Pursuing schools as a family status symbol

It's difficult to escape the current online discourse on the balance of the Good Life and the growing debate over international schools.

- ■NIKI CHATIKAVANIJ

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.