Amazingly, there are over 100 International Schools in Thailand, so you will definitely want to narrow down your search to a good short list.

Location

You may want to choose the schools you will visit and select one prior to deciding where you will live. Most schools will also offer a bus service, but bear in mind that traffic can be heavy and some schools start prior to 8:00 a.m. so your children could be leaving the house extremely early. If you already know where you will be living and you don't want your children to have a long commute, you can narrow down the list to the schools in that area assuming that these schools meet other selection criteria that are important for your child. Many families opt to hold off on the home location until they have selected the right school for their child.

Curriculum

The main choices are International Baccalaureate (IB), British and American. There are also some schools which cater to specific nationalities, such as French, Swiss (German), Japanese etc. Whilst you may be keen to keep with the national curriculum your children have been studying previously, if you are likely to be a transient expatriate, moving on to another country at some stage in their education, you should also consider the IB. IB programmes are recognized around the world and ensure an increased adaptability and mobility for IB students.

IB Programmes and IB World Schools
There are three IB programs catering to students aged 3-18 years of age:

• the Primary Years Program for ages 3-11 years
• the Middle Years Program for ages 11-16 years
• the pre-university Diploma Program for ages 16-18

IB World Schools may offer one, two or all three IB programmes. This means that not all IB schools provide an IB education for all age levels. A school may, for example, provide general primary or secondary education according to a national curriculum (eg. American, British, Canadian, Australian) but offer the IB Diploma Programme for its pre-university students.

Parents should ask whether or not a school has been officially authorized by the IB to offer all of the IB programmes,

Here in Bangkok, there are three schools which are authorized to offer all three IB programmes exclusively; all other IB schools offer either the British or American curriculum in primary and secondary and provide the IB curriculum (the Diploma programme) only for the last two years of high school.

Over the last several years there has been an increase in international schools around the world, authorized to offer all three IB programmes exclusively. If you are looking for an exclusively IB education for your child, make sure you ask the right questions during your visits.

Learning Support

It is a good idea to ask whether or not a school provides learning support for children who require it. Does the school have a programme in place and the staff available to provide the level of support that your child needs? Is learning support provided in the mainstream programme, or is it provided after school hours? If the school has a strong focus on learning support, how does this affect students who do not require support?

Accreditation

Does the school have accreditation from a third party authority? This is required by Thai law within the first 3 years of operations. The main accreditation agencies for International schools are: the Council of International Schools (CIS); Worldwide Education Service (WES); Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC); New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Please note that "membership" with these organizations does not mean that the school is actually accredited by them. Ensure that the school has gone through the accreditation study and that it is accredited by the organization.

Teaching Staff

Most international schools teach in the English language but you should consider the nationalities of the staff. Are they all native English speakers? Are Early Years teachers specifically trained for young learners? Does the school have a full schedule of teacher professional development in place to ensure their staff are kept up to date with both academic and best practice in teaching? What is the teaching staff turnover?

Size of School

International Schools range in size from small with fewer facilities up to a large out of town campus with over 2,000 students. Depending on where your children are coming from, their ages and personalities, the size of school will be an important consideration.

Class Size

What is the student to teacher ratio? Are other support staff in the class, such as Teaching Assistants, carers (for younger students), learning- and language support staff?

School Ethos

Is it a nice environment for students, teaching staff and for parents? When you went on your school visit, how did you feel? Did the students you saw seem happy and engaged in what they were doing? Were you and your family made to feel welcome and did the staff answer all of your questions well and with confidence? Were you able to see the classrooms in action? Is there a school community - are parents active and involved in school life? Your gut feeling about the school will tell you a lot!

School & Home Life

What are the school hours? Some schools in Bangkok start very early and some schools may be a long way from where you plan to live. Such a combination can mean that your child is leaving home very early in the morning and depending on the commute and traffic conditions, not getting home until quite late either! Make sure you can reach the balance of school vs home life that suits your family.

After School Programs

Is there a varied and well-catered after school program for students? Check for extra costs also.

Student Safety and Supervision

Are there adequate security measures in place at the school? What happens at drop off and pick up and are there procedures in place for when someone other than the parent needs to collect a student? Is there a policy on school bullying and is there a full-time school counselor?

Making your final choice
Do take the time to make sure you see a good cross section of schools before you make your final choice.  In town vs out of town; large vs smaller; your national curriculum vs IB.  And while talking to other families for their opinions can help, nothing is a substitute for your selection from the options available and your visit to the schools. Invest some time to do your research, then choose the school that's best for your child rather than what someone else feels is the 'best' school!