A good place for Koreans to learn English?

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.

Ironically, the teachers in the Philippines are considered good English instructors and yet they are taken for granted. Most of the language institutes do not offer job security, nor benefits for their teachers.

"We are tired of teaching students, especially the beginners, and we can't make both ends meet," said one teacher, who doesn't want to be identified. "We make them good speakers and better people, but we are left demoralized in our country."

Lee admitted that his Filipino teachers are good at what they do, but said, "I think some Koreans won't agree, because they blindly believe that native speakers are better than Filipinos."

He added that most Koreans have a prejudice against Filipinos because they judge Korea to be a better nation. In a monoculture like Korea, Koreans are proud of their ethnically homogeneous society.

"I'd like to say that once you open your heart to them, (the teachers) will do their best to help you not only as a student, but to become a better person," said student Jung Eui Tae, 26. "They will become your real friends."

Every day there are Koreans who begin plans to study abroad to conquer English, either in the Philippines or another country.

"I'm going to the Philippines next month," Oh Jin Hwan, 27, said. "I like their program -- the one-on-one classes and it's cheap as well." He has worked hard to earn money for his plan to study English.

For Koreans, their economy work style demands people to move at jet-like speeds. They need to always be on the ball. Competition is part of their daily life.

Oh doesn't want to be left behind among the approximately 600 million people who speak English in the world, as the 2004 World Book Encyclopedia has estimated. He is afraid to be part of the millions of young men and women who are unemployed.

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) has reported, unemployment rates are generally higher for the more educated than those who are less educated in most developing countries of the region. Unemployment is mainly an urban phenomenon.

"I want to study English in the Philippines to have a good job in the future," Oh said.

Like the others, he said he believed that he would not only develop his English skills, but other important things like living in, and learning about, a different country.

Most students who have studied abroad believe that it would be a self-transforming experience, a quantum leap in their intellectual and social development.

"My thinking about myself and my life has changed after studying in the Philippines," explained Jung. "The people are very nice, unlike some of the Koreans who are selfish."

"I'd like to live there," he concluded.

<<He added that most Koreans have a prejudice against Filipinos because they judge Korea to be a better nation.>>

Haha. All Asians believe they are better than Filipinos. Filipinos have Spanish in their blood that make them lazy and unruly.

Why do you hate, Minh?

So are all Filipinos trilingual (English, Spanish, Tagolog)? I've seen Filipino government news and they all seem to speak English with a mostly American accent, have hispanic names, but are all Asian...very interesting country. I'd love to visit it some day.

No, most Filipinos don't speak Spanish. However, most are trilingual, because they speak English, Tagalog, and their local dialect (if it isn't Tagalog)

Spanish never completely took hold in the Philippines. The islands were so far away from Spain that very few Spaniards actually made the journey. They were instead governed by the Viceroys of Mexico, who were embroiled in their own problems with the mother country and had little interest in advancing the Castilian cause. Because they were so few in number, Spanish-speaking priests communicated with the indigenous population in their native languages rather than overextending themselves with the teaching of Spanish. When they did teach a foreign language, it was usually Latin, the language of the Church.

The only people who actually spoke Spanish during the 400 years of Spanish rule were military personnel and their families, merchants, political exiles and undesirables from both Spain and Mexico, the clergy, and the "illustrados," the wealthy, educated mestizo class. The illustrados rebelled against Spanish rule and were quickly put to death.

During the Spanish-American War, the remaining illustrados sided with the Americans, naively believing that these democracy-proselytizing foreigners would assist them in casting off the shackles of colonialism. Once they realized that the Americans had no intentions of leaving, the betrayed illustrados, with the indigenous masses supporting them, rose up in arms against the occupiers (The Philippine-American War, otherwise known in U.S. history books as "The Philippine Insurrection"), and were either massacred in great numbers or bought off with promises of land, riches...and life.

Because the Filipinos proved to be such a rebellious lot, the new rulers systematically purged the new American colony of almost all vestiges of the old guard and re-educated (re-programmed?) them in all things American. In the 50 short years of American rule, the Spanish language had practically been eradicated, save for roughly 5,200 Spanish loan words in the national language and all those Hispanic place names, given names, and surnames.

Today, there is a sort of a reverse stigma attached to Spanish. Filipinos who speak it in public are seen as putting on airs. However, the popularity of Mexican and South American pop music and novelas being broadcast in the Philippines is slowly reversing this trend, and more and more of the younger generation are rediscovering and reclaiming their Spanish heritage.

2 more things I'd like to add:

1. Re: the reverse stigma I mentioned -- this occurs primarily in Manila and the surrounding provinces, where the Spanish-speaking Filipino-mestizos come from old money families. In the strife-torn southern islands, primarily in Zamboanga province, the people there speak a Spanish creole called "Chavacano," but they're so far away from Manila that we rarely come in contact with them.

2. The illustrados were the first non-Spaniards to call themselves "Filipino." Previously, the term only applied to Spaniards born in "Las Islas Felipinas" (i.e. Europeans). The indigenous population were called "indios."

Is Spanish one of the official languages in the Philipines? Is it considered a language of aristocracy there? Do Philipino radio/TV broadvast in Soanish?

>> Is Spanish one of the official languages in the Philipines?
No. Not since 1973.

>> Is it considered a language of aristocracy there?
Yes.

>> Do Philipino radio/TV broadvast in Soanish?
Spanish language media in Manila is few and far between. Most of them are small, independently-owned businesses. In Zamboanga, radio/tv broadcasts and newspapers are in Chavacano, English, Tagalog, and sometimes Arabic (large Muslim minority). I don't about the other regions.

Article:

The state of Spanish today (in the Philippines)

Spanish ceased to be an official language in 1973, and a required subject in college in 1987 during the Cory Aquino Administration. It is still spoken and maintained by mestizo families, and many Filipinos, even during the 60s and 70s, grew up with Spanish being their first and primary language, even before they learned to speak Tagalog or English. Speakers are typically, but not always, the 'elite'. Many of the older people speak it well in Zamboanga where the general population speak the creole, Chavacano.

The propagation and/or imposition of Spanish as an official language is still in heavy dispute. On one side, much of the history and culture is embedded in the language. There are an estimated 13 million manuscripts from the 16th century to 1898 which include government documents, economics, trade disputes, legal matters, patriotic material, religious material, registrations etc. There is a demand for Spanish proficiency and translation in Philippine history.

On the other side, Spanish is accused by some as representing colonization and has less relevance than English for practical usage or Filipino in terms of nationalism. Certain advocates maintain that Spanish was used by the first Filipino patriots. For example, Spanish was used to write the country's first constitution, 'Constitución Política de Malolos', Jose Rizal's 'Noli Me Tangere', the original national anthem, nationalistic propaganda material, etc and thus should be considered a national language. Philippine nationalism was first propagated in the Spanish language.

Manila is home to the main East Asian branch of the Instituto Cervantes, the Spanish government's official overseas institute for the promotion of Spanish language and Latino American culture. The Spanish language enjoys popularity as a language of choice for learning a foreign language among Filipinos."

The name Philippine was named after Philip(not sure about spelling), which was the name of Spain's king in the colonial age.
By the way, what's the point in your posting the news article from somewhere, Seung?