Thailand Expat Guide 2020

Choosing your school

Deciding on something as important as your child’s education and wellbeing might be the toughest part about moving to another country. However, the multicultural aspects of an education abroad can help shape their worldview and broaden their perspectives for years to come.

Choosing a new school when moving to Thailand has become increasingly difficult for parents. There are more and more schools established all the time, and each institution has its own unique philosophy and attributes. Comparing what they offer with the needs of your child is no simple task.

Location of the school should also be considered when choosing a school and a place to live. Luckily, many schools offer multiple campuses to make the daily commute easier for you and your child.

A good start is to ask other parents of your own nationality which school they have chosen and why. On the website www.scandasia.com under “Contacts Directory” you will find many associations related to your nationality in Thailand.

You will find that they have chosen different schools and for different reasons but if you ask why, you will find that they all can be analyzed in the triangle “child needs - family needs - school offerings.”

Local vs International

First choice is: Are you looking for a local Thai school or an international school? In most countries in Asia, a local private school is an option - although certainly a more challenging option for your child. If your child is mixed Scandinavian - Asian this may, however, not be so frightening a prospect. This option will have an economic silver lining, as local private schools are less costly compared to international schools.

It’s important to remember that physical punishment has not been abolished in the Thai school system, so take this into consideration. Talk to the school about how they administer physical punishment, and ask if they can make an exception for your child if you are not comfortable with this.

If you go for the International school, consider that international students grow up and evolve in a cultural environment that is vastly different to that of your own. Known as Third Culture Kids (TCKs), they often develop a very different attitude to many issues compared to their former friends back home and even to you yourself. If you are uncomfortable with this prospect, you may prefer to look into the option of choosing a local school or a boarding school back home.

Once this is said, most European families prefer the international option. In Bangkok you will find among other.

• Bangkok Patana School

• ISB International School Bangkok

• KIS International School,

• Shrewsbury International School Bangkok

Several schools in Bangkok share the words “St. Andrews” in their name, but the schools are members of two distinctly different networks. One network is called Cognita, the other is called Nord Anglia Education.

Cognita currenty has four schools in Bangkok:

• St. Andrews International Schools, Dusit

• St. Andrews International School, Green Valley

• St. Andrews International School, Sathorn

• St. Andrews International School, Sukhumvit 107

Nord Anglia Education network has currently two schools in Bangkok:

• St Andrews International School Bangkok (Primary School), Sukhumvit 71

• St Andrews International School Bangkok (High School), Sukhumvit Rd, Phra Khanong

For most European children, classes in the mother tongue are available. For example the Danish community recently established a solution whereby a Danish teacher can visit and teach Danish at a number of schools in the Bangkok area. For most nationalities, classes via the internet is also an option particularly if you are living outside Bangkok.

Family needs

In the triangle “Family needs vs. child needs vs. school offerings”, the situation of the family must necessarily come first - even when you always say “the child comes first”. These include your family’s financial constraints, your need for child care during non-school hours, the problem with transportation, and coordination if you have several children under education, etc.

Every family brings different situations to the table. Be honest with yourself about your family’s aspirations and requirements. You must start with a true and clear picture of your family needs, and trust yourself to balance these with your child’s needs during your search for a good quality school.

A few suggestions

Here are a few suggestions to help you make up your mind:

First: How far away is the school from your home?

Before spending time looking through school courses, you need to make sure the school is not too far away. Bear in mind that in Bangkok like in most other big cities, it is the traveling time between your home and the school that matters and not the number of kilometres. How long will it take for your child to get to school and home afterwards? How will your child be going there?

Especially in cities like Bangkok, you will be challenged by some of the heaviest rush hour traffic in the world.

Find out if the native language and culture of your child is taught as optional learning. It is important for your child to keep his or her ties to your cultural background. It is also important for you.

Ask questions about the tests and exams which are offered and used as evaluation method. If your child is already a secondary school student, ask how well the graduating students do in getting accepted into major universities in your current country, back home and elsewhere overseas.

Second: What reputation does the school have?

Talk to people as much as possible. This is where your intuition comes handy. Don’t listen to opinions expressed by people who have no children at the schools themselves - parents are quick to seek confirmation of their own choice by adopting opinions about the competing schools.

The age of the school is no sure indication either. Nothing guarantees that the reputation of a hundred year old school is better than a one year old school.

Third: How are the courses at the school? The school’s courses and programs will most likely be listed in the school’s information package. They will talk about British Curriculum and American Curriculum and - what most Scandinavians go for these days - the IB curriculum.

This is important, as you will most likely have to relocate again in a few years.

Fourth: What other activities can the school offer your child?

Besides the fundamental coursework, what kind of arts, sports, community service does the school offer? Are there proper facilities to support those activities? It seems that schools almost compete with each other when it comes to sports, thus many schools will have gymnasiums and sport complexes, which are either new or remodeled. But maybe your child is more into other activities, such as computer programming or performing arts.

Most schools offer after-school and weekend programs as well as field trips and community services. You should be able to freely pick the activities that best suit your child.

Child needs

Now, your child’s needs must be considered. Ask yourself what strengths, challenges and other characteristics really stand out about your child. Consider (a) what your child likes or is able to do well, (b) what your child does not like or has difficulty doing, and (c) how your child works and interacts best with adults and other children.

All children need a school that will appropriately challenge and nurture them to succeed in core academic subjects, but research shows you can significantly improve your child’s life and school performance by choosing and working with the right school, so you have plenty of reasons to give it your best effort.

You should also consider the curriculum, what your child should learn and achieve at school, and how it fits with the school system back home if you should ever go back to Scandinavia.

School offerings

School offerings is the third element in the triangle. Repeated, unbiased research shows that all truly outstanding schools adhere to certain principles. While all are important, the two most important factors are:

1. The school has high expectations for all students. It means all students are expected and helped to meet high minimum goals; goals are raised for individual students as soon as they are ready to learn beyond grade level.

Avoid schools that make excuses for kids who are behind academically. If your child struggles, they may make excuses rather than help your child, too. Also avoid schools that pretend none of their students struggle. All schools have more than a few students who face learning challenges at some point. You need to know in advance how the school will respond.

2. The school monitors progress and adjusts teaching. It means the school assesses individual student progress often and changes teaching approaches to ensure that every child locks onto learning. Avoid schools that say, “Our grade level work is tough enough for all students” and schools where everyone makes grade level, but few kids score far above grade level. Both academically gifted children and motivated “typical” kids miss out in a school that is focusing on grade level only.

More suggestions

Here are a few more suggestions to help you make up your mind:

Talk to some of the existing students if possible. Are they happy there? Do they look motivated to learn? How will the school help your child get started? Do they assign so-called “buddies” (another student from the same country) for new students?

How is the relationship between the school and the parents? You will obviously not be able to monitor your child in school. The teacher will have to be your eyes and ears. You must be notified of your child’s functionality regardless of grade, and regardless of whether it includes bad behavior or progress your child has made. Make sure that you can get informed as often as possible. You may join a parents’ volunteer program if available. Some schools may offer activities for the whole family as well.

Watch your child!

Never mind how diligently you do your homework - and maybe the above list is a bit excessive - you will never be able to foresee if your child will thrive at the school. It is therefore important that you make a habit of spending more time than you used to be back home talking to your child about how school was today. What they did in class, and what they did outside. Let her or him tell about their new friends. Listen.

All may initially sound fine and uncomplicated, but that may just be a honeymoon period. This is the most important step of them all. If your child develops in any way you find disturbing or even develops signs of discomfort with going to school, you should think twice before you tell your child that “this is life - it is not always pleasant!”.

A change of school at the right time might be the single most important decision to make to put the future of your child on the right track!

Picking a Preschool

When it comes to picking a preschool, location near the home is mostly the top priority. But it could certainly help if you familiarize yourself with the different terms and philosophies in the field.

Cutting through the many terms, there are generally two overall approaches. One is play-based - the other is academical. Within those philosophies are several more specific approaches, such as Montessori.

Understanding the different terms will help you find the program that suits your child’s needs.

In a play-based program, children choose activities based on their current interests. The term “play-based” is often interchangeable with “child-centered,” which could be used to describe the majority of available preschool programs. The play-based classroom is broken up into sections, such as a home or kitchen, science area, water table, reading nook, space with blocks and other toys, or other areas. Teachers encourage the kids to play, facilitating social skills along the way.

Alternatively, there are academic programs, considered didactic, “teacherdirected,” or “teacher-managed.” In these classrooms, teachers lead the children in a more structured way, planning the activities, then guiding the children in doing them. This design is aimed at preparing kids for the kindergarten setting. For the most part, classroom time is devoted to learning letters and sounds, distinguishing shapes and colors, telling time, and other skills.

If you worry that a play-based classroom is too chaotic and your child would not thrive in it, you can easily find a more structured setting. The important thing to remember is that preschool should not look like elementary school. It should be organized so there is a plan and routine for the day. But at the same time, it should not be strict in the sense that kids are spending five minutes at this, ten minutes at this, with no exception.

Whether you opt for a play-based or more academic setting, you are choosing to prepare your child for kindergarten and later schooling. While play-based approaches may work for most types of children, any quality preschool program can set the foundation for the transition to kindergarten and beyond. What matters is that your child is learning from adults who engage and stimulate intellectual curiosity while imparting social skills.

In an article on the website www.pbs. org, author Laura Lewis Brown quotes Dr. Robert Pianta, dean of the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia for explaining what brings joy to the preschool teachers:

“Most kindergarten teachers will tell you what they really value is the opportunity to teach kids when they show up at school prepared and ready to learn,” he explains. “It’s not so much that teachers value that the kindergartner can read or write. They value that the children enjoy learning, have a set of experiences that got them used to a classroom setting, and know how to engage adults and kids in another setting.”

Pulling your child out of the school

This is the disaster scenario: What if you picked the wrong school for your child? Is it better to leave the child where he or she is, or should you pull the child right away and switch schools mid-term?

On the Australian website www. essentialkids.com.au, Child Psychologist Sally-Anne McCormack says that in her opinion parents should in the first instance try to let the child stay at the school to show your child how to deal with difficult issues, and get external help for the child. “If the child is anxious at the next school, then they may generalise and fear all schools. When we ‘flee’ anxiety-provoking situations, it confirms to us that the situation is meant to be feared. A parent needs to be certain as to whether the issue is with the child or with the environment before making a decision.”

The schools willingness to discuss the problem is essential. A school’s lack of understanding and support will increase the problem, leaving you to deal with a distressed child who is being largely ignored by the staff.

Not doing anything to help is only making matters worse, although you know that if you pull your child he or she will potentially end up with the same problems in a new environment.

Though changing schools may seem like the obvious solution, the struggle many parents face is the potential emotional damage that this may do to their child. If the child has difficulty dealing with change, the thought of changing schools will certainly cause more anxiety. There is always the fear of having the same problems at the new school, or worse problems.

Child Psychologist Sally-Anne McCormack modifies her advice above, to stay at the school and seek help, by admitting that when there is no possibility of a resolution then you should of course move your child to another school.

“It is not ‘giving up’; it is the acceptance of an unworkable situation,” she says.

Sally-Anne suggests that when looking for a new school, parents should visit and make sure that the new school understands why you are moving. Maybe even more importantly, you have to evaluate the new school carefully - neither you nor your child can afford another mistake. In particular she advises visiting the new school during recess or lunchtime.

“We see the children in their classrooms which gives a sense of how the classes are managed, and then at play periods we see the personalities of the students and get a sense of the community.” Sally- Anne also advises parents to ask a lot of questions that are non-directive and open. For example, rather than asking “do you cater for …?”, ask “what types of learning styles do you best cater for?”

The key is assessing the school that best caters to the individual needs of your child, but the challenge is that these needs may not be obvious until after they have started school. Promises can be made, but when schools do not follow through, it can affect a child’s well-being and ability to learn. While a school’s policies and ethos can seem great on paper, researching how these are implemented is essential, as Sally- Anne says “sadly in some schools these are just ‘dust-catching’ documents”.