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Meatywsg
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Okay, I have a young Thai daughter, she's currently at a government school in Bangkok (Bangna area), she's consistently been top of her class in her exams for 1.5 yrs now and i'm considering the next step up for her on the education ladder. She will be entering Grade 3 this year. Trouble is I've looked at Concordian, Community Int'l and Pattana, and the prices are far more than I can currently afford. My question is this, are there any schools somewhere between bottom end government run ones and top end International expat ones ? Surely there is a progression one can make comensurate with ones income !
Anyone have any ideas, we're based bangna way if that helps.
Thanks.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 3:52 am on April 24, 2007
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seajohn
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You have many choices and schools are waiting to take your money at every level.
I don't know what kind of programs your daughter's school has, but assuming it has merely the standard 'regular' and 'intensive' programs for various subject, plus special tutoring courses, the next step up from the govt school is the better govt school which has an MEP or EP program: these are programs which teach certain subjects in English language, for which the teachers are foreign and may not be too qualified at this level school, but a bit more... usually. EP is, oh forget, about 40K a semester, MEP I believe is almost half that. In Bangna I think one of the Sommapat schools might do... I'll have to check.
You're thinking right, Meatwsg, in that it is essential that she get into some kind of all English program at the earliest age possible. Or else it will be hard, very hard, for her to cope later on with an all English curriculum, especially at an Int'l school. For Thai-based schools you have no time to waste for enrollment, as they start next month. For int'l schools, you still have some time--but the question is, Can she cope with All English? If not, does the school have an ESL support program to ease her into it?
The next step beyond last mentioned is a private school. These can be big or small. Some of these are owned by individuals, some by organizations (such as the Catholic church). Even without an EP program some of these (especially all girls schools) can be pretty good (for Thailand). Though besides a bigger face which she'll get at a private school and a more demanding syllabus, I would again also suggest an EP program, in this case at a private school. English language is so important. These teachers will start getting more professional. Near Bangna you have Assumption Sumrong, or better yet I believe there is a St Joseph's out there too (all girl's, much better atmosphere for learning).
Now it is at this point that you also touch the cheaper int'l schools. There are many. Int'l schools are using a curriculum from a Western nation (usually American or British) and the teachers are well qualified and everything is in English. Give Charter International a try, though I'm not sure of their price.
There are lists and databases that can help you, but it's hard to get hold of one that's geographically based unless you can do a search in Thai language (or English for the int'l schools). Here's one database:
http://www.kroocorner.com/Database2.php
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 4:45 am on April 24, 2007
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Skip
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Quote: from Meatywsg on 5:37 pm on April 24, 2007
My question is this, are there any schools somewhere between bottom end government run ones and top end International expat ones ? Surely there is a progression one can make comensurate with ones income !
If it were only the case.... <sigh> The reality is this: caveat emptor
Sadly, and to a mostly detrimental effect, the Thai Ministry of Education relaxed the governance standards of the international schools several years ago. This created something of a speculative boom amongst the dodgy get-rich-quick Chinese entrepreneurial set in Bangkok.
As a result, it's smoke and mirrors today. False hopes, false promises, faked curriculums, dodgy credentials and snake oil salesmen left, right and center.
If you're shopping for a school you must demand to know their accreditation. If they can't produce it leave. If they steer you to their lofty membership in the International School Association of Thailand as validation enough that's your cue to leave, too. ISAT is a rubber stamp.
I don't know their cost, but one very good school just below the top tier is KIS International School. If you can swing that price you'd do your child very well indeed.
One method to ferret out the good schools from the bad would be to have a look at the recruiter sites which feed the top schools their best teachers. Sub-par schools won't even be allowed into the recruitment fairs run by ISS, CIS and Search Associates.
Here is the ISS list of Thai Schools they recruit for: ISS Thailand
Might be worth your while to crash the April 27-29 event at Westin Grande. You could rub elbows with both teachers and school admins.... See: Search Associates Fair Calendar
Try also the Council of International Schools site. Leftmost column > Schools > International School directory. Any school that made the list can be deemed a quality school.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 1:38 pm on April 24, 2007
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Skip
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Quote: from seajohn on 6:30 pm on April 24, 2007
Now it is at this point that you also touch the cheaper int'l schools. There are many. Int'l schools are using a curriculum from a Western nation (usually American or British) and the teachers are well qualified and everything is in English.
One simply cannot make a blanket assumption that all international schools in Thailand are staffed by well qualified teachers. It is not so.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 1:58 pm on April 24, 2007
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seajohn
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You're absolutely right, Skip, and your post above is unfortunately accurate. I should have qualified my post further. I was more interested in trying to portray for meatywsg a kind of overview of options above the basic government school level where his daughter is now attending, and trying to quickly think of places in Bangna. In doing so, I glossed over important considerations.
One of meatwsg's concerns was over cost, which is a subject quite real despite the best of information and intentions. I don't know his budget. I do hope he can offer more than current...
Personally I would have difficulty in sending my own daughter (if I had one) to all but a few schools in Thailand.
One reason is the curriculum may be meaningless, as you pointed out, but also simply because of the non-intellectual culture and socialization in schools in Thailand in general which lead to a collection of deplorable (from a Western point of view) practices. While a little girl is so young, she still has a chance to develop the critical thinking and problem solving skills (not to mention a love of imagination and affluency with the world's cultures) that are so difficult to obtain in most schools here. However, with proper reinforcement at home, if can devote the time, more is possible.
Another sad fact is, which you also point out (due to reasons which you also touch upon, greed, for instance, which gives rise to a horde of other fatuous conceptions of education here) in so many of these schools at every level you'll find teachers with no previous experience and negigible training. At others you'll find teachers with more experience, but negigible training. Or more training but negigible experience. Et cetera, et cetera. However even the best teacher will have to operate within the school's culture, and very few places can guarantee the best of both. Skip you are quite right in insisting on verifications, etc.
The KIS school is a good suggestion.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 7:23 pm on April 24, 2007
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Meatywsg
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 Guys, thanks so much for all of your info, this is great stuff and gives me plenty of places to start searching out and checking up on the admissions, I really appreciate your help. Thanks also Seajohn for the PM's, very kind and encouraging words, again very appreciated. 
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 10:08 pm on April 24, 2007
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Skip
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And thank you, Seajohn, for being so gracious. Surely Meatywsg's daughter will benefit from our frank discussion of the scene. 
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 2:44 am on April 25, 2007
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seajohn
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Yes, Skip, thanks for your frankness. I am sure it will be invaluble for meatywsg's daughter---wishing her the best in her upcoming upgrade!!
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 4:04 am on April 25, 2007
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bitpump
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I have heard good things about this school
http://www.wells-school.com/curriculum/curriculum.php
They have 3 campuses on Sukhumvit. The Soi 47 is the Kindergarten and the Soi 51 is the Elementary school and on Soi 85 they have a new Junior and High school. I am not an expert on this, however it appears their annual tuition is half of the Concordian school. You could check to verify their facility and talk with their staff about your requirements. I visited their schools and was very impress with the forethoughts that went into their planning and management. However, you should see for yourself.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 12:24 pm on Sep. 25, 2007
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