The standard of education in Thailand, specifically Bangkok, has improved greatly over the last ten years or so and this is due to a number of reasons but as with most issues concerning a developing country, it boils down to money.

Thais are now very much into ensuring that their children have a good education and more and more parents are paying for better standards and better facilities. They are also pushing their children harder and making them study at almost every given opportunity through private tuition and extra classes.

It's worth noting that any teacher now teaching at any school needs to possess a degree or higher and also a recognised teaching certificate.

Teachers of English as a Second Language only need a degree and a certificate for teaching English as a foreign or second language. Without these qualifications, it is nearly impossible for the teacher to obtain a work permit and will be forced to leave Thailand every 90 days.

Thai schools

There are some quality Thai schools around Bangkok and the competition to attend increases yearly with large financial gifts exchanging hands to ensure a place.
Securing a place in the top schools is as much to do with how rich you are and who you know as it is to do with how clever you are.
In general, the top schools are Catholic schools and this applies to both boys and girls schools.

Thai Bi-Lingual Schools

About 10 years ago there was a surge in the appearance of International schools but to many, the fees were far too expensive and so an alternative was found via the introduction of bi-lingual schools.

Bi-lingual schools were usually just sections of standard schools that had been given a face-lift and now offered the slightly more wealthy students a Thai curriculum based education taught in English .

These schools started springing up all over the place and teachers were employed from anywhere just to fill the positions. As long as there was a white face in front of the class, students were enrolled.

These schools still operate and there are some very goods one such as Satit Kaset (Demonstration School) but in the main, the schools pay too little to attract the best teachers and as such, the schools remain very much a secondary choice to the International Schools.

International Schools

Again, this sector has been flooded because it was seen as a quick means to making good money. Any school with an International staff base ( this included many with 90% Filipino ) was, and still is, classifying itself as an International school and to do this they need to offer an International curriculum.

There are Korean International Schools, Chinese International Schools, Singaporean International schools as well as the more prestigious British and American International Schools.

International schools need careful consideration if you are on a budget. Just because a school uses the term "international" and offers an American or British Curriculum, it does not mean it's any good. Many schools have an incredibly high staff turnover and this is very disruptive to the students and to the school, but any school with a high staff turnover either pays very poorly or treats its staff poorly and they feel they have to leave. When checking a school, try to get some idea of staff turnover. Speak to teachers and speak to students and don't accept the ones put in front of you. walk around at play time or break time and select a few at random.

The "best" International schools employ their staff from overseas and ensure that every teacher is experienced and has full and legitimate teaching credentials and in return for this, the teachers get paid quite handsomely considering the standard of living in Thailand.

The following list is what I would consider to be "the best", but I urge you to make all necessary checks yourself to ensure you get the best for your children.

The list is in no particular order and is a personal opinion.

1. International School of Bangkok ( ISB )
2. Shrewsbury International School
3. Harrow International School
4. Ruamrudee International School
5. Pattana International School

There are others that are also quite good but I've limited my list to just 5.

Universities

Thailand has its fair share of universities and its top university , Chulalongkorn, is getting a reputation for being a world class university. However, you'll need to speak, read and write Thai to pass any of the degrees on offer.
The top universities are fairly good but whether the degrees can be compared to other countries is a matter for debate.

There is one university that offers degrees taught in English. This university is Assumption University ( ABAC ) but fom the rumours going around, it seems as though the teaching staff is not very good, the "brothers" ( it's another Catholic establishment ) are pretty self indulgent and tend to disappear only to re-appear with a doctorate or a master's degree in hand. Again, rumour has it that they didn't do the work themselves, but these are small issues

Assumption University is for the rich only as it's not cheap but the money goes on huge lavish buildings and overly decorative interiors for those higher up the ladder rather than paying salaries for quality teachers and staff. Many of the staff come from Burma, The Filipines, India and Bangladesh.

If you are considering doing a degree in Thailand, this seems like the "only" choice if you speak English but if you are a mature student, you might find yourself knowing more than those teaching you.

Assumption Unoversity has two campuses. One in Ramkamhaeng and another far outside of Bangna. This is a fairly new campus and you'll see where the money for tuition has ben spent.

The largest university is Ramkamhaeng University which is, surprisingly enough, also in Ramkamhaeng.

This university is a government university and has a huge campus, but it needs it because it is suggested that roughly 100,000 students attend in some shape or form.
Unfortunately for the university, or rather the students who attend, the university does not have a very good reputation.

As we've already stated, this web site is all about Bangkok and we'll slowly start to expand once we've got Bangkok right and serving you well.
We'd like to suggest that you visit our chat forum because you might pick up a lot of hints and tips from people who've been here quite a while.