Yesterday I told you, yet again, why I thought those of you seeking “real”, dirt-based, fixed income jobs were barking up the wrong tree.  Let’s take a look at come current Philippine language learning facts.  You might like to read the whole article I cite below, (just click the title link) or else just follow along and I’ll tell you what I think some of this really means to foreigners who want to partake of language training opportunities.

Koreans Flock to the Philippines to Learn English

A Korean student, second from right, together with her Iranian and Chinese classmates listen to a teacher give a lecture during a students’ group discussion at De La Salle University-Manila’s Center for Language Learning.

/ Courtesy of DLSU-Manila

By Jonathan M. Hicap
Korea Times Correspondent
MANILA ? They come in their thousands every month, eager to learn what is considered as the language of some 1.8 billion people worldwide.

For South Korean students, the Philippines is now a haven as far as learning the English language is concerned.
The last five years saw the phenomenal rise of the Philippines as the prime source of English education for South Koreans.
Whether they come to the Philippines to study English or sit in front of their computers at home in Seoul and learn the correct pronunciation of English words from a teacher in Manila, (my emphasis) South Koreans are bent on learning English as a second language as part of the globalization plan implemented by the government.  …
De La Salle University, one of the Philippines’ top universities, is one of the schools accredited by the Philippine Bureau of Immigration as an English-language learning center for foreigners.
The university’s Manila campus has the Center for Language Learning (CeLL) that provides year-round short English courses. The length of each is three weeks, ranging from basic grammar to conversational English. …

Experts have also noted that there are no regulations that serve as teaching standards when it comes to ESL.
Qualifications for teachers are also not regulated. In many online job and classified ads sites, applicants need not be college degree holders in order to work as online English teachers. They only need to possess an “American accent” to qualify. (my emphasis)

Some online English teachers have noted that ESL centers in the Philippines offer below-standard wages despite the fact that they charge hefty fees for Korean students. …

Again the full article on teaching language in the Philippines, online or off line is recommended reading.  I learned a lot and newspaper articles don’t always stay online for ever, so you might want to cope this for yourself for future reference if you are at all interested.

Now, what can those of us who are interested in earning a living in the Philippines or earning a living while living in the Philippines but from some other source (not the subtle, but important difference here) learn from this article?  Well a number of pretty important facts seem to jump out.

First, the government of the Philippines is 100% begin the language learning initiative.  This is important, especially if you are one of those who insists upon as ‘dirt-based’ conventional classroom job.  Of course, to work legally you’ll still need to go through all the permanent visa (with work permit … a permanent resident has the right to work, but permission is not conferred with the permanent visa, it’s a separate process), or work visa, pay your taxes, commute to work and so on, but you won’t be totally swimming upstream.  Those of you with formal teaching credentials might be able to find work with prestigious employers like De La Salle University, and not have to put up with the working conditions at the provincial “De la Cruz Language School and Sari-Sari Store Inc.” that many foreigners have endured.

Second, the article confirms what I have mentioned a number of times.  Many foreign students are interested in on line education rather than face-to-face schools, and at this time there are really no regulation, requirements or other obstacles to entry in doing online instruction on your own.

Some, especially those with formal credentials may feel this is a bad thing … and certainly you can feel that way if you wish.  You can even start a campaign to change the law if you wish, but the operative fact is that, as of now, there is no reason any individual residing in the U.S., in the Philippines or in most other countries can’t do this sort of informal language tutoring on their own.

The current lack of regulation makes this aground floor opportunity.  And you don’t need much to take advantage, right now, today.  Doesn’t matter if you are already in the Philippines and either a foreigner or a Filipino, if you are living in anther country and planning to stay there permanently, or if you are like many readers here, a foreigner interested in figuring out a way to be self-sufficient in the Philippines in the future.

Tomorrow I’ll continue with some tactics and cost figures you might want to roll into your own plan.

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