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Japanese prefer to study English in Philippines than in U.S., UK

According to Kyodo News, many Japanese corporations, in a bid to globalize, are now starting to send their staff to the Philippines, where English is an official language, to hone their English skills.
“We used to send our employees to the United States, but school expenses and living costs are high,” said Yasutaka Iio, a personnel division manager at Mitsuba Corp., an auto parts manufacturer based in Gunma Prefecture.
As it expanded production bases overseas, Mitsuba is requiring its employees to learn English, sending dozens of its personnel to the Philippines every year for a study program lasting for three months.
Iio said aside from saving cost, studying in the Philippines also gives their personnel the opportunity to connect with those from other companies from other countries in Asia such as South Korea.
According to an educational provider company, a month-long study in the Philippines costs only $1,866, including the food and accommodations. Launched in the Philippines two years ago, the Human Academy Company offered study courses in partnership with eight English-language schools.
Yasuhiro Murakami, in charge of the company’s English-learning program promotion, said they offered one-on-one English lessons, adding their programs are consistent with those in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Since the past decade, the Philippines has become a preferred regional destination for many Asians such as Japanese, South Koreans and Chinese wanting to study English. Some of these visitors are retirees.
“We took classes during the day and then did homework at night. We were studying English all day. Teachers were friendly and we experienced almost no inconvenience in terms of living,” said retiree Katoshi Hasei in the Kyodo News report.
Hasei, 72, and his 70-year-old wife Katsuko, who live in Kanagawa Prefecture, went to the central Philippine island of Cebu in October last year to take English lesson for two weeks through the Human Academy.
The Philippines even attracted students from Russia, Brazil, Libya and Iran who are switching from the traditional destinations such as U.S., UK and Australia, according to a BBC report.
Branding the Philippines as the world’s budget English teacher, the BBC said the country’s advantage as a preferred destination is the accent.
“Filipinos speak with a clear American accent – partly because the Philippines was a U.S. colony for five decades, and partly because so many people here have spent time working in call centers that cater to a U.S. market,” the BBC said.
Since 2014, about 200,000 South Koreans are studying English in the Philippines, comprising the bulk of the country’s foreign students.
The Philippine tourism department has been promoting the English as a Second Language (ESL) Tour Program as part of the drive to entice more foreign tourists.

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