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Update:  I found out about:

• Russian Diplomat School
• Mooltripakdee School

Don't know much about either other than they exist and we'll review their websites today.  Russian Diplomat School is very attractive because of proximity.

Cheers!

Wow great for your kids to be multi-lingual!  I'm impressed.

@Bigrad Wolf - Heh, thank you!

We gave him no choice.  I only speak Spanish with him since he was born, and my lady only speaks Russian with him.  We speak all three languages at home.  If the three of us participate in the conversation we fall back to English.  If someone else is present we all fall back to whatever the other person speaks.  Have an awesome day!

@pr3d4t0r I suppose that the best way is to locate first where you will set your home and the chosen school's position and after you arrive there this summer try to test the road to get to each school at morning as you would take your son to lessons.

You can do either by car or by motorbike which for sure is the quickest mean to pass the traffic jam.

This will allow you to compare the best distance option directly as well going to talk to each school management collecting a direct impression and the fee they ask.

This is how I would proceed.

@pr3d4t0r I suppose that the best way is to locate first where you will set your home and the chosen school's position and after you arrive there this summer try to test the road to get to each school at morning as you would take your son to lessons.
You can do either by car or by motorbike which for sure is the quickest mean to pass the traffic jam.
This will allow you to compare the best distance option directly as well going to talk to each school management collecting a direct impression and the fee they ask.
This is how I would proceed.
-@Maxi Mari

Whats wrong with Google Maps? It shows the best route possible at any given moment incl traffic.

@Leeds forever! - I have a fractured relationship with Google ever since I wrote a book about their tech (with their blessing and "help") and they screwed me on something. Then later, twice, they made offers to buy companies that I started and got low balled on both (Yahoo! and Meltwater made way more sensible offers and nourished the tech, instead of burying it among other stuff at Google). Two or three times a year I get invited to interview to run a lab in Zürich or to drive some team in the US, 100% not interested. The only Google service I use is Voice, and only because it's tied to a no longer existent phone number. Everything else has good alternatives.

There are two big groups of people here in Silicon Valley regarding Google: those who ride along with the mothership, and those of us who understand that using their products, even when they are "free," helps perpetuate and strengthen their position, so we avoid them as much as possible. There are some business contexts where I have no choice and I maintain a Gmail account for those (e.g. when someone sends me a private spreadsheet or document). Beyond that, I use none of their services. F**k Google.

@Maxi Mari - Yeah, pretty much what I thought.  We already decided that he'll start school in the US in September, then transfer schools when we finalize the move to Thailand in December.  We'll finish setting up house this summer (heading back to Pattaya in about two weeks).  I plan on renting a car and try your suggestion, combined with some nav app magic.

After lots of research and having called our top 7 choices, we narrowed the schools down to 4, all within 8 - 27 min from our location, during traffic according to Apple Maps.  All four are welcoming to our visit this July to check out the premises, discuss curricula, and so on -- very nice peeps on the phone.  I feel very optimistic about the schools.

As for the driving...  like when I'm in the UK or Ireland, I'll have to remember to stay on the other side of the road!  Have an awesome day.