Daughter age 9 moving to thailand ...best way to learn Thai?

[Clive]

Good Morning.
My daughter is living with me in the uk but we both wish to live in Thailand as we lived there many years ago. I wish for my daughter to be a little more fluent in English but hope to move back in a year or so. As her Thai has all but forgotten now can anyone please offer advice on the best and quickest way for her to learn thai as she will need this for her future schooling and career?
Thank you

[MikeyIdea]

How old is your daughter? How fluent was she once and how old was she when she left Thailand? If she once was fluent, then it will come back with an astonishing speed. There are many stories of that, I have a personal one. I had a girl friend when I was a teenager who lived 3-4 years in Mexico as a young child going to a Spanish school. She was fluent but had forgotten everything 7-8 years later she said and took Spanish as a 3rd language class in school when she was 15. She was speaking good, fast (but not yet fluent) Spanish with her teacher after less than a year

 

What will she need? She will need Thai friends to get the spoken language back and a school environment for the written language. Bilingual for as long as it takes for her to speak fluently and write decently (doesn't have to be good in any way IMO) and if money is no problem, an international school after that

 

My daughter has lived in Thailand all her life, she has done 6 years in a bilingual school in Bangkok now, she speaks fluently but her written Thai is not that good actually. She can fit into both worlds now and I think it is enough, I'm sending her to international school for 7th grade. If I lose my job then she'll have to go back to a bilingual school...

[steve187]

A friend brought his 7 year old daughter to Thailand to live, her Thai was virtually none existent, within a short time at a local Thai school she was fluent within a short time.

[recycler]

For her education you would be a lot better of in the UK, unless you are prepared to pay astronomic term fees at International schools.

 

Thai education, even in bi-lingual or English program schools, is very bad and loaded with compulsory political, military and religious content that is considered more important than learning to read and write.

[Jeffkp]

When I was young, my family moved to Italy. English was not so widespread then. They enrolled us in an convent school. Within months we were almost fluent. We played with Italian kids and had to learn!I would recommend an area with lots of kids here own age. 

[BrainLife]

This is a nice website to learn TH-EN or EN-TH http://www.internetpolyglot.com/lessons-th-en

Just change the language selections

 

Also http://www.goethe-verlag.com/book2/EN/ENTH/ENTH002.HTM

http://www.goethe-verlag.com/book2/EN/

[bark]

On 18/9/2559 at 7:49 PM, steve187 said:

A friend brought his 7 year old daughter to Thailand to live, her Thai was virtually none existent, within a short time at a local Thai school she was fluent within a short time.

Yes, agreed. Kids will pick up any language very quickly.

[SteveSamui6262]

Good Morning,

Just my opinion, but I would not consider returning my own daughter to Thailand for the purpose of learning Thai.  What good on Earth will being able to speak and write Thai ever do for her future success?  Living in a western civilization will offer her cutting edge education and professional opportunities.  

 

Thailand simply offers a generally lazy culture of intellects which are quite low.  In comparison, the more time spent in Thailand, the less change to gain true western success.  Again, just my opinion.

 

The very best of luck to you and your daughter.

[1FinickyOne]

There is an American boy at my niece's school - he came here about age 7 and had nearly no Thai - but just from going to school, now a year or more later, he seems to have entirely integrated. I think the only outside help he had was his mom teaching him the alphabet at home... kids adapt easily... good luck. 

[cardinalblue]

Stick her in international school so she has the option to go to a top ranked universality after her senior year. She can take weekend language classes...

 

Unless you have connections here or independently wealthy....

 

This country does not function on merit.

Edited September 20, 2016 by cardinalblue

[csabo]

Definitely check out  its4thai.com.  The apps are awesome. Try a subscription to feel it out but is she's serious the all inclusive package is well worth it.  Helped me immensely.

[khunPer]

I would think a young kid easily adapt a new foreign language.
I have a – now 11 years old – half-Thai daughter here. We use an English-program (EP) school, which I found extremely good; however there seem to be huge difference in the quality of various EP schools, perhaps also depending of tuition fee. If you can afford any kind of EP school, I would think that is an excellent way, as the other kids will speak both English and Thai, and make it a lot easier for you 9-year old daughter to adapt Thai language; and as some fifty percent of the classes are in Thai language only, she cannot rely on her English skills only.

[Acharn]

3 hours ago, cardinalblue said:

Stick her in international school so she has the option to go to a top ranked universality after her senior year. She can take weekend language classes...

 

Unless you have connections here or independently wealthy....

 

This country does not function on merit.

Most of the kids at an international school speak Thai outside the classroom anyway. Question I would ask is, does she make friends easily? Has she moved much before? 9 years old should pick up the language quite easily, it's hardwired into the brain. We start losing the ability about age 14 or 15, which is why it's a terrible idea to wait until college to learn a foreign language. How long have you been living in England? Speaking a language is like riding a bicycle, you never really forget it. If she used to speak Thai she'll pick it back up almost immediately.

[Johpa]

Hopefully she has cousins or neighbors close in age who can befriend her.  At age 9, and with some previous Thai language exposure, she will pick it up quickly.  No need for formal schooling in Thai language.  You might stick her in a Thai school for maybe half a year, but at some point she will need to go to an international school or one of the better private Thai schools.

 

Both my kids picked up Thai from playing with their cousins at that age during extended 2-3 month visits.  But my son picked up the local vernacular and speaks mostly Northern Thai, and in the manner of a rice farmer.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Johpa

[Enoon]

I am astonished that anyone would consider removing a child from a 1st world education system to place them at any establishment in Thailand.

 

Does she like learning how to kneel obediently, do everything "in honour", and having crockery thrown at her head?

 

If you want her to become fluent in a language of marginal utility how about her learning Welsh?  She could do that in the UK.  I've heard that Hereford, Worcester or Shrewsbury are very nice, and convenient for language practice trips to Wales.

 

As for those who wish you good luck in your folly,  you don't need it.  Just plenty of money to bribe her to the top of the class.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Enoon

[Dexlowe]

Please tell us you're not planning on enrolling her in the Thai education system. Please tell us you want to put her into an international school.

 

If you are going to put her into the Thai system, then you need your head examined. She won't come out of it very well at all - from being in an education system in the UK that cherishes open minds, she will have to adapt to one that cherishes closed minds. It will destroy her. In the end it won't matter whether she speaks good or bad Thai. 

[Colabamumbai]

She can start right now, free lessons on many websites. Thai is not an international language and outside of Thailand it is pretty useless.

[gemguy]

Just put her in a regular Thai school and she will learn fast enough as she will more or less be forced to learn while she will be the somewhat special kid that can speak English and all the other children will learn "some" English while the teacher will more than likely appreciate your daughters ability to help the other children learn some English........

She could charge for English lessons...lol...20 baht per child for 30 minute sessions....lol...and learn about being an entrepreneur.

Cheers 

[Macthehat]

I have an 8 yr old thai stepson he has been attending a small local school in Thailand from and early age . Yesterday his mother noticed red marks across his backside and asked where he got them , he in formed her the teacher had used a bamboo cane on him and his classmates for not cleaning the classroom to his satisfaction.  I was appalled and asked my GF what she planned to do about this . Her reply was more or less "what can I do " and went on about her business, not happy but nonetheless feeling helpless . This seems to be the norm in most schools in this area and no other parents have complained to the school . I personally wanted to go take the cane to the teacher in front of the class and teach him a lesson in respect but we all know the outcome for a farrang . 

We now plan to move the child to a new school next term . Choose your school wisely !

[MikeyIdea]

18 hours ago, recycler said:

For her education you would be a lot better of in the UK, unless you are prepared to pay astronomic term fees at International schools.

 

Thai education, even in bi-lingual or English program schools, is very bad and loaded with compulsory political, military and religious content that is considered more important than learning to read and write.

 

I don't think you have read the Thai curriculum but you still post as if you had... It is readily available on the internet in Thai. I doubt you can read it considering how little you know about it if one is to go from the content of your post above

 

Military and political content? There is nothing about military and political content in the Thai curriculum and it is not taught in Thai schools either. There is however a whole lot about Thai culture, Thai tradition, Thai social values, Thai history and it is even compulsory to know how the Thai electoral system is built up. In short, everything that Thai values find important

 

And the above is not more important than learning to read and write, you got that wrong too. It is however more important to learn all the above than it is to be able to use it

 

Educated Thai's talk about the failure of the Thai educational system and it is of course true and Thai schools are generally bad at preparing children for life. Funnily enough, you missed all the reasons why

 

Edited September 21, 2016 by MikeyIdea

[BKKdreaming]

you seem to think that throwing this young girl  into a Thai school will teach her instantly ,

 

what about the months she just sits there and does not understand 90% of whats happening ,

 

If you are taking her to Thailand  for years , put her in an International school and let her learn Thai after school or in the outside world ,

 

it is going to be tough on her anyway moving , why make it harder on her , plus the international school will give her a better future in both Thailand and back in the UK

 

I know , easy to say , as I am not paying for it , and  do not know the full story...... 

 

Good luck on whatever you decide.....

[4MyEgo]

We moved here in November, my daughter was 6 at the time, 7 tomorrow.

 

About a year before moving here we would take her to a Thai community school to learn Thai on Saturdays, then she had 2 months of once a week tutoring, but when she started school, which is a semi-private Catholic school, it took about 2 months for her to get to full speed, she has now attended school since March (6 months) and she is doing really well, and gets to excel in her English class as she has one up on the kids having spoken English back in Australia.

 

Of the 30 kids in her class, she is number 10, so I cannot complain.