Recommend a (Quality) English Language School?

[Cracker2000]

Hi All,

 

Hoping to move to BKK within next two months and would like to send my Cambodia girlfriend to a (Quality) English Language school to become more fluent. Currently she read writes both Khmer and Thai and has picked up English quite well.

 

I know there are a mass of Learn English Schools, some with fluent English Speaking expats and backpacker etc, working there but also a lot with incomprehensible Thai English Language Graduates with less comprehension of the language than most bar-girls in Pattaya. Filipinos and Singaporeans are fine.

 

So I'm looking for a good one close to central Bangkok that has accredited teachers and curricular, so she can move on to other studies after becoming fluent.

 

Can anyone recommend one?

 

Cheers in Advance

Richard

[KhonKaenKowboy]

Try free online...hyper grammar...best thing the Canadians have come up with since maple syrup...but don't let me get in the way of promoting a language school.  BTW..more often, than not, when I ask a Thai where they studied English; they say AUA.  Heaven help you if your gf comes home speaking cockney...or has a Ukrainian accent.

[fruitman]

Wallstreet looks professional to me, many farang teachers there.

 

Don't go for the ones who even can't spell Engrish or Anglish or Englis, i've seen it all on their huge advertisings along the roads.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

And don't judge a teacher by his polyester suit....

[MrJohnson]

Insight English. CP Tower Bangkok. Very professional, qualified teachers.

http://www.insightenglish.com/

 

[djayz]

I've worked at a few different language centers in Bangkok, but I'm not going to promote any particular school. There really isn't a language center which meets everybody's requirements. What's good for one student/customer, isn't always good for another. 

Firstly, you need to decide if she is going to study in a group or privately, one-on-one? Secondly, when is she going to study? Mornings? Evenings? Weekdays/Weekends? Shop around and if you're a native English speaker, try to have a casual chat with a few of the teachers at the centers. Don't believe everything the sales staff tell you, they're thinking of a million different ways to spend their commission if you/your partner signs up. They'd sell their own grandmothers if they could! Rely on your gut feeling.

Most centers will let a potential client sit in on a class for a lesson (or an hour) just to get a "feel" for the class, other students, material and teacher. Once you've narrowed your choice of schools down, try getting her into a trial lesson before signing. 

One thing I will say is, CHECK the material/books they teach from. Let your partner see the material she'll have to use. What does she think of it? Is it a system/layout that appeals to her or not? I find that there's NOTHING worse than having to use a book day in, day out that you don't like. It really doesn't motivate students to learn or teachers to teach.  

If it isn't working out for your better half, let her finish her course and look at a different center before resigning. 

 

[Cracker2000]

On 3/22/2017 at 5:30 AM, MrJohnson said:

Insight English. CP Tower Bangkok. Very professional, qualified teachers.

http://www.insightenglish.com/

 

Cheers for that

[Cracker2000]

On 3/23/2017 at 1:43 AM, djayz said:

I've worked at a few different language centers in Bangkok, but I'm not going to promote any particular school. There really isn't a language center which meets everybody's requirements. What's good for one student/customer, isn't always good for another. 

Firstly, you need to decide if she is going to study in a group or privately, one-on-one? Secondly, when is she going to study? Mornings? Evenings? Weekdays/Weekends? Shop around and if you're a native English speaker, try to have a casual chat with a few of the teachers at the centers. Don't believe everything the sales staff tell you, they're thinking of a million different ways to spend their commission if you/your partner signs up. They'd sell their own grandmothers if they could! Rely on your gut feeling.

Most centers will let a potential client sit in on a class for a lesson (or an hour) just to get a "feel" for the class, other students, material and teacher. Once you've narrowed your choice of schools down, try getting her into a trial lesson before signing. 

One thing I will say is, CHECK the material/books they teach from. Let your partner see the material she'll have to use. What does she think of it? Is it a system/layout that appeals to her or not? I find that there's NOTHING worse than having to use a book day in, day out that you don't like. It really doesn't motivate students to learn or teachers to teach.  

If it isn't working out for your better half, let her finish her course and look at a different center before resigning. 

 

All good advice, thanks :)

She will probably be looking to study late morning to early afternoon so she can drop off her daughter at a kinder garden, so it important hat the school and the kinder garden are relatively close to each other/easy to travel to from our apartment…which I’m going to select after I know where the schools are.

[Cracker2000]

On 3/21/2017 at 6:10 PM, KhonKaenKowboy said:

Try free online...hyper grammar...best thing the Canadians have come up with since maple syrup...but don't let me get in the way of promoting a language school.  BTW..more often, than not, when I ask a Thai where they studied English; they say AUA.  Heaven help you if your gf comes home speaking cockney...or has a Ukrainian accent.

Free online is great, but it doesn't get her a Student Visa to stay in Thailand if you know what I mean

[Cracker2000]

Thanks all you TV blogger for the helpful info,

 

Now I just need to locate a good kinder garden where they don't tie-up and beat the kids for her daughter to be left at during the days she is studying.

 

Cheers

[MrJohnson]

18 hours ago, Cracker2000 said:

Cheers for that

one thing I didn't mention about this particular school but is one of the reasons I recommended it, is that the school concentrates on the 'communicative' approach i.e. speaking and listening over a focus on grammar. Good luck

[dddave]

To "DJAYZ" excellent advice I would add that there are several language schools that are run by Christian evangelical organizations that proselytize through course materials..Seventh Day Adventist for one.

Some are upfront about it, some not.