Pattaya Info CD

Children

Children :

Usually children enjoy living in Thailand. Thais love children, especially foreign children. Do not be surprised at grown men 'cooing’ over your babies. They love to touch children, pinch their cheek, and stroke their arm: usually done with good intentions with the belief that it will bring them good luck.

EDUCATION

We all come from different countries, each of which has its own education program, curriculum and final examinations, not to mention language and national identity. You may have your teenager's academic career mapped out: subjects, courses, exams to enter a particular university; have ideas about a future career ‑ then you come to live in Thailand!

To try to satisfy all this diversity, English and American schools have opened all over Thailand, and in the Eastern Seaboard area since 1993; the most recent in 1996. These, schools also welcome Thai students for whom studying in an international school is similar to being educated abroad in former times. Like the ex‑pat children, they gain a broader perspective and learn to mix comfortably with many nationalities. It is fashionable to have a western education and with growing affluence the number of Thai children in international schools will grow.

The majority of expatriate children here are between 0‑11 years, so this is where the main concentration of education has been, with facilities for older children coming on‑line year by year. As schooling facilities improve for older children, so more ex‑pats will bring their teenagers, but at present young students outnumber the older ones. Also, as the ex‑pat workforce becomes made up of younger people, correspondingly they will bring younger children.

The three largest international schools all plan to begin IB courses for 17 & 18 year olds over the next 1‑3 years, depending on student availability, leading to the first high school graduates of the Eastern Seaboard around the turn of the century. We do recommend that you read about international schools and their current academic programs before choosing a school. These schools are expensive. Discuss this issue with the personnel management of your company before leaving for Thailand. If you cannot, or if you do not wish to put your children into one of these schools, home schooling can be arranged. We recommend that you do some home schooling even if you register your kids in an international school. It can be one way of keeping up‑to date with topics in schools in your home country. Some families follow home schooling to ensure equivalence in their country, especially for children older than 11 years and coming from non-English speaking countries. You will need to obtain coursework from your school or education authority before leaving your country.

Helpful Hints

· Before leaving your country we advise you to ask your children's teacher for a list of subjects and topics the class will be covering while you are away that might not be taught at an international school (e.g. your country's history, geography, philosophy, etc.).

· Bring plenty of children's books with you. There is not a large choice of books in English, or any other language, in Pattaya.

· Subscribe to children's educational magazines. Children like to receive something from their own country.

Home Schooling

The choice of home schooling will depend on the character and personality of your child, as well as you as parents.

• How hard can he or she work, and how dedicated are they to their study?

• How much can you take on ‑ how many commitments do you want to have?

• How disciplined are you and your children?

If you choose home schooling, you will have to make a special effort to help your child to socialize. You can't focus only on schooling. Kids and teenagers need to share their discoveries, their impressions and their work with peers. To form roots they need friends. Try to organize their work so they can do as many activities as possible.

Schools in Bangkok

There are a number of well‑established international schools in Bangkok. For a comprehensive list, consult the "Bangkok Guide" and "Vivre A Bangkok". Schools in Bangkok vary in curriculum and accreditation by different countries and also in their yearly fees. Some families arrange a host family in Bangkok for their children to stay with while attending classes. In most cases they board during the week and travel to Pattaya for the weekend. To arrange this is a little tricky. There is no specific organization set up to help you. We suggest you try the following:

• Consult your local Embassy.

• Visit the school of your choosing.

• Attend international club meetings in Bangkok.

• Talk to as many people as you can, both here and in Bangkok.

Fees

Tuition fees in Pattaya vary from B60,000 a year to B210,000 not including ESL courses which can cost a further B20,000 to B60,000. There are also nonrefundable registration and entrance fees of between B5,000 and B50,000, and sometimes a special Assessment or Capital fee of B40,000 to B200,000 which may or may not be refundable, which is used for development purposes. This one‑time fee, payable upon initial enrollment, also guarantees the student a place in the school.

International Schools ‑ to a certain extent the word 'international' relates to the school population rather than to the teaching. International schools in Pattaya and Rayong give British and American children the opportunity to study their own curricula abroad, and also welcome non‑native speakers. The diversity of nationalities obviously presents opportunities for learning about other cultures. Here, it is a government requirement to include Thai studies in the curriculum, but an international school's first priority is to its curriculum: the language, literature, history and cultural heritage of the home country, regardless of where in the world the school is situated. The schools offer an international environment by welcoming students of any nationality. They assist in the beginning with intensive lessons in the language used by the school (E. S. L. classes). From elementary level up to middle grades, the schools progress with internal examinations. However, when the student reaches high school or pre-university levels, you will want to ensure that the education they receive will enable them to enter and succeed at the University of your Choice. You should know and understand the equivalence and acceptability of various qualifications.

ESL (English as a Second Language) & Nationality Mix ‑ Usually the acclimatization of the younger children in English speaking schools is fine. Most schools in Pattaya accept non‑English speakers without any additional intensive English lessons up to 6 or 7 years old. Older children have E.S.L. classes for at least one semester. They are then usually considered able to follow regular lessons without E.S.L. tutoring. It is important to have a healthy mix of nationalities with a large percentage of English native speakers. An indicator of whether a satisfactory language balance exists is to watch the kids at play and listen to the language used. Nationality breakdowns are given for each school but still we recommend you go and observe yourself Children up to 11 years old are kept in their peer group as much as possible. This is based on the school calendar start date of September first.

I.G.C.S.E. & Pre‑University Level ‑ For the British systems, the University of Cambridge administers a special secondary certificate for English speakers studying abroad, the I.G.C.S.E. This is the same as GCSE but includes more world history content and is delivered only outside the U.K. Native English speakers enter for the I.G.C.S.E. whilst non‑native speakers enter a different examination called English as a Second Language.

I.G.C.S.E. can provide a foundation for pre‑university courses such as the North American Advanced Placement Test (A.P.T.), the International Baccalaureate (I.B.) for European universities, the Australian Matriculation and the G.C.E. 'A' levels for British universities.

International Baccalaureate (I.B.) ‑ I.B. was created in the late 1960s by the University of Geneva. It was intended to combine the American, French and British systems in a way that would facilitate the accreditation and exchange between universities worldwide. Students can take the I.B. program from 16 to 18 years of age. The I.B. office staff in Geneva marks the exams and give credits for the diploma. The office staff still spends time negotiating recognition agreements with countries and universities throughout the world. It is quite well known now, but all universities do still not recognize it. It would be wise to consult on I.B. recognition policies for the country and universities that you may wish to attend before applying for an I. B. course.

The I. B. is a two-year pre‑university program that aims to be an internationally recognized and uniform qualification for those schools which participate in the scheme. Not all schools offer this special program. For a school to offer the course the head office in Geneva must accept them. The course has many difficult subjects, all of which must be 'passed' to receive the full I.B. qualification. It is considered a challenging program. There are 800 colleges and high schools in the world that offer the I.B. program. To date, 35,000 diplomas have been awarded.

Some schools do not have the facilities to be able to offer the full range of I.B. subjects, so only a certain number of credits (equivalent to Advanced Placement credits for American universities) can be obtained. Only completion of the full I.B. program of credits will be accepted for pre‑university entry in Europe.

Planning for University Entry ‑ The complexities of the educational systems worldwide and the consequences for the placement of students in universities needs to be realized before entry into an International school. Students in American and British systems begin their college planning early in their high school careers. Since each college or university establishes its own particular requirements, it is important that you and your children know what institutions are being considered for possible entry. The schools should be able to assist students in college planning. It is recommended that you ask the councilor or teacher for details of their experience in international university preparations. It helps to understand what involvement they have had previously.