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haam sup
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The only question is whether it (Chula) is 6 times better than Union/Unity/Nisa, since it is at least 6 times as expensive.
I think YOUR goals should be the deciding factor: Do you want to pursue academic studies in Thai? Chula will prepare you for that, to a certain extent. Do you want a nice piece of paper to hang on your wall? Do you want to be able to converse adequately, or read and write? How much time total and/or per day are you willing to invest?
If I had US$5,400 (9 modules at US$600ea) to burn, I would go to Chulalongkorn in a heartbeat, just for the experience of studying at the most prestigious university in Thailand. But the other schools have CERTAINLY taught MORE foreigners how to communicate in Thai than Chula ever could. So for < US$900 (6 months at US$146/mo - maybe a little more to prepare for Prathom 6), if you can afford the 20 hours a week, I'd pick Union or Unity.
BTW, Chiang Mai University also has an intensive Thai course, well regarded. Keep you away from the obvious temptations around Chula... Many other unis have similar courses, too.
It all depends on what your goal is.
haam sup
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 11:48 am on Sep. 10, 2003
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bucksfun
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Haam
Thanks for this, I must say the prestige of the place appeals to me. My GF who graduated from Chula (for her first degree) wasn't too swift to recommend it (but then maybe those temptations you mention could play a part).
To be honest in the general scheme of things the extra cost is probably not the greatest issue with me, what is more important is the general usefulness of what I learn, and also the extent to which "the paper" hanging on the wall or otherwise is a useful investment.
I guess my need is for the end result to be credible, I want to be able to communicate in both spoken and written thai, and for whatever backs this up (in paper terms) to be as credible as possible.
Interestingly, they have an MA in Thai studies lasting about a year which appears to be substantially cheaper (but which offers no Thai language learning), which is a shame because another Masters would look good on my wall  . I just wish I had looked into their MBA programme a year or 2 ago, before I did mine (at more than 3 times the cost).
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 4:23 pm on Sep. 10, 2003
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haam sup
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Buck,
Union Language School was originally founded to teach Christian missionaries (It's located in the CCT - Christ Church Thailand building on Surawong). Their's is a very pragmatic approach, and would be a good start.
I have said here many times that the key to learning Thai is immersion, with an emphasis on listening. Some schools (AUA) insist that you not even TRY to speak Thai until 1000 hours or so of listening and increasing comprehension. Likewise, they put off reading/writing for a long time. See my previous posts in this and other threads.
Union Language (and Unity, which is a spin off) is more traditional, and your innate language ability will have a large effect on how your Thai sounds.
You should bear in mind that these schools MAY get you to the Prathom 6 level (6th primary school year). From there to get the proficiency you seem to want, you will need to study for quite a while, and be totally immersed.
Depending on who you want to impress, the paper may or may not help. Certainly, it won't convince most Thais that you speak their language, particularly those in business. Your general sound, and ability to converse on more than just a basic level will be the convincing factors. For Western businesses, the uni cert may hold some special value as extracurricular depth, except that if your prospective employer actually does business in Thailand, he may find your skill quite valuable.
I think it would be great, however, to do a degree at a Thai school, in Thai...after all, Thai students come here (US) and get MBAs (sort of). They do, however, usually study English in school as kids...
best of luck,
haam sup
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 7:08 pm on Sep. 10, 2003
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atypical
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hehe, with all this talk of Thai language instruction, I can't help but remember some of my Farang friends "showing off" their Thai.
Haam Sup is right with the whole immersion thing. Because when my friends are showing off how much Thai they've learned from books and talking to BGs, it becomes very obvious. So obvious that a TG made a comment, "do you have an Issarn girlfriend?" and it totally went over the guy's head. He thought that she was trying to find out if he was single, but it was basically saying he sounded Issarn or talked Thai in that manner. Nothing against Issarn, but basically he was speaking Thai with Bargirl accents and slangs.
Moral of the story? If you're going to learn Thai, learn the "proper" way. And immerse yourselves in Thai culture, not just the bars, because it's glaringly obvious.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 9:26 am on Oct. 14, 2003
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