Thai language school-is Walen any good?

[MacWalen]

rijb post # 246.

,Maybe you're too good or smart for what Walen is 'flogging'. But, you really need to get some help for your bitterness and jealousy issues.

I do not have to work for my living my/our money is already made both in the U.K and here too.Nor do I promote my self business wise or as a financial expert unlike some

So if you think you are able to contribute your wisdom to me and others too regarding that which you think you know about me and my life please do so.

Bitterness, jealousy ?

I think you should look a little more closely in the mirror , be careful though you may not like that which you see looking back at you

.

I have the same feeling for some reason, and I don't want to be too cocky, but unfortunately I'm usually right. You do have jealousy issues mate. Just relax and enjoy Thailand. I have been to many countries in my life and it does not get much better than here.

Walen School of Investing - life is more fun if you have some extra money!

[Squeegee]

Like acorns bouncing off the bonnet of a car.

[donno69]

I've been going to Walen Pattaya for well over a year now and I couldn't recommend them highly enough.

The staff are fantastic, the teachers are very professional but make learning fun at the same time.

Yes you do get a different teacher for each lesson, which I find very good as each brings something different to the class.

With teachers from all over Thaiand, you get to learn the differences in dialects and culture, which you won't get learning from just one teacher.

The only down side at present are the new visa regulations, there is still a bit of confusion as to how it all works, but that has nothing to do with the school itself.

As some have stated, learning comes down to individual preferences, I would recommend coming in to Walen and take advantage of the free trial lessons and decide if they're right for you.

[dragonfly94]

why are the teachers all female?

[MacWalen]

A woman will and can drag you further than dynamite will ever blow you.

You could be right there. If students attend their lessons and practice outside they will see excellent results. It is certainly true that most Walen Thai teachers are women.

[SlyAnimal]

Some trolling comments, and replies to them, have been removed.

I'm generally pretty lenient with what is allowed in this thread, as MacWalen is a good sport and rolls with the banter.

However, please tone down the trolling a little and keep it focused on the school.

[bigwhitewarrior]

why are the teachers all female?

Because a male will respond to a female much better than with a male teacher. Male on male teaching there is too much testosterone flying in the air. Having said that there is a male teacher in my school too and his teaching style is just excellent.

And yes I am a Walen student and I love going to the school . Very nice teachers friendly staff (very easy on the eye ;-) which helps as we all love to speak with a beautifull women ;-) at least the guys in my class do, and each lesson is slightly different which helps immensely with learning a language that is not easy to master.

I have and will continue to recommend Walen Language School.

Edited March 10, 2015 by bigwhitewarrior

[futsukayoi]

I have studied at two other Thai Language schools and at Walen (the last two levels). All 3 schools have had good and bad points but I think the key factor is that different schools and approaches will suit different students depending on their level, style of learning and language learning goals.

The Walen system is almost entirely geared to reading. Teachers read questions and students read the answers. After a few times through the book like this the teachers sometimes vary the questions and students can try to answer more free form rather than just reading. generally this means Walen students read quite a better than students from the other schools after a similar amount of classes but they speak quite a lot worse. The Walen books also focus on more formal written vocabulary rather than colloquial spoken forms. My view is that Walen does not suit casual students with a goal of being bale to get by in restaurants / the market /bars, book a room and sort out transport. If you eventually plan to read newspapers / magazines or get involved in more formal discussions Walen is more appropraite. One advantage for some students is that the focus on reading and less engaging lessons weeds out most non-serious students and you get less of the disruptive time wasters who can ruin classes.

Personally I feel that students in Samui would get the best results by using one of the other schools for conversation (or use books if you have lots of practice with a Thai wife girlfriend) and supplement with Walen to read.

At the Walen school I have attended (Koh Samui) the staff are all extremely friendly and helpful. One is very experienced the remainder are not really language teachers but with the Walen approach they don't need to be they only have to read and correct student answers. My teachers at the other schools were mainly linguistics graduates and the more varied lessons place greater demands on them. Basically people may not like the Walen approach but if you are OK with it the teachers are able to cope and generally enthusiastic.

I honestly think any of the established schools will have something going for them and all have achieved significant success with some of their students. Different people will just be better suited to one or another approach so get along talk to the teachers, do a trial class and if you are still not sure sign up for a few lessons to see.

[dragonfly94]

why are the teachers all female?

Because a male will respond to a female much better than with a male teacher. Male on male teaching there is too much testosterone flying in the air. Having said that there is a male teacher in my school too and his teaching style is just excellent.

And yes I am a Walen student and I love going to the school . Very nice teachers friendly staff (very easy on the eye ;-) which helps as we all love to speak with a beautifull women ;-) at least the guys in my class do, and each lesson is slightly different which helps immensely with learning a language that is not easy to master.

I have and will continue to recommend Walen Language School.

So ALL the students are male, who want to learn from a woman with female inflections, they will end up talking like women. Better to learn from a bloke, a book though is better than some of these 'Schools'

[bigwhitewarrior]

I didn't say all the students are male ..and no..you don't end up speaking like a woman..and no you won't be able to learn to speak Thai from and book propperly !

[dragonfly94]

never mind the quality, look at the tits!

[bigwhitewarrior]

Dragonfly94 you seem a cheerful kind of chap aren't you? How can you judge on quality if you have never tried? How good is your thai?

And for your information it isn't all about spelling and reading we have also a male teacher who is an awesome teacher. And yes at Walen school you learn how to create sentences and speak propper thai. I am an administrator in many forums online and chaps like your good self I would have deleted many times over. If you don't have anything positive to say, then don't say anything at all. How can you say a book is better than some of these schools? How many languages do you speak?

(Rant over, ... )

Edited March 10, 2015 by bigwhitewarrior

[dragonfly94]

went to wallen in 2010, thought it was rubbish, clearly unqualified teachers and mainly a visa mill. Good luck to the bloke who owns it, but there are far better ways of learning Thai and much better Schools, IMO. What forums are you on then, i will avoid them

Edited March 10, 2015 by dragonfly94

[bigwhitewarrior]

went to wallen in 2010, thought it was rubbish, clearly unqualified teachers and mainly a visa mill. Good luck to the bloke who owns it, but there are far better ways of learning Thai and much better Schools, IMO. What forums are you on then, i will avoid them

So I take it that now you are fluent in thai? Speaking reading and writing?

You went in 2010 and thought it was rubbish? On what did you base that assumption and for how long did you actually attend to come to that conclusion?

[dragonfly94]

I went for a month, that was a month too long. What forums are you on?

[rijb]

went to wallen in 2010, thought it was rubbish, clearly unqualified teachers and mainly a visa mill. Good luck to the bloke who owns it, but there are far better ways of learning Thai and much better Schools, IMO. What forums are you on then, i will avoid them

5 years ago and you're still upset?

[dragonfly94]

went to wallen in 2010, thought it was rubbish, clearly unqualified teachers and mainly a visa mill. Good luck to the bloke who owns it, but there are far better ways of learning Thai and much better Schools, IMO. What forums are you on then, i will avoid them

5 years ago and you're still upset?

Why would you think I am upset just for having an opinion?

[bigwhitewarrior]

went to wallen in 2010, thought it was rubbish, clearly unqualified teachers and mainly a visa mill. Good luck to the bloke who owns it, but there are far better ways of learning Thai and much better Schools, IMO. What forums are you on then, i will avoid them

5 years ago and you're still upset?

Why would you think I am upset just for having an opinion?

Cause your opinion is just that an opinion unsubstantiated I may add. After 1 month you think you can build a picture of studying thai? Hmmm you wouldn't have passed alphabet class by then. You need to study a bit longer than a month to build a picture of the language in your head and actually be able to speak fluent Thai. Read it and write it .

[konying]

went to wallen in 2010, thought it was rubbish, clearly unqualified teachers and mainly a visa mill. Good luck to the bloke who owns it, but there are far better ways of learning Thai and much better Schools, IMO. What forums are you on then, i will avoid them

5 years ago and you're still upset?

Why would you think I am upset just for having an opinion?

Cause your opinion is just that an opinion unsubstantiated I may add. After 1 month you think you can build a picture of studying thai? Hmmm you wouldn't have passed alphabet class by then. You need to study a bit longer than a month to build a picture of the language in your head and actually be able to speak fluent Thai. Read it and write it .

I went to same school for 6 months and yet to meet someone who attended Walen and spoke even pigeon Thai. Just words without any order or much sense.Because this is what Walen method is, just words.

PS, Tones were not even corrected when spoken wrong. Will never forget one guy there, who really was not gifted for languages and admitted so, he always pronounced (Ho Hip ห ) as Ho Hee(Hi) whatever the spelling, Ask around the meaning of Ho Hee, if you do not know it.

Not once he was corrected by the teacher.

[rijb]

A student takes a language course and doesn't become fluent - that is so unusual!

[bigwhitewarrior]

went to wallen in 2010, thought it was rubbish, clearly unqualified teachers and mainly a visa mill. Good luck to the bloke who owns it, but there are far better ways of learning Thai and much better Schools, IMO. What forums are you on then, i will avoid them

5 years ago and you're still upset?

Why would you think I am upset just for having an opinion?

Cause your opinion is just that an opinion unsubstantiated I may add. After 1 month you think you can build a picture of studying thai? Hmmm you wouldn't have passed alphabet class by then. You need to study a bit longer than a month to build a picture of the language in your head and actually be able to speak fluent Thai. Read it and write it .

I went to same school for 6 months and yet to meet someone who attended Walen and spoke even pigeon Thai. Just words without any order or much sense.Because this is what Walen method is, just words.

PS, Tones were not even corrected when spoken wrong. Will never forget one guy there, who really was not gifted for languages and admitted so, he always pronounced (Ho Hip ห ) as Ho Hee(Hi) whatever the spelling, Ask around the meaning of Ho Hee, if you do not know it.

Not once he was corrected by the teacher.

Well there are different students in every school..you cannot judge by just one student ! I have been there 4 month and can speak sentences and make myself understood woth the correct tones.

Now , what you say is absolutely incorrect , it is not just words without any sense it is whole sentences. Did you actually get to book one ? Or where you stuck.in the alphabet class !?

[konying]

Well there are different students in every school..you cannot judge by just one student ! I have been there 4 month and can speak sentences and make myself understood woth the correct tones.

Now , what you say is absolutely incorrect , it is not just words without any sense it is whole sentences. Did you actually get to book one ? Or where you stuck.in the alphabet class !?

Why bother to talk nonsense

Students ability is not in question.

Teachers inability of laziness to correct the student is

Alphabet class? have you actually attended Walen at all?

I have been there 4 month and can speak sentences and make myself understood woth the correct tones. Priceless

Edited March 10, 2015 by konying

[bigwhitewarrior]

Well there are different students in every school..you cannot judge by just one student ! I have been there 4 month and can speak sentences and make myself understood woth the correct tones.

Now , what you say is absolutely incorrect , it is not just words without any sense it is whole sentences. Did you actually get to book one ? Or where you stuck.in the alphabet class !?

Why bother to talk nonsense

Students ability is not in question.

Teachers inability of laziness to correct the student is

Alphabet class? have you actually attended Walen at all?

I have been there 4 month and can speak sentences and make myself understood woth the correct tones. Priceless

You have never studied there otherwise you would know that the teachers correct the tones and that everyone starts with the alphabet class only when you pass that I. E. The exam.. will you be moved to book 1. How you cannot learn sentences in book 1 is an impossibility! So don't tell me you studied there... Teachers are extremely helpfull and also correct students words and/or sentences. Don't tell me you did 200 hour course and got nothing out of it .. sounds like the brown stuff matey maybe you should change your alcohol habits ..

And remind me please which bit of my previous post was nonsense ? Or is it your intellectual incapability that cannot grasp simple english?

Edited March 10, 2015 by bigwhitewarrior

[konying]

Well there are different students in every school..you cannot judge by just one student ! I have been there 4 month and can speak sentences and make myself understood woth the correct tones.

Now , what you say is absolutely incorrect , it is not just words without any sense it is whole sentences. Did you actually get to book one ? Or where you stuck.in the alphabet class !?

Why bother to talk nonsense

Students ability is not in question.

Teachers inability of laziness to correct the student is

Alphabet class? have you actually attended Walen at all?

I have been there 4 month and can speak sentences and make myself understood woth the correct tones. Priceless

You have never studied there otherwise you would know that the teachers correct the tones and that everyone starts with the alphabet class only when you pass that I. E. The exam.. will you be moved to book 1. How you cannot learn sentences in book 1 is an impossibility! So don't tell me you studied there... Teachers are extremely helpfull and also correct students words and/or sentences. Don't tell me you did 200 hour course and got nothing out of it .. sounds like the brown stuff matey maybe you should change your alcohol habits ..

And remind me please which bit of my previous post was nonsense ? Or is it your intellectual incapability that cannot grasp simple english?

Please stop trolling.

No one starts with alphabet classes, because no alphabet classes exist.

Everyone starts on book one, which is repeated in circle.

Should one start by the end of the book, this person would not have a clue at all what is going on.

Should someone go through that book, they sit in boredom for round 2 and 3 listening to new comers, or do the test to go onto book 2, which is full of useless drivel.

No, teachers do not correct the tones, if they did, people who attend Walen would speak Thai, which you apparently do after 4 months

In my class, with my teachers, they most certainly did not for 6 months, but that might be because some were only 18 years old, others too busy checking the phone or new teachers every second week, because older ones were gone.

Not once Mr Big Mac sat in the class or had anyone check the class in 6 months.

As for my intellectual abilities do not worry your little brain with that, concentrate on learning Thai, i am sure in another 4 months, you might be able to use 2 Thai words in a sentence of 10 words.

Edited March 10, 2015 by konying

[bigwhitewarrior]

Well there are different students in every school..you cannot judge by just one student ! I have been there 4 month and can speak sentences and make myself understood woth the correct tones.

Now , what you say is absolutely incorrect , it is not just words without any sense it is whole sentences. Did you actually get to book one ? Or where you stuck.in the alphabet class !?

Why bother to talk nonsense

Students ability is not in question.

Teachers inability of laziness to correct the student is

Alphabet class? have you actually attended Walen at all?

I have been there 4 month and can speak sentences and make myself understood woth the correct tones. Priceless

You have never studied there otherwise you would know that the teachers correct the tones and that everyone starts with the alphabet class only when you pass that I. E. The exam.. will you be moved to book 1. How you cannot learn sentences in book 1 is an impossibility! So don't tell me you studied there... Teachers are extremely helpfull and also correct students words and/or sentences. Don't tell me you did 200 hour course and got nothing out of it .. sounds like the brown stuff matey maybe you should change your alcohol habits ..

And remind me please which bit of my previous post was nonsense ? Or is it your intellectual incapability that cannot grasp simple english?

Please stop trolling.

No one starts with alphabet classes, because no alphabet classes exist.

Everyone starts on book one, which is repeated in circle.

Should one start by the end of the book, this person would not have a clue at all what is going on.

Should someone go through that book, they sit in boredom for round 2 and 3 listening to new comers, or do the test to go onto book 2, which is full of useless drivel.

No, teachers do not correct the tones, if they did, people who attend Walen would speak Thai, which you apparently do after 4 months

In my class, with my teachers, they most certainly did not for 6 months, but that might be because some were only 18 years old, others too busy checking the phone or new teachers every second week, because older ones were gone.

Not once Mr Big Mac sat in the class or had anyone check the class in 6 months.

As for my intellectual abilities do not worry your little brain with that, concentrate on learning Thai, i am sure in another 4 months, you might be able to use 2 Thai words in a sentence of 10 words.

As I said before ..you have no idea what you are talking about. Everyone starts with the alphabet and has to pass a test before moving to book one. It would be complete and utter nonsense to start on book one as without the basics..I. E. The alphabet you cannot recognise the letters and therefore cannot read or speak them.. it is therefore essential with any language and I speak any few ..to learn the alphabet first. And this is where Walen school has the upper hand. But you wouldn't know that as you haven't bothered learning the basics.

[konying]

As I said before ..you have no idea what you are talking about. Everyone starts with the alphabet and has to pass a test before moving to book one. It would be complete and utter nonsense to start on book one as without the basics..I. E. The alphabet you cannot recognise the letters and therefore cannot read or speak them.. it is therefore essential with any language and I speak any few ..to learn the alphabet first. And this is where Walen school has the upper hand. But you wouldn't know that as you haven't bothered learning the basics.

As i said, stop trolling, there is no alphabet class at Walen

And if you can not stop, at least get you facts right, so you do not come across like the biggest fool.

[bigwhitewarrior]

As I said before ..you have no idea what you are talking about. Everyone starts with the alphabet and has to pass a test before moving to book one. It would be complete and utter nonsense to start on book one as without the basics..I. E. The alphabet you cannot recognise the letters and therefore cannot read or speak them.. it is therefore essential with any language and I speak any few ..to learn the alphabet first. And this is where Walen school has the upper hand. But you wouldn't know that as you haven't bothered learning the basics.

As i said, stop trolling, there is no alphabet class at Walen

And if you can not stop, at least get you facts right, so you do not come across like the biggest fool.

OK I will give you 1 million baht in cash if there is no alphabet class at walen school bangkok ok? Come along any day and bring the same amount for me .. because you are wrong dear very wrong. Put your money where your mouth is.

[konying]

As I said before ..you have no idea what you are talking about. Everyone starts with the alphabet and has to pass a test before moving to book one. It would be complete and utter nonsense to start on book one as without the basics..I. E. The alphabet you cannot recognise the letters and therefore cannot read or speak them.. it is therefore essential with any language and I speak any few ..to learn the alphabet first. And this is where Walen school has the upper hand. But you wouldn't know that as you haven't bothered learning the basics.

As i said, stop trolling, there is no alphabet class at Walen

And if you can not stop, at least get you facts right, so you do not come across like the biggest fool.

OK I will give you 1 million baht in cash if there is no alphabet class at walen school bangkok ok? Come along any day and bring the same amount for me .. because you are wrong dear very wrong. Put your money where your mouth is.

So... NOW you saying Walen schools in different locations use different methods?

I am bored with your trolling

Next

[bigwhitewarrior]

As I said before ..you have no idea what you are talking about. Everyone starts with the alphabet and has to pass a test before moving to book one. It would be complete and utter nonsense to start on book one as without the basics..I. E. The alphabet you cannot recognise the letters and therefore cannot read or speak them.. it is therefore essential with any language and I speak any few ..to learn the alphabet first. And this is where Walen school has the upper hand. But you wouldn't know that as you haven't bothered learning the basics.

As i said, stop trolling, there is no alphabet class at Walen

And if you can not stop, at least get you facts right, so you do not come across like the biggest fool.

OK I will give you 1 million baht in cash if there is no alphabet class at walen school bangkok ok? Come along any day and bring the same amount for me .. because you are wrong dear very wrong. Put your money where your mouth is.

So... NOW you saying Walen schools in different locations use different methods?

I am bored with your trolling

Next

Cheap Charlie more like :-)

[futsukayoi]

Konying,

Which school did you study at because Walen in Koh Samui definitely starts with an Alphabet class.