Hello!
This school gives me a very good overall impression but as I understand it belongs to the tier-3 in Bangkok.
Anybody having inside information is most welcome to contact me by private message if it is sensitive or on this forum.
This is very important.
Thank you.
Wells International School Bangkok
Sorry
PMs dont work on this board if you want someone to contact you, you need to post an email address. Afterwords you can always come back and "edit" your post to remove it.
Yes Wells IS is a 3rd tier school, they are pretty new, but honestly if you like it the school and dont have any other options so what if its 3rd tier. Lots of international teachers started their careers at 3rd tier schools.
You wont get much out of it a far as advancement potential (no IB or GCSE training). They dont pay that great, they are on the upper end of the ESL spectrum, but cost of living is low, and you would be OK for a 2 year contract.
Yes Wells IS is a 3rd tier school, they are pretty new, but honestly if you like it the school and dont have any other options so what if its 3rd tier. Lots of international teachers started their careers at 3rd tier schools.
You wont get much out of it a far as advancement potential (no IB or GCSE training). They dont pay that great, they are on the upper end of the ESL spectrum, but cost of living is low, and you would be OK for a 2 year contract.
Re: Sorry
[quote="PsyGuy"]PMs dont work on this board if you want someone to contact you, you need to post an email address. Afterwords you can always come back and "edit" your post to remove it.
Yes Wells IS is a 3rd tier school, they are pretty new, but honestly if you like it the school and dont have any other options so what if its 3rd tier. Lots of international teachers started their careers at 3rd tier schools.
You wont get much out of it a far as advancement potential (no IB or GCSE training). They dont pay that great, they are on the upper end of the ESL spectrum, but cost of living is low, and you would be OK for a 2 year contract.[/quote]
Thank you very much for your answer.
However they are accredited WASC and AP and will probably be IB next year. What do you mean upper end ESL? How is the level of the children? how is the admin?
Yes Wells IS is a 3rd tier school, they are pretty new, but honestly if you like it the school and dont have any other options so what if its 3rd tier. Lots of international teachers started their careers at 3rd tier schools.
You wont get much out of it a far as advancement potential (no IB or GCSE training). They dont pay that great, they are on the upper end of the ESL spectrum, but cost of living is low, and you would be OK for a 2 year contract.[/quote]
Thank you very much for your answer.
However they are accredited WASC and AP and will probably be IB next year. What do you mean upper end ESL? How is the level of the children? how is the admin?
Re: Sorry
[quote="PsyGuy"]PMs dont work on this board if you want someone to contact you, you need to post an email address. Afterwords you can always come back and "edit" your post to remove it.
Yes Wells IS is a 3rd tier school, they are pretty new, but honestly if you like it the school and dont have any other options so what if its 3rd tier. Lots of international teachers started their careers at 3rd tier schools.
You wont get much out of it a far as advancement potential (no IB or GCSE training). They dont pay that great, they are on the upper end of the ESL spectrum, but cost of living is low, and you would be OK for a 2 year contract.[/quote]
Also, could you please make a comparison with American School of Bangkok?
I have talked to some kindergarten children studying there and found their level in English being very low, much lower than Wells.
Is American School supposed to be in tier-2 or 3?
Yes Wells IS is a 3rd tier school, they are pretty new, but honestly if you like it the school and dont have any other options so what if its 3rd tier. Lots of international teachers started their careers at 3rd tier schools.
You wont get much out of it a far as advancement potential (no IB or GCSE training). They dont pay that great, they are on the upper end of the ESL spectrum, but cost of living is low, and you would be OK for a 2 year contract.[/quote]
Also, could you please make a comparison with American School of Bangkok?
I have talked to some kindergarten children studying there and found their level in English being very low, much lower than Wells.
Is American School supposed to be in tier-2 or 3?
Re: Sorry
[quote="PsyGuy"]PMs dont work on this board if you want someone to contact you, you need to post an email address. Afterwords you can always come back and "edit" your post to remove it.
Yes Wells IS is a 3rd tier school, they are pretty new, but honestly if you like it the school and dont have any other options so what if its 3rd tier. Lots of international teachers started their careers at 3rd tier schools.
You wont get much out of it a far as advancement potential (no IB or GCSE training). They dont pay that great, they are on the upper end of the ESL spectrum, but cost of living is low, and you would be OK for a 2 year contract.[/quote]
Psyguy,
I see you are located in Northern Europe. How do you know so much about all schools around the world? I am still wondering about Wells. I got a very good impression of the settings/curriculum/vision but as I understand teachers are not happy there and there is a lot of turnover. I don't manage to know whether it is because of the admin, the kids who seem to be mostly local, or the parents?
Yes Wells IS is a 3rd tier school, they are pretty new, but honestly if you like it the school and dont have any other options so what if its 3rd tier. Lots of international teachers started their careers at 3rd tier schools.
You wont get much out of it a far as advancement potential (no IB or GCSE training). They dont pay that great, they are on the upper end of the ESL spectrum, but cost of living is low, and you would be OK for a 2 year contract.[/quote]
Psyguy,
I see you are located in Northern Europe. How do you know so much about all schools around the world? I am still wondering about Wells. I got a very good impression of the settings/curriculum/vision but as I understand teachers are not happy there and there is a lot of turnover. I don't manage to know whether it is because of the admin, the kids who seem to be mostly local, or the parents?
Long answer
How do I know? Well thats a long story, and the reality is this is an anonymous forum, and I dont want to loose that anonymity.
Where did you get your "impression" from, is it their website? School websites are little more then marketing and advertising they only show you the good stuff, and what they want you to see. Some of the worst schools in the world have really nice websites.
Its really all three of those groups that are unhappy, because in practice when one of those groups (teachers, parents, admins, students) is unhappy it spreads to the other groups. Some of those groups may be able to deal with it better, but they are still unhappy.
Where did you get your "impression" from, is it their website? School websites are little more then marketing and advertising they only show you the good stuff, and what they want you to see. Some of the worst schools in the world have really nice websites.
Its really all three of those groups that are unhappy, because in practice when one of those groups (teachers, parents, admins, students) is unhappy it spreads to the other groups. Some of those groups may be able to deal with it better, but they are still unhappy.
Re: Long answer
[quote="PsyGuy"]How do I know? Well thats a long story, and the reality is this is an anonymous forum, and I dont want to loose that anonymity.
Where did you get your "impression" from, is it their website? School websites are little more then marketing and advertising they only show you the good stuff, and what they want you to see. Some of the worst schools in the world have really nice websites.
Its really all three of those groups that are unhappy, because in practice when one of those groups (teachers, parents, admins, students) is unhappy it spreads to the other groups. Some of those groups may be able to deal with it better, but they are still unhappy.[/quote]
Hi psyguy,
It is not the website which I do not find particularly well done nor informative. I have been to interview and I know some parents (almost all Japanese) who have their kids there. I am already part of the Bangkok expat community and wish to start working. The parents are positive about the school but what worries me is the teacher turnover + the high percentage of non-native English speaking kids, but this is a fact in many "international" schools in Bkk, even in ASB for example. However, Wells admin sounds ambitious about the future of the school (IB accreditation is on its way) and not so profit oriented as their fee structure is extremely low, if you compare to tier 1 schools. I just feel I don't know what's happening behind the scene. Wish I had contacts with current/previous teachers to know the reason why they have left, besides the lower package.
Where did you get your "impression" from, is it their website? School websites are little more then marketing and advertising they only show you the good stuff, and what they want you to see. Some of the worst schools in the world have really nice websites.
Its really all three of those groups that are unhappy, because in practice when one of those groups (teachers, parents, admins, students) is unhappy it spreads to the other groups. Some of those groups may be able to deal with it better, but they are still unhappy.[/quote]
Hi psyguy,
It is not the website which I do not find particularly well done nor informative. I have been to interview and I know some parents (almost all Japanese) who have their kids there. I am already part of the Bangkok expat community and wish to start working. The parents are positive about the school but what worries me is the teacher turnover + the high percentage of non-native English speaking kids, but this is a fact in many "international" schools in Bkk, even in ASB for example. However, Wells admin sounds ambitious about the future of the school (IB accreditation is on its way) and not so profit oriented as their fee structure is extremely low, if you compare to tier 1 schools. I just feel I don't know what's happening behind the scene. Wish I had contacts with current/previous teachers to know the reason why they have left, besides the lower package.
OK
Well first ASB, isnt really the american school. The american school is ISB. ASB is a Thai school that follows an american curriculum (WASC), ASB isnt a top tier school. Ichiro should reply to your message soon, as hes in BK at ISB and is the inside guy for the thai teaching scene.
Re: OK
[quote="PsyGuy"]Well first ASB, isnt really the american school. The american school is ISB. ASB is a Thai school that follows an american curriculum (WASC), ASB isnt a top tier school. Ichiro should reply to your message soon, as hes in BK at ISB and is the inside guy for the thai teaching scene.[/quote]
Ok. I live in the Sukhumvit / Japanese area so none of my friends/acquaintances has kids at ISB, and anyway I cannot expect to get hired in tier-1.
So my references are indeed "international-Thai" schools, mostly: Wells ASB which are probably similar in terms of student population / curriculum even though Wells teachers seem to have a lot of more experience than what is required at ASB where trainees are not unusual, and Anglo-Singapore which has a different profile.
Ok. I live in the Sukhumvit / Japanese area so none of my friends/acquaintances has kids at ISB, and anyway I cannot expect to get hired in tier-1.
So my references are indeed "international-Thai" schools, mostly: Wells ASB which are probably similar in terms of student population / curriculum even though Wells teachers seem to have a lot of more experience than what is required at ASB where trainees are not unusual, and Anglo-Singapore which has a different profile.
Re: OK
[quote="PsyGuy"]Well first ASB, isnt really the american school. The american school is ISB. ASB is a Thai school that follows an american curriculum (WASC), ASB isnt a top tier school. Ichiro should reply to your message soon, as hes in BK at ISB and is the inside guy for the thai teaching scene.[/quote]
Hope Ichiro answers soon.
I am not too concerned about the package, since my husband is doing well and has THE job. I am more concerned about the quality of teaching which is possible to achieve given the fact that kids are mostly local or Japanese / relationship with admin/management.
I have heard bad things but I don't know how true they are, as my impression was so different from what I heard. So basically should I trust gossips or feelings?
What do you think about the high percentage of local/Japanese kids? In my view it is not necessarily a bad thing, as Asian parents take their kids education usually more seriously than Western. Still, how proficient do they normally get in English?
Hope Ichiro answers soon.
I am not too concerned about the package, since my husband is doing well and has THE job. I am more concerned about the quality of teaching which is possible to achieve given the fact that kids are mostly local or Japanese / relationship with admin/management.
I have heard bad things but I don't know how true they are, as my impression was so different from what I heard. So basically should I trust gossips or feelings?
What do you think about the high percentage of local/Japanese kids? In my view it is not necessarily a bad thing, as Asian parents take their kids education usually more seriously than Western. Still, how proficient do they normally get in English?
Well
Its hard to describe an "international school", as international when the student body is homogeneous. Kind of takes the international out of it. I cant tell you which to trust, as I know neither the gossip, nor your gut. Personally, if there are a number of teachers with the same story and complaints, i have to believe that there is some credibility in numbers.
Re: Well
[quote="PsyGuy"]Its hard to describe an "international school", as international when the student body is homogeneous. Kind of takes the international out of it. I cant tell you which to trust, as I know neither the gossip, nor your gut. Personally, if there are a number of teachers with the same story and complaints, i have to believe that there is some credibility in numbers.[/quote]
Actually the student body is not that homogeneous. It does look that way because 99% of the kids are Asian but that includes Japanese, Koreans, Thai, bi-nationals Thai+Western, Thai with Indian descent, some Chinese, some Filipinos..
So the culture is "Asian" whatever it means... but I would not say it is not international. In pre-school level, Thai nationals are the exception, Japanese kids outnumber others. In primary/secondary levels, Thai nationals rise in numbers, up to the point where it becomes an almost 100% Thai school in G11-12. Looks like many Japanese parents wish their kids to have an exposure to the English language before they start their primary in a Japanese school, whereas Thai teens hope to get into a better Thai university if they have graduated from an "international" school.
Actually the student body is not that homogeneous. It does look that way because 99% of the kids are Asian but that includes Japanese, Koreans, Thai, bi-nationals Thai+Western, Thai with Indian descent, some Chinese, some Filipinos..
So the culture is "Asian" whatever it means... but I would not say it is not international. In pre-school level, Thai nationals are the exception, Japanese kids outnumber others. In primary/secondary levels, Thai nationals rise in numbers, up to the point where it becomes an almost 100% Thai school in G11-12. Looks like many Japanese parents wish their kids to have an exposure to the English language before they start their primary in a Japanese school, whereas Thai teens hope to get into a better Thai university if they have graduated from an "international" school.
I've heard rough things about both schools. I know people who work for both and one who has spent time in each.
Wells seems to be having a tough go as of late. They have closed one location and have had many staff leave. Some staff who have left claim to have been wrongfully dismissed. I've heard from various friends in fact that they are suing the school. The Headmaster from what I hear doesn't have an Education degree. He is an Engineer. Furthermore, (according to my source) most teachers that claim to have certification are just taking the masters program at Framingham (common in Thailand) to become certified. In fact its common in Thailand with such a glut of international tier 2 & 3 schools that they hire some some un-certified teachers ( particularly in the Nursery and Kindergarten). The school, from what I hear, is very proprietary-- run by a Taiwanese man who is looking solely at profit margins.
ASB has had significant problems in the past. See there profile on the pay portion of this site. However, people I know who have worked there recent seem to say it ok and generally on the up swing. Not a bad place to start your career. The school has grown a lot and in some ways is struggling to keep up with numbers. It is run by a family and although their ideas are misguided at times they do care about education. That said they do also care about profit. I know many teachers leaving there this year for much better opportunities in other locations- so perhaps its a good stepping stone?
Frankly, all low tier two and tier three schools in BKK lose they top staff (and have higher turnover) as the pay scale is just to low- particularly if your in the Sukhumvit-Silom area. Only people who stay are those who just won't leave Thailand for lifestyle reasons.
I have a friend who has worked at both schools and she believes ASB is a better school. More professional, better structured and you don't fear for losing your job.
Both schools I think are certified by WASC and offer AP. Be wary of IB accreditation-- I believe what they are claiming is they are becoming a candidate school with is a three year process.
Wells seems to be having a tough go as of late. They have closed one location and have had many staff leave. Some staff who have left claim to have been wrongfully dismissed. I've heard from various friends in fact that they are suing the school. The Headmaster from what I hear doesn't have an Education degree. He is an Engineer. Furthermore, (according to my source) most teachers that claim to have certification are just taking the masters program at Framingham (common in Thailand) to become certified. In fact its common in Thailand with such a glut of international tier 2 & 3 schools that they hire some some un-certified teachers ( particularly in the Nursery and Kindergarten). The school, from what I hear, is very proprietary-- run by a Taiwanese man who is looking solely at profit margins.
ASB has had significant problems in the past. See there profile on the pay portion of this site. However, people I know who have worked there recent seem to say it ok and generally on the up swing. Not a bad place to start your career. The school has grown a lot and in some ways is struggling to keep up with numbers. It is run by a family and although their ideas are misguided at times they do care about education. That said they do also care about profit. I know many teachers leaving there this year for much better opportunities in other locations- so perhaps its a good stepping stone?
Frankly, all low tier two and tier three schools in BKK lose they top staff (and have higher turnover) as the pay scale is just to low- particularly if your in the Sukhumvit-Silom area. Only people who stay are those who just won't leave Thailand for lifestyle reasons.
I have a friend who has worked at both schools and she believes ASB is a better school. More professional, better structured and you don't fear for losing your job.
Both schools I think are certified by WASC and offer AP. Be wary of IB accreditation-- I believe what they are claiming is they are becoming a candidate school with is a three year process.
Wells
Thank you very much for the useful inside info.
Just a few points:
* Wells has closed a location but opened a new one in Bang Na
* I feel everything depends on where you come from. I have been a local teacher in Europe. I had 30 Western or immigrant students in my class. Most of them did not have any sense of respect for the teachers nor for themselves. I had no assistent. I had to do all subjects. At Wells, classes are limited to 15/18, there is an assistent in every class, and specialist teachers for half the schedule.
Aren't international teachers too spoilt somehow?
I understand the pay is normally the usual concern, and as I explained above, due to my family situation, it is not an issue for me. I am more concerned about whether it is actually possible to teach on a good level or not, which I felt was impossible in my previous career.
As regards the for profit/non profit, sorry, but when you see that parents have to pay 1 million bahts the first year they enrol at NIST and that they are 22 / class in Kindergarten, I feel Wells is not the most "for-profit" school of Bangkok.
I have always been wondering how parents, or their employer, think it is worth to pay so much money at Pattana or NIST just for a Kindergarten, or actually even primary curriculum. They are just buying a brand, but I am not sure you can objectively tell the content is necessarily better than in so-called tier-3 schools.
[quote="gr8teach"]I've heard rough things about both schools. I know people who work for both and one who has spent time in each.
Wells seems to be having a tough go as of late. They have closed one location and have had many staff leave. Some staff who have left claim to have been wrongfully dismissed. I've heard from various friends in fact that they are suing the school. The Headmaster from what I hear doesn't have an Education degree. He is an Engineer. Furthermore, (according to my source) most teachers that claim to have certification are just taking the masters program at Framingham (common in Thailand) to become certified. In fact its common in Thailand with such a glut of international tier 2 & 3 schools that they hire some some un-certified teachers ( particularly in the Nursery and Kindergarten). The school, from what I hear, is very proprietary-- run by a Taiwanese man who is looking solely at profit margins.
ASB has had significant problems in the past. See there profile on the pay portion of this site. However, people I know who have worked there recent seem to say it ok and generally on the up swing. Not a bad place to start your career. The school has grown a lot and in some ways is struggling to keep up with numbers. It is run by a family and although their ideas are misguided at times they do care about education. That said they do also care about profit. I know many teachers leaving there this year for much better opportunities in other locations- so perhaps its a good stepping stone?
Frankly, all low tier two and tier three schools in BKK lose they top staff (and have higher turnover) as the pay scale is just to low- particularly if your in the Sukhumvit-Silom area. Only people who stay are those who just won't leave Thailand for lifestyle reasons.
I have a friend who has worked at both schools and she believes ASB is a better school. More professional, better structured and you don't fear for losing your job.
Both schools I think are certified by WASC and offer AP. Be wary of IB accreditation-- I believe what they are claiming is they are becoming a candidate school with is a three year process.[/quote]
Just a few points:
* Wells has closed a location but opened a new one in Bang Na
* I feel everything depends on where you come from. I have been a local teacher in Europe. I had 30 Western or immigrant students in my class. Most of them did not have any sense of respect for the teachers nor for themselves. I had no assistent. I had to do all subjects. At Wells, classes are limited to 15/18, there is an assistent in every class, and specialist teachers for half the schedule.
Aren't international teachers too spoilt somehow?
I understand the pay is normally the usual concern, and as I explained above, due to my family situation, it is not an issue for me. I am more concerned about whether it is actually possible to teach on a good level or not, which I felt was impossible in my previous career.
As regards the for profit/non profit, sorry, but when you see that parents have to pay 1 million bahts the first year they enrol at NIST and that they are 22 / class in Kindergarten, I feel Wells is not the most "for-profit" school of Bangkok.
I have always been wondering how parents, or their employer, think it is worth to pay so much money at Pattana or NIST just for a Kindergarten, or actually even primary curriculum. They are just buying a brand, but I am not sure you can objectively tell the content is necessarily better than in so-called tier-3 schools.
[quote="gr8teach"]I've heard rough things about both schools. I know people who work for both and one who has spent time in each.
Wells seems to be having a tough go as of late. They have closed one location and have had many staff leave. Some staff who have left claim to have been wrongfully dismissed. I've heard from various friends in fact that they are suing the school. The Headmaster from what I hear doesn't have an Education degree. He is an Engineer. Furthermore, (according to my source) most teachers that claim to have certification are just taking the masters program at Framingham (common in Thailand) to become certified. In fact its common in Thailand with such a glut of international tier 2 & 3 schools that they hire some some un-certified teachers ( particularly in the Nursery and Kindergarten). The school, from what I hear, is very proprietary-- run by a Taiwanese man who is looking solely at profit margins.
ASB has had significant problems in the past. See there profile on the pay portion of this site. However, people I know who have worked there recent seem to say it ok and generally on the up swing. Not a bad place to start your career. The school has grown a lot and in some ways is struggling to keep up with numbers. It is run by a family and although their ideas are misguided at times they do care about education. That said they do also care about profit. I know many teachers leaving there this year for much better opportunities in other locations- so perhaps its a good stepping stone?
Frankly, all low tier two and tier three schools in BKK lose they top staff (and have higher turnover) as the pay scale is just to low- particularly if your in the Sukhumvit-Silom area. Only people who stay are those who just won't leave Thailand for lifestyle reasons.
I have a friend who has worked at both schools and she believes ASB is a better school. More professional, better structured and you don't fear for losing your job.
Both schools I think are certified by WASC and offer AP. Be wary of IB accreditation-- I believe what they are claiming is they are becoming a candidate school with is a three year process.[/quote]