Somtawin School

[troopie]

Having read some OK reviews of this school, but also at least one real stinker, could someone kindly give me an inside opinion? Is there anyone on this noble forum with kids going to Somtawin who can therefore give me a genuine idea of what it's like. I'm moving to the area soon & as I've got a kid, schooling is one hurdle I'm dealing with.
Thanks a lot, folks!

[Bamboo Grove]

I have two daughters in tha Thai section, you'll probably want the international of which I know nothing. I have no other problems with the Thai section except the size of the classes. The kids have been there for three years in the kindergarden and will start their primary school in May. The teachers have been good so far and the girls mostly seem to enjoy going to school.

[troopie]

Thanks for the feedback.
So is the school divided into Thai & International sections?
If so, is the former only for Thai citizens or something?
What's the difference between the 2?

[Lev]

You may want to resize your avatar!

[Bamboo Grove]

In the Thai section all teaching is in Thai. The international section uses English.

[alleykat]

It is not an international school. It is a private Thai school with an English Program. This program is managed by a crowd called WECI out in Nong Ghae. They recruit the teachers. They are trying to get all the schools in the area under their umbrella, which is a bad thing as there will be no competition, so they can keep the teachers salaries low. This is why they have teachers leaving all the time.
Now this crowd WECI are running TEFL courses which can turn you into a teacher overnight! So they will have an even bigger pool of teachers to choose from when the others leave. Just about everybody passes these TEFL programs and anybody can enrol if they have the money. Even if they are a 40-50 year old sexpat who used to be a painter!
I know teachers that have & still do work at Somtawin and they are miserable. Always want to leave.
A real teacher in Thailand would not work for any less than 40,000 baht per month, but these guys only get about 25,000-27.000 baht.

[troopie]

A real teacher in Thailand would not work for any less than 40,000 baht per month, but these guys only get about 25,000-27.000 baht.

I'm no expert but according to the Cha-am/Hua hin page on Ajarn.com, that is a fair salary for this area. 40,000+ is reasonable but only in Bangkok, or so it seems. A guy I know works for a university in Nakhon Sawan & gets only around 29,000.
However, I do agree that having one organisation control all teacher recruiting in the area is bad news.
However, are there any parents out there who have kids in that programme?

[alleykat]

I'm no expert but according to the Cha-am/Hua hin page on Ajarn.com, that is a fair salary for this area. 40,000+ is reasonable but only in Bangkok, or so it seems. A guy I know works for a university in Nakhon Sawan & gets only around 29,000.

Point taken, okay, 40,000 is a bit high for outside of Bangkok.
But do you think someone can live with dignity in Hua Hin on 25,000 if they have no other income? There's no way they could;
a) Run a vehicle (car).
b) Support a wife and/or kids.
c) Live in a decent house.
d) Eat Western food more than once or twice a week.
e) Save enough money to go home once a year.

The guy you know in Nakhon Sawan, does he work a full week? I think you may find that he does a lot less teaching hours than the 25 hours at Somtawin, and probably doesn't have to be at the school Mon-Fri 8am-4.30pm so he has time to supplement his income by doing private lessons.
Besides Nakhon Sawan is a lot cheaper to live than Hua Hin.

[neilgs]

I love Hua Hin.

However I visited the School and wouldn't leave my kids there. There were a lot of kid's fighting in the playground during the break while the teacher was sleeping as there was no air-con. The kid's were left to entertain themselves.

So I moved down to Dulwich in Hua Hin where the teaching is expensive but excellent, even better than the UK.

That was 3 years ago and I haven't been back since.

If you are happy with your kid's being educated to Third World standards then it's ok.

if not leave them in Bangkok or move elsewhere.

[troopie]

So I moved down to Dulwich in Hua Hin

Isn't Dulwich in Phuket & Koh Samui? Does it now have a branch closer to HH?

[suzannejames]

Somtawin is the only K - 8 school in Hua Hin. No K - 12 international schools are here. None. As stated, Somtawin has a program for Thais and a program for those who speak English (called EP for English Program). They may share the school facility, but the programs are separate.

I've observed classes (and recesses), talked to administrators, paid attention to the EP kids, poured over curriculum, gotten the lowdown from an un-named teacher there, and I've found the school more than adequate so far. Will know more in 2 or 3 weeks after my very bright 13 year old son attends classes and provides feedback as to how it compares with his education in the US. That he is pleased will maked me pleased. That he is challenged, well, I guess that begs an answer.

Consider too, there's always the option of supplementing what's being taught at school, by you - at home. Curriculum can easily be had via the internet. Expect to pay about 32,000 baht for a curriculum program that is most likely accepted back in your home country if you should decide living in HH doesn't suit you long-term. (This is true for the US, anyway..)

As anywhere, teacher quality is questionable, as is the varied motivations to teach in Thailand. However, consider that Hua Hin is not Pattaya. HH is not exactly a spicy city for one who is in the market for a lot of excitement. Perhaps there may be a tad bit more of motivation to teach well and perhaps stay on for more than most other places. Yes, no doubt -- the salaries are low by standards in "more developed" countries. This is the LOS, and I'm glad to be here. Flexibility......

Another thought: in the US teachers get tenured after X number of years (varies by school districts). Try dismissing a burned out teacher and you'll find this to be the case..

You can make it make it work, pull it all together - if you want to.

I strongly disagree with the Third World assessment of Somtawin. Seems that the response might have been a bit more open-minded and less harsh in stating what was a personal opinion, seemingly not researched all that thouroughly. But that's just my opinion, and worth no more nor less than your own.

Suzanne

[suzannejames]

From the above post:
...as ARE the varied... I kinda know grammar ...grammer ?

I hate it when I do that by not re-reading before I submit.

Yep, I need to work on losing my Type A personality and let loose -
need to work on it A LOT.


Suzanne

[Guess]

What I can not understand is why anybody would want to educate their children. The danger is that they may become smarter and cause a threat to our existence. I have pulled my daughter out of school and now have her working in a bar. Instead of forking out money every week I now have a little bit coming back.

I am sorry if I sound synical but I have spent the entire evening with morons.

[Guess]

Oh by the way, Dulwich is off Highway 2 on the right hand side just past Margert Thatchers house just about 10 KM before yoy reach Udon Thani.

[neilgs]

Apologies for the confusion - meant Dulwich Phuket not Hua Hin