Montfort College - opinions please

[MESmith]

Considering this school for my 12 year old, Currently, he's at a bilingual school, that is fairly new.

Thinking of his future & that's most likely to be at a Thai university. I hear that Montfort & similar schools are best for getting entry to CMU and similar.

Any Montfort parents on the forum?

[Dante99]

Heard good things about Momfort from a Thai parent, also that Yupparat is very good.

You might find more information about those types of schools from your Thai friends or friends of those friends.

[narkeddiver]

Both my nephews go to Montfort - the younger one is only 8 so a little too soon to tell but the elder one will be off to CMU soon and is doing well by all accounts

[CMHomeboy78]

Both my daughters went to Sacred Heart - the girls school at Montfort. After that, The Montfort College Secondary Section which is co-ed.

Discipline was strict, especially in the early years, but it never seemed to be a problem for them. If my wife or I had noticed any ill effects, physical or mental, we would have looked for another school immediately.

Religion was never pushed on them, but it was encouraged by the nuns who administer the school. The teachers are almost all Thai Buddhists. I was OK with that because I was raised as a Catholic myself, although I've never been a very good one.

Academically, both girls did very well; going on to CMU. The eldest got a masters degree in international law at Chulalongkorn and was subsequently recruited by a government ministry. She qualified as a C-6 official at the age of 29 and is now on a state scholarship at London University working on a second masters degree.

Montfort was part of my daughters' upbringing, but what I think was even more important is that my wife raised them in a traditional manner while preparing them for careers in the modern world.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[MESmith]

I'm pretty satisfied with the bilingual school my son has attended since k3, but being a new school, my concerns are with what happens if he stays there until graduation & "then what?"

After grade 9, they plan on English only, with the aim on getting students into English language university courses. Also, they are new, with limited or no connections with universities. From what I can learn on the internet, Montfort, & probably the other "established" schools have very large class sizes of 50 students, which is a big minus IMHO. Hoping for parents of kids there now to add their comments.

Also, I'd like to welcome comments from parents of children attending these new bilingual schools, regarding their thoughts on their children's future if staying with the newer schools.

[Rancid]

Years ago my daughter was at a bilingual school and then she changed to Regina to improve her Thai more as her English was considered OK. Her grades immediately sank dramatically, took her 2 years to build up to high levels again. Then she went back to Oz where she discovered her English wasn't nearly good enough, took 2 years to build that up to academic standard and then she went on to university there.

Our take was that the Bilingual school she was at succeeded in teaching nether Thai nor English very well. In fact my wife's son was also at that school and getting A in English even though he couldn't speak a word. It is also our opinion that they were grading the kids higher than they deserved. Not suggesting all do that but this one on Changklan sure did. My wife's son also went back to Oz, after 12 months was speaking English very fluently.

We would have transferred to Montfort as the best local option if hadn't gone back to Oz, however if placements are tight then the usual Thai system gets you in, heard from another parent. Going back home was worth the time, money and effort, all kids achieved their goals and they will have quality degrees useful in most countries.

[narkeddiver]

Talking to my wife this evening about Montfort and she's not sure that many western kids go there - it seems it's mainly for Thai kids

[Aussie69]

Academically, both girls did very well; going on to CMU. The eldest got a masters degree in international law at Chulalongkorn and was subsequently recruited by a government ministry. She qualified as a C-6 official at the age of 29 and is now on a state scholarship at London University working on a second masters degree.

Impressive

[MESmith]

Talking to my wife this evening about Montfort and she's not sure that many western kids go there - it seems it's mainly for Thai kids

By western kids, do you mean half Thai?

[MrBrad]

For 4 years I've sent a Thai boy to Dara Academy in town, next to McCormick Hospital. There are some 6,000 kids there, Grades 1-12 (P1-M6). The boy is studying in what's called the Native Speaker Program (NP) wherein foreign teachers conduct English classes 1 hour each day. The rest of the day is in Thai. (Incidentally, the kids get a half hour of Christian studies three days a week.) Class size in the NP has been 26 students for the 4 years I have been sending him there.

Tuition each term is in the area of 10,000 baht for students not in the NP Program--which is maybe ⅔ of the school; class size there is around 45-50 students, and English by a native speaker is only once a week, as I understand. An additional 10,000 baht is charged for the daily English hour with the native speaker, so we're looking at somewhere around 20,000 per term; it varies depending on the grade.

I don't know how this school ranks against other private schools, but Dara is in some ways working together with Prince Royals, Regina, and Montfort, so the standards may be close. There does seem to be an inordinate amount of time spent on putting on shows and fairs and the like, which, in my opinion, should not be more important than academics, as sometimes it seems to be.

All in all, Dara has a good reputation and has been a sought-out school for lots of families for years. Maybe it's worth looking into.

Here's Dara's NP Program website: http://score.dara.ac.th/np/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=197&Itemid=37

[CMHomeboy78]

Talking to my wife this evening about Montfort and she's not sure that many western kids go there - it seems it's mainly for Thai kids

By western kids, do you mean half Thai?

My 2 satangs worth...

On my first visit to Montfort/Sacred Heart in the late 1970s I noticed a few luk kreung students. Some years later when my own kids were going there, they were part of a small percentage of mixed-race students attending the school.

As the years went by the percentage increased somewhat, but never got out of the single-digits at any time that I can remember.

I can't recall ever seeing a 100% farang child at either school. That's not to say there has never been any - I've just never seen them.

Catholic educational institutions have traditionally been immensely popular among upwardly mobile East Asians; especially the overseas Chinese and Indians. That demographic is reflected at Montfort.

[narkeddiver]

Talking to my wife this evening about Montfort and she's not sure that many western kids go there - it seems it's mainly for Thai kids

By western kids, do you mean half Thai?

Sorry - yes half Thai was what I meant

[elektrified]

Talking to my wife this evening about Montfort and she's not sure that many western kids go there - it seems it's mainly for Thai kids

By western kids, do you mean half Thai?

Sorry - yes half Thai was what I meant

Years ago I was friendly with a German guy and his son went there. He was leuk kreung (1/2 Thai). The father's main complaint was that in the contract it stated that if the child's grades fell below a certain level the parents agreed to tutoring. In the event the parents didn't hire a tutor, the school assigned one and billed the parents. I had to agree that was absurd as it's the school's job to educate the students.

[15Peter20]

My daughter went to Montfort a few years ago. If they get decent grades when they leave they can get 50% or 100% off tuition fees at ABAC (Assumption University) in Bangkok as it is run by the same cabal of catholic priests. She previously went to Varee. Montfort certainly has a more academic focus, with healthy competition between students. And the friendships made between kids at a school like that can reap benefits later in life too.

[zeichen]

Montfort has 40-50 kids in a classroom. Only their EP has a suitable teacher student ratio. Finding a school with 20-30 kids per class will increase their academics.

Montfort's bilingual classes will waste some time. Their English won't improve and the time that is wasted having Phililpinos lecture in English will take away from their academic Thai.

All English Programs aren't very good if you want students to study at Thai universities. Even the so called international programs at them still require the Thai university entrance exam. Many students will not have the academic ability in Thai to do as well on that test.

Montfort is quite pricey though and its reputation isn't always deserved. But it is a good school overall and the children are usually from good families.

Varee still seems to be the choice for most expat/thai families. It is still a new school though and has a lot of work to establish itself against some of the other schools. It has great Facilities and a beautiful campus.

"Years ago I was friendly with a German guy and his son went there. He was leuk kreung (1/2 Thai). The father's main complaint was that in the contract it stated that if the child's grades fell below a certain level the parents agreed to tutoring. In the event the parents didn't hire a tutor, the school assigned one and billed the parents. I had to agree that was absurd as it's the school's job to educate the students."

This kid was also severely mentally handicapped and the father was an abusive person to the teaching staff. He would fail tests that would say "write your name here...

But yes it is common for the Thai teachers to tutor kids after school for a chunk of money. It isn't mandatory though, but that is how the thai teachers make their bank. Some of them make an extra 20-30k baht a month from those 2 hours extra a night. Not bad since their salary is under 10k a month.

[MESmith]

Thanks for the replies.

We paid a visit to Montfort, yesterday. We were informed classes are up to 55! Walking around the campus, we could look in to the ground floor classes & I just couldn't believe the sight of so many students in there!

It's a shame, as the school seems to have a good reputation, the campus & location are great, but that classroom size was a big turn off. His current class size is 28.

Looks like he'll be staying where he is for the time being.

We did enter him for the entrance exam & he passed. My wife spoke to other mothers whose kids entered & some failed, despite making "contributions" to the school in advance of the tests.

Any other options for Thai curriculum with lower class sizes?

[prism]

Thanks for the replies.

We paid a visit to Montfort, yesterday. We were informed classes are up to 55! Walking around the campus, we could look in to the ground floor classes & I just couldn't believe the sight of so many students in there!

It's a shame, as the school seems to have a good reputation, the campus & location are great, but that classroom size was a big turn off. His current class size is 28.

Looks like he'll be staying where he is for the time being.

We did enter him for the entrance exam & he passed. My wife spoke to other mothers whose kids entered & some failed, despite making "contributions" to the school in advance of the tests.

Any other options for Thai curriculum with lower class sizes?

The English program at Varee caps their class size at 35. There's a couple of classes that have 36 students though...TIT. The Thai program seems to have similar class sizes but I can't verify that they're capped at 35 students.

There's a wait list for the primary level English program and it might be the same situation for the Secondary level.

[Oscar2]

... Not bad since their salary is under 10k a month.

What a load of BS!

[zeichen]

"What a load of BS!"

What BS the fact that they get paid very low wages at Montfort or that 20-30k baht a month doing extra classes is pretty lucrative?

The foreign teachers at Montfort are paid only about 35k-40k baht a month max. So Thai teachers doing these tutor classes can really earn quite well.

How is this BS?

[bangmai]

Thanks for the replies.

We paid a visit to Montfort, yesterday. We were informed classes are up to 55! Walking around the campus, we could look in to the ground floor classes & I just couldn't believe the sight of so many students in there!

It's a shame, as the school seems to have a good reputation, the campus & location are great, but that classroom size was a big turn off. His current class size is 28.

Looks like he'll be staying where he is for the time being.

We did enter him for the entrance exam & he passed. My wife spoke to other mothers whose kids entered & some failed, despite making "contributions" to the school in advance of the tests.

Any other options for Thai curriculum with lower class sizes?

I would recommend the Demonstration School at CMU, or "Satit." Their O-Net scores are posted on a big sign in front of the school. I walk through the campus a few times per week, and it really strikes me as a well run show. There are even a few, who live in out condo..perhaps they are M6 or something. Very polite teenagers. I don't know anything about the politics of getting in. It's in a great location, on the campus of one of the top universities in Thailand; it must involve more than just registering. I also have a favorable impression of Yupparaj, and have been by it countless times. It, too, seems to be well run, with respectful students. It is much more bustling, and it is amazing how much activity there still is at 5 or 6 in the evening. Something tells me it is less prestigious than Satit, but might be a good alternative. I don't have the nitty gritty on either school, but they both would be far less than Mae Rim HiSo Academy, and could very well produce more productive citizens. I have a lot of respect for Lanna, too.

[anon467848]

A Thai friend, whose daughter passed the entrance exam for Satit was still expected to make a donation of 120,000 baht to the school. Another friend whose daughter failed the entrance exam, was still accepted, but had to make an even larger donation.

The attraction for the Thais, is that students graduating Satit are guaranteed entry into CMU...

My wife told me that some of the "teachers" at Satit are actually students at CMU..

[bangmai]

sounds believable, but quite a few go to uni in BKK. 120K? still puts you 500K or so ahead of HiSo Academy.....how much does it cost, after the donation? One would think that a "Demonstration" school at a major uni, would actually utilize student teachers. In fact, every top rated university I've ever seen, uses graduate students to teach the undergraduates.

[Dante99]

My wife told me that some of the "teachers" at Satit are actually students at CMU..\

CMU offers Masters Degree programs so such a student could well be a qualified teacher.

They even have students in Phd programs!

[Gentlemc]

I'm Thai , Normally, students who graduated from Montfort, Doctor, pilot, engineer are favorite careers for Mc students. Yupparat collage ,Judge, Soldier,Police , Lawyer, Governer are favorite careers for YRC .

[bangmai]

I'm Thai , Normally, students who graduated from Montfort, Doctor, pilot, engineer are favorite careers for Mc students. Yupparat collage ,Judge, Soldier,Police , Lawyer, Governer are favorite careers for YRC .

That's an interesting contribution. Civil Servants tend to breed more civil servants, and their pay puts limits on their opportunities, for most. Of course the truly exceptional can achieve whatever they desire, in both America and Thailand. Knowing some of both groups is practical. However, once a student is enrolled in Uni; where he went to "High School" soon becomes the distant, meaningless past, as far as academia is concerned. If there are clear tendencies for the MC students to go to certain unis, while the Yupparaj students go to others, than that is something to consider. I went to "free" public schools (government schools) in the US, and then a well respected public University (government university). Plenty of former private boarding school students from New England filled the seats around me....either one was prepared to learn; or not, and I've never met a Uni grad in the US that even mentions, where they attended secondary school on their resume, except for a reference to graduation year.

[cmsally]

I'm Thai , Normally, students who graduated from Montfort, Doctor, pilot, engineer are favorite careers for Mc students. Yupparat collage ,Judge, Soldier,Police , Lawyer, Governer are favorite careers for YRC .

That is because traditionally Montfort has placed more effort on the sciences than Yupparat or for example Prince Royal. Therefore more doctors, dentists, engineers, (don't know so many pilots).

[khunyod]

On 1/30/2016 at 6:09 PM, bangmai said:

That's an interesting contribution. Civil Servants tend to breed more civil servants, and their pay puts limits on their opportunities, for most. Of course the truly exceptional can achieve whatever they desire, in both America and Thailand. Knowing some of both groups is practical. However, once a student is enrolled in Uni; where he went to "High School" soon becomes the distant, meaningless past, as far as academia is concerned. If there are clear tendencies for the MC students to go to certain unis, while the Yupparaj students go to others, than that is something to consider. I went to "free" public schools (government schools) in the US, and then a well respected public University (government university). Plenty of former private boarding school students from New England filled the seats around me....either one was prepared to learn; or not, and I've never met a Uni grad in the US that even mentions, where they attended secondary school on their resume, except for a reference to graduation year.

While what you say is not wrong (about High School in the US Mainland), we are in a much more provincial part of the world, where high school makes a much bigger difference. Ask Thai people if where folks went to high school made a difference (both in terms of where they went to University and what kind of job/connections they made for their future.

[Puwa]

OP,  I respect your intention and effort to secure the best education for your child. My recommendation, based on personal experience, is that even the best international schools in Chiang Mai struggle  to match good, free public schools back home. I would encourage you, if it is any way feasible, to put him in school  in your home country, even if it means having to rearrange your life for a few years. Chiang Mai will still be here. I had my son at one of the top int'l schools here for several years, at about 230k per year, but finally pulled up stakes to send him to high school in the US. I am lucky to come from an area with excellent public schools (his is ranked about #650 in the nation). My Thai wife,an educator herself, was amazed that we could just stroll in, show proof of address, and enroll without muss or fuss, tuition or tea money. In some ways I took a financial hit, but the truth is we all sleep better at night. In truth, i regret not moving 2 years earlier. 

[rumak]

Having a bilingual child is great.  From my experience....the kids who went to HS with my daughter

at CMIS  ten years ago that are doing well are mostly doing so in English speaking countries ( US, Canada,

Switzerland) to name a few.  Among those is a thai kid that went to MIT !   

I often wish my daughter was nearby,  but i know that there is much less opportunity for fulfilling and well-paying jobs here.  My opinion is that being excellent in English (like a native) will provide the most opportunities for a determined child.  The thai schools will not meet that academic level (in english) even with a native English speaker at home.

The bilingual and bright children of one of my friends have yet to find a stable well paying job here in Thailand ( they also have college degrees from the States).  They did go to a thai school till tenth grade then finished up in Intl. school.