It’s difficult to escape the current online discourse on the balance of the Good Life and the growing debate over international schools. International schools were established in 1951, when International School Bangkok opened on the grounds of the US embassy to serve the children of American staff. Bangkok Patana School, Thailand’s first such British school, opened in 1957 to serve the growing expat community, along with Ruamrudee International School.
Then came the international school renaissance. NIST opened in 1992, followed by the beginning of the UK franchise model — Harrow, Shrewsbury and so on. The point is, international schools have long been present in Thailand. However, the craze surrounding them only began a few years ago.
The online frenzy surrounding the culture of international schools has expanded following the release of Netflix’s Everybody Loves Me When I’m Dead, a Thai film for the small screen starring Theeradej “Ken” Wongpuapun, a veteran actor and heartthrob who took a six-year hiatus from leading-man roles.
The general synopsis of the film follows Toh, a middle-aged bank employee who tries to steal from an unclaimed bank account of a deceased woman, to send his six-year-old daughter to an expensive international school. At home, he is constantly pressured by his wife to “invest in their child’s future”, through private hospital treatments, extracurricular activities, lessons and more, whilst battling the incoming AI and automation threat at work. When 30 million baht in an unclaimed bank account is seemingly his for the taking, Toh accidentally stumbles into the Pattaya underworld of mafia, gangs and shootouts — all for tuition fees.
The film may be a fast-paced action movie, but the basis of the whole thing is on-the-nose social commentary on the state of being in contemporary Thai society. Whilst Thailand may have housed a handful of international schools since the 50s, there’s no denying that a slew of internationally branded institutions have popped up over the past decade, notably so following the pandemic. Nowadays, some parents have to almost justify why they are opting to send their offspring to a Thai school.
Whilst international schools are a solid choice for many, given their focus on creative freedom, world-class facilities and a global curriculum that encourages greater individuality, it’s a conscious choice with an ongoing, expensive price tag. As the film points out, the costs go beyond tuition fees and creep into other aspects of your lifestyle, from the price of “fitting in” to the cost of extracurriculars.
International schools are now re-packaged as strong opportunities or a “head start” for the young generation, bundled in a glossy 500,000 baht to 1 million baht package. In Thailand, where we are experiencing a significant economic slowdown and stagnant growth, this demand will put considerable pressure on middle-class households.
The extent of demand also leads us to question the very basis of Thai curricula. How do we even go about tackling the foundation of Thai education? There are so many moving parts to tackle and reform within Thailand’s infrastructure. Still, education should be at the very top, given that this is about educating the future generation in a fast-paced world facing an incoming technological threat.
Thailand’s education landscape has shifted dramatically over the past couple of decades. When I graduated in 2009, there were only 30-40 students in my entire graduating class, but now, there are hundreds. The demand has risen, and so has competition.
Simply getting into school doesn’t mean the competition stops either. The grind continues, and at the end of the day, when does the system allow us to pause? The Good Life is about striving for the best, yes, but it’s also about taking a collective pause to see what is best for you.
Currently, there are a dozen schools scattered across Bangkok with high-profile openings slated for 2026. There are consultancies, test prep and college admissions services with high price tags awaiting you after acceptance. You either join the Tiger Moms or you quietly rebel against them. In an era where every decision or thought process is documented online, it’s easy to get caught up in the pressure to show up and perform.
The film’s ending shows that, most of the time it is not worth striving for what’s too far out of reach, especially at the expense of family and your own mental (and sometimes physical) well-being. The Good Life should also be about reverting to the basics, and whilst we’re not suggesting that you forego ambition altogether, every family’s reality is different. Let us strive to remember this when the group chat rings too loud.