Langugae school for ED visa

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undoo
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Langugae school for ED visa

Post by undoo »

I'm planning to learn some Thai and obtain ED visa in the process.
Which language school would you recommend? Sirada & TLC seem like largest schools in Hua Hin.
Anyone had any experience with these schools?
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Big Boy
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Re: Langugae school for ED visa

Post by Big Boy »

My son used Sirada when we moved here. He is now fluent in speaking, reading and writing Thai. They did a great job with him, but he also saw many fail along the way. The other schools may be just as good, but I know he would give Sirada a big thumbs up.
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HHTel
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Re: Langugae school for ED visa

Post by HHTel »

My daughter also used Sirada for her 1 year 'sabbatical' using an ED visa. She had nothing but praise for them.
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Re: Langugae school for ED visa

Post by Homer »

By coincidence you should post this as I'm gathering tools to learn a third language. Wrote most of this to post on a language site, but it works here.

First find out how they teach you to make a sound that doesn't exist in any language you know. Is it listen and repeat until you can consistently get it right? Unless one is good at generating novel random sounds by manipulating body and breath in ways that go against both all muscle memory and everything they know about speech, it's a good way to learn slowly or to never learn how to correctly pronounce a sound. However, it's GREAT for teachers being paid by the hour.

Teaching speech sounds that way is like a skilled harmonica player blowing a single note, then telling the student to play the same note, without benefit of mentioning which hole he blew or drew through or that his tongue covered the holes he wasn't using. A student could learn to play the right note eventually, but why put him through that? Because it's a GREAT for teachers being paid by the hour.

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) describes how to manipulate the body and breath to produce each of the sounds of language while simultaneously being a phonetic representation of the sounds. It was created in 1888. This isn't rocket science, though at first it looks intimidating. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internati ... c_Alphabet

This site shows how to link Thai sounds to the IPA
https://slice-of-thai.com/pronunciation-guides/#ipa
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Re: Langugae school for ED visa

Post by JohnD »

I did 2 separate ED visas with Sirada - each being for 6 months only as I was not able to enrol and stay for a full 12 months.
(I think the price then was 25,000 for one year, and 15,000 for six months. Of course, they promote the 12 month option over the 6 month option.)
I found Sirada to be very good in all respects.
I think I was lucky with my tutors, as some are more highly regarded than others.
There were 2 morning classes which followed a printed text book (provided) and the class was a fairly consistent group.
There were 2 afternoon classes for conversation where the group did vary (and level of Thai) and the subject was whatever students requested.
Don't know much about TLC, except I did visit their floor one day - to use the toilet - and they refused access.
I think they knew I was from the floor above, it's dumb thing to do.
So I don't think much of TLC.
I think TLC is where you go when Sirada say you already have too many ED visas and should try another school?

I note other threads about issues learning Thai, and I've been tempted to comment.
I find Thai to be a difficult language - because of non-roman script and tones.
I speak good French (learned at school and used in the workplace).
I speak good Indonesian (learned from small talk with locals, and practised in the workplace).
I often reflect on how easy it was to pick up Indonesian where all the locals want to chat.
Take a bus and they will come over and sit next to you to practise their English.
I do miss those days in Indonesia where I could go anywhere and open up and hold a conversation about anything.
It will be many years (probably never) before I can do that in Thailand.
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