hi all,

i have attended some thai lesson courses in the past few years, i admit i did struggle with the language. i am 46 years old now and in the future i would like to make a move to thailand ( i have wife , child and homes plus money invested in thailand ) therefore it would benefit me greatly to get my head down on my next visit and embark on a decent course, i think the ed visa would benefit me. i could go for the married to thai visa and show 400.000 every year in my bank account .

can someone please give me advise on which schools are best to study at , hours of study , prices and benefits of the ed visa .

many thanks in advance. also feel free to pm me with details if you wish

PS. the reason i want to get an ed visa is to live in thailand and also to have the option of teaching in thailand if i so wish in the future.

Hi,

From my personal experience I know a school called Pro Language that I can recommend. They have a branch in Pattaya, Bangkok and Chiang Mai. I go to the one in Chiang Mai. I have been a student there over 3 years. I could not speak, read or write Thai language before I started the school (besides a few phrase book sentences).

I really think its a good school and I also get my ED visa from them - and never had any problems at immigration or with my visa. They are a well established school and have a good reputation. I did try 2 other schools out before decided on my current one. One was Wallen...that was OK, but the teaching style did not suit me. I also tried a smaller school, but they were really bad, and did not know what they were doing - I got the impression they just wanted the money.

I think you should try out a few schools to see what you like. All the good ones will let you have a free trial lesson. Also don't rush into a decision. I nearly made a bad mistake with that small school that would have cost me a lot of money.

The Pro Language School has a good website too - just do an internet search for it. Its ED visa prices are reasonable too.

As for the hours of study most people do about 6 hours per week + time on homework. You can choose what days or times your want, just talk about that at the school. I got this info from their website .. hope it helps....

Student visa courses....Students who register for 180 lessons and pay the full tuition fee of 23,000 baht/course will be eligible for a 1 year ED Visa. First, students will get a Non-immigrant ED Visa for 3 months and then a 9 month Student Visa by extending it every 3 months and paying a Government fee of 1,900 baht. The school will prepare all the documents from the Ministry of Education for the students to have the Visa issued from a Thai Embassy and to get it extended at the Immigration.

Good luck with what ever you decided. Bet you are excited to stay in Thailand for a while!