Philippines - an English haven for Koreans

April 15, 2005

Hello sa inyo! Ishe-share ko sa inyo ang interesting article na ito. Nakuha ko ito sa antimoon.com site.

Here goes…

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English Mecca in the South China Sea

Koreans are flocking to the Philippines for their first steps at learning English and living abroad.

The Philippines is in the heart of Southeast Asia and English is its second language. For Koreans it is one of the best countries to study English, especially for the beginners. They consider this country as a first step to learn and use English, as well as building the confidence they need before going to Canada, New Zealand, Australia or Ireland.

“We study first in the Philippines, and then we either go to Canada or New Zealand or any other country where English is the mother tongue,” said Park Jong Wok, 27, from the Korean city of Busan. “In my case, I went to Canada after studying in the Philippines for six months because I wanted to use what I learned.”

Park had several one-on-one classes at a language institute in Quezon City, on the outskirts of Manila. “It helped me to speak a lot and gave me a lot of confidence to speak English,” he said.

For several years now, language institutes have been mushrooming in many places in the Philippines, even the countryside. For Koreans, having a one-on-one class is the best way to study English. A vast number of these English institutes are widely recognized within the industry to be owned by Koreans. They operate their businesses by setting up “dummy” companies with a Filipino “paper owner.”

In a one-on-one class, the student spends an hour with his or her teacher using a conversational type of book. It’s “a no-holds-barred” type of class. The student and teacher can talk about any thing under the sun. Moreover, the student can have as many such classes as he or she wants, and add another kind of class.

For example, at CNNS (Communicate Near Native Speakers) English Language Institute, a student can have at least two one-on-one classes and he or she can also register for a group class, discussion class or listening class and a screening class for a higher level.

According to the Philippines Department of Tourism, 93.5 percent of Filipinos can speak English well. English is used as a medium of instruction in schools and universities and is widely spoken in business transactions and casual conversations.

“Korean students choose the Philippines because it’s near Korea and cheap. Aside from that, I think this is the only place that offers a one-on-one type of class,” explained Nita Tallod, a former academic supervisor at one institute in the Philippines, who now works in Osan, Korea.

She told OhmyNews that most of the students have very little background in English when they first arrive in the Philippines.

“They will study the basics for several months and once they have learned those, they want to challenge their ability in English in the real environment where people speak English,” she said.

Lee Jae Kyu, 27, who studied English in the Philippines for six months said, “I’m not afraid of foreigners any more, in fact for us Koreans, it’s hard to overcome this fear.” He added that once such fears are overcome, the learner is ready to go on to the next step. He said studying in the Philippines helped him a lot.

“I can recommend the Philippines to students to study English,” Lee said. “I like the way they teach us, especially the one-on-one classes. In our class we can have the whole time to speak English and no one can interrupt us,” he added.

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