Honest accounts from participants who attended our retirement literacy sessions. No polished marketing — just their words about the experience.
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Average satisfaction (out of 5)
Nationalities represented
Continuous delivery
Collected from end-of-session feedback forms. Reviews lightly edited for clarity.
James McAllister
Retired, originally from Scotland
"I came to the Foundations Session not knowing quite what to expect. It was a half-day that actually left me with a useful checklist and, more importantly, a clearer sense of what questions I should be asking my adviser. The facilitator was patient and there was no sense of being pushed anywhere."
Foundations Session — May 2025
Susan Reinhard
Long-stay resident, originally from Germany
"The Paperwork Toolkit was exactly what I needed. My documents were in a bit of a muddle — some in Thai, some in German, some in English — and the template system helped me create something sensible. Martin was thorough without being hurried. I did wish there had been slightly more time on the Thailand-specific aspects, but overall it was time well spent."
Paperwork Organisation Toolkit — April 2025
Peter Tran
Software consultant, resident in Ko Samui
"I enrolled on the Complete Literacy Course because I wanted a thorough grounding before I started making decisions. The pace was comfortable — never rushed — and the discussion group that runs alongside the modules became genuinely useful. I feel considerably more confident having conversations with my pension provider now."
Complete Literacy Course — March–April 2025
Helen Whitmore
Retired teacher, originally from Australia
"What I appreciated most was that nobody was trying to sell me anything. The Foundations Session gave me a vocabulary I'd never had for pension topics. I left with the reading list and my checklist and felt genuinely more capable. That's what I was hoping for."
Foundations Session — May 2025
David Larson
Semi-retired, originally from Canada
"I did the Complete Literacy Course over six weeks and found the module structure genuinely helpful. My background is in engineering so I like things laid out systematically — and this course delivered that. It was refreshing to hear 'we can't advise you on that specifically, but here is the general context' rather than a sales pitch dressed as education."
Complete Literacy Course — February–March 2025
Natasha Kovalenko
Business owner, Ko Samui resident
"Siriporn is a thoughtful facilitator. The Paperwork Toolkit felt unhurried, which I needed — I had a lot of questions. The template pack has become genuinely useful; I refer back to it when something new arrives that needs filing. I'd recommend this to anyone who has been meaning to sort out their documents for years and never quite got around to it."
Paperwork Organisation Toolkit — April 2025
A closer look at how a few participants approached their retirement literacy at different stages, and what they found most useful. Names are used with permission; details are general.
The Challenge
A retired couple from the UK, both in their mid-sixties, had been living on Ko Samui for two years. They knew broadly what they received from UK state and private pensions but had no clear picture of how the different income streams related to each other, and their documents were spread across two countries in various formats.
What They Did
They started with the Foundations Session to build a shared vocabulary and then, six weeks later, enrolled on the Paperwork Organisation Toolkit. Martin worked through the document structure with them over two sessions, producing a clear reference folder with maintenance notes.
What Changed
They described feeling "considerably less anxious" when correspondence arrived from pension providers. Their follow-up consultation with a licensed adviser went, in their words, "far better than previous attempts" because they arrived with clear questions and organised documentation.
"The two programmes together were the combination we needed. One gave us the knowledge, the other gave us the system."
The Challenge
A participant in his early fifties, still working, had never engaged seriously with pension planning. He had a superannuation account in Australia, a small workplace pension from the UK from an earlier period of employment, and no understanding of how either worked or what he might expect from them.
What He Did
He enrolled on the Complete Literacy Course, which he found challenging in the early modules but more rewarding as the framework built up. He used the discussion group actively and said the questions from other participants were often as useful as the materials themselves.
What Changed
By the end of the course he had a working understanding of both pension systems, a set of notes specific to his situation (for personal use, not advice), and a clear list of questions for each of his pension providers. He described the course as "the foundation I should have built fifteen years ago."
"I went in confused and came out structured. I'm not an expert — I know I still need proper advice — but I can now have that conversation properly."
Phone
+66 77 429 6051Address
158 Beach Road, Bo Phut
Ko Samui, Surat Thani 84320
Office Hours
Mon–Fri: 9:00–17:00
Sat: 9:00–13:00
Thailand Adult Education Network member, adhering to their code of practice for continuing education providers.
Recognised by the Bo Phut community association for contributions to resident education and information services, 2024.
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