Is Thailand a suitable place to bring up a child?

[Yodrak]

I agree. I know a number of Thai people, both men and women, who went through the Thai public school system, got a Bachelor's degree at a Thai university, and went on to do graduate work at both the Master's and PhD levels at US universities. Their early education in public Thai schools didn't hurt them.

If you want to tell me that this is the exception rather than the rule, I can also show you large numbers of American public (and private) school students who never learned to think.

As a whole, I'm not too worried about the education system (...), as I believe it's down to the individual and the encouragement of the parents.

[1ma]

OP, perhaps 'teach' them for an hour or two everyday afterschool. World geography, history, social studies, etc. Not by sitting behind a desk, through active play. They wouldn't even know it's you teaching them.

Do that from the ages of 3-12 and you're going to have a very knowledageble 12 yr old, who yearns to learn.

[khaowong1]

I agree. I also have a young Thai daughter, and am very concerned about the education system here. Am not really sure

that the private school system here is that much better than the public system. My primary concern is her learning

the process of critical thought. Clearly that process is not really needed here in Thailand, but when she goes

abroad to America to college it will certainly be needed...... So my thought is to do a fair amount of home schooling

in combination with the public school I will be sending her to, and will be keeping an eye on how things are turning out.

No need to worry, Yingluck was educated both in Thailand and the US.. look how that turned out.

[tubby johnson]

When she was 9, I moved my half-Thai daughter to the Netherlands to stay with her grandparents for the same reason as the OP. In her first 9 years she picked up the gentleness and carefree ways of Thai culture, but the time had come to expose her to a more ambitious and honest culture. Now she studies in a bilingual Dutch-English school, a challenging education that'll bring out the best in her.

Away from the corrupt and backward Thai education system with its daily rituals of patriotist nonsense and rote learning, your kids will thrive.

[crazydrummerpauly]

This is one of the strangest posts and threads. First, the OP does not state where he is from and therefore might take his daughter to grow up, but the thread wanders off into comparisons of Thailand and other countries for children growing up. He actually states that he is worried about her growing up and being educated as a Thai, not asking if he should take her somewhere else. But the weirdest thing is all the posts extolling the virtues of Thailand, of 'Thai values', on a website that on every other day does its best to run Thai values and behaviour into the ground! Values such as breaking the law without a thought; cheating wherever possible; taking money to vote for a candidate; driving like a homicidal maniac; paying cash under-the-table to obtain employment; running away from paternal responsibilities; paying lip-service to Buddhist morality while living a corrupt depraved life...the list of complaints about 'thai values' is endless on a normal day. So i expected an outcry of 'NO' - don't bring her up in Thailand - instead, there's a lot of nerdy comparisons about state schools versus private/international school, and a bizarre obsession with kids running around outside! So its fine as long as the child has strong legs and shiny hair and what ... good teeth ? No matter that Thailand, like all of Asia, is a sexist, chauvinistic culture in which girls are treated as second-class beings to be used and abused by anyone who can get away with it ? Has everyone lost their marbles ? If the choice was between Thailand and any of the advanced liberal democracies with free press, relatively non-corrupt government, at least some respect for laws, and a chance for a girl to achieve high status and be treated decently - bye bye LoS. For pity's sake - Thailand is a country where some people still really believe in wearing lucky charms around their necks which gain their power by containing parts from dead children! If you don't know this, that's only proof of ignorance. To put that kind of culture above societies which at least in principle follow rational-scientific values, is bizarre. Just consider one question : in the past century, what has Thailand (or any of South-East Asia) achieved/discovered in the fields of science, technology, medicine, philosophy, social theory, economics - any academic discipline ? What are Thailand's claims to Excellence ? - in anything ? If i had a child in LoS, i'd consider it my prime duty to give them the benefit of a western childhood and education, with all of the aspirational goals and the richness of Culture they would be immersed in.

[Shancloudy]

When I was a kid my father always wake up me at 5am just to study (read the books) because he believe that I can easily remember the lesson if I will study early in the morning.

Parents need to do their part as well. And try to talk the teachers about the status of your daughter. Most students here in Thailand are lazy to think. I hope your daughter is not.

Edited December 27, 2013 by Shancloudy

[Baerboxer]

As a whole, I'm not too worried about the education system (with the exception of royal idolatry), as I believe it's down to the individual and the encouragement of the parents. Besides, the state system in the UK is also a bit of a shambles. My concerns are about her not having the support from my family back home, growing up without a circle of English friends, and the opportunities, or lack thereof, if she grows up here. I also think living in the UK allows a more healthy, outdoor lifestyle. There's only so many shopping malls you can visit....

Depends where your living in Thailand. I live in Pathumthani. My wife (qualified experienced teacher) checked out several schools before selecting one. She chose a Thai private school with a bi-lingual program option which my daughter takes. The teachers are really good there and some excellent (Thai, British, American, German, Filipinos and South African). Both my wife and I take an active interest in the homework, exams, standard of work etc. This compares very favourably with UK schools and private international schools in the Middle East. I was part of a program in the UK that paired business leaders as mentors for local headteachers so I know how variable things in the UK are.

My daughter enjoys piano, singing, dancing (Thai and modern), drama and modelling classes. So she's out and about and has made many good friends, Most of her class mates enjoy lots of activities and/or go to tutors for extra study. IME Thai parents can be more supportive of activities and extra learning than their UK counterparts. Obviously, many parents in all countries don't always bother like this. Try and find a good school and you will find supportive parents with lots of options for your daughter to learn new things and make lots of friends.

[Baerboxer]

When she was 9, I moved my half-Thai daughter to the Netherlands to stay with her grandparents for the same reason as the OP. In her first 9 years she picked up the gentleness and carefree ways of Thai culture, but the time had come to expose her to a more ambitious and honest culture. Now she studies in a bilingual Dutch-English school, a challenging education that'll bring out the best in her.

Away from the corrupt and backward Thai education system with its daily rituals of patriotist nonsense and rote learning, your kids will thrive.

You have something to support your condemnation of the entire Thai education system? Other than urban myths and usual bash everything Thai brigade?

How does the Netherlands education system compare on world rankings?

[1ma]

When she was 9, I moved my half-Thai daughter to the Netherlands to stay with her grandparents for the same reason as the OP. In her first 9 years she picked up the gentleness and carefree ways of Thai culture, but the time had come to expose her to a more ambitious and honest culture. Now she studies in a bilingual Dutch-English school, a challenging education that'll bring out the best in her.

Away from the corrupt and backward Thai education system with its daily rituals of patriotist nonsense and rote learning, your kids will thrive.

You have something to support your condemnation of the entire Thai education system? Other than urban myths and usual bash everything Thai brigade?

How does the Netherlands education system compare on world rankings?

Having completed 4 years of a Thai B.Ed, the Thai teachers are just then seen as being on par with those finishing Western high-school. Link.

That's not to mention the patriotic conditioning nonsense and crap rote learning that they will be forcing on your child every day, when they should be learning objective thought.

No trolling this thread, please.

Thanks.

Edited December 27, 2013 by 1ma

[benalibina]

WOW... what can I say, except ... there must be more here than just me.Indeed, if some of you'd know my story, maybe some would have jumped already (I read that too many times and, from what I hear and see every day, I don't only fear about my son's upbringing in this land, but I am freaking out, just thinking about it from miles away)Who EVER is interested to know more, I invite you to look me up on facebook... eton.pasta, leave a note that you'd come from here, at thai visa, and join me there, for now.There is absolutely nothing that would help people her in Thailand, NOTHING, So - despite I am a farang, I plan to take action, myself.This cannot go on as it is. I am now planning to establish a "human self-helping group". People who have family problems of any kind, and mind you, this is not just for farangs, so if any THAI read this and feel they are being treated wrong, and far too bad, too, WELCOME, join me.I believe it is time, for human beings to DO something, not just site around and say this is how it is and then just complain and winch.Let's do it for our sons and daughters, who cannot help themselves. Best wishes for all of you and have a happy new year. Heads up. tomorrow the sun will rise again.

Put ur story in the open here. Start a thread and spit it all out. Will do you good. Plenty of emphatic people on this forum.

[PaullyW]

PaullyW, on 27 Dec 2013 - 16:23, said:

Thailand is likely among the worst places one could bring up a child. For so many reasons, it's hard to even begin. It'd end up a 13 page post.

You can't rationalise.....depends, where you live, how much money you can spare for these kids education, how much support and mainly interest you can give to this kid and so many other things.

I think, if the kids belong to our wife, we don't try to put much effort to come close to them.

Eventually we get the same respond from them.....not speaking English etc.

Not only about schooling. Thailand presents poor examples of humanity and role models at every turn.

You can control the school and try to raise kids in a nicely created bubble, but you can't prevent them from learning disgusting habits from the rest of the Thais they interact with and observe on a daily basis.

[Otis]

Find a Jesuit school and enroll the child. Pay the price, at least, for the formative years That would be age 5-14 years old. After 14, children become a little more resistant to education so, it is important to lay a solid foundation. Jesuits may have a history that is not all good but, they have been consistenly good educators. oc

[laobali]

This is one of the strangest posts and threads. First, the OP does not state where he is from and therefore might take his daughter to grow up, but the thread wanders off into comparisons of Thailand and other countries for children growing up. He actually states that he is worried about her growing up and being educated as a Thai, not asking if he should take her somewhere else. But the weirdest thing is all the posts extolling the virtues of Thailand, of 'Thai values', on a website that on every other day does its best to run Thai values and behaviour into the ground! Values such as breaking the law without a thought; cheating wherever possible; taking money to vote for a candidate; driving like a homicidal maniac; paying cash under-the-table to obtain employment; running away from paternal responsibilities; paying lip-service to Buddhist morality while living a corrupt depraved life...the list of complaints about 'thai values' is endless on a normal day. So i expected an outcry of 'NO' - don't bring her up in Thailand - instead, there's a lot of nerdy comparisons about state schools versus private/international school, and a bizarre obsession with kids running around outside! So its fine as long as the child has strong legs and shiny hair and what ... good teeth ? No matter that Thailand, like all of Asia, is a sexist, chauvinistic culture in which girls are treated as second-class beings to be used and abused by anyone who can get away with it ? Has everyone lost their marbles ? If the choice was between Thailand and any of the advanced liberal democracies with free press, relatively non-corrupt government, at least some respect for laws, and a chance for a girl to achieve high status and be treated decently - bye bye LoS. For pity's sake - Thailand is a country where some people still really believe in wearing lucky charms around their necks which gain their power by containing parts from dead children! If you don't know this, that's only proof of ignorance. To put that kind of culture above societies which at least in principle follow rational-scientific values, is bizarre. Just consider one question : in the past century, what has Thailand (or any of South-East Asia) achieved/discovered in the fields of science, technology, medicine, philosophy, social theory, economics - any academic discipline ? What are Thailand's claims to Excellence ? - in anything ? If i had a child in LoS, i'd consider it my prime duty to give them the benefit of a western childhood and education, with all of the aspirational goals and the richness of Culture they would be immersed in.

Hear, hear. Well said, sir/ma'am.

[1ma]

PaullyW, on 27 Dec 2013 - 16:23, said:

Thailand is likely among the worst places one could bring up a child. For so many reasons, it's hard to even begin. It'd end up a 13 page post.

You can't rationalise.....depends, where you live, how much money you can spare for these kids education, how much support and mainly interest you can give to this kid and so many other things.

I think, if the kids belong to our wife, we don't try to put much effort to come close to them.

Eventually we get the same respond from them.....not speaking English etc.

Not only about schooling. Thailand presents poor examples of humanity and role models at every turn.

True.

You can control the school and try to raise kids in a nicely created bubble, but you can't prevent them from learning disgusting habits from the rest of the Thais they interact with and observe on a daily basis.

That's not true at all.

Friends with kids here socialize together and also with Thais of a similar socio-economic level, they have very little interation with the common Thai. They certainly aren't learning any disgusting habits. They look up to and learn morals and integrity from their parents and elder family and social group, not corrupt Thai police, politicians, etc etc. Raising kids takes effort, moreso in Thailand, but I don't think that will learn any disgusting habits unless you raise them poorly.

Edited December 27, 2013 by 1ma

[benalibina]

To be able to look at whatever matter on a critical way. To express those opinions on a polite way. The ability to change opinions if others have a more complete or better way to look at things.

I don't see much evidence of any of that among our TV posters! Seems to depend a lot on the family and the individual, not just the education system.

Friend of mine sent his Thai stepson to a good private Thai school but always taught him English at home and good Western values. He did well and his English was great. He later went to Assumption U (all classes in English), exempted all the English courses, graduated in Business w/ a high GPA. Went to the USA, his degree was accepted most everywhere, got some decent jobs, then was accepted into USA military training as a helicopter pilot. Wonderful success story.

Many Thais do exhibit critical thinking, polite articulate expression, creativity, and all the rest--even though educated in Thailand in Thai schools. It's racist and condescending to believe otherwise in the face of evidence, if you look in the right places. Now, having to conform to Thai society may not make an individual's abilities and character immediately evident, but it's still there.

So I do believe a good Thai school combined with work at home can lead to good education and be exactly suited to the particular kid. I've known cases of parents throwing a fortune behind the education of a fairly worthless kid and it was just all wasted money and effort.

Well many posters reflect human nature and lacking any introspection. I truly see though that there are many good and responsible parents amongst them. This by reading the comments which i, ofcourse, have to take at facevalue.

Parenting is more ofcourse than to sent them to a private school, or any other school, and let them work it out there themselves. Of what i have personally seen in my previous circles is that they expect the school to teach them and thats it basically. I have tried to let them think and show resonsability themselves, how young they were. Tried to do that on a playfull manner. They picked it up...and thats been joyfull to see. All depends on urself as a parent and most thais their culture is so ingrained in them that....its a lost cause for the kids. Unfortunately i talk from PERSONAL experience....not to say, like u referred about, that there are not openminded thai families who take pride and joy in teaching their kids at home in educational and behaviour matters.

A small minority i guess though...but hope i am wrong about that.

Kids need to learn the shades of grey....not black and white...

[NHT]

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

... ... ... What are Thailand's claims to Excellence ? - in anything ? If i had a child in LoS, i'd consider it my prime duty to give them the benefit of a western childhood and education, with all of the aspirational goals and the richness of Culture they would be immersed in.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

I tried to quote this, but something is completely going wrong here. - - - - Anyways

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

100% agree!

...

the only problem to all this is- what to do if you can't get to your child because you are the farang here, only!

In fact, farang fatherhood COUNTS NOTHING, so does your child. Immigration officers tell you into your face "YOU" (farang) don

t count. Asking back - "what about my child, my child was born here in Thailand?" Answer, again; "does not count".

So if I and my child, both don't count, why not allowing me to take my child where it COUNTS ???

This hypocritical, racist and arrogant behavior towards farangs and their children must take an end!

What is the difference between a farang father and a Thai father? WHat give an immigration officer the right to tell ANYone, they don't count?

Why can Thai attack farangs with an ax and knife and then just laugh? (including police?)

What is wrong with this folk?

Fine ... as most of them love to say "Up to you"... fine - up to them, too.

But allow me to take my son, because MY SON COUNT FOR ME, and let him go with me, where HE CAN COUNT TOO!

That is why I start this initiative now. Worst that can happen, Thailand throughs me out. Fine, up to them, they just didn't know WHO they dumped, but they will.

I ask every batted farang parent to come forward and join me in my efforts to oppose this racist, rude, violent and inhumane acts of, whoever does or supports it.

Are you an educated Thai? You are more than welcome to join me. We need a joint effort to tackle a rather utmost urgent and long time overdue issue.

Best of luck to everyone, who experiences similar problems.

[Bender]

if i do have a daughter in Thailand, well when she turn 8 y.o. , i will offer her a glock or maybe a smith & weston... just in case of when i am not around

[KuhnPaen]

Well, if she was raised in the West, in a big city, and was between 14 and 18, she would most likely be smoking weed, popping Molly at raves, "hot boxing" in parking lots with skater boys, and have Paris Hilton/Kim Kardashian as role models. Can Thailand be much worse? Or Uganda for that matter?

She might be better off raised by Somali pirates than grow up in New Jersey.

I have a half farang son. Great kid in all ways possible. Mainly because of what I have taught him, showed him, and loved him.

Regardless of the evil Thai woman rap that they get on Thai Visa (makes me wonder why so many farangs come here then), most Thai women possess qualities that you will never find in a Western woman. If your daughter grows up to exemplify the best that both you and her mom have to offer, then your daughter will be the product of you and not the shallow world around her.

Good luck---I feel your pain.

[SeabagsFull]

It all depends on your beliefs & perspective of life.

I fathered & raised two half-Taiwanese children in California. While both are "successful" in their lives (i.e., well-educated & playing respectable roles in society), neither are as free & happy as I have come to believe is possible.

My plan since leaving Thailand in 2011 has been to return when my new children (1 down & 2 to go) are about ready for 1st grade. At that point their English will be more-or-less permanent. Leaving before entering school will allow my kids to avoid learning the aggression that's culturally engrained in American kids, as well as by-pass the crux of the generational-gap issues.

Thai kids are culturally infused with respect for elders, parents, etc. They are generally less apt to distrust advice you give them, partly because Thai people do not perceive man as being inherently evil (a western Christian thing), that every word he or she says must be evaluated against a slew of moral pointers.

Plus, a farang child has many opportunities in Thailand, more so than if they were 100% Thai. At the very least they should be able to find meaningful work when older, possibly as an actor, actress, or singer. And as dual citizens, you can always send them to a western university if that's what Alcon wants.

Edited December 27, 2013 by SeabagsFull

[sdanielmcev]

Most Thais I meet are about as reasonably educated as the "Western" people I meet. And most have a public education. Most education, I have found, to be utterly useless and nonsense. Our values are not the same as their values. It is always up to the parent(s), or child. Maybe Korat just has better schools.

[sdanielmcev]

This is one of the strangest posts and threads. First, the OP does not state where he is from and therefore might take his daughter to grow up, but the thread wanders off into comparisons of Thailand and other countries for children growing up. He actually states that he is worried about her growing up and being educated as a Thai, not asking if he should take her somewhere else. But the weirdest thing is all the posts extolling the virtues of Thailand, of 'Thai values', on a website that on every other day does its best to run Thai values and behaviour into the ground! Values such as breaking the law without a thought; cheating wherever possible; taking money to vote for a candidate; driving like a homicidal maniac; paying cash under-the-table to obtain employment; running away from paternal responsibilities; paying lip-service to Buddhist morality while living a corrupt depraved life...the list of complaints about 'thai values' is endless on a normal day. So i expected an outcry of 'NO' - don't bring her up in Thailand - instead, there's a lot of nerdy comparisons about state schools versus private/international school, and a bizarre obsession with kids running around outside! So its fine as long as the child has strong legs and shiny hair and what ... good teeth ? No matter that Thailand, like all of Asia, is a sexist, chauvinistic culture in which girls are treated as second-class beings to be used and abused by anyone who can get away with it ? Has everyone lost their marbles ? If the choice was between Thailand and any of the advanced liberal democracies with free press, relatively non-corrupt government, at least some respect for laws, and a chance for a girl to achieve high status and be treated decently - bye bye LoS. For pity's sake - Thailand is a country where some people still really believe in wearing lucky charms around their necks which gain their power by containing parts from dead children! If you don't know this, that's only proof of ignorance. To put that kind of culture above societies which at least in principle follow rational-scientific values, is bizarre. Just consider one question : in the past century, what has Thailand (or any of South-East Asia) achieved/discovered in the fields of science, technology, medicine, philosophy, social theory, economics - any academic discipline ? What are Thailand's claims to Excellence ? - in anything ? If i had a child in LoS, i'd consider it my prime duty to give them the benefit of a western childhood and education, with all of the aspirational goals and the richness of Culture they would be immersed in.

Hopefully not too far off topic, but why are you here if this is such a bad country?

Edited December 27, 2013 by sdanielmcev

[jacko45k]

I agree... you might do her well if you put her into a top-notch International school but we all know they can be very expensive.

I persuaded a good friend to take his daughter to Oz for that very reason, and he got his ex-wife to comply. Even she, a Thai, knew it would be better for the girl.

Whether maintaining 2 homes and flying back and forth often, (mother still wants to have her daughter back during school holidays etc) works out less, I am unsure.

[Benmart]

Are you the parent? Do you make the rules? Are you the boss?

If you answer yes to all 3... Thailand should be fine Good area's, good schools,. good social groups. Just make sure you go into the right area..... Like any other country (Any other, open country, i should add)

If you cant answer yes to all 3 (it seems to a problem with some forum members), then im not sure anything beyond home schooling would work...

wont get a good education in the village thats for sure..to many meddlers from the family..in the city yes ..private school...thais are about 5 years behind the falang in learning

What are Thai;s teaching that is worse then Creationism as Science in Texan High Schools?

Dont get me wrong... I have no doubt that a village school is not the choice place... But... Are they teaching anything worse then what some Americans are forced to learn?

You can certainly force someone to sit in a classroom and be exposed to a certain subject. Part of learning is understanding the subject and with understanding comes debate. Perhaps there is confusion between learning and accepting.

Being exposed to Creationism or any "ism", doesn't mean it's accepted or "learned" anymore than if the subjects were Nazism or Ayanism.

[FiftyTwo]

Regardless of the evil Thai woman rap that they get on Thai Visa (makes me wonder why so many farangs come here then), most Thai women possess qualities that you will never find in a Western woman. If your daughter grows up to exemplify the best that both you and her mom have to offer, then your daughter will be the product of you and not the shallow world around her.

Good luck---I feel your pain.

You are making a mistake.

Most guys want to accuse all women of being evil, but many have learnt "all" gets you banned, mostly you can get away with "Thai". I'm thinking because there are no Thai lady mods, maybe TV needs to appoint one or two, just for fairness sake.

[metisdead]

Profanity posts and replies have been removed.

[KunMatt]

This is one of the strangest posts and threads. First, the OP does not state where he is from and therefore might take his daughter to grow up, but the thread wanders off into comparisons of Thailand and other countries for children growing up. He actually states that he is worried about her growing up and being educated as a Thai, not asking if he should take her somewhere else. But the weirdest thing is all the posts extolling the virtues of Thailand, of 'Thai values', on a website that on every other day does its best to run Thai values and behaviour into the ground! Values such as breaking the law without a thought; cheating wherever possible; taking money to vote for a candidate; driving like a homicidal maniac; paying cash under-the-table to obtain employment; running away from paternal responsibilities; paying lip-service to Buddhist morality while living a corrupt depraved life...the list of complaints about 'thai values' is endless on a normal day. So i expected an outcry of 'NO' - don't bring her up in Thailand - instead, there's a lot of nerdy comparisons about state schools versus private/international school, and a bizarre obsession with kids running around outside! So its fine as long as the child has strong legs and shiny hair and what ... good teeth ? No matter that Thailand, like all of Asia, is a sexist, chauvinistic culture in which girls are treated as second-class beings to be used and abused by anyone who can get away with it ? Has everyone lost their marbles ? If the choice was between Thailand and any of the advanced liberal democracies with free press, relatively non-corrupt government, at least some respect for laws, and a chance for a girl to achieve high status and be treated decently - bye bye LoS. For pity's sake - Thailand is a country where some people still really believe in wearing lucky charms around their necks which gain their power by containing parts from dead children! If you don't know this, that's only proof of ignorance. To put that kind of culture above societies which at least in principle follow rational-scientific values, is bizarre. Just consider one question : in the past century, what has Thailand (or any of South-East Asia) achieved/discovered in the fields of science, technology, medicine, philosophy, social theory, economics - any academic discipline ? What are Thailand's claims to Excellence ? - in anything ? If i had a child in LoS, i'd consider it my prime duty to give them the benefit of a western childhood and education, with all of the aspirational goals and the richness of Culture they would be immersed in.

Hopefully not too far off topic, but why are you here if this is such a bad country?

I'd like to chime in here again if I may.

Coming here as an adult you accept the risks, dangers and failings of this wonderful and fun country. When you have children that all changes and the reason you probably came or stayed here for is no longer the priority and you should do whatever if best for your children, not what is best for you. For that reason, now we have children, we will be leaving Thailand before they are school age. If we didn't have children we would stay here as it is best for us to do so. It really is as simple as that.

[bkk_mike]

For myself, I sent my kids to International school while in Thailand, but that was at least partly because work commitments meant I couldn't do the home-schooling bit in the evenings, and also partly because there was always the possibility that the office would make me return...

In the end, we returned to the UK while they were secondary-school age because, although I'd managed (sometimes barely) to pay the school fees, the international fees for Universities back in the UK would be a non-starter. So I ended up returning so the kids would be eligible for home fees and student loans... (requires them to be EU-resident for the 3 years prior to going to University).

[loogkreung]

For myself, I sent my kids to International school while in Thailand, but that was at least partly because work commitments meant I couldn't do the home-schooling bit in the evenings, and also partly because there was always the possibility that the office would make me return...

In the end, we returned to the UK while they were secondary-school age because, although I'd managed (sometimes barely) to pay the school fees, the international fees for Universities back in the UK would be a non-starter. So I ended up returning so the kids would be eligible for home fees and student loans... (requires them to be EU-resident for the 3 years prior to going to University).

I didn't know that. Is that even if your child has a UK passport?

[rayongchelsea]

Yes. My daughter was born in the uk and would still not qualify unless the 3 year rule is satisfied.

The labour government changed it late 90's.

[loogkreung]

Yes. My daughter was born in the uk and would still not qualify unless the 3 year rule is satisfied.The labour government changed it late 90's.

Wow. Looks like I'm definitely going back then. I know international, non EU students pay about 5 times more, so going back is a no brainer. Shame. I love Thailand