Why Study ESL in the Philippines? Seven Reasons and Two Honest Drawbacks
Twenty years ago almost nobody outside Korea had heard of studying English in the Philippines. Today the country has hundreds of ESL schools and students arrive from Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Here is why, and, because a sales page is useless to you, the two drawbacks you should weigh before booking.
1. English is an official language
The Philippines has two official languages, Filipino and English. Laws are written in English, universities teach in it, and most Filipinos you meet will switch into it without effort. Outside the classroom you are still practising, which is the difference between an ESL course and an evening class at home.
2. Daily one-to-one lessons are normal here
In Malta, the UK or Australia a private lesson is a luxury added to a group course. In the Philippines one-to-one lessons are built into the timetable at nearly every school, because Filipino teachers with education degrees are available at a cost that makes it possible. At Paradise English the General course has one one-to-one lesson a day and the Intensive course two, on top of group classes. Nothing improves speaking faster than an hour a day with a teacher who corrects only you.
3. The price
Four weeks of General English at Paradise English is $801 for tuition, and a shared room in the student dormitory for the same four weeks is $308. Add the registration fee of $130 and the Special Study Permit of $200 and you have the real total. Our one-month cost post walks through it line by line, and the comparison with Malta, the UK and Australia puts it next to the alternatives.
4. The teachers
Filipino English teachers hold four-year education degrees and a national teaching licence, and many add TESOL certification. Schools like ours pair them with Canadian, British and American teachers for group classes. What the qualifications mean, and what to ask, is in ESL teachers in the Philippines: qualifications to look for.
5. The visa is simple
Most nationalities enter the Philippines visa-free for 29 days and extend on the spot, first for another 29 days and then in longer blocks. The first extension costs about $85. Every student also needs a Special Study Permit, $200, which the school files. On Boracay the immigration office is on the island. The steps are in our SSP and visa extension guide.
6. You choose the kind of month you want
The Philippines offers everything from Sparta academies in Baguio, with ten-hour days and a curfew, to balanced international schools on an island where afternoons are free. No other ESL destination has that range. Sparta, semi-Sparta or balanced explains the three styles, and the guide to ESL schools in the Philippines compares the regions and lists schools in each.
7. You can start almost any week, for as long as you like
Courses run by the week, from a single week to a year, and most schools take new students throughout the year rather than in fixed terms. That flexibility suits working adults using holiday leave, German employees on Bildungsurlaub, students between semesters and travellers adding English to a longer trip through Asia.
Drawback 1: getting there takes a day
There is no direct flight from Europe to Cebu or Boracay. From Frankfurt or Paris, count on at least one connection and roughly a day door to door; from Tokyo, Seoul or Taipei it is two to five hours to Manila or Cebu plus a domestic leg for the islands. The cost advantage is large enough to absorb the flight for a stay of three weeks or more. For a single week, the journey is a real share of your time.
Drawback 2: the rainy season and island infrastructure
From roughly June to October the south-west monsoon brings heavy rain in bursts, and the typhoon season can disrupt flights and boats for a day or two. Tap water is not safe to drink, and on smaller islands the internet is good but not always office-grade. None of this stops a course; Boracay runs year-round, and the weather post helps you pick the season. But if you need a guaranteed dry month and fibre-speed video calls every evening, plan around it.
The short version
You come to the Philippines for the one-to-one lessons, the English-speaking country around you and a price that lets you stay longer. You accept a long flight and a tropical climate in return. For most students that is a good trade; for a one-week trip it is a closer call.
