best methods i have tried.

Its a very friendly environment and they make if fun and relaxed so its very easy to ask questions and not feel stupid lol. Also they give homework and ideas for further study in your own time that gives you some more motivation and interest.

Hope this helps you. Oh, they also give a free trial lesson, so i really recommend you try it out and see for yourself.

Good luck.

I know two students from Pro Language. One is studying in Chiang mai, the other in Pattaya. Like you, they also have great things to say about Pro Language, so the school must be doing something right!

[R7BKK]

Any recommendations on the best Union/Unity/Piammitr/AAA/etc. system schools to study the "Advanced" modules? (I'm referring to the courses with titles like "Social Problems", "Newspaper 1", "Thai History", "Buddhism", etc.) Or any recommendations on comparable non-Union system alternatives for studying at this level?

One major consideration:

These modules don't seem to be offered as frequently and consistently as the lower-level classes - at least not in all the Union system schools. I'm hoping to obtain an education visa, so it would be ideal to do so through a school that tends to have a enough critical mass to offer these modules every term....and to be able to offer a variety of them, so each term always has one or more modules you haven't taken already.

Any former students of the modules have thoughts on which modules were the most interesting or useful?

Also, it would be great to hear any experiences or recommendations on studying at a similar level in other schools.

Are there options out there that are a bit less time-intensive? (If they still allow for an education visa that would be great.) A term or two of 3-4 hours a day, 5 days a week is fine. But I will most likely be keeping up the study long term, and that's a lot of time to commit month after month after month.

[cosmono]

I studied most of the so-called advanced modules at Piamitr. IMO the most useful and interesting ones are the "social problems" and "newspaper 2" modules. The "Social Problems" module is especially useful if you want to watch (or read) the news. "Newspaper 1" uses a terribly outdated textbook filled with decades old newspaper articles with very little relevance to today. Luckily when I did "Newspaper 1" I was the only student in the class and I persuaded the teacher to ditch the textbook and we worked through articles of a magazine I brought to class. I would recommend to just skip "Newspaper 1" and go straight to "Newspaper 2" where every day the teacher brings one article from a recent paper to class. The "Thai culture and traditions" had some interesting and some less interesting lessons. Still worth it, but less useful then the Soc.Pr. and Newsp. modules IMO.

I found the teachers and managment at Piamitr very flexible and accomodating and would defenitely recommend them. Good luck with your studies...

[ThaiSold]

Don't waste your money at a thai language school unless you need a visa. Go to the local university library and you'll find a good thai language book, study it yourself and just ask your thai g/f or thai people to help you pronouce stuff. Forget about learning thai until you have mastered the alphabet. Once you know the alphabet you can then say any thai word properly without problem and will expediate the learning process. I speak/read/write thai at a thai grade 4 level after 2 years by doing this. And cost me virtually nothing. Don't learn thai from a thai person, learn it yourself. The thai language schools are private institutions just trying to make a buck and could care less about your ability. When i thai person starts learning thai at school they start with the alphabet same with kids back in your country, so if the language school doesn't start with the basics then they are not teaching you correctly. It's a fact that an adult from a western country can learn the thai alphabet quicker than a thai kid starting out at school, Why? because we already understand language and writing. Once you can write basic sentences run straight to the computer and start chatting online to thai people, your language will improve better than going to a school and it will be more fun not to mention economical.

[R7BKK]

I studied most of the so-called advanced modules at Piamitr. IMO the most useful and interesting ones are the "social problems" and "newspaper 2" modules. The "Social Problems" module is especially useful if you want to watch (or read) the news. "Newspaper 1" uses a terribly outdated textbook filled with decades old newspaper articles with very little relevance to today. Luckily when I did "Newspaper 1" I was the only student in the class and I persuaded the teacher to ditch the textbook and we worked through articles of a magazine I brought to class. I would recommend to just skip "Newspaper 1" and go straight to "Newspaper 2" where every day the teacher brings one article from a recent paper to class. The "Thai culture and traditions" had some interesting and some less interesting lessons. Still worth it, but less useful then the Soc.Pr. and Newsp. modules IMO.

I found the teachers and managment at Piamitr very flexible and accomodating and would defenitely recommend them. Good luck with your studies...

Thanks for the insights on the "advanced" modules at Piammitr. Very useful. So in your experience Piammitr tends to have enough students to run these group courses on a continuous basis or are willing to run the 'group' courses for a single student?

Anyone else have experience with these modules at other schools? I've noticed that the set of modules offered between schools overlaps a lot but is not identical. Unity seems to offer the most modules - at least according to its website (I haven't visited this school in person... at least not yet).

Anyone with experience learning at a similar level through other schools that don't follow the Union curriculum?

[languageexpress]

Don't waste your money at a thai language school unless you need a visa. Go to the local university library and you'll find a good thai language book, study it yourself and just ask your thai g/f or thai people to help you pronouce stuff. Forget about learning thai until you have mastered the alphabet. Once you know the alphabet you can then say any thai word properly without problem and will expediate the learning process. I speak/read/write thai at a thai grade 4 level after 2 years by doing this. And cost me virtually nothing. Don't learn thai from a thai person, learn it yourself. The thai language schools are private institutions just trying to make a buck and could care less about your ability. When i thai person starts learning thai at school they start with the alphabet same with kids back in your country, so if the language school doesn't start with the basics then they are not teaching you correctly. It's a fact that an adult from a western country can learn the thai alphabet quicker than a thai kid starting out at school, Why? because we already understand language and writing. Once you can write basic sentences run straight to the computer and start chatting online to thai people, your language will improve better than going to a school and it will be more fun not to mention economical.

Hi ThaiSold,

I certainly agree that there is a huge amount of learning that can be done outside of the classroom. Indeed to truly learn any language a student should make every attempt possible to apply it in the real world and study at home. However, I do disagree that the best method is to do it all by yourself, it may be the case that you've achieved a lot by yourself (sounds like you've had some great results - well done!) but the guidance of a qualified and experienced teacher will expedite the learning process considerably and also ensure the appropriate Thai is being learned.

Take pronunciation for example, were you to ask any of your Thai friends how to pronounce a particular word or phrase the most common method I've experienced would be for them to then repeat the word over and over, a teacher who has been trained properly would approach this common problem using a range of tried and tested pronunciation techniques - such as backchaining - which are proven to have significantly better results. The same is also true for teaching any number of the key areas of a given language using other appropriate methods.

Cheers,

Jez

www.languageexpress.co.th

Language Express are currently offering a full one week free trial - up to 16 lessons - Call 02-675-3915 for more information.

[cosmono]

Thanks for the insights on the "advanced" modules at Piammitr. Very useful. So in your experience Piammitr tends to have enough students to run these group courses on a continuous basis or are willing to run the 'group' courses for a single student?

The number of students studying advanced modules seems to vary a lot. I had no problem studying continuously. Sometimes I agreed to study another module than I had planned at first because there were other students also wanting to do that particular module that month, or I changed from the afternoon to the morning period to be grouped up with other students. And sometimes they organized a module for me alone. A bit of flexibility from both sides and everything worked out fine...

If you make it clear you wish to study on a continuous basis, I'm sure they'll find a way to make it happen.

[languageexpress]

Hi guys and gals,

Just a quick update...

We've created an online quiz to help test your Thai, there's only 10 questions at the moment but we're working on expanding it. It's geared towards beginners but we're going to set up some more quizzes soon for intermediate and advanced students.

If anyone has any suggestions please get in touch.

You can check it out by clicking here

Enjoy

Language Express

02-675-3915 / www.languageexpress.co.th

[BlueTerrace]

I checked it out,.The test said it was made from vocab in the level 1 course.

I am taking this course and recognised a lot of the words. ( I got 80%.)

You might want to make it a bit longer and a bit harder - although I guess you are aiming at begginers.

I cant see that this test would be any good for working out your level, but it was quite enjoyable and i like the way you included by Thai text and Transciptions.

Hi guys and gals,

Just a quick update...

We've created an online quiz to help test your Thai, there's only 10 questions at the moment but we're working on expanding it. It's geared towards beginners but we're going to set up some more quizzes soon for intermediate and advanced students.

If anyone has any suggestions please get in touch.

You can check it out by clicking here

Enjoy

Language Express

02-675-3915 / www.languageexpress.co.th

[lorong6]

Don't waste your money at a thai language school unless you need a visa. Go to the local university library and you'll find a good thai language book, study it yourself and just ask your thai g/f or thai people to help you pronouce stuff. Forget about learning thai until you have mastered the alphabet. Once you know the alphabet you can then say any thai word properly without problem and will expediate the learning process. I speak/read/write thai at a thai grade 4 level after 2 years by doing this. And cost me virtually nothing. Don't learn thai from a thai person, learn it yourself. The thai language schools are private institutions just trying to make a buck and could care less about your ability. When i thai person starts learning thai at school they start with the alphabet same with kids back in your country, so if the language school doesn't start with the basics then they are not teaching you correctly. It's a fact that an adult from a western country can learn the thai alphabet quicker than a thai kid starting out at school, Why? because we already understand language and writing. Once you can write basic sentences run straight to the computer and start chatting online to thai people, your language will improve better than going to a school and it will be more fun not to mention economical.

Agree with this method and works if you have access to regular in / out house 'tutors' and time.

My ethnic association used to run free Thai classes where the teacher taught the Thai alphabet, reading, writing and pronounciation using the Grade 1 or lower textbooks (lots of pictures) used by local Thai schools for 3-5 year old kids.

It was great as it provided the building blocks for understanding and speaking Thai. After study I could read and more importantly accurately pronounce Thai as opposed to best guessing with tranliteration.

Unfortunately most foreigners wish or need a quick implant hence the emphasis on transliteration in Thai language centres but if you have the time to actually 'study' Thai and a Thai GF with teaching talent or inclination (takes a lot of patience) then recommend taking this approach.

[makkam]

Well i started my thai language course in/at walen pattaya last monday.

On the monday my fellow students said, not to worry everybody is confused for the first couple of 'weeks'!

My second lesson ( on tuesday ) was even worse than the first. Having acknowledged that my classmates were 'veterans' of the course, (some still on book 1 after 3 months or more ) i was expecting some leeway from the teachers. Not a chance!

At my age when someone instructing me says 'do you understand', I have no compunction in saying back 'no, sorry I dont understand'. This doesnt seem to compute with the 'beauticians turned teachers' at walen pattaya.

I fear I've thrown away 10000 thb ( the money is not a big loss ), but I'll continue to attend if only to continue to fluster the 'beauticians'

In short this is the worst learning environment and teaching methodology I've ever experienced, and to put things in perspective I have a bachelors degree in commerce, one in psychology, and just recently completed the TEFL course.

In my working career in the west, I've attended countless training courses ranging from IT related subjects to Occ Health & safety, whilst being employed by in middle/senior management positions with blue chip mining companies and government. I dont believe I'm a basket case as far as learning is concerned.

As the old saying goes...You live and Learn..very darkly ironic in my current predicament.

[poanoi]

I think you should have a free trial at Bpoo's school.

None that i know of have complaints at her competence,

instead most that had her refuses to have any other teacher, myself included.

http://easylearningthai.blogspot.com/