Online English school focuses on Thai children

Thai children now are able to learn English through an online programme taught by native English speakers.

Titled "English Gang", the course is designed for children aged four to 12, and gives a digital boost to the students' English reading, writing and conversation skills.

After a preliminary online assessment, students are assigned to one of six course levels. Parents choose from a pool of more than 50 tutors who have been carefully picked by English Gang, and select a class time that fits the family's schedule.

English Gang tutors are native English speakers from countries such as the US, Canada and the UK, with at least a bachelor's degree and a minimum of three years teaching experience, according to English Gang founder Robert Kawada, who has been working in both the Thai and international education arena since 2004.

Parents choose from a pool of over 50 tutors and select a class time that fits with the family's schedule. English Gang

English Gang claims to be the first company in Thailand to be accredited by Boston ESL in the US, with a 5-star-rated curriculum of high-quality course content. Each of the 400-plus English Gang online classes are created specifically for Thai students to be a fun and safe environment that engages, entertains and charts students' progress.

With ever increasing internet speeds being offered in Thailand, the time is ripe for digital learning and creating a course that brings "the future into your home", Kawada said.

"Families don't have to deal with travel logistics or the added expense and time pressure of sourcing a school, course and tutor. There needs to be a collective drive to take English-language learning to the next level in Thailand over the next 10 years and this is our mission, one successful student at a time."

Since the soft launch of English Gang at the end of February, more than 100 students have signed up and the website is getting over 20,000 views a month. English Gang hopes to have more than 2,000 students by September.