This thesis seeks to consider Thai students and their reasons for choosing to study in United Kingdom universities. The numbers of overseas students studying at higher education institutions in the United Kingdom is rising, with a notable increase in the number of students from South-East Asia. The advantages of overseas degrees to individuals, include a facility with English language, enhanced employment and promotion prospects, and increased social status. A study of Thai students studying in the United Kingdom has been used to explore the reality of these advantages for individual students and the resulting social and cultural tensions