Forget the Salary - What About the Phuket Schools?

Forget the Salary - What About the Schools?

A few years ago Phuket in Thailand was a sleepy tropical island, where most of the people made their living by rubber, tin mining or fishing. The foreign population consisted of a handful of technical advisors, mission medical staff, trust fund refugees, charming but definitely dodgy individuals and a few backpackers. The island attracted foreigners - mostly single, desperate to flee the tedious humdrum of their western existence for something altogether different.

Cut to 15 years later in the year 2001 when most of those original characters have moved on to the next undiscovered destination, replaced by hoteliers, restaurateurs, builders, entrepreneurs, real estate agents and those with the good fortune to retire early. Individuals (read mostly men) are now giving way to families and even a few foreign women are trying out the lifestyle - made possible by better infrastructure, more coherent working legislation, and better housing.

Over the last 3 years the boom in tourism, generated by good marketing overseas and a falling baht, has changed the face of Phuket. In 1996, just over 2 million tourists visited the island. In the first 6 months of 2000, despite a disappointing millennium, arrivals still numbered 1.4 million.

Hitching a ride on the tourism boom, a thriving business and service sector has been developing with brand new hospitals, new joint venture projects like Tesco-Lotus, and a large increase in the small business sector. From 1999 to 2000, The Commercial Registrations Office (CRO) in Phuket (the smallest province in southern Thailand) recorded 838 business registrations an18% increase on the previous year. Figures from the Provincial Revenue Department (PRO) show a similar trend with an increase from 400 million baht in 1998/99 to 660 million in the tax year 1999/2000 in company tax revenue. The boom has of course resulted in higher living costs than any other province in Thailand, but the island is attracting people with much bigger budgets, clever ideas and deeper pockets looking for business opportunities. A bigger airport, new roads, better communications and the development of expatriate schools are all contributing to the demographic change.

Once deterred by the lack of hospitals, poor infrastructure, and good education facilities for non-Thais, foreign families are now looking towards Phuket where three international schools have slowly developed over the last 10 years. The disparate demands of a mobile international community have influenced the range of education on offer, from Montessori and British public school to the US system. Compared to places like Singapore with its expensive cost of living, and the unhealthy atmosphere of many Asian cities - the schools with their rural locations and comparatively modest fees are beginning to attract families to the island.

Dulwich International College - an affiliate of the prestigious Dulwich College in London, has grown rapidly in the last few years with a huge 35% increase in pupils from 1999 to 2000. The last September intake recorded over 600 pupils in the school,  which offers a British education from nursery to eighteen.

The increase represents a trend that started around 3 years ago when the declining bahtand Phuket's tourism industry really began to take off. Subsequent business to business development and a deteriorating standard of living in other Asian cities, has also contributed to bringing more entrepreneurs with children to the island

Dulwich are so confident that the trend will continue that they are building a new primary school in their expansive grounds which is scheduled for completion early next year. The only international school with boarding facilities, Dulwich is attracting pupils not just from Thailand and other parts of Asia, but also from the Middle East and Russia where parents view Phuket, as a safe and natural environment offering quality education and a healthy lifestyle. Fees have remained at a similar level over the last 2 years and are based in baht - a factor which has helped to attract boarders from overseas and broadened the local client base.

Parents can typically expect to pay fees of around 405,000 PA, for a 10 year old boarding, with an additional one-time entrance and endowment payment of 185,000. (75,000 refundable when the child leaves the school) Boarding fees remain a constant 180,000 PA whatever the age of the child (minimum 9 years old) and sibling discounts are available on all fees, making Dulwich not only competitive - but excellent value for money.

Chris Charlson, the Headmaster also attributes the increase in numbers to political stability in Thailand and a buoyant economy in Phuket which shows no sign of declining. International companies are keeping their staff on longer contracts as the hotel industry rapidly expands to accommodate the expansion in tourism. The increasing cost of land has created an affluent local Thai middle class, keen to give their children an international education and fluency in English.

The other two international schools are also optimistic about the future. Quality Schools International Phuket (QSIP) is part of a world wide network of schools endorsed by the US State Department and dedicated to giving an American based education for 2 - 18 year olds. The school is more compact than Dulwich, has smaller, multi age classes, an emphasis on individual learning and a cosy family atmosphere. A non-profit organisation, QSIP also views Phuket as an area of long term expansion and is firmly targeted to attracting US nationals moving around Asia, and those who prefer an American based education. Fees are fixed in dollars, at around $US 10,000 which may have limited expansion from the local community .

Montessori Learning Centre, with beautiful views over the sea in the southern part of the island, offers as the name suggests, education based on Montessori principles. A small school with big plans, Montessori also sees continuing expansion in the education sector. From 1999 to 2000 the number of pupils increased 70 to 104 creating a waiting list at the lower primary level. Although pleased with the growth, Headmaster Willem Van Benthum wants to keep the school small and affordable, with the original Montessori principles intact. Fees range from 70,000 to 100,000 P.A. supported by funding from other sources and there are plans for an online learning centre for middle and high school children. The school also acts as learning centre for adults and plans to continue in this area. Those early backpackers wouldn't recognize the place now…..

Website & contact addresses: Montessori @ far-away.net Dulwich www.dulwich-phuket.com QSIP pintsch@loxinfo.co.th www.phuketschl.com

Source stats: Tourism Authority of Thailand

The above is provided exclusively to thaistocks.com by Mrs. Linda Owen. Linda has been living in Thailand since 1987, running a successful travel and tourism business. Before that she worked for the British Government as a researcher in the policy section of Department of Employment. She is currently working on several other business projects in Phuket.

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