Berkeley International-Thailand

Roundtrip · Post by **Roundtrip** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 9:51 pm

Has anyone ever heard of, or had personal experiences with Berkeley International School in Thailand?

durianfan · Post by **durianfan** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 11:35 am

It opened last year in Bangna. Don't know much about it since the website only shows pictures of the facilities, not the students. I believe it's a lower-tier international school. It probably (and I'm only guessing here) pays around 60k baht a month. But there really isn't much info on the website - it says "international" but it may be mostly Thai.

If anyone has any solid info on this school, please let us know.

interteach · Post by **interteach** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 11:42 am

Deleted

Roundtrip · Post by **Roundtrip** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:06 pm

I also thought it was odd that there wasn't one single picture with students in it. The facility looks wonderful though. I couldn't find anything on its director either. Spooky.

ExpatGuy · Post by **ExpatGuy** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:55 am

Its Thailand

If your not at the best International Schools then you definitely run into the bizzare, absurd, and sometimes outright ridiculous

Its the price you pay to teach in paradise (for some)

sweetpea · Post by **sweetpea** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 10:29 am

Don't go there. I worked for their director, Tom Dellario, a few years back at another school in Bangkok. Nice guy, but he recently broke two contracts in a row mid-year at other schools in the area. The school is beautiful, but it's for profit and run by Thais, which doesn't usually mesh well with a western-style education. Also, last year they were advertising for teachers and were not requiring teaching certification. There are some excellent international schools catering to locals in Bangkok that pay decently. Check out KIS, St. Andrews, St. Stephens, or Shrewsbury.

durianfan · Post by **durianfan** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 7:52 pm

[quote="sweetpea"]it's for profit and run by Thais, which doesn't usually mesh well with a western-style education.[/quote]

Says it all right there. If it's run by Thais, then it's probably just a fancy gov't school that pays a bit more. Avoid this place like the plague.

[quote]There are some excellent international schools catering to locals in Bangkok that pay decently. Check out KIS, St. Andrews, St. Stephens, or Shrewsbury.[/quote]

KIS is top tier I think - it's an IB school that probably pays quite well. The others are mid-tier but still pay okay, however they are very competitive and you need to be very lucky even to get an interview. Bangkok is probably the most competitive city in Asia for international schools (although Hong Kong is close behind).