Raising kids in Thailand or Uk

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I thought 'baan nok' was a Thai insult equivalent to 'country bumpkin'.

"baan nok is often used jokingly, but used seriously it can be a somewhat derogatory term with implications of lack of sophistication and unfamiliarity with urban ways."

Edited August 25, 2013 by AnotherOneAmerican

[harryfrompattaya]

Ahabisit, Thaksin and Yingluck,were all University Educated abroad,so when rich Thais prefer their children to have a foreign education it's time to take notice.

Whether it's better for the children to be brought up in a different more relaxed society,with different values and culture is another thing.

Can a child who has a Farang Father work for Govt or be a officer in the Army?

I have been here for 15 years I never saw them as teachers or police maybe I am wrong

Can they be elected to a Govt post?

[Blackandwhite]

Hi we have lived here for 2 years and my grandson is in Thai education and is now 8yrs old.He loves his school, he is at a school recommended to us that has an English Programme.Although he is half Thai he was unable to speak any Thai ,within 4 months he was fluent with both verbal and written.He is also now leaning Manadarin Chinese.He is very happy at his school and the level of learning is very good .He does in fact get more homework(which has to be done) than my other grand chldren in the UK or Oz.The fees are also very reasonable.Another bonus is the weather and he is learning Mai Thuay and loves Surfing,Swimming etc none of which he could do in The Uk given the weather for one.

Sorry this is nonsense - 85% of kids love school. Homework is normally due to the teachers struggling to keep up with case load so send it home to do. Half thai did not speak any thai yet learnt to be fluent read and write thai in four months ?? This would show extrem intelligence and I find hard to believe. Fees reasonable but compared to Uk it would be free !! Why could the child not swim, do thai boxing or surf in the uk. There a places you know in the Uk to do inside, Muay Thai is done inside in Thailand as is swimming if wanted, surfing yes maybe but I had cousing grew up in west Africa they surfed in Africa and do so here. All your points are going to confuse the OP.

Sorry for spelling my literacy is poor

[wedders]

I've seen many kids, especially young ones, immersed in a foreign culture and language, pick up considerable fluency in in the first 6 months after arriving in a country. No need for a high IQ. Not so quick if they attend an international school though, obviously.

[Boo]

My son (5 at the time) learnt to read & write thai in 4 months in the UK using a tutor once a week for an hour & 30 mins practice at home every day. His speaking need work still as we have no other thai speakers around but I would imagine being around thai speakers all day would make a positive contribution to speech too, so it is possible to learn in such a short time span if the right amount of effort is put in.

[Blackandwhite]

My son (5 at the time) learnt to read & write thai in 4 months in the UK using a tutor once a week for an hour & 30 mins practice at home every day. His speaking need work still as we have no other thai speakers around but I would imagine being around thai speakers all day would make a positive contribution to speech too, so it is possible to learn in such a short time span if the right amount of effort is put in.

Wow a five year old really learnt to read and write Thai in 4 months. That is exceptional. Most children take the first 4 years at school to do that.

Amazing well done

[Boo]

To clarify, he learnt to read & write at the appropr5iate age level, he isn't going to be the same ability as a 15 year old but he is using the same age work books as thai kids the same age. He learnt to read & write English in about the same time frame at school. Beginning of first term in receiption, no ability to read & write, half a year later reading age specific school books & writing to his age level. 2 years on & he now reads to a 9 year old age level & has just moved on to kids graphic novels.

Don't confuse when someone states a child as being fluent in 4 or 6 months with being fluent for an adult, a childs fluency is always growing but as long as they can keep up with their peers then they are fluent. My son is fluent in English, as are his other 6 year old friends but they do not have the same fluency as an adult.

[rayongchelsea]

Unless you can afford a good international school here you are doing your kids an injustice by not going back to the west.

This is a 3rd world country with a third world education system..how would it be otherwise..it took me awhile to get to the realization because on the surface it looks " ok", it was only when I started visiting the school and seeing the teachers and watching lessons that I took my head out of the sand.

I think one op said in another post that some individuals favour life style over their kids education..I would agree to some extent..

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Unless you can afford a good international school here you are doing your kids an injustice by not going back to the west.

This is a 3rd world country with a third world education system..how would it be otherwise..it took me awhile to get to the realization because on the surface it looks " ok", it was only when I started visiting the school and seeing the teachers and watching lessons that I took my head out of the sand.

I think one op said in another post that some individuals favour life style over their kids education..I would agree to some extent..

I would favour my kids lifestyle over their education.

No point sending your kids to private schools if they are so unhappy they commit suicide.

[rayongchelsea]

How do you know they wont relish and embrace it and expand as individuals.

Lifestyle till what age. Children are educated for about 18 years, they will work probably for 40 years..

There is an argument that life style as defined as "a lot of quality time with the parents" has a lot of merit, just don't see that happening here in Thailand.

[wedders]

If I took my half-Thai four year old back to Europe, she would grow up with little or no spoken Thai and likely feel like a stranger if she ever returned to the land of her birth and Thai family. Education is more than formal lessons in an academic environment. The opportunity to grow up in a cross-cultural multilingual setting is a huge opportunity that can pay big dividends later in life.

If the state education system is relatively poor, then the parents can compensate for this with a little effort - especially in the early years.

On balance I wouldn't hesitate even if I didn't have the financial wherewithal to put my daughter into an international school. I speak as a single parent who raised 3 other now multilingual adult children, who now use their linguistic abilities as well as their cross-cultural upbringings to great value-added effect in their various careers.