I was looking into international schools for my son while we were still in Europe, and I reached out to Meritton British. I was encouraged to pay a 50,000 baht deposit to secure his place, which I did because I understood that availability could be limited by the time we arrived in Thailand.

Once we arrived, I toured the school in person. The school is on the smaller side, which gave me a different impression of the availability situation than I had initially understood when I was asked to secure a place in advance. Of course, I can’t speak to the school’s actual enrollment numbers or availability, but in hindsight, I would have preferred to tour the school before committing to the deposit.

We ultimately decided to return to Europe rather than remain in Thailand, so I contacted the school about the possibility of receiving the 50,000 baht deposit back since my son would no longer be attending. I was told that the deposit was non-refundable because it was paid to secure his place.

I understand that schools can have their own deposit policies, but I was disappointed with how this situation was handled. If we ever do return to Thailand, I would be hesitant to enroll my son at the school based on this experience.

My recommendation to other parents would be to tour the school before paying a deposit and make sure it is somewhere you are comfortable sending your child. I would also recommend getting the deposit and refund terms clearly in writing before making any payment.