First I'm new here but reading other post already few years.

I'm think abuts move to chiang mai next year,can any one share here the feeling and thought before he get the decided to move, I have 2 lovely daughters back home and have pay for them each mounts.

If some one have same story I will happy to hear about his experience

Thanks friend

We moved here 10-years ago, and don't regret it, Chiang Mai is a nice place to live !

Depending on your daughters' age, and whether they get free education in your home country, you might consider waiting until they have grown-up and left home ?

Education (at least in a decent school) is not cheap here !

The decision whether to rent or buy your new home also takes some thinking-about, renting at first makes it easier to try-before you-buy, or to change-your-mind later-on.

Perhaps you should visit for a long holiday (a few months) if you can, there is a difference between being a two-week tourist, and living here.

Lastly you should be sure that you have a clear understanding of your visa-options, and can actually afford to live here permanently, before you sell-up in the country you know well.

Just come,don't even think about it

regards Worgeordie

What kind of fear do you have? If you could share some I am sure these guys could help you. They always help ones another.

Is that right, Chiangmai Folks?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Um, so where do you live now? You plan to bring your daughters with you?

Confused about this statement

'I have 2 lovely daughters back home and have pay for them each mounts.'

Are you saying that you are separated and have to pay for your two daughters or are you living with them and planning on bringing them to Thailand?

Either way this will influence your decision

Dependent on if you move here and don't see your daughters for long periods of time or if you move here with them and disrupt their education & life as well as having to pay out for expensive International school fees. Obviously if you can afford the fees and your daughters are still young this might not be a problem but this seems the number one priority, forgetting your own fears.

Ricardo,

I think that is good advice about education is a top decision-maker in a move. That is why I will be taking my three-year old to the West to start off with a solid educational/western background and then bring her back into the international school environment here. I just don't know if that will be 5 or 10 years from now..I want her to have the best opportunity to have the choice of going to an excellent western university.

I know of 4 farang/Thai couples who have recently returned home (Aus, Eng USA USA) solely based on what's best for their kids' educational needs..

CB

Ricardo,

I think that is good advice about education is a top decision-maker in a move. That is why I will be taking my three-year old to the West to start off with a solid educational/western background and then bring her back into the international school environment here. I just don't know if that will be 5 or 10 years from now..I want her to have the best opportunity to have the choice of going to an excellent western university.

I know of 4 farang/Thai couples who have recently returned home (Aus, Eng USA USA) solely based on what's best for their kids' educational needs..

CB

That is frightening if someone has taken their kids to the USA for education. The system there is shocking unless you are Ivy League. The country is becoming illiterate.

Ricardo,

I think that is good advice about education is a top decision-maker in a move. That is why I will be taking my three-year old to the West to start off with a solid educational/western background and then bring her back into the international school environment here. I just don't know if that will be 5 or 10 years from now..I want her to have the best opportunity to have the choice of going to an excellent western university.

I know of 4 farang/Thai couples who have recently returned home (Aus, Eng USA USA) solely based on what's best for their kids' educational needs..

CB

That is frightening if someone has taken their kids to the USA for education. The system there is shocking unless you are Ivy League. The country is becoming illiterate.

And Thai schools are better?

Ricardo,

I think that is good advice about education is a top decision-maker in a move. That is why I will be taking my three-year old to the West to start off with a solid educational/western background and then bring her back into the international school environment here. I just don't know if that will be 5 or 10 years from now..I want her to have the best opportunity to have the choice of going to an excellent western university.

I know of 4 farang/Thai couples who have recently returned home (Aus, Eng USA USA) solely based on what's best for their kids' educational needs..

CB

That is frightening if someone has taken their kids to the USA for education. The system there is shocking unless you are Ivy League. The country is becoming illiterate.

The Chinese don't seem to think so:

http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU2014.html

And apparently, neither do the Brits:

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2013-14/world-ranking

Ricardo,

I think that is good advice about education is a top decision-maker in a move. That is why I will be taking my three-year old to the West to start off with a solid educational/western background and then bring her back into the international school environment here. I just don't know if that will be 5 or 10 years from now..I want her to have the best opportunity to have the choice of going to an excellent western university.

I know of 4 farang/Thai couples who have recently returned home (Aus, Eng USA USA) solely based on what's best for their kids' educational needs..

CB

That is frightening if someone has taken their kids to the USA for education. The system there is shocking unless you are Ivy League. The country is becoming illiterate.

The Chinese don't seem to think so:

http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU2014.html

And apparently, neither do the Brits:

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2013-14/world-ranking

He did say "unless you are Ivy League". Which all of the listed schools are.

Ricardo,

I think that is good advice about education is a top decision-maker in a move. That is why I will be taking my three-year old to the West to start off with a solid educational/western background and then bring her back into the international school environment here. I just don't know if that will be 5 or 10 years from now..I want her to have the best opportunity to have the choice of going to an excellent western university.

I know of 4 farang/Thai couples who have recently returned home (Aus, Eng USA USA) solely based on what's best for their kids' educational needs..

CB

That is frightening if someone has taken their kids to the USA for education. The system there is shocking unless you are Ivy League. The country is becoming illiterate.

The Chinese don't seem to think so:

http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU2014.html

And apparently, neither do the Brits:

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2013-14/world-ranking

He did say "unless you are Ivy League". Which all of the listed schools are.

I'm not sure what school system you are a product of, but reading comprehension must have been given a low priority.

yrbh

Maybe you also have to consider if you need to maintain a residential address in your home country for TAX/ PENSION/ HEALTH/ BANK ACOUNT purposes?

Just FYI:

Ivy League:

Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.

Just come,don't even think about it

regards Worgeordie

Thousands of people move to Thailand and come unstuck because they never thought about or investigated the true costs of living in Thailand, especially in relation to healthcare or children's education and end up having to return home having lost a lot of money or ended up in difficulties.

So when someone comes along and has the sense to ask for people's experiences your response is "don't even think about it"! Brilliant. If you came here on that basis and managed to survive then good for you, but having lived here as long as you have, you must have seen hundreds that not only didn't make it , but returned home destitute. Most people come here on the expectation of improving their lot, so to end up having to worry about the price of eggs may not be their idea of heaven.

Thanks every one who replay

My english so so or "nid noi" as thai say :-)

I have stable job here and pay to my ex wife for daughters by court about 25K baht/munth, In case i made decision to live there it's by my self my daugher be in Israel, is some one had faced with this situation before come to thailand

daughters age 7, 10 yo - i'm mostly afraid to sorry about resign job and be far from my family also fear of loneliness I'm mostly friendly person.


Hope i was clear then before - happy to be part of this community on thai visa it's like touch in my dream :-)

Thanks again

Ricardo,

I think that is good advice about education is a top decision-maker in a move. That is why I will be taking my three-year old to the West to start off with a solid educational/western background and then bring her back into the international school environment here. I just don't know if that will be 5 or 10 years from now..I want her to have the best opportunity to have the choice of going to an excellent western university.

I know of 4 farang/Thai couples who have recently returned home (Aus, Eng USA USA) solely based on what's best for their kids' educational needs..

CB

That is frightening if someone has taken their kids to the USA for education. The system there is shocking unless you are Ivy League. The country is becoming illiterate.

Ten years ago I was looking at Uruguay as a possible place to retire to. I was shocked when I saw that the literacy rate there was better than the states. The education system is not what it used to be. I do agree that there are other countries with a better education system than Thailand but the States is not one of them.

Thanks every one who replay

My english so so or "nid noi" as thai say :-)

I have stable job here and pay to my ex wife for daughters by court about 25K baht/munth, In case i made decision to live there it's by my self my daugher be in Israel, is some one had faced with this situation before come to thailand

daughters age 7, 10 yo - i'm mostly afraid to sorry about resign job and be far from my family also fear of loneliness I'm mostly friendly person.

Hope i was clear then before - happy to be part of this community on thai visa it's like touch in my dream :-)

Thanks again

Speaking only for my self I would not come to Thailand under those circumstances.

Ricardo,

I think that is good advice about education is a top decision-maker in a move. That is why I will be taking my three-year old to the West to start off with a solid educational/western background and then bring her back into the international school environment here. I just don't know if that will be 5 or 10 years from now..I want her to have the best opportunity to have the choice of going to an excellent western university.

I know of 4 farang/Thai couples who have recently returned home (Aus, Eng USA USA) solely based on what's best for their kids' educational needs..

CB

That is frightening if someone has taken their kids to the USA for education. The system there is shocking unless you are Ivy League. The country is becoming illiterate.

Ten years ago I was looking at Uruguay as a possible place to retire to. I was shocked when I saw that the literacy rate there was better than the states. The education system is not what it used to be. I do agree that there are other countries with a better education system than Thailand but the States is not one of them.

Thailands education system is better than the US? Thats one bold statement.

Thanks every one who replay

My english so so or "nid noi" as thai say :-)

I have stable job here and pay to my ex wife for daughters by court about 25K baht/munth, In case i made decision to live there it's by my self my daugher be in Israel, is some one had faced with this situation before come to thailand

daughters age 7, 10 yo - i'm mostly afraid to sorry about resign job and be far from my family also fear of loneliness I'm mostly friendly person.

Hope i was clear then before - happy to be part of this community on thai visa it's like touch in my dream :-)

Thanks again

Questions:

How old are you?

Do you have any substantial savings?

How would you financially support yourself and family if you decide to live in Thailand?

Do you have any insurance policies and/or pension plans to support you in your old age?

Whether or not it would be beneficial for you to pack up in Israel and move to Thailand for the long term depends on your answers to the questions above.

Ricardo,

I think that is good advice about education is a top decision-maker in a move. That is why I will be taking my three-year old to the West to start off with a solid educational/western background and then bring her back into the international school environment here. I just don't know if that will be 5 or 10 years from now..I want her to have the best opportunity to have the choice of going to an excellent western university.

I know of 4 farang/Thai couples who have recently returned home (Aus, Eng USA USA) solely based on what's best for their kids' educational needs..

CB

That is frightening if someone has taken their kids to the USA for education. The system there is shocking unless you are Ivy League. The country is becoming illiterate.

Ten years ago I was looking at Uruguay as a possible place to retire to. I was shocked when I saw that the literacy rate there was better than the states. The education system is not what it used to be. I do agree that there are other countries with a better education system than Thailand but the States is not one of them.

Thailands education system is better than the US? Thats one bold statement.

The US system is a mess, I have worked with hundreds of people from the US and most are great folks but have little clue about the wider world. I am not having a go at Americans only at the of their education system currently.

another thing that scares / amazes me is that they have metal detectors in schools to stop children bringing weapons in to kill other students <deleted> is wrong with that country?

Ten years ago I was looking at Uruguay as a possible place to retire to. I was shocked when I saw that the literacy rate there was better than the states. The education system is not what it used to be. I do agree that there are other countries with a better education system than Thailand but the States is not one of them.

The US system is a mess, I have worked with hundreds of people from the US and most are great folks but have little clue about the wider world. I am not having a go at Americans only at the of their education system currently.

another thing that scares / amazes me is that they have metal detectors in schools to stop children bringing weapons in to kill other students <deleted> is wrong with that country?

One of the most important things an education can do is to teach you how to research a question. Apparently, your education was deficient in that regard. It continually amazes me that people who are on the internet, apparently still don't know how to use it. Anyway, I do and used to find that according to the UN evaluation the USA ranks 21st in the world. Thailand was ranked 71st .Uruguay was ranked at 32 The UK ranks 31st.

As for metal detectors in schools...I am sure you wouldn't make such a comment without knowing what percentage of schools in the USA are afflicted with metal detectors. Care to share your data with us? I suspect the percentage is very small, but you must know better. By the way, here's a link to a daily telegraph article about the proposed installation of metal detectors in hundreds of schools in the UK http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1576120/Metal-detectors-in-schools-to-stop-knife-crime.html.

It's comical how the USA bashing continues, passive or not. America certainly attracts some of the brightest people in the world, creates companies idolized everywhere, and is smart enough to show a 15 trillion dollar GDP annually. The assumption of Americans being unaware of the rest of the world is, like most things, a case-by-case basis. If you want to talk to me about the world from 5,000 BC to present, that would be great. From Babylonians to Greeks to Romans to Chinese to Russians (preferably 1860 to present) to Japanese (1850 to present) to Peruvians to, of course, Americans, to United Kingdom (yes, include Northern Ireland) to Ottoman Empire to wars in S. Africa to copper prices in Chile and massacres in Cambodia, Indonesia, and anywhere else. My point: Remember, all countries have peoples who are not the "brightest" according to your metric, but that doesn't mean they don't offer value.

Ten years ago I was looking at Uruguay as a possible place to retire to. I was shocked when I saw that the literacy rate there was better than the states. The education system is not what it used to be. I do agree that there are other countries with a better education system than Thailand but the States is not one of them.

The US system is a mess, I have worked with hundreds of people from the US and most are great folks but have little clue about the wider world. I am not having a go at Americans only at the of their education system currently.

another thing that scares / amazes me is that they have metal detectors in schools to stop children bringing weapons in to kill other students <deleted> is wrong with that country?

One of the most important things an education can do is to teach you how to research a question. Apparently, your education was deficient in that regard. It continually amazes me that people who are on the internet, apparently still don't know how to use it. Anyway, I do and used to find that according to the UN evaluation the USA ranks 21st in the world. Thailand was ranked 71st .Uruguay was ranked at 32 The UK ranks 31st.

As for metal detectors in schools...I am sure you wouldn't make such a comment without knowing what percentage of schools in the USA are afflicted with metal detectors. Care to share your data with us? I suspect the percentage is very small, but you must know better. By the way, here's a link to a daily telegraph article about the proposed installation of metal detectors in hundreds of schools in the UK http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1576120/Metal-detectors-in-schools-to-stop-knife-crime.html.

Schools in the US are required to give disabled students the royal treatment, too, often at the expense of the "regular" kids. Billions and billions of USD has been spent just to make the schools accessible to wheelchairs. The K-12 system is in trouble, overall, but each state has its own quirks, and there can be hundreds of different school districts within each state. I attended the top, large public school system in the US; www.fcps.org. Notice their website is is in eight different languages. However, its students come from 200 different countries and 160 languages are spoken. But, what's amazing is that you can drive less than 10 km from the northern edge of FCPS, and you are in one of the worst school systems in the entire country, and yes they do have metal detectors...even with the most strict gun control laws in the US. So, making sweeping generalizations about US schools just shows all you know about America is what you learned in Michael Moore's Anthology, and of course your trip to Disneyworld in Orlando. Our University system is still among the world's best, many of the top schools are public; not private. UVa, Cal Berkeley, U of Michigan, UNC come to mind; all subsidized heavily by the taxpayers and cost less than "Prem" for residents of the perspective states.

Ten years ago I was looking at Uruguay as a possible place to retire to. I was shocked when I saw that the literacy rate there was better than the states. The education system is not what it used to be. I do agree that there are other countries with a better education system than Thailand but the States is not one of them.

The US system is a mess, I have worked with hundreds of people from the US and most are great folks but have little clue about the wider world. I am not having a go at Americans only at the of their education system currently.

another thing that scares / amazes me is that they have metal detectors in schools to stop children bringing weapons in to kill other students <deleted> is wrong with that country?

One of the most important things an education can do is to teach you how to research a question. Apparently, your education was deficient in that regard. It continually amazes me that people who are on the internet, apparently still don't know how to use it. Anyway, I do and used to find that according to the UN evaluation the USA ranks 21st in the world. Thailand was ranked 71st .Uruguay was ranked at 32 The UK ranks 31st.

As for metal detectors in schools...I am sure you wouldn't make such a comment without knowing what percentage of schools in the USA are afflicted with metal detectors. Care to share your data with us? I suspect the percentage is very small, but you must know better. By the way, here's a link to a daily telegraph article about the proposed installation of metal detectors in hundreds of schools in the UK http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1576120/Metal-detectors-in-schools-to-stop-knife-crime.html.

Schools in the US are required to give disabled students the royal treatment, too, often at the expense of the "regular" kids. Billions and billions of USD has been spent just to make the schools accessible to wheelchairs. The K-12 system is in trouble, overall, but each state has its own quirks, and there can be hundreds of different school districts within each state. I attended the top, large public school system in the US; www.fcps.org. Notice their website is is in eight different languages. However, its students come from 200 different countries and 160 languages are spoken. But, what's amazing is that you can drive less than 10 km from the northern edge of FCPS, and you are in one of the worst school systems in the entire country, and yes they do have metal detectors...even with the most strict gun control laws in the US. So, making sweeping generalizations about US schools just shows all you know about America is what you learned in Michael Moore's Anthology, and of course your trip to Disneyworld in Orlando. Our University system is still among the world's best, many of the top schools are public; not private. UVa, Cal Berkeley, U of Michigan, UNC come to mind; all subsidized heavily by the taxpayers and cost less than "Prem" for residents of the perspective states.

Actually, the k-12 system in the us is not in trouble overall. It doe a very good job of educating kids from the middle class and higher. It does a very bad educating poor children.

70% of African American kids born out of wedlock......needless to say, parenting plays a large roll in education. Ever hear of Title I? That means there are bonuses for schools with high concentrations of poor kids. The teachers at the top ranked school system I attended, and the ones at some of the most poorly rated schools I was employed at; were pretty much the same bunch of liberal arts degreed, overweight, diabetic, cig smoking, leftist. Much, much bigger differences in the home life of the students; parent's income(s), parent's education, parent's nationality. It most obviously runs in families.

Off topic post and reply removed.

Quidnunc,

I agree...It all depends on what local school district one lives. Middle class and above or private schooling gets high marks in preparing kids for university or vocation schools in the USA. They have the money, community and parental support and strong commitment to education as the way to get ahead in America. No so in working class or poverty ares and the educational system reflects that in those districts..

It's so silly to hear comments on this board trying to compare Thai educational system to the USA. I have not read one specific remark that can back or support that thailand education is equal or superior. Plenty of evidence points towards an inferior educational system when compared to its neighbors. Why is Thailand ranked 42 our of 53 countries on the recent PISA scores? (standardized test in the core subjects administered to specific grades in K1-12) Why does Thailand have the lowest TOEFL scores in the SE Asia for its best students trying to gain entrance to American Universities? Why do the Thai send their kids to American universities in the first place if educational system is better in thailand? Why does Thailand have only one university in the top 400 world-wide rankings? (US News and World Report) About half of the universities reside in America. Why do Thai doctors flock to America for medical internships and residencies? You will find almost zero Thai doctors who went to medical school in the US from the Thai educational system. Why? Because one can't go from high school to medical school in the US like they do here..

And what's up with the Junta trying to introduce ethics and morality into the Thai curriculum? Isn't it integrated into each and every class already? Having a couple of ethics classes in school is not going to get at Thailand's immorality issues...

lastly, why does every new minister of education try to revamp and reform the entire thai educational system? That does not reflect well on a strong educational system unless of course there isn't one....

CB

70% of African American kids born out of wedlock......needless to say, parenting plays a large roll in education. Ever hear of Title I? That means there are bonuses for schools with high concentrations of poor kids. The teachers at the top ranked school system I attended, and the ones at some of the most poorly rated schools I was employed at; were pretty much the same bunch of liberal arts degreed, overweight, diabetic, cig smoking, leftist. Much, much bigger differences in the home life of the students; parent's income(s), parent's education, parent's nationality. It most obviously runs in families.

Must have been a peculiar group of liberals since it's the red states that overwhelmingly have the highest rates of smoking, obesity, and cigarette consumption..

And what percent of the NEA votes "Red."