School: The Knowledge
Website: The Knowledge
Address: 193/28 Lake Rachada Office Complex, 5th floor, Rachadapisek Road, Khlongtoei, Khlongtoei, Bangkok 10110
Email: [email protected]
Telephone Number: 02-264-0276
Facebook: The.Knowledge.Bangkok
Location
It’s about the same walk coming from the Queen Sirikit MRT station as it is coming from the Asok BTS station. It’s across from Queen Sirikit Park, almost right next to a big open-air Thai food market. Take the lift to the 5th floor of Lake Rachada and you’re there.
Learning Method
I had been to this school when they first opened, but at that time, they were still developing their curriculum, so I didn’t review it. Now they appear to have their “sea legs” and are up-n-running with their material.
What this isn’t is a Union Clone school. Instead, it takes a fairly new approach to how the language is presented to students.
Classroom
The school is quite large with a very open floor plan and a modern look, versus some of the older Thai schools which haven’t been remodelled in years and are dark dingy holes in the walls.
Their front staff all seem super competent and have a good grasp of English (as they should, seeing as it’s an English school too). They are more than helpful, know the courses offered and can explain them in detail.
The classrooms are carpeted, which cuts down on the echo in the rooms. In tile floor classrooms, sometimes (for me) it’s too echo-y (ambient) and I can’t really hear the subtle differences in pronunciation clearly.
Materials
Their material is broken down into Speaking/Listening 2 levels/2 books. Level 1 Book 1 and Level 1 Book 2 Speaking/Listening are 80-hour courses each, and Level 2 Speaking/Listening is 100 hours. The curriculum is well thought out and introduces question words quite early in the course (a plus, seeing as foreigners here tend to ask questions a LOT!).
Each lesson also has accompanying flash cards which the teacher uses in class as a review to check vocab retention. Granted, it’s a simple thing, but I don’t recall seeing any other schools use them to the degree The Knowledge does. After every 4 lessons, there’s a quiz covering the materials taught in the previous 4 lessons. This is also a technique which helps ‘cement’ vocab and structure rather than a review at the end of a module, where material can be forgotten too easily.
Course
The Reading/Writing Level 1 course is broken down into three modules with two 12-hour modules and a final one of 16 hours. All in there are 40 lessons. It is pretty well put together and is a no-nonsense way to go about learning to read Thai. The Reading/Writing level 2 course has 25 units, each in 2-hour lessons.
The main textbook is “Everyday Thai for Beginners” (easily one of the best learn Thai books IF you can already read Thai), and there is also a supplemental exercise book. As the lessons progress, they get more involved as far as the difficulty and the amount of writing you do.
Method
First off, no matter what course you sign up for at this school; IF you’ve never studied Thai with them before, you must attend a 8 hour orientation class.
The orientation covers how the class will be taught, an overview to the pronunciation of their karaoke system, what is expected of the students as far as conduct/attendance, and a ‘sample class’ where a few basic classroom terms are taught, showing the methodology at work. I think if more schools did this, there wouldn’t be that 1-2 day ‘deer in the head-lites’ dazed/glazed look students have comin’ outta the beginning class.
They also teach in a cycle where every 4 lessons, they let new enrollees join in. Of course, that’s AFTER that student has gone thru orientation. Now, this is done to stop the incredible time lag from enrollment to attending at module-based schools, especially Union Clone ones.
If I sign up at a Union Clone school but the term is already 4 days in, I can’t start until the following term (month). By running their modules in cycles, The Knowledge gets around this. There will be some vocab students who just started don’t know versus ones who started on Lesson One but it appears the lessons are for the most part stand alones not daisy-chained together.
Vocab is covered, pronunciation is practiced, dialog is gone over, then practiced between students and with the teacher. Topics early on are as expected; What is your name? Where do you come from? As I said earlier though, question words are introduced early in these lessons, AND covered with a variety of ways to say them.
Teachers
In the class I observed, I thought the teacher was more than competent in controlling the class, in catching errant pronunciation, in really making sure the students practiced the dialog and understood what was being covered. They certainly seemed to be dedicated to what they’re doing.
They also seem totally at ease with big, loud foreigners and not at all reticent to call one to task or get them back on target if they stray too far afield.
Class Size
Class sizes are limited so as not to overtax the teacher, but more importantly, NOT to short-change the student by having a teacher spread too thin and unable to spend time individually. At this time, they offer afternoon and evening classes. However, they’re prepared to offer morning classes if the demand is there. They offer private lessons as well, either with their material or material supplied by the students.
ED Visa
This school offers ED visa support on its Thai language programs, currently sold as three program lengths (14 months, 8.5 months, or 6 months) priced from 28,500 to 47,500 baht. See the current course levels and pricing below for the full breakdown.
Now, with that being said, due to the train wreck of the ED visa system as it relates to private Thai language schools, the school cannot guarantee a student will get a 90-day extension at the Thai immigration office, even with perfect attendance.
Still, they do offer an ED visa program. Please note that there are quizzes which the students must take on their own time which are submitted to the Ministry of Education to garner paperwork for extensions of stay.
The Knowledge’s Current Course Levels, Hours, and ED Visa Pricing
Course structure and pricing change over time at any language school, so treat the figures below as a snapshot of what The Knowledge publishes on its own site today, not a replacement for the classroom impressions above. Confirm directly with the school before enrolling, especially for ED visa eligibility.
| Level | Hours | Typical Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 (Beginner) | 80 hours speaking/listening + 20 hours reading/writing | 3 months, 3 weeks |
| Level 2 (Intermediate) | 80 hours speaking/listening + 20 hours reading/writing | 4 months, 3 weeks |
| Level 3 (Advanced) | 100 hours speaking/listening + 100 hours reading/writing | 6 months |
For students enrolling specifically for ED visa purposes, the school currently bundles these levels into three program lengths, each with its own price:
| Program | Duration | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 + 2 + 3 (Beginner through Advanced) | 14 months | 47,500 baht |
| Level 1 + 2 (Beginner + Intermediate) | 8 months, 2 weeks | 36,000 baht |
| Level 3 only (Advanced) | 6 months | 28,500 baht |
The school states its courses run under supervision of Thailand’s Ministry of Education, and that ED visa applicants should expect to wait up to five weeks for the Ministry’s approval letter before applying for the visa itself. Once you’ve used an ED visa for a Thai language course at one school, you can’t use the same course type again for a further extension, a rule that applies across schools, not just this one. Our Thailand ED visa guide covers the attendance rules, the 2025 enforcement tightening, and how to tell a legitimate program from a “visa mill” before you commit.
How The Knowledge Compares to “Union Clone” Schools
The review above calls The Knowledge not a “Union Clone” school several times, without saying what that means. Union Language School is the Bangkok school whose material and teaching method became a template that several other Thai schools built their own courses around, hence “clone.” Our Union Language School review covers the original method directly.
The Knowledge instead uses its own curriculum, structured around fixed hour-blocks per level rather than Union’s module system, with a karaoke (phonetic transliteration) system the review above is openly critical of. If you’re choosing between schools, the deciding factors usually come down to a few things:
- Teaching method: module-based (Union and its clones) versus a fixed curriculum with its own materials (The Knowledge).
- Location: which BTS or MRT line you can commute to daily without it eating into study time.
- ED visa needs: whether you need the visa support at all, and for how long, since program length changes the price tier.
- Class size and schedule: group classes are cheaper, private and semi-private classes cost more but move at your pace.
For a wider comparison across Bangkok’s Thai language schools by teaching method, price, and ED visa eligibility, see our Thai language schools in Bangkok guide.
Disadvantage
I would be doing a disservice to potential students if I didn’t at least mention the HUGE disconnect between any karaoke system I’ve seen and the one used by this school. It is without question possibly the worst ‘karaoke system’ I’ve ever seen, with no diacritics for intonation.
They also have some sketchy renditions of words. There seems to be no or very little distinction between long/short vowels ญี่ปุ่น is yii-bpOOn. Now, thankfully, they do have the words in Thai script too in all their books.
This is a plus and can help students start recognizing how Thai is written before they take a reading/writing class.
Now, for some of you, gotta read Thai to speak clear Thai purists out there, this could be looked at as a good thing, because the faster you can start to read, the faster you can forget this karaoke system. The workaround is to write down what you think you hear, like students do in textbooks, no matter what karaoke system is taught.
Should I Study Here?
For a school which isn’t a “Union Clone” (although it might be a close “L/X Clone”), they seem sincerely interested in teaching foreigners Thai rather than just going thru the motions. I’d recommend you stop by and check them out.
Also, please note their courses are now sold as full-length ED visa programs rather than by the hour, priced from 28,500 baht for a 6-month program up to 47,500 baht for the full 14-month beginner-to-advanced program, as covered above.
(BTW: Tod is NOT affiliated with any Thai language school)
What to Read Next
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is The Knowledge Thai language school located?
The Knowledge is on the 5th floor of Lake Rachada Office Complex on Rachadapisek Road, across from Queen Sirikit Park. It’s roughly an equal walk from either Queen Sirikit MRT station or Asok BTS station.
Does The Knowledge offer ED visa support?
Yes, on its Thai language programs, under supervision of the Ministry of Education. As with any school, an ED visa never guarantees a 90-day extension at Thai immigration, even with full attendance. See our Thailand ED visa guide for the attendance and enforcement rules that apply regardless of which school you choose.
What does “Union Clone” mean when people describe a Thai language school?
It refers to schools that built their teaching method and materials around the template set by Union Language School in Bangkok. The Knowledge uses its own curriculum instead, which is why the review above repeatedly notes it isn’t a Union Clone.
Is The Knowledge good for a total beginner who can’t read Thai yet?
The review notes the school requires an orientation session before your first class and teaches speaking and listening before reading and writing, with Thai script included alongside its karaoke (phonetic) system from the start. The review is critical of that karaoke system specifically, so read the Disadvantage section above before enrolling if accurate pronunciation guides matter to you.
How does The Knowledge compare to other Bangkok Thai schools?
See our Thai language schools in Bangkok guide for a comparison across teaching methods, pricing, and ED visa eligibility, including Union Language School, the school The Knowledge is most often compared against.
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