The best English Program School in Pattaya (Chonburi) ?

[noopin2014]

Hi there,

I'm looking for a good english program school for my kids (5 and 12 years old). Can your share your recent experience ? We plan to move to Na-Jomtien. Which one is the best for you : Maryvit, REPS Rayong, Burapa BEST, Satit, Srisuvit ?


Thanks !

[NanLaew]

Our choice was BEST Burapha. Good location for you if Jomtien is the new home.

[questionsreplies]

there is no best, sooner or later they all have some stupid teachers

[NanLaew]

The good teachers tend to work where the good money is. As soon as a school owner realizes the students AND teachers are checking out, they go on a hiring binge with better money and the teachers go where the money is.

 

AFAIK, right now BEST Burapha is checking that box.

[BruceMangosteen]

Rayong is too far a commute. Don't believe those who tell you otherwise. 

[Harryj09]

My son goes to sawang boriboon school.     C.E.P Chinese English program I'm really happy with the school.

[noopin2014]

18 hours ago, Harryj09 said:

My son goes to sawang boriboon school.     C.E.P Chinese English program I'm really happy with the school.

 

 

Thanks for your answer. i have never heard about this school. How old is your son ? How many kids per class and much do you pay per term please ?

[Harryj09]

My son has just turned 7.There is about 25 children in his class.I paid about 27000 baht for schools fees and about 5000 baht for books.There was no entrance fee either.

[noopin2014]

That's interesting Harry, thanks for these informations

[Berty100]

On 8/13/2016 at 0:43 PM, BruceMangosteen said:

Rayong is too far a commute. Don't believe those who tell you otherwise. 

Reps is not in Rayong, it's Banchang, and in my opinion the best one from the list in the OP.

 

 

[NanLaew]

6 hours ago, Berty100 said:

Reps is not in Rayong, it's Banchang, and in my opinion the best one from the list in the OP.

 

 

 

REPS is Rayong English Program School and they do have a good reputation. However, being near Ban Chang in Rayong Province and not in Rayong town itself still means a fair commute for the doting Pattaya parent or even worse, trusting their kids to school minibuses and a pretty long school day.

[Berty100]

4 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

REPS is Rayong English Program School and they do have a good reputation. However, being near Ban Chang in Rayong Province and not in Rayong town itself still means a fair commute for the doting Pattaya parent or even worse, trusting their kids to school minibuses and a pretty long school day.

 

My son has been to Reps for 3 years, the schoolbus picked him up at 7am. Currently he goes to Aksorn at Soi Korpai, and the schoolbus picks him up at 7am.

[luudee]

 

My kids go to Regents. In my opinion, it is the best school in this area. Disgustingly

expensive, but well worth it.

 

I am confident they will be able to attend a University in Europe straight after Regents IB.

 

luudee

[NanLaew]

23 hours ago, Berty100 said:

 

My son has been to Reps for 3 years, the schoolbus picked him up at 7am. Currently he goes to Aksorn at Soi Korpai, and the schoolbus picks him up at 7am.

 

Needs the perspective of when class starts to really mean anything. Otherwise we can only assume the REPS drivers are dangerously fast (probably a given) or the Aksorn drivers are woefully slow (easy enough with the tunnel workings and buses).

 

Reality is we leave home in Nongplalai around 7:55 and son is at BEST Burapha 15-20 minutes before his 8:30 start of class. We are only about 8 or 9 km from the school as the crow drives.

[Berty100]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

 

Needs the perspective of when class starts to really mean anything. Otherwise we can only assume the REPS drivers are dangerously fast (probably a given) or the Aksorn drivers are woefully slow (easy enough with the tunnel workings and buses).

 

Reality is we leave home in Nongplalai around 7:55 and son is at BEST Burapha 15-20 minutes before his 8:30 start of class. We are only about 8 or 9 km from the school as the crow drives.

 

 

If you leave at 7.55 and arrive 15 - 20 minutes before 8.30, then you drive about 15 minutes , not sure what your point is there.

It all depends where you are. I know at that time Reps had 3 buses to Pattaya, and since I lived in Khao Talo at that time he was one of the last to be picked up. As the OP lives in Na Jomtien, his boy would be the very last to be picked up. From Na Jomtien to REPS should not take more than 30 minutes at a safe speed.

[Thailaw]

It is amazing -- the OP asks about good "English Program" schools, and he gets a recommendation (if that is what the post above was) for Regents School, probably 3+ times more expensive than the most expensive Thai school offering an English Program. I'm "guessing" it is out of his budget . And whether it is the "best school" in the area is highly debatable. Generally, that standing is given to St. Andrew's in Rayong. And there are others that are certainly as good if not better than Regents, and they don't come with some of the negative social aspects for which Regents is heavily criticized -- the "for profit" motive can be very destructive in education when taken to the extreme ("Disgustingly expensive"). My children go to an international school in the area, and I am not happy with it and I certainly would not recommend it, but I would under no condition consider Regents as an alternative (nor would I for 1 second consider a Thai school with English Program, not even if they were free). Other parents at my children's school have expressed the same sentiment, and not because of the tuition at Regents. Education for a western parent(s) in the greater Pattaya area does not offer any good choices/options, and is at best disappointing/frustrating. And parents that think otherwise, are kidding (deluding) themselves or really don't care much about the education that their children get.

 

But to the OP's point -- Maryvit does not offer an "English Program". It has, in the past, been regarded as the best Thai private school in Pattaya, but it now showing some serious problems due to its growth and its inability to properly handle the student population. REPS is probably the best English Program Thai school in the area, but as noted (correctly) it is just too far from Pattaya to send young children. I would not expose/impose a 2 hour each day commute (probably longer in the school's van) on my young children. Of the Thai private schools that offer English Programs in the close to Pattaya area, the "best" (not "good", the "best" of a sorry lot) are Phoenix, Satit and BEST, in that order. But the differences are minimal and the quality of the education may vary considerably over relatively short periods of time, and will depend greatly on the "luck of the draw" -- i.e., which teacher your child gets. They all rely heavily on filipinos to teach English, which is IMO unacceptable. BEST in the recent past got absolutely horrible reviews, but it may have greatly improved in the last year or 2. The head teacher at my kids' kindergarten (whose opinion on area schools I regard highly) strongly recommended Phoenix and recommended against Satit and BEST, even for a short time (3 months) until the new school year at their international school started. We chose, instead, to start her at the 3rd term of the international school and not wait for the new school year, which was the correct choice I think. The OP should visit all 3 (and perhaps others), sit in and observe a class for an hour at each school and make a decision based on his/their observations. If the OP can stretch his budget, he should consider Mooltripakdee (MIS), which looked to us to offer good English education and also be "affordable". Good luck; unfortunately, you will need good luck and more.

[luudee]

1 hour ago, Thailaw said:

It is amazing -- the OP asks about good "English Program" schools, and he gets a recommendation (if that is what the post above was) for Regents School, probably 3+ times more expensive than the most expensive Thai school offering an English Program. I'm "guessing" it is out of his budget . And whether it is the "best school" in the area is highly debatable. Generally, that standing is given to St. Andrew's in Rayong. And there are others that are certainly as good if not better than Regents, and they don't come with some of the negative social aspects for which Regents is heavily criticized -- the "for profit" motive can be very destructive in education when taken to the extreme ("Disgustingly expensive"). My children go to an international school in the area, and I am not happy with it and I certainly would not recommend it, but I would under no condition consider Regents as an alternative (nor would I for 1 second consider a Thai school with English Program, not even if they were free). Other parents at my children's school have expressed the same sentiment, and not because of the tuition at Regents. Education for a western parent(s) in the greater Pattaya area does not offer any good choices/options, and is at best disappointing/frustrating. And parents that think otherwise, are kidding (deluding) themselves or really don't care much about the education that their children get.

...

 

 

 

 

I wouldn't consider Rayong being in this area ...

 

You criticize me for recommending Regens, and at the same time you say "Pattaya area

does not offer any good choices/options". You are sending your own kids to a school that

you say  "I am not happy with it and I certainly would not recommend it". Well, I am very

happy with Regents and can and do recommend it. The program and activities are as close

as you can get to a western school in this area.

 

Regents has an international IB program, and my kids will be accepted at any university in

Europe after they finish Regents. Please name any other school in the "Pattaya/Jiom Thien"

area that offer that. It might not be the perfect school, but it's my best options here right now.

 

And yes, as I said, it is disgustingly expensive ... but well worth it in my opinion.

 

luudee

 

 

 

[noopin2014]

1 hour ago, Thailaw said:

It is amazing -- the OP asks about good "English Program" schools, and he gets a recommendation (if that is what the post above was) for Regents School, probably 3+ times more expensive than the most expensive Thai school offering an English Program. I'm "guessing" it is out of his budget . And whether it is the "best school" in the area is highly debatable. Generally, that standing is given to St. Andrew's in Rayong. And there are others that are certainly as good if not better than Regents, and they don't come with some of the negative social aspects for which Regents is heavily criticized -- the "for profit" motive can be very destructive in education when taken to the extreme ("Disgustingly expensive"). My children go to an international school in the area, and I am not happy with it and I certainly would not recommend it, but I would under no condition consider Regents as an alternative (nor would I for 1 second consider a Thai school with English Program, not even if they were free). Other parents at my children's school have expressed the same sentiment, and not because of the tuition at Regents. Education for a western parent(s) in the greater Pattaya area does not offer any good choices/options, and is at best disappointing/frustrating. And parents that think otherwise, are kidding (deluding) themselves or really don't care much about the education that their children get.

 

But to the OP's point -- Maryvit does not offer an "English Program". It has, in the past, been regarded as the best Thai private school in Pattaya, but it now showing some serious problems due to its growth and its inability to properly handle the student population. REPS is probably the best English Program Thai school in the area, but as noted (correctly) it is just too far from Pattaya to send young children. I would not expose/impose a 2 hour each day commute (probably longer in the school's van) on my young children. Of the Thai private schools that offer English Programs in the close to Pattaya area, the "best" (not "good", the "best" of a sorry lot) are Phoenix, Satit and BEST, in that order. But the differences are minimal and the quality of the education may vary considerably over relatively short periods of time, and will depend greatly on the "luck of the draw" -- i.e., which teacher your child gets. They all rely heavily on filipinos to teach English, which is IMO unacceptable. BEST in the recent past got absolutely horrible reviews, but it may have greatly improved in the last year or 2. The head teacher at my kids' kindergarten (whose opinion on area schools I regard highly) strongly recommended Phoenix and recommended against Satit and BEST, even for a short time (3 months) until the new school year at their international school started. We chose, instead, to start her at the 3rd term of the international school and not wait for the new school year, which was the correct choice I think. The OP should visit all 3 (and perhaps others), sit in and observe a class for an hour at each school and make a decision based on his/their observations. If the OP can stretch his budget, he should consider Mooltripakdee (MIS), which looked to us to offer good English education and also be "affordable". Good luck; unfortunately, you will need good luck and more.

 

great post thanks a lot

[NanLaew]

3 hours ago, Berty100 said:

 

 

If you leave at 7.55 and arrive 15 - 20 minutes before 8.30, then you drive about 15 minutes , not sure what your point is there.

It all depends where you are. I know at that time Reps had 3 buses to Pattaya, and since I lived in Khao Talo at that time he was one of the last to be picked up. As the OP lives in Na Jomtien, his boy would be the very last to be picked up. From Na Jomtien to REPS should not take more than 30 minutes at a safe speed.

 

Yes, I have a 15 minute drive to my son's school. Your suggestion that if I drive "at a safe speed" for only a further 20 minutes or so, I will miraculously find myself south of Ban Chang?

 

BTW, what time did your boy get home from REPS?

[Seizetheday]

2 hours ago, Thailaw said:

It is amazing -- the OP asks about good "English Program" schools, and he gets a recommendation (if that is what the post above was) for Regents School, probably 3+ times more expensive than the most expensive Thai school offering an English Program. I'm "guessing" it is out of his budget . And whether it is the "best school" in the area is highly debatable. Generally, that standing is given to St. Andrew's in Rayong. And there are others that are certainly as good if not better than Regents, and they don't come with some of the negative social aspects for which Regents is heavily criticized -- the "for profit" motive can be very destructive in education when taken to the extreme ("Disgustingly expensive"). My children go to an international school in the area, and I am not happy with it and I certainly would not recommend it, but I would under no condition consider Regents as an alternative (nor would I for 1 second consider a Thai school with English Program, not even if they were free). Other parents at my children's school have expressed the same sentiment, and not because of the tuition at Regents. Education for a western parent(s) in the greater Pattaya area does not offer any good choices/options, and is at best disappointing/frustrating. And parents that think otherwise, are kidding (deluding) themselves or really don't care much about the education that their children get.

 

But to the OP's point -- Maryvit does not offer an "English Program". It has, in the past, been regarded as the best Thai private school in Pattaya, but it now showing some serious problems due to its growth and its inability to properly handle the student population. REPS is probably the best English Program Thai school in the area, but as noted (correctly) it is just too far from Pattaya to send young children. I would not expose/impose a 2 hour each day commute (probably longer in the school's van) on my young children. Of the Thai private schools that offer English Programs in the close to Pattaya area, the "best" (not "good", the "best" of a sorry lot) are Phoenix, Satit and BEST, in that order. But the differences are minimal and the quality of the education may vary considerably over relatively short periods of time, and will depend greatly on the "luck of the draw" -- i.e., which teacher your child gets. They all rely heavily on filipinos to teach English, which is IMO unacceptable. BEST in the recent past got absolutely horrible reviews, but it may have greatly improved in the last year or 2. The head teacher at my kids' kindergarten (whose opinion on area schools I regard highly) strongly recommended Phoenix and recommended against Satit and BEST, even for a short time (3 months) until the new school year at their international school started. We chose, instead, to start her at the 3rd term of the international school and not wait for the new school year, which was the correct choice I think. The OP should visit all 3 (and perhaps others), sit in and observe a class for an hour at each school and make a decision based on his/their observations. If the OP can stretch his budget, he should consider Mooltripakdee (MIS), which looked to us to offer good English education and also be "affordable". Good luck; unfortunately, you will need good luck and more.

I thought the OP was asking for the school with the best English program. Without doubt Regents is regarded as the premier school on the Eastern Seaboard. You are just kidding yourself if you think otherwise.

Is it worth the outrageous fees, that's a different argument. As a parent of a child who goes there, I think it is.

[NanLaew]

3 hours ago, Thailaw said:

It is amazing -- the OP asks about good "English Program" schools, and he gets a recommendation (if that is what the post above was) for Regents School, probably 3+ times more expensive than the most expensive Thai school offering an English Program. I'm "guessing" it is out of his budget . And whether it is the "best school" in the area is highly debatable. Generally, that standing is given to St. Andrew's in Rayong. And there are others that are certainly as good if not better than Regents, and they don't come with some of the negative social aspects for which Regents is heavily criticized -- the "for profit" motive can be very destructive in education when taken to the extreme ("Disgustingly expensive"). My children go to an international school in the area, and I am not happy with it and I certainly would not recommend it, but I would under no condition consider Regents as an alternative (nor would I for 1 second consider a Thai school with English Program, not even if they were free). Other parents at my children's school have expressed the same sentiment, and not because of the tuition at Regents. Education for a western parent(s) in the greater Pattaya area does not offer any good choices/options, and is at best disappointing/frustrating. And parents that think otherwise, are kidding (deluding) themselves or really don't care much about the education that their children get.

 

But to the OP's point -- Maryvit does not offer an "English Program". It has, in the past, been regarded as the best Thai private school in Pattaya, but it now showing some serious problems due to its growth and its inability to properly handle the student population. REPS is probably the best English Program Thai school in the area, but as noted (correctly) it is just too far from Pattaya to send young children. I would not expose/impose a 2 hour each day commute (probably longer in the school's van) on my young children. Of the Thai private schools that offer English Programs in the close to Pattaya area, the "best" (not "good", the "best" of a sorry lot) are Phoenix, Satit and BEST, in that order. But the differences are minimal and the quality of the education may vary considerably over relatively short periods of time, and will depend greatly on the "luck of the draw" -- i.e., which teacher your child gets. They all rely heavily on filipinos to teach English, which is IMO unacceptable. BEST in the recent past got absolutely horrible reviews, but it may have greatly improved in the last year or 2. The head teacher at my kids' kindergarten (whose opinion on area schools I regard highly) strongly recommended Phoenix and recommended against Satit and BEST, even for a short time (3 months) until the new school year at their international school started. We chose, instead, to start her at the 3rd term of the international school and not wait for the new school year, which was the correct choice I think. The OP should visit all 3 (and perhaps others), sit in and observe a class for an hour at each school and make a decision based on his/their observations. If the OP can stretch his budget, he should consider Mooltripakdee (MIS), which looked to us to offer good English education and also be "affordable". Good luck; unfortunately, you will need good luck and more.

 

Apart from (possibly) Regents, all schools mentioned employ Filipinos. BEST has upped their game in the past couple of years and after research by a good friend who had his daughter previously schooled at both MIS and Phoenix, he reckoned BEST was the best for her as she grew older. My son started at MIS  a few years back and sort of muddled along but after I was told by his 26-ish, English born, bred and speaking teacher that my son was an "underachiever" and probably had a learning disability, I started to pay a lot more attention. How can a 6 year-old be labeled as an underachiever? After only 3 terms? It's part of a primary teacher's remit to find out what brings out the best or what gets their attention. They are still just kids after all. Labeling any child so early indicated to me that the teacher lacked real, primary school teaching experience and probably had zero-to-none in the UK. Subsequently we moved him to BEST and he has flourished, gained a lot more confidence and ability. The grades are average and nothing to write home about but he recently described his time at MIS as lonely and he wasn't happy but he really likes BEST and really hopes we don't have to relocate. As long as the teachers are doing a good job, he won't be.

 

Now admittedly the relationship between value and quality in formal education in Thailand is hard to define and as pointed out, the stuff of another argument. The fact that it is just an argument and not a fact says a lot for it. No, that relationship is totally non-existent. Paying over the odds for an overrated educational experience is fine for those that possibly have innately talented progeny, believe the marketing hype or have the school fees picked up as part of an employers relocation package. Knock yourselves out. Paying the optimum amount for the best possible but fundamentally sub-standard education is just about the best one can aim for in Thailand. It's a personal call and no two parent's OR children's experience will be the same, even at the same school. It's a fairly dynamic business as well and being for-profit, due diligence is mandatory, not just for the initial selection but for the learning path onward. If further education in another country is part of the grand plan, then maybe there's value in paying over the odds for the 'top flight'. Anyway, define what your plans are and then meet the teachers and discuss educational futures with them. Don't listen to the Principal's or Owner's opinions and advice... OK, listen but take them onboard at the same time as a huge pinch of salt. It's a business they are running and of course they want your money.

 

As Thailaw recommends, visit all venues and if you can't sit-in any class, at least get to visit, stick you head round the door and count the heads. There's an expensive provincial school in Isaan where the moneyed (and not so moneyed) locals all want their kids to be accepted; big 'face' having your sprog going there. Our lad was declined but I didn't feel too bad as the smallest class I saw had 38 kids in it... and no assistant teacher!

 

Good luck to the OP.

[onemorechang]

I suspect most foreign teachers in Thailand were not teachers before

it's just what they do now,   just to stay in Thailand.

 

 

[Berty100]

2 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

Yes, I have a 15 minute drive to my son's school. Your suggestion that if I drive "at a safe speed" for only a further 20 minutes or so, I will miraculously find myself south of Ban Chang?

 

BTW, what time did your boy get home from REPS?

 

No I didn't make ANY suggestion about how long it would take you to get in Banchang from Best school. Maybe you could take some reading classes while you are at Best school, but I think the real issue is that, as in every thread you get involved, you're looking for an argument because someone doesn't agree with YOUR opinion.

 

What I said in my previous post was that from NAJOMTIEN it should take not more than 30 minutes to get to Reps Banchang at a safe speed.

 

Is Best school in Najomtien?

 

I also said that my son got picked up at 7am at Soi Khao Talo, because he was the last one to pick up, and it seems that it was plenty of time to get to the school at a safe speed.

 

The school bus left the school at 4pm, and I picked him up at Tesco South Pattaya before 5pm, as that was again the first stop for the bus he was on and they dropped of a few students at that location.

 

I hope that satisfies your hunger for an argument.

 

Now about your best of the best school Best Burapha.

 

The other day I had a word with one of the senior foreign teachers at my son's current school, Aksorn Soi Korpai.

 

The teacher told me that in his class they had some new students who had come over from Best Burapha, and it was a disaster as they couldn't control them, because at Best Burapha it seems there is no discipline or rules.

 

So my advise to the OP.

 

Best Burapha would in my opinion be the last school you are looking for.

 

 

Edited August 16, 2016 by Berty100

[pmugghc]

Take a look at St Andrews, probably around 30min from Na Jomtien (drive by the Phoenix Golf road, then south on 331 for about 500m, then turn left. We were a gang of about 10 families that left Montessori for St Andrews about 6 years ago. We like the school, but it's expensive, a bit less than Regents I think.

 

I don't think anyone has mentioned Tara in Eastern Pattaya, maybe worth to check it out. An important thing to check out: Schools like Regent and St Andrews use a calendar similar to the the British system, i.e. 3 terms with a long summer break. I think Garden International in Ban Chang too. Most others use the Thai system with 2 terms. So if summer trips to Europe or the US are important to you that's a consideration.

[luudee]

4 hours ago, onemorechang said:

I suspect most foreign teachers in Thailand were not teachers before

it's just what they do now,   just to stay in Thailand.

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps this is the case for the so called "English Language Schools". All

teachers at Regents (now part of the Nord Anglia group) are fully accredited

techers.

 

luudee

[luudee]

4 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

Apart from (possibly) Regents, all schools mentioned employ Filipinos. BEST has upped 

.....

1

 

 

I can confirm that in the 10 years my kids have been going to Regents I have

never seen a lead teacher to be anything else than British or Australian. Teacher

Assistants (in the primary) are typically Thais, wich very good English. I found

that very helpful when the kids were very young, even though they were raised

bi-lingual since birth.

 

luudee

[speedybuffalo]

On 8/14/2016 at 8:41 PM, noopin2014 said:

 

 

Thanks for your answer. i have never heard about this school. How old is your son ? How many kids per class and much do you pay per term please ?

Our son (6) just walked out of this school .... 5555. After a discussion with the principle I believe he was right. Active participation by students is not only stressing their didactic and personal abilities but regarded as medical pathology requiring pharmaceutical intervention. Completely wired and far off from any child centered education.

To be fair I have to add, that the school's content and their program looks impressive and our son did pick up a lot more than we expected. But his behavioral qualities took a dip ...

[i claudius]

Our son went to Assumption in Sri Racha very good English prog lovely grounds. He did very well there plus they pick up and return children

We at first thought of Regents but to be honest friends sent their son there and were not impresed also far to expensive for what you get education wise

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

 

[NanLaew]

On 9/7/2017 at 1:12 PM, speedybuffalo said:

Our son (6) just walked out of this school .... 5555. After a discussion with the principle I believe he was right. Active participation by students is not only stressing their didactic and personal abilities but regarded as medical pathology requiring pharmaceutical intervention. Completely wired and far off from any child centered education.

To be fair I have to add, that the school's content and their program looks impressive and our son did pick up a lot more than we expected. But his behavioral qualities took a dip ...

FWIW. the school in question has taken some serious hits these past 12 months and not all related to a rather poor roll-out of a new but parallel, higher-level, 'International Program' with a rather nebulous calendar. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the very competent teachers they had 2 years ago are no longer there.

 

For some it's back on the roundabout again!

[MoD1977]

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