School in Pattaya

[plop243]

I was recently forced to bring my children to come and stay with me here in Pattaya. Not that I am complaining, it's great to have them here, but I could have used a bit more time planning their arrival. However, such are not the circumstances, and now I have a few questions that I hope some of you kind folks can help me answer:

• First of all, I really want my children to go to school as soon as possible. They are 5 and 7 years old, and I don't want them to stay away from school longer than they have too. Unfortunately though, the few schools I have spoken to so far seem to want me to pay for a full term at this stage, even though there are only a few months left of the term. That seems a little unreasonable in my book. Is this standard?
• Secondly, I am looking for an international school, but I am also on a tight budget at this point. I need a fairly cheap school, but also one that treats the children well. Perhaps I am asking too much here, but any input would be greatly appreciated.
• Thirdly — and this might be the hardest part — I would really like a school that's not too far from Naklua, where I am currently staying. I have found a couple of schools around Pattaya Tai, but that's gonna be a lot of driving every day, and I would like to avoid that if at all possible.
• Lastly, I am willing to consider a school that teaches most (or all) classes in Thai. My children are very good with languages, and they are already picking up a lot of Thai even though they have only been here for a few days. However, I don't know what to look out for when picking a Thai school, and the only Thai school I have spoken to so far insisted on charging for a full term even though I will only get 2/3 term for that money, and I really think they should be more flexible. Am I asking too much?

Thanks a lot in advance for your answers. Greatly appreciated!

[Scott]

I know a lot of schools charge for an entire term, regardless of how much time is left in the term. Most Thai schools and bilingual programs are going to be reasonably priced compared to an international school.

It sounds like your children are not Thai and so putting them in a Thai program might not be the best option. There is a lot more to education than just language. There is also the issue of not only speaking, but also reading and writing. If you are inclined to have the immersed in Thai, you might want to look at a bilingual program. At least they are keeping up with the concepts of the subjects in English (and will get the same thing in Thai, which will help them to focus on learning the language without the problem of conceptually understanding in a foreign language.

You could also look for an international program at a local school.

Best of luck.

[plop243]

Thanks a lot for your input, Scott. Any chance you know a few schools in Naklua (or not too far from this area), that offer bilingual programs or similar? The main issue for me right now is that I am having a hard time locating potential schools, because I simply don't know where to find them. Advertising your school on the internet doesn't seem like a popular option in Thailand.

[Scott]

Sorry, but I don't know much about schools in Pattaya. You might want to Google Sataban, which is a directory of schools.

[NanLaew]

Where have the kids come from? What school? Was it in Thailand?

What's your budget /child /term?

If you think Pattaya Thai is too far from Naklua, you are pretty limited but the 8 am traffic makes even short trips long (that's why you need motorbikes).

You also have to consider if the school is on a western curriculum/calendar (the international schools) or a Thai school with a decent English language content but runs on the Thai curriculum/calendar.

This is about mid second term for Thai schools (Oct - Mar) so probably that's why there's no break on any fees. It's end of first term for international schools so if you find a slot for January, it will be a full term going forwards. Some international schools have 3 terms and others 4 terms (one schools mid-term break could be called end of term in another school) so be careful when comparing term fees.

I migrated my kid from Thai curriculum where we pulled him from first term (May - Sep) in early July and then did a summer pre-school in late July-August before starting English curriculum end August in an international school. It was quite easy to schedule around the summer breaks but you will be pretty challenged fitting this around the Christmas breaks as they are short on the Thai side (2 weeks versus 4 weeks).

There was a thread in the Pattaya forum a few weeks back that mentioned Phothi Samphan Phitthayakhan School on the Pattaya-Naklua Road at Soi 16 as having a good reputation for those that either can't afford the international fees or don't think international education is appropriate for their kids and future plans. That may be your 'silver bullet'.

[plop243]

I think I will go visit Phothi Samphan Phitthayakhan School. I have driven past it a few times, but actually thought it was for older kids.

[plop243]

Sorry, but I don't know much about schools in Pattaya. You might want to Google Sataban, which is a directory of schools.

I did find Sataban on Google, but I was less than impressed with the quality of the search results, as well as the search form. Many broken (or missing) links, and not a lot of information about each school on the directory pages.

Not your fault, Scott, and thanks for pointing it out. Unfortunately, it was not of much use to me.

[NanLaew]

I think I will go visit Phothi Samphan Phitthayakhan School. I have driven past it a few times, but actually thought it was for older kids.

Please post what you find out there as some are interested if it is a good local option.

[plop243]

I think I will go visit Phothi Samphan Phitthayakhan School. I have driven past it a few times, but actually thought it was for older kids.

Please post what you find out there as some are interested if it is a good local option.

I will be happy to share my findings. Would have liked to go there today, but will probably have to wait till next week.

[Scott]

Sorry, but I don't know much about schools in Pattaya. You might want to Google Sataban, which is a directory of schools.

I did find Sataban on Google, but I was less than impressed with the quality of the search results, as well as the search form. Many broken (or missing) links, and not a lot of information about each school on the directory pages.

Not your fault, Scott, and thanks for pointing it out. Unfortunately, it was not of much use to me.

Thanks for letting me know. I have nothing to do with the site, but I do know who the owner is and I will let him know there are some problems. I am sure he will appreciate the feedback. The site is quite new, I believe.

[romain22]

Hi Plop,

I am the owner of Sataban and will send you a list of schools for Pattaya on a Private Message (with a radius of 10km). Sorry I cannot do it here, it is not allowed.

If I can help, feel free to contact me

Romain

[romain22]

Just added some public schools located in Mueang Pattaya into Sataban database. They are on the 1st page of the website for the moment... will keep adding more soon.

Regarding the broken links in Sataban, do you mean broken links from within the database or from Google?

Thanks

Romain

[romain22]

Hi Plop,

Just sent you a list and all contact info to all the international and public schools in Pattaya. Hope this will be of some help.

Romain

[plop243]

Regarding the broken links in Sataban, do you mean broken links from within the database or from Google?

I mean broken links to school websites from within Sataban. Not sure if you have the wrong link or if the school is having issues. Could have been a temporary issue, and I cannot remember what school it was.

[romain22]

Ok, thanks a lot, I will check it.

Romain

[NanLaew]

Bumping this thread since the OP and the Sataban website creator both MIA since a while back.

Looking for a Thai school, government or private, in the Pattaya, Naklua, Jomtien area that has a good English content.

[romain22]

Hi NantLaew, I believe you might want a private/bilingual school --unless your budget allows you an international school, in order to get a good English department.

Here are two direct links you might want to look at:

Bilingual Schools

Private Schools

Just add the location you want to search and click on the search box (magnifier)

Do not hesitate to contact me,

Romain

Edited February 5, 2015 by romain22

[WhamBam]

Thanks to Scott for this site. It is indeed helpful. I have passed it onto the g/f for her to look at.