The entire aim of Pattaya Parent is to provide free and easily accessible information for all your parenting and family needs in Pattaya.
No doubt that education is a huge concern for all families.
Thousands of children in Pattaya are studying the British education which will lead to iGCSE's at age 15/16. The iGCSE course lasts for 2 years, starting in Year 10 with exams sat at the end of Year 11.
With over 25 English and International schools, plus homeschool and online learning we can be thankful for living in a city with plentiful choices to study for iGCSE's.
Yet how to choose? Which avenue is the right fit for your child and for your family?
Cost is a large factor for most families, yet there is more to consider than the financial aspect.
Each school and learning path has it's own merits and unique benefits of taking the iGCSE with them.
The Pattaya Parent iGCSE guide is a great starting point to firstly identify which benefits match your child's and family's needs and secondly how the choices in front of you can then be made with confidence.
As a reminder there are no promotions allowed. Pattaya Parent does not prefer one school from the next, each has their own role to play in the community and we are richer for having so many choices!
If you would like to be a part of the guide by sharing some of your own decisions, worries, questions or experience then please email PattayaParent@gmail.com.
If you would like to be first to receive the guide once complete then please register here and it will be emailed to you directly.
There isn't a 'best' school. Only the RIGHT school for you and your family!
WOW. How does this not already exist?
Fantastic resource you are providing!
When do you think it will be published? We need to make a decision soon as my daughter is choosing her options but we want to leave the school she is at.
We have called several schools but haven't managed to visit yet. It would be so helpful to have all the information in front of me so I can compare.
As I have been a first member here maybe you can help me even if the guide isn't published yet?
I'll send you an email with my contact. Would be very very grateful for any help you can offer for our own specific family needs.
Blessings
I'm here for the 20k option 😆 , well for my first child anyway. She was a great candidate for homeschool and sat her first iGCSE's at age 13 with the British Council. Whilst it's true the exams cost about 3kbaht each, that didn't include all the study materials that got her there. She used a combination of online resources and a few text books purchased. However from a cost perspective it was by far the less costly option even if that is not why we chose it.
Child number 2 however was not such a good homeschool candidate and preferred more of a concrete schedule. Needed to spend a bit more that concrete schedule! LOL
I hope the guide shows how to identify just what type of a learner your child is. They are all different - even those coming from the same households!
I'm looking forward to see the final guide!
Don't let school get in the way of your child's education!
I joined this forum as a favour to a friend and tbh I wondered how much I was going to engage over the long term... Then I saw this post!
This is really fantastic PattayaParent. Good on you helping families in this way.
We aren't at GCSE level yet but it won't be far off when we need to start looking.
If you can keep adding helpful and essential things like this then surely you will get every parent on here.
I will be sharing this post because it will be extremely useful to many of my friends and contacts here.
We are not on an expat package and tbh you can be made to feel inferior with the options you have if you aren't spending millions of baht on your kids education.
Are you planning on making it just a digital guide or getting it printed out?
I have some contacts in the printing industry here. PM me if you want some info about that.
Just joined. Please send me the guide!
Something to consider for Brits.
In order to qualify for UK university fees, your child must be resident in the UK for 4 years prior to the course. That means GCSE's and A levels should be done in the UK. The UK fees for uni are £9,000pa for UK residents and £30,000+ for international students.
Many of my friends have either returned home at GCSE level or sent their children to live with family and attend a UK school. Usually a state school so it doesn't cost anything at all.
Doesn't apply to teachers kids as they are in a grey area legally because their parents are still working as teachers and it's listed as like being seconded or something.
But for anyone just working or living here without that registration then its smart to look at what might happen at university level financially. There are no student loans for international students so all those fees have to be paid upfront.
Maybe add this info to your guide if you haven't already.
Please send me the guide. My son is 13 and we are worried about what exam he will take. He is in a bilingual school but they do not do iGCSE. I think better for him to move school but do not know anything about it.