The short answer

Start a monthly savings plan for each child as early as possible, invest it for growth, and keep it going. At around 8% a year after charges, saving for 13 years means growth can pay over 40% of the target; from birth, more than half. To build £100,000 by age 18 costs about £208 a month from birth, £366 from age 5 and £747 from age 10. Choose a plan or platform that suits your timescale and flexibility needs, save in the currency you'll pay in, move to safer investments as fees approach, and protect the plan with life cover. Lawrence will set it up with you, free.

Why regular saving works so well for education

Education is the perfect goal for regular saving, for four reasons.

You know when you'll need the money

School stages and university start dates are fixed by your child's age. That makes it easy to set a target and a timescale — and to plan when to move the money somewhere safer.

The timescale is long

From birth to university is eighteen years. That's long enough for investment growth to compound and do a large part of the work.

Monthly saving fits family budgets

Most families can find a few hundred pounds a month far more easily than a large lump sum. Saving from income turns a frightening total into a manageable habit.

It smooths out market ups and downs

Investing the same amount every month means you buy more units when prices are low and fewer when they're high, which takes much of the worry out of market timing.

The power of starting early

£250 a month until age 18, growing at 8% a year after charges.

Illustration only. 8% a year after charges is the level Lawrence's education plans typically aim for; growth isn't guaranteed and can be higher or lower.

How much should you save?

Start with what you're saving for, and when:

• Secondary school — at a mid-range Bangkok international school, planning budgets run to about ฿750,000–900,000 a year per child, including extras.
• University — UK home tuition is £9,790 a year for 2026/27, but children who grow up abroad often pay international fees, from around £17,000 to £30,000 a year, plus living costs.
• Both — many families pay school fees mostly from income and save for university, or save for the expensive senior years and university together.

Then work back to a monthly figure. At 8% a year after charges, building £100,000 takes about £208 a month over 18 years, £366 over 13 years or £747 over 8 years. Any amount helps — and you can increase contributions as your income grows. Our guides to saving for international school fees and planning for university fees help you set the target.

Monthly saving for a £100,000 education fund

How much to save each month to build £100,000, at 8% a year after charges.

Illustration only. Figures rounded. Growth isn't guaranteed.

Saving ahead versus paying from income

Paying fees from income as they arrive feels natural — but it means every baht of the bill comes from your earnings, often in the very years when a family's costs are highest. Saving ahead flips that around. You pay smaller amounts over a longer period, while investment growth adds to the pot; by the time the fees arrive, a large part of the money has been earned by your investments rather than by you.

Saving ahead also gives you resilience. If you lose a job, fall ill or the pound weakens in the year fees are due, the money is already there. And it frees up income in those later years for everything else family life demands — including your own retirement saving. Most families end up using both: income for the early school years, savings for the expensive senior years and university.

Start small, then increase

You don't need to start with the "right" amount. Starting with what you can afford, and increasing it as your income grows, can make a big difference. At 8% a year after charges, saving a flat £200 a month from birth to 18 builds about £96,000. Starting at £200 and increasing it by 5% each year builds about £135,000 — with the increases barely noticeable year to year. Many plans let you raise contributions easily; the important thing is to begin.

Where to save: the main options

Expat families in Thailand typically use one of three types of home for monthly education savings.

International regular savings plans

Plans from international life companies, set up for a fixed term — often to match a child's school or university date. They usually offer a wide fund choice, several currencies and bonuses for staying the course, and many can be placed in trust. The trade-off is that some have establishment periods and charges for stopping early, so they suit families who can commit.

• RL360 Regular Savings Plan — from around US$280 or £200 a month, terms of 10–25 years, seven currencies and 350+ funds.
• Hansard Ascend — from US$300 a month, with 100% allocation and penalty-free withdrawals.
• Investors Trust Evolution — from US$/£/€100 a month for 5–25 years; their S&P 500 plan offers a guaranteed minimum at maturity, with conditions.

International investment platforms

Flexible accounts such as Ardan International's multi-currency platform, where you can set up monthly investing into funds or ETFs and stop, start or withdraw without lock-ins. They suit families who value flexibility.

UK accounts

Junior ISAs and similar UK accounts can be valuable if you're UK resident, but non-residents generally can't open or add to them. Check before relying on a UK product.

Our regular savings solutions directory compares these plans side by side.

Monthly education savings options compared

A summary of the plans we've profiled. Every plan has detailed terms — always read them, or ask Lawrence to compare them for you.

From our provider profiles, checked October 2026: RL360, Hansard and Ardan published information; Mike Coady (July 2026) and Kevin Crowther (September 2026) on Investors Trust. All are arranged through a financial adviser.

Where to start

A monthly plan for each child, set up properly, and the right way to fund it across currencies.

Questions to ask about any savings plan

1. What is the total yearly cost — plan, funds and advice — in pounds and per cent?
2. Is there an establishment period or initial charge, and how long does it last?
3. What happens if I need to stop, reduce or pause payments?
4. What happens if I need the money early — what would I get back?
5. Which currencies can the plan be held in?
6. What can it invest in, and who chooses?
7. Can it be placed in trust for my child?
8. Will it follow us if we leave Thailand?

A good adviser will answer all of these clearly and in writing. Our guide to understanding charges on long-term savings plans explains the costs in detail.

Which currency to save in

Save in the currency of the bill. If you're saving for a UK university, a plan in pounds avoids converting twice. If you're saving for Thai international school fees, think about holding more in baht — or fixing the rate — as each school stage approaches. Many families split: pounds or dollars for university, baht for the later school years.

• Match the currency to the fees you'll pay.
• Convert cheaply if your income is in a different currency.
• Fix the rate for large, known payments.
• Don't over-switch — frequent conversions add cost.

Reducing risk as the fees get closer

In the early years, an education fund can be invested mostly for growth, because there's time to ride out market falls. As the date approaches, it makes sense to move gradually into safer investments and cash, so a fall just before the fees are due can't derail the plan. A common approach is to begin moving money for each year's fees around three to five years ahead, with the next year's fees held in cash. Our guide to investment risk and capacity for loss explains how to judge the right level of risk.

Flexibility: when life changes

Over fifteen or eighteen years, things change: jobs, countries, family size, school choices. A good education savings plan should be able to change too.

• Can you increase or reduce payments as income changes?
• Can you take a payment holiday without penalty?
• Can the plan follow you if you move country?
• Can you take money out for an earlier school stage?
• Can you switch investments as the date approaches?

Plans with long lock-ins can work well for families who are sure they can commit — but if there's a real chance you'll need the money early, flexibility may be worth more than bonuses.

Saving in trust for your child

Many international savings plans can be written in trust for a child, which can keep the money ring-fenced for education, help with inheritance tax planning, and make sure the fund passes smoothly to the child if something happens to the parents. Grandparents often use trusts to save for grandchildren's education. Thai gift tax exempts gifts from parents and grandparents to children and grandchildren up to ฿20 million a year.

Protecting the plan

A monthly plan depends on the monthly payments. If a parent dies, becomes seriously ill or can't work, contributions may stop just when the family most needs the fund. Some plans include an option to keep paying in if you can't; otherwise, life cover sized to the remaining contributions and fees, written in trust, plus income protection for the main earner, keeps the plan on track. We take leads for insurance and can introduce you to specialists who arrange cover for expat families.

Topping up with bonuses, gifts and windfalls

Monthly saving does the steady work, but one-off top-ups can make a big difference — especially early on. Birthday and festival gifts from grandparents, a work bonus, a tax refund or part of an inheritance can all be added to a child's fund, or invested alongside it as a lump sum. Money added when a child is young has the longest to grow. Our guide to lump-sum funding for education explains how to invest larger sums.

What if the money isn't needed for education?

Children don't always follow the path we expect. They may win a scholarship, choose a cheaper university, go straight into work or study in Thailand. An education fund isn't wasted if that happens: depending on how it's set up, it can help with a first home, a postgraduate course, starting a business — or come back to you to support your own retirement. That's one reason to check, before you start, who owns the plan, whether it's in trust, and what flexibility you'll have to use the money differently later.

Setting up a monthly education plan, step by step

1. Set the goal — school, university or both — and the date for each child.
2. Estimate the cost, allowing for rises and currency.
3. Work out the monthly amount needed, and what you can afford now.
4. Choose the plan or platform that suits your timescale and flexibility.
5. Pick the currency you'll pay the fees in.
6. Choose investments for growth in the early years.
7. Consider a trust and protection for the plan.
8. Review every year, increase contributions when you can, and reduce risk as fees approach.

The most common mistakes

1. Waiting until the child is older — and losing years of growth.
2. Saving in cash for 15 years — and losing out to inflation.
3. Choosing a plan without understanding the charges or lock-ins.
4. Stopping a plan early and paying exit charges.
5. Staying fully invested right up to the fee date.
6. Saving in the wrong currency for the fees you'll pay.
7. No protection if a parent can't keep paying.
8. Never reviewing or increasing contributions.

Three real-world examples

Tom and Nok: from birth

Tom and Nok started saving £200 a month in a pound-based plan the month their daughter was born, aiming for university. With eighteen years of growth, the plan is designed so that growth, not just their contributions, provides more than half of the fund.

Rachel: two children, two plans

Rachel, in Phuket, set up separate monthly plans for her son, 4, and daughter, 7, each matched to the year they'd start university. Separate plans let her see each child's progress and move each one to safer investments at the right time.

Paul: catching up at 10

Paul started saving when his son was ten. With eight years to go, growth had less time to help, so he combined a larger monthly plan with a bonus he invested as a lump sum — and planned to pay part of university from income.

Your education savings checklist

• I have a goal and date for each child.
• I know the monthly amount needed.
• I've started — or I'm starting this year.
• I understand the plan's charges and flexibility.
• I'm saving in the right currency.
• I'll reduce risk as the fees approach.
• The plan is protected, and in trust where it helps.
• I review and increase it every year.

Keeping your plan safe

Only use well-known providers, arranged through an adviser you chose, with money paid directly to the provider in your name. Be wary of anyone who contacts you first with a "guaranteed" education plan, and use a private, protected connection on public Wi-Fi when you manage your accounts.

How we researched this guide

Plan details come from our provider profiles and regular savings directory, using RL360, Hansard and Ardan International's published information and Mike Coady (July 2026) and Kevin Crowther (September 2026) on Investors Trust. School fees come from Thailand Starter Kit (4 August 2026); university fees from UCL and the University of Leeds (2026/27). Savings illustrations assume growth of 8% a year after charges, the level Lawrence's education plans typically aim for; growth isn't guaranteed. Checked 14 October 2026. This guide is general information, not personal financial advice.