back in uk now

[callaway]

On ‎10‎/‎5‎/‎2016 at 9:21 PM, georgemandm said:

Yes your house can be in your name but not the land can it and if you are married the  lease you have is not worth shit on the land look it up no it all .

i am rich and smart to to put all my money in to a 3 Rd world country like you .

George I certainly hope you are not an Aussie. You are embarrassing. You are a blowhard probably with the seat out of your pants. People with money do not come onto TVF and blow their own horn. Go to the bank, withdraw some of your pension money and go back to your bar stool. Stop being a miserable old sod and giving Aussies a bad name.

[nontabury]

7 hours ago, maprao said:

Alzack you said in point 2 that because of your income and son you qualify for housing benefit. I thought when taking our wives back permanently we were not allowed any recourse to public funds???

Interested as I looked at the same for the same reasons with a reasonable job and decided against it.

 

 

  True,you cannot receive any state benifits for your wife,that is why you are made to prove earnings to cover her living expenses. However for the OP and his son,that is something entilly different. He may be able to claim housing benifits, child allowance, local council tax,free school meals. Child tax benifits. If he is an OAP he may in addition obtain a yearly upgrade in his state pension,cold weather allowance,free bus pass.There are probably many other state benifits,if he really needs to know his best advice would be to ask one of the many non British people in the UK who will be obtaining some of the benifits available.

[mike324]

 

6 hours ago, bojo said:

The following is a generalisation and obviously doesn’t apply to all, and with many other factors involved.  However IMO…………..

 

Nearly all children in a Thai government school; unless parents are wealthy; their future is going to be challenging

 

Most children in International schools in Thailand have good chances of gaining entry to a Western Uni. (Those wanting to go to one of the top Thai Unis need to have perfect Thai language skills and also have studied somewhat at a Thai secondary school for syllabus requirements; so I have been lead to believe.) Please correct me if I have misunderstood.

 

Nearly all children in poor British secondary education and without wealthy parents have not much hope at all

 

Any child in a decent British secondary education or fee paying school followed by Uni, has a very good chance of a successful future.

 

It is also my opinion that most of the Thais that one meets throughout the Kingdom who say they have a degree, have mastered the same level of education as a 13 year old in the UK who attends a decent school. I jest not.

 

Personally, I can see why the OP has returned to the UK

 

I did, and even after spending loads for many years on international schooling in Thailand, things are at a whole different level here if you move into a decent school’s catchment area or have the cash for going private. But Jesus, I miss my old lifestyle………..

 

Regards

 

 

Having attend international school here myself, this is my opinion based on schools in Bangkok. A top and decent school international school doesn't make much of a difference in regards to their future. If your child is smart, then naturally they will be able to get in a good college and plot out their own career paths. You do not need to have perfect Thai language skills to get in Thai Unis, my friends who have low gpas below 3 who can't get into western schools end up in Chula, Thammasart, Mahidol, the thing is that they apply for the international college department where entry is nothing like it for locals students who apply and need to pass high standards.

 

A small international school can be good, but it depends mostly on the teachers. Schools with huge Thai population naturally won't be as good for your children, their thinking process will be totally different. 

 

Private Thai schools with english programs can be good, but its mostly about the connections your children will have when they grow up which is beneficial.

Goes without saying that local education is lacking, I have friends who are average students who transfer to international school during middle and high schools, they can't keep up with the international school curriculum and course work because they were so far back when they attended local schools before transferring.

 

My parents never finished high school due being poor back then, so I think a parents backing is also very important with regards to a child's development. I notice majority of the friends whose parents are highly educated (college / master degree), they were able to excel quickly at school, their critical thinking and abilities was way above mine. Don't know if its because of genes too! 

 

Needless to say local thai school and uni is very lacking unless your children is top of their class and gets into top 3 unis. Most local students are not prepare for the world today as their education is not keeping pace with the changing world. The average uni student is at the same level of middle school students in a developed country such as Japan, Korea, Germany , etc.

 

For those that don't place importance on their children's education, your child will be falling further behind as the society is progressing faster and faster. If you are happy with them living on the farm and living a simple life, then its your choice, but when they see the world, they may think very differently.

 

This is just my opinion, there are of course exceptions and variations.

 

 

Edited October 12, 2016 by mike324

[MaxiMaxi]

On Wednesday, October 05, 2016 at 2:27 PM, alzack said:

this  fis the place, B ten renting out now for 4 years,  we had to buy another house closer to an international school. so for the most part only lived there weekends.

life was never dull in the land of smiles interesting 

here we are

 

all the best

Interestiing to read your story cause could happen to all of us And can help To plan or understand better the future, being still 59 y old.

I am not dealing with the pound but with the €uro having the same problems of devaluation.

I know that living abroad Is a negative thing at the eyes of those that govern us and better not to say It officialy or ask to send pension abroad cause the original amount will be reduced Drasticaly.

I Immagine that burocracy has become very buro-crazy In Europe and your words confirm It once more, I go back at least once a year to keep all things updated otherwise could be a big problem after.

Our tax sistem give them the right to check 5 years back and If they find something wrong or like to recheck some docts the can call you and must answer within 30 days or an entire chain of consequences will start and will hassel your life for years.

I've learned that we can't detouch completely from our homeland, politicians have done rules to avoid our escape, you left much before so now facing more unexpected problems. I expect that sooner or later I have to get back too. Hope and wish you a good life there and talk again with further news.

Ciao

[eastendanto]

On 11/10/2016 at 11:39 AM, cumgranosalum said:

 

Bureaucracy in UK is one of the most streamlined in the world....and despite criticism the education and healthcare systems are still up there with the best. just look at the University league tables.

After Brexit hits the UK may take a dive but it will be a brave government that completely dismantles NHS

 

totally disagree regarding bureaucracy in UK.... its steadily got worse and worse over the years.... all you have to do is read the Ops elaborate posting on the pile of paperwork and bureaucracy he had to go through just to live in his own country!! Whatever body of statistics says it's one of the most streamlined in the world obviously doesn't live here....and obviously doesn't say much for the rest of the world's bureaucrats, and the EEC is the fundamental architect of all the bureaucracy we have over here. As for Education not sure why you are pointing that out as that was not my question to the Op. As you raised the subject,  stats can be manipulated to say anything the publisher wants them to say. Go to the east end of London and take a look at some of the stats for academia in that part of the UK.  

[cumgranosalum]

2 hours ago, eastendanto said:

 

totally disagree regarding bureaucracy in UK.... its steadily got worse and worse over the years.... all you have to do is read the Ops elaborate posting on the pile of paperwork and bureaucracy he had to go through just to live in his own country!! Whatever body of statistics says it's one of the most streamlined in the world obviously doesn't live here....and obviously doesn't say much for the rest of the world's bureaucrats, and the EEC is the fundamental architect of all the bureaucracy we have over here. As for Education not sure why you are pointing that out as that was not my question to the Op. As you raised the subject,  stats can be manipulated to say anything the publisher wants them to say. Go to the east end of London and take a look at some of the stats for academia in that part of the UK.  

Judging by your comments, It would appear I have lived in more places both in the world and the UK than yourself - and I can vouch that the UK bureaucracy is just about the most streamlined in the world, and has been since the late 70s. A lot of this is down to the plain English Campaign, which is a uniquely British institution.

I have in many countries watched as dim-witted people do themselves out of their rights by not thinking when they are confronted with bureaucracy - like stupid drivers, they exist on a world-wide scale - but at least UK bureaucracy tries to make it as easy as possible for them. Tie this to Fair Trading legislation and you have a recipe that kills jobsworths, unnecessary gobbledygook and misleading contracts.

 

As for education - not all comments on this thread are just for you - but are you suggesting that education in Thailand is comp[arable to the UK? go on, make my day!

[cdnvic]

Troll posts removed.

[JSixpack]

On Tuesday, October 11, 2016 at 2:03 PM, JSixpack said:

 

Excellent. No more pining and searching for Coleman's mustard, Branston Pickle, Marmite, pickled beetroot, and proper pork scratchings! What with the pound (or "ounce") headed for 40, it appears other Brits should seriously consider leaving Thailand.

 

One problem with leaving now, however is the Marmite crisis!

 

Britain's biggest supermarket chain, Tesco, has pulled cherished products such as Marmite spread and Ben & Jerry's ice cream from its website amid a dispute with consumer goods giant Unilever.

 

Stocks of the brands are running low as British newspapers report that Tesco is resisting Unilever's attempts to raise prices by 10 percent after the pound plunged against the dollar following Britain's vote to leave the European Union.

  --Pound drop ends in fight between supermarkets and supplier

[eastendanto]

20 hours ago, cumgranosalum said:

Judging by your comments, It would appear I have lived in more places both in the world and the UK than yourself - and I can vouch that the UK bureaucracy is just about the most streamlined in the world, and has been since the late 70s. A lot of this is down to the plain English Campaign, which is a uniquely British institution.

I have in many countries watched as dim-witted people do themselves out of their rights by not thinking when they are confronted with bureaucracy - like stupid drivers, they exist on a world-wide scale - but at least UK bureaucracy tries to make it as easy as possible for them. Tie this to Fair Trading legislation and you have a recipe that kills jobsworths, unnecessary gobbledygook and misleading contracts.

 

As for education - not all comments on this thread are just for you - but are you suggesting that education in Thailand is comp[arable to the UK? go on, make my day!

 

Thai education the best in the world mate....there you go... have a great day 

[pattayalover]

kids in international Thai schools speak Thai and English.
British kids don't speak Thai.

what about that?

[nontabury]

6 hours ago, pattayalover said:

kids in international Thai schools speak Thai and English.
British kids don't speak Thai.

what about that?

 

 

   Why do you say that? Many of the children at a Thai International School do not speak Thai,and even fewer can read and wright Thai. This is especially true if the children's parents are both non- Thai. What  happens is those children in the non Thai stream are usually given 2or 3 lessons a week in Thai culture,which may involve some Thai language. If these children do speak Thai it's usually what they've picked up in the play ground.

Edited October 14, 2016 by nontabury

[Rc2702]

On 09/10/2016 at 5:06 PM, bwpage3 said:

When ever a person that doesn't know the other person starts out with "Where you went wrong", it nothing more than a hypocrite.

 

The OP did what he thought was best for his family, not what is best for your thinking.

 

You are truly misguided if you think a Thai education where they teach English is going to amount to something for their future

 

With the average Thai college grad earning 15,000 thb per month, you are sentencing your own kids to NO future at all

 

Funny how you claim to be able to afford International School tuition then in the same sentence talk yourself out of it? I think you probably cannot afford 200,000 per year per child honestly.

 

You have no education yourself but you put your "2 bobs" in when needed? I am sure that is super beneficial.

 

My real life experience after having my son in a 500,000 baht a year International School, is moving back to the USA and having him one full year behind.

 

That is real life experience.

 

So your 40,000 education is basically worthless and you can tell by your walk/crawl comments that you could care care less what kind of future your kids have.

 

So are you a good father to put yourself before your kids future?

 

No sir, you are not.

 

The OP bit a big bullet to give his son a chance

 

 

 

 

100% guy done it right guys an absolute asset. At 73 to have the balls to face the UK systems and reintegrate, not many could do that. He done the best for his son in thailand and then he took advantage of his home nations excellent systems and why the hell not it will serve his son very well and the family homes a nest egg for the future. Where he went wrong? He did nothing wrong he's entitled to all benefits he is british he is well past retirement age and he's not moaning he is simply telling his story and what a story indeed. The best yet and that pomp that croaked up like some know it all "where you went wrong" sounds like you need to retreat far in the woods where no one can hear you cos you talk absolute tripe and if your doing that in your fifties then you ain't gonna change you ain't got the balls to do half of what this OP has done so shut up son.

[kannot]

6 hours ago, pattayalover said:

kids in international Thai schools speak Thai and English.
British kids don't speak Thai.

what about that?

 

useful in 1 out of 196 countries

[JSixpack]

On Sunday, October 09, 2016 at 11:06 PM, bwpage3 said:

You are truly misguided if you think a Thai education where they teach English is going to amount to something for their future

 

But you are truly wrong, you see. Friend of mine's Thai son-in-law went to a good Thai school w/ an English program, not expensive, later majored in Business at ABAC, then went to the States where his degree was accepted and had no problems finding jobs w/ career paths. Now he's also doing well in the USA military. Speaks English fluently and certainly good enough compared to, like, you know, a native 'Mercun's English. Nice success story. :)

 

Many Thais study abroad and work abroad after graduation from Thai schools.

 

Quote

With the average Thai college grad earning 15,000 thb per month, you are sentencing your own kids to NO future at all

 

Utter nonsense. The Thai college grad can move to the West just as my friend's son-in-law did. And the Thai college grad might have majored in a technical field and earn much more, perhaps a LOT more, quickly.

 

Quote

My real life experience after having my son in a 500,000 baht a year International School, is moving back to the USA and having him one full year behind.

 

In the brainwashing? And the drugs, @ss-crack jeans, and (cough) music? So much depends on the kid himself, his upbringing, his character, smarts & ambition.

 

Quote

The OP bit a big bullet to give his son a chance

 

 

No, his son already had a chance. Seems your main concern w/ all this high moral ground is to justify the big bullet YOU bit. Though you probably don't consider it such, of course. :)

 

[Paul Catton]

Glad that it would seem to be a successful transition for the OP on numerous fronts.

 

For others that would not pursue the path taken, yet are in doubt over the level of education their child is receiving at a school based in Thailand, supplementary education can be obtained by way of correspondence courses.

Institutions like ICS (UK) https://www.icslearn.co.uk/courses/gcse-and-igcse/ were a third option for a number of expat dependents (myself included) in the Middle East back in the 70's.

(Boarding school or a stateside orientated International school were the two primary options).

 

 

[Retiredandhappyhere]

Good luck to the OP for making the move at his age. I hope it all works out well for him and his family.

 

I am the same age as he is and, like many ex-pats, am of course experiencing many of the problems he had with Thailand but, despite not particularly enjoying the very high temperatures over here, I recall only too well the miserable and depressing Winter months and fairly regular poor Summers in the UK , so, for me, returning to the UK is a non starter.  

 

I agree with his point about comprehensive car insurance, as I paid 240 pounds in the UK (admittedly 15 years ago) for my 5.2 litre Daimler, whereas I recently paid 17000 bahts (now equivalent to 395 pounds) for my 1.4 litre Chevrolet saloon.  When taking into account the relative wage levels in the two countries, Thai insurance is expensive, although other running expenses are lower.  

[iancnx]

Brilliant thread. I am hoping to make the move back in 2018 (will be 57 with 5yo son), so do hope that this thread stays alive.  Finding somewhere to live will be the biggest challenge if my investments don't come up trumps........ 

[Pat in Pattaya]

12 hours ago, pattayalover said:

kids in international Thai schools speak Thai and English.
British kids don't speak Thai.

what about that?

 

 

Decent point. People are amazed that my 4 year old can switch from speaking Thai to English in a heartbeat. I've taken her back to the UK yet, am desperate to show her off and be vey proud. I'm hoping next year.

[Pat in Pattaya]

2 hours ago, iancnx said:

Brilliant thread. I am hoping to make the move back in 2018 (will be 57 with 5yo son), so do hope that this thread stays alive.  Finding somewhere to live will be the biggest challenge if my investments don't come up trumps........ 

 

Will be a very big move with no guarantees that it will work out. Will you be looking to rent or buy? assume you are well past the mortgage stage now! As for your investment, I hope it's not with one of these so called 'financial advisors' over here..

[transam]

12 hours ago, pattayalover said:

kids in international Thai schools speak Thai and English.
British kids don't speak Thai.

what about that?

 

English is a universal language now taught all over the world to be the no.1 communication language. The ASEAN (Asian countries) have now agreed that English will be their communication route..

There is no need for Brits to learn Thai at school is there, unless they plan to relocate in LOS..

[nontabury]

33 minutes ago, transam said:

English is a universal language now taught all over the world to be the no.1 communication language. The ASEAN (Asian countries) have now agreed that English will be their communication route..

There is no need for Brits to learn Thai at school is there, unless they plan to relocate in LOS..

 

  That's the point, if you think the child will make a life for himself/herself in Thailand, they must be able to communicate verbally and written in Thai. If they can do the same in English,that's a bonus. However if you see their future away from Thailand, then Thai is irrelevant.

[jpinx]

Considering the options, spending winter in Thailand and summer in UK is perhaps a lifestyle that can be managed....

[JSixpack]

19 hours ago, transam said:

There is no need for Brits to learn Thai at school is there, unless they plan to relocate in LOS..

 

But Thai helps immensely, even crucially, towards finding a stunningly beautiful, respectable Thai wife so avoiding the Brit wife. :) Which is exactly what my friend's son did. WOW.

[jayboy]

 
But Thai helps immensely, even crucially, towards finding a stunningly beautiful, respectable Thai wife so avoiding the Brit wife. :) Which is exactly what my friend's son did. WOW.

Completely disagree and I do so as a proficient Thai speaker.Most of the matches between sophisticated well educated middle/upper class Thai women and foreigners are primarily conducted in English.

[iancnx]

23 hours ago, Pat in Pattaya said:

 

Will be a very big move with no guarantees that it will work out. Will you be looking to rent or buy? assume you are well past the mortgage stage now! As for your investment, I hope it's not with one of these so called 'financial advisors' over here..

I manage my own stock market investment with some success.  If I don't hit the jackpot next year, then my return to UK in 2018 will most likely be rented in the first instance. Mortgages can still easily be obtained at my age if the deposit is big enough.  Fortunately I have a reasonable pension.  Long term aim is the Grandpa flat or annex so we can take care of the grandkids and their uncle at the same time....lol.  Another aspect to consider is my grown up kids are progressing quickly up their respective professional ladders so the financial risks of returning are mitigated to a degree.

[transam]

5 minutes ago, iancnx said:

I manage my own stock market investment with some success.  If I don't hit the jackpot next year, then my return to UK in 2018 will most likely be rented in the first instance. Mortgages can still easily be obtained at my age if the deposit is big enough.  Fortunately I have a reasonable pension.  Long term aim is the Grandpa flat or annex so we can take care of the grandkids and their uncle at the same time....lol.  Another aspect to consider is my grown up kids are progressing quickly up their respective professional ladders so the financial risks of returning are mitigated to a degree.

So your kids are going to hand over their cash....?

[Pat in Pattaya]

2 hours ago, iancnx said:

I manage my own stock market investment with some success.  If I don't hit the jackpot next year, then my return to UK in 2018 will most likely be rented in the first instance. Mortgages can still easily be obtained at my age if the deposit is big enough.  Fortunately I have a reasonable pension.  Long term aim is the Grandpa flat or annex so we can take care of the grandkids and their uncle at the same time....lol.  Another aspect to consider is my grown up kids are progressing quickly up their respective professional ladders so the financial risks of returning are mitigated to a degree.

 

Relying on your kids for handouts.....Mmmm.

[iancnx]

That's not what I said and you presumptions are bang out of order and troll like at best! 

[rott]

Perhaps not too surprisingly on a thread that revolves around education, but the standard of spelling and grammar here is far superior to the average. Even allowing for the fact that in parts it is abysmal.

 

But in around 150 posts I can only recall one "should of".

[Thaiwrath]

Heading back home is a backward, selfish step.

Trying to justify your faults, coming here, is pathetic.

If the cash ran out, just admit it.