BBC News: The Philippines- Low-cost English teacher to the world

The Philippines is fast becoming the world's low-cost English language teacher - with numbers of students trebling in the past four years.

There might be other countries that people think about as a classic place to learn English, such as the UK, the US or Australia.

But there is one key reason that they are switching to the Philippines. It's cheaper. And in the competitive market for language students, it means the Philippines is attracting people from countries such as Iran, Libya, Brazil and Russia.

"We have very competitive rates compared with other countries," says English teacher, Jesy King, saying that her school's fees are a third of the price of an equivalent course in the US or Canada.

The BBC's Kate McGeown reports from Manila.

BBC News (http://is.gd/Ifankn)

 

Philippines now Offered… "It's More Fun to Learn English in the Philippines"

Philippines ESL (English as a Second Language) Tour Program   

What Is the ESL Tour Program?

 ESL Tour Program is a tourist activity in which the study of English as a second language forms part of a structured tour package. The study of English becomes more exciting and fun through dynamic and creative ways of learning where participants get to interact, practice and use English more often in real-life settings thru games, outdoor activities, excursions and immersions. Aside from learning the English language, participants get to see the beautiful sceneries of the Philippine countryside and immerse with the local culture.

Why study English in the Philippines?

The Philippines has the following advantages as your alternative destination for the study of English not too far away from your home country:

English is widely spoken in the Philippines. It is used as the business language as well as the medium of instruction in schools and universities. 93.5% of Filipinos can speak and understand English well.

The Philippines offers the same quality English education at a much affordable cost.

The Philippines prides itself with rich natural and cultural resources that fascinate visitors.

What are the Requirements for Foreign ESL Students?

A.  Entry Requirements

Visit the Philippine Embassy or Consulate in your country to apply for a tourist visa. For prior information, you may refer to the Philippine website at www.dfa.gov.ph.

Requirements for tourist visa:

1. Completed application form
2. Passport size photo
3. Passport (valid for at least 6 months beyond the maximum stay being applied for )
4. Return airline ticket
5. Proof of financial capacity
6. Waiver of exclusion for minors 14 yrs. old and below
7. Any other documents as may be required by the consular officer
8. Visa Fee - $30 (approximate)

B.  Special Study Permit (SSP)

The Philippine Government, through the Bureau of Immigration (BI) requires all foreign tourists who wish to enroll in a non-degree course for less than one (1) year (which include short English courses) to secure a Special Study Permit (SSP) upon arrival in the Philippines.

Requirements for SSP Application

1.  Letter of request prepared by the applicant enrollee

2.  Affidavit of support prepared by the applicant enrollee or by parent/guarantor duly notarized by an attorney together with a bank certification (with English translation) in dollars and a minimum deposit of $800 (approximate).

• -Parent or guarantor stating financial support for the applicant enrollee (for applicant below 18 years old)
• -Self support stating the applicant enrollee's financial capacity to shoulder related expenses (for applicants 18 years old and above)

3.  Photocopy of passport reflecting the applicant's valid stay

4.  Birth Certificate

5.  Certificate of Acceptance from the school. Note: The school must be authorized by BI to accept foreign students. A list of BI-authorized schools may be secured from the Philippine Embassy in your country.

6.  Any other document as may be required

7.  SSP Fee - ₱3,730.00 or $68 USD (approximate)

Procedure for SSP Application:

Prepare all the required documents.

Present documents to your preferred school or Philippine tour operator to check if all documents are in order.

Submit application with supporting documents to the Bureau of Immigration or thru the school or tour operator. SSPs are issued within one (1) week upon application.

 C.  Visa Extension

Holders of tourist visa are allowed to stay in the country for a maximum of 59 days. Extension may be applied with the Visa Extension Section of the Bureau of Immigration.

Requirements:

Completed application form

Photocopy of photo, data, and latest arrival pages of the passport

Visa extension fee - $ 65 (approximate)

• Nationals who enjoy 21-day visa-free stay may apply for another 38-day extension. Visa waiver application fee is $37 (approximate).

 How long are the English courses?

 The duration of English courses vary depending on the need and/or objective of the student. Modules may range from one (1) week to one (1) month depending on the level of proficiency of students. In 1-week modules, English lessons are conducted daily. Excursions, immersions and other outdoor activities are integrated in the program to provide the students opportunity and conducive venue for practical application of what they learned in the classroom. For 1-month program, overnight out-of-town tours are arranged during weekends. In-depth English courses for more than a month can be arranged by the schools.

What are the costs?

Costs of English courses are dependent on the duration of the course, number of enrollees, type of instruction (group or one-on-one basis) and facilities/amenities provided by the school. Refer to Inventory of DOT-ESL Partner English Training Centers (see link below) for indicative fees.

Where do I get more information about ESL tours offered in the Philippines? How do I avail of these packages?

For information about ESL tours, please refer to the Inventory of DOT-ESL Partner English Training Centers (see link below) or contact any of the English training centers.

For other information on the Philippines ESL Tour Program, please send e-mail to:

E-mail:  ESL@phrepublic.org / rm_tizon@yahoo.com

Office of Product Research and Development

Department of Tourism

T. M. Kalaw Street

Manila, Philippines

For detailed information on the English courses, please download the list of participating English Training Centers:

 Inventory of the Department of Tourism - ESL Partner English Training Centers (authorized by Bureau of Immigration)

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26 million students in the Philippines will troop to Schools in June 6 - SY 2011-2012

The Department of Education (DepEd) said it is ready for the opening of the 2011-2012 school year today, with an expected 25.7 million students trooping to public and private pre-school, elementary and high schools nationwide.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said his agency had made all the necessary preparations through Oplan Balik Eskwela (OBE) and Brigada Eskwela or National Schools Maintenance Week.

“Months before the opening of classes, the department has already taken steps to prepare all public elementary and high schools across the country. With this, we are optimistic that all our preparations are in place and we are looking forward to a smooth opening of classes,” said Luistro.

Nationwide, DepEd is expecting a total enrollment of 25.7 million students, 22.05 million or 86 percent of whom are in public schools and an estimated 3.65 million are in the private schools.

Of said total enrollees, 7.73 million are in secondary level, with 5.85 in public schools and 1.88 in private schools; and 15.47 million are in elementary, with 14.25 million in public schools and 1.22 million in private schools.

The department is also anticipating 1.93 million kindergarten pupils who will have their first taste of education under the universal kindergarten program.

The universal kindergarten program will be the initial phase of DepEd’s ambitious K (Kindergarten)+12 Basic Education Curriculum (BEC), which aims to add additional two years of senior high school to the current 10 year BEC with only six years of elementary and four years of high school.

Luistro also emphasized the department’s efforts to meet the Education For All (EFA) goal by improving the participation rate amongst students.”

“Making pre-school or kindergarten mandatory was a strategy in meeting the EFA goal, in view of studies that showed a child’s going through pre-school resulted in better learning competencies to prepare him or her to enter Grade 1,” he said.

“Our measures are not only geared towards the opening of classes but also to enjoin parents to send their children to school.”

DepEd reminds parents and school administrators that basic public education is free and that no collection of fees should be done in June and July, as per DepEd Order No. 41 series of 2011.

“The only way to achieve higher outcomes in these preparations is to engage all sectors of society. DepEd is very grateful for the overwhelming support of our stakeholders for our programs,” he added.

The recently concluded Brigada Eskwela mobilized the local communities, local government units, private sector and non-government organizations in the repair and construction of school buildings.

The OBE-Information and Action Center Task Force is currently operating at the DepEd Central Office to address common problems encountered during school opening, provide information and coordinate with government agencies, communities and other educational stakeholders.

OBE is an inter-agency task force composed of the Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of the Interior and Local Government along with the Philippine National Police, Department of Transportation and Communication, Department of National Defense, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical, Astronomical and Scientific Administration, Metro Manila Development Authority, Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System with its concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water, and Meralco.

Police on heightened alert

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) also declared its readiness to secure 1,063 schools in Metro Manila during the opening of classes today.

“We are ready for any eventuality,” said NCRPO director Chief Superintendent Alan Purisima after personally conducting last-minute inspections of schools, bus and train stations and seaports.

Purisima said the 17,000-strong NCRPO remained on heightened alert since last week as he declared that deployment of personnel today would start at 4 a.m.

“Each school would be covered by uniformed policemen. We will see to it that the opening of classes would be smooth and orderly,” said Purisima in an interview.

At least 2,445 policemen and 3,305 force multipliers would be deployed in the vicinity of schools to deter crimes. The NCRPO would also establish parents’ desks in each school to extend assistance to students, especially those coming from the provinces.

The NCRPO will also roll out the Master Plan “Sandigan” that will give emphasis to the police security containment ring system in the vicinity of schools, bus and jeepney terminals, and other crime-prone areas.

In cooperation with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), traffic enforcers will likewise be visible in said places to oversee the smooth flow of traffic and to ensure the safety and security of motorists, commuters and the general public.

Purisima also said that they will deploy the MASCO or motorized anti-street crime operatives and police mobile patrols to augment police presence. Added to the force are the bus marshals on public utility vehicles.

Good weather on opening day of classes

Meanwhile, good weather conditions will prevail over most parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, today but the chief of the government meteorological agency advised the public, especially students, to bring their umbrellas as rains will likely persist in the afternoon.

Nathaniel Servando, acting administrator of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said sunny weather will prevail over Metro Manila and most parts of Luzon in the morning due to a ridge of high pressure area and short-lived rains in the afternoon.

“We are now in the southwest monsoon season but experiencing a break, that’s why we may still experience short duration rainfall especially in the afternoon due to thunderstorms,” Servando told The STAR.

But he said the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) may bring rains over Mindanao and that a shallow low pressure area may affect the Visayas and Mindanao beginning tomorrow afternoon, and will move towards eastern Luzon by Thursday.

“The low pressure area has a slim chance of developing into a tropical depression,” Servando said.

PAGASA officials had said three or four tropical cyclones are expected to enter the country this month

 

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Philippines Tops Global Ranking for BPO with 500,000 English-speaking college graduates per year

The Philippines has taken over the lead as the world's number one country for business process outsourcing and shared services, according to the 2010 IBM Global Locations Trend Annual Report.

Increasingly, multinational companies building an alternate support hub have been establishing their presence in the Philippines owing to the intrinsic strengths of the country's labour market, world-class telecommunications infra-structure and business environment.

With a 92% literacy rate and an abundant supply of nearly 500,000 English-speaking college graduates per year in relevant disciplines, the Philippines' affordable high quality workforce is valued by BPO firms for its strong work ethic, flexibility and productivity. Based on a survey of the McKinsey Global Institute, a relatively high proportion of Filipino finance and accounting professionals as well as life sciences professionals, researchers and analysis is suitable for work in a multinational organization and global work.

The Philippine IT/BPO industry spans across a wide range of competencies that include contact/call centers, business processing outsourcing (BPO), knowledge process outsourcing (KPO), medical, legal and other data transcription, film animation, software development, engineering and construction design as well as game or content development.

Top-notch telecommunications and low-cost real estate in major urban areas also contribute to the Philippines' global reputation as a BPO location.

Fiscal and non-fiscal incentives from the government have supported the growth of the Philippines' BPO industry.  IT BPO enterprises enjoy an Income Tax Holiday (ITH) of 4 to 8 years and a special 5% tax rate on gross income after the lapse of the ITH, in addition to a host of tax and duty exemptions for capital equipment, deductions for labour expense, 12% input VAT exemption on allowable local purchases of goods and services and employment of foreign nationals.

The Philippines' BPO industry was recognized by the National Outsourcing Association in London as the Offshoring Destination of the Year in 2010.  The Philippines first won the title in 2007 and again in 2009.

This year, the Philippines' sunshine industry is expected to yield some $11 billion in revenues or a 20% increase from the estimated revenue of US$9 billion in 2010 with over 500,000 employees.

In its IT-BPO Roadmap for 2011-2016, the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) sees the Philippines' share of the global IT BPO market doubling to 10% by 2016 for $25 billion in annual revenues, if current conditions are sustained.

New locators share this optimism such as Tata's Consultancy Services of India, which recently opened its first Southeast Asian BPO center in the Philippines.  The growing list of industry players include Accenture, American Express, Citibank, Convergys, DELL, Hewlett Packard, IBM, JP Morgan Chase Bank, and Siemens, among others.

 

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