# Bangkok School for my 11 year old daughter



## Old_Monkey (Nov 13, 2018)

I JUST joined this group seconds ago, so please forgive any mistakes. 
I am from the USA and my wife is from Thailand. We have a condo on Rama II Bangkok. 
We have an 11 year old daughter who is very fluent in both our languages, but she can only read English and 0% Thai. 
I want us to move to Thailand but where will my daughter go to school if we do? My wife says the only option is $15,000 USD per year International School. 
Any input on this subject would be greatly appreciated.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Old_Monkey said:


> I JUST joined this group seconds ago, so please forgive any mistakes.
> I am from the USA and my wife is from Thailand. We have a condo on Rama II Bangkok.
> We have an 11 year old daughter who is very fluent in both our languages, but she can only read English and 0% Thai.
> I want us to move to Thailand but where will my daughter go to school if we do? My wife says the only option is $15,000 USD per year International School.
> Any input on this subject would be greatly appreciated.


:welcome:

I've moved your question to the Thailand forum where the locals can probably point you in the right direction.


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## Old_Monkey (Nov 13, 2018)

Yes, sorry, thank you. I found that after I posted my message. I tried to move it myself, but didn’t see a way to do that. 
Thank you.


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## IntEdSource (Nov 25, 2018)

Old_Monkey said:


> I JUST joined this group seconds ago, so please forgive any mistakes.
> I am from the USA and my wife is from Thailand. We have a condo on Rama II Bangkok.
> We have an 11 year old daughter who is very fluent in both our languages, but she can only read English and 0% Thai.
> I want us to move to Thailand but where will my daughter go to school if we do? My wife says the only option is $15,000 USD per year International School.
> Any input on this subject would be greatly appreciated.


Unfortunately, she is partially correct. There are very few English-language options, particularly in the Rama II area, and quality is a major issue in most cases. The very best schools that would be good for a student coming from the USA, NIST and ISB, are both well _above_ $15,000 per year and far from where your condo is located.

There is a new American international school opening up in August 2019 right on Rama II: BASIS International School, a branch of the charter schools. However, I don't know what their fee structure will be, and if other new schools are any indication, they'll also be charging at least the amount you cited if not more.

Your other option is to look at bilingual and demonstration schools, but these would frankly be a tough adjustment for your daughter, particularly in respect to the culture.

I don't envy you, as you're in a tough situation! The reality in Thailand is that most schools are simply not up to par compared to those elsewhere, and you really have to invest a great deal to find a quality option.


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## Thai Bigfoot (Aug 29, 2009)

Just a thought. 
How about sending her to a language school to learn Thai. Or even hiring any one of the bi-lingual Thai teachers to tutor her at your home? Most would be willing to do it fo B200-300 per hour. You could do on weekends or after regular school hours.


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## Old_Monkey (Nov 13, 2018)

Thank you both. 
My daughter is currently taking Thai reading and writing lessons every Sunday at the Buddhist temple. Since she speaks Thai fluently, she only needs to learn that. Hopefully she will learn quickly. But then the question would be which Thai only school to send her to.


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## Old_Monkey (Nov 13, 2018)

My wife should have taught her to read Thai when she was younger!!


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## Omegaman477 (Jan 9, 2019)

Old_Monkey said:


> I JUST joined this group seconds ago, so please forgive any mistakes.
> I am from the USA and my wife is from Thailand. We have a condo on Rama II Bangkok.
> We have an 11 year old daughter who is very fluent in both our languages, but she can only read English and 0% Thai.
> I want us to move to Thailand but where will my daughter go to school if we do? My wife says the only option is $15,000 USD per year International School.
> Any input on this subject would be greatly appreciated.


The American International Schools (AIS) would be my first suggestion. They are aligned to the US school year and curriculum. If your Thai wife is your daughters biological mother, your daughter inherits Thai citizenship, and MAYBE eligible for government schooling. But there are a lot of complex factors that determine government schooling eligibility.

Not being able to write Thai will hold her back in a Govt School, initially. But a private college will fix that in no time.

The key factor for you is how long will you be in Thailand. It its say 1-3 years then put her in the AIS. If its forever, try and get her into a Thai Private School (cheaper than AIS) which will enable her to attend a Thai University. As always, money solves all problems. Research well.


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