A WIN-WIN ALL AROUND

Countless islands

Like pearls dotting in the West Pacific

Pretty

That was the Philippines in my imagination

Beautiful and enchanting

But not much more than a geographic name

Far and foreign

Till one day

I met with my Filipino teachers

Friendly, passionate and humorous

Eager to help with my English

The Philippines has thus become a lively existence

Next only to my own country

Near and dear

This poem, titled “Always on My Mind,” was composed by Sun Yiwen, an elementary school student from Shenzhen, China, to commemorate the 45th anniversary of China-Philippines diplomatic relations this year. The Filipino teachers mentioned in the poem are her tutors on 51Talk, a leading Chinese online education platform focused primarily on English teaching for K-12 students. Through one-on-one tutoring, three different Philippines-based teachers have helped Sun improve her command of English while broadening her horizons.

“My three English teachers each have different styles of teaching,” said Sun. “They not only teach me grammar and pronunciation, but also expand my knowledge by telling stories behind English words like the origin of pyramids and mummies in ancient Egypt.” The Chinese girl also expressed hope for a chance to visit the Philippines to experience the friendly and thriving island country.

Nationality No Longer a Decisive Factor

For Chinese parents with teenage children, weighing the pros and cons of teachers from the Philippines and native English speaking countries has long been a popular discussion topic.

Zheng Shiqi, a grade six student in Beijing, has been receiving tutoring from Filipino English teachers through 51Talk for the past year. Her mother doubted whether a non-native speaker could provide adequate English teaching, but felt relieved after trying the platform’s online education service. “I realized 51Talk adopted an effective rating system to assess teachers’ qualification and performance, and I can access video replay of my child’s study session,” she said

Compared to high-priced tutoring by native English speakers, course packages for one-on-one instruction by Filipino teachers cost about US$3-4.6 per lesson, making them more affordable for working families. “Cost-effectiveness is as important a factor as nationality,” Zheng’s mother added. An immersive environment is effective for language learning. Because the lesson price is more reasonable, Zheng can attend one to two sessions (25 minutes per session) each weekday and three to five on weekends and holidays.

Ms. Wang, mother of another student using 51Talk, shared Zheng’s mother’s sentiments. “Pronunciation is not determined entirely by a tutor’s nationality, and quality of teaching also varies even for native speakers, so it is necessary for service providers to conduct adequate assessment of their teachers,” she said. “You should be looking for the best-suited teacher. English tutors for kids should be good talkers with patience and a positive attitude and be capable of kindling interest in language learning.”

Teachers’ nationality is no longer the decisive factor affecting Chinese parents’ choice, according to a report on Chinese users of online K-12 one-on-one English tutoring services released by Beijing-based CTR Market Research this June. Statistics in the report showed that 45.8 percent of users preferred Filipino teachers while 38.9 percent favored instructors from North America. The research also found that 51Talk currently ranks first among major e-education platforms in terms of user satisfaction with learning progress. Its students attend an average of 3.2 sessions per week, considerably higher than the industry average of 2.2 sessions.

CEO and Co-founder of 51Talk Jack Huang realized the advantages of learning English from Filipinos even before he started the company. English is one of the official languages of the Philippines, and the majority of its population have a high level of English proficiency, which is an important reason why many multinationals have outsourced call centers in the country. Many factors make the Philippines an ideal producer of highly qualified English teachers for Asian learners. As non-native speakers, Filipinos can better understand the difficulties of learning English as a second language. But the overwhelming factor is still that the cost of a Filipino English teacher is only a fourth that of a native speaker.

Win-Win Cooperation

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the world economy, and it has certainly taken a toll on both China and the Philippines. According to Silvestre Bello III, secretary of the Philippines’ Department of Labor and Employment, about 4 to 5 million people in his country face unemployment.

In China, the online education industry experienced strong growth during the health crisis. Influenced by containment measures, Chinese spending on online education rose sharply this year. The CTR report showed that 7.6 percent of current users registered on online platforms for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic and 80.4 percent increased time spent on such platforms. And 69.2 percent of interviewees expressed desire to continue the time commitment to online tutoring after the pandemic.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian remarked that the booming online education industry in China has cultivated a new mode of win-win cooperation for the two countries. It is facilitating development of distance learning in China while providing job opportunities for Filipino people.

In 2018, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he was glad to see more Filipino English teachers working in China. With a higher than average monthly income of 60,000 pesos (US$1,247), online English tutoring has become a highly-sought job in the island country.

Lyndon Bacon has worked as a high school English teacher in the Philippines for four years. He is also a registered tutor on a Chinese online English education platform. “I’m committed to English teaching and helping students improve language proficiency,” he said. “Compared to classroom instruction, online one-on-one tutoring requires interactive and innovative teaching methods.” Bacon’s videos capturing touching moments with his students online have attracted many views on Facebook and YouTube.

“Chinese parents trust our capabilities, and in return we work hard to live up to their expectations,” said Bacon.

Ann Pearl is another online English teacher working for a Chinese company. The Manila-based flight attendant has been grounded since the COVID-19 outbreak, but she quickly secured a stable source of income after applying for a job on 51Talk. Thanks to a solid academic background, Pearl was selected and recruited as an English tutor for Chinese kids and had fewer worries during the pandemic.

“51Talk has created more than 25,000 jobs in the Philippines,” said Jack Huang. “We are now planning to hire 30,000 more Filipino teachers to meet the surging demand. I believe our goal of recruiting 100,000 online English tutors in the country will help enhance educational cooperation between China and the Philippines.”

Philippine Ambassador to China Jose Santiago Sta. Romana is also pleased to see more and more Filipinos work for 51Talk. He expressed hope that the surging demand for online learning in China would create more opportunities for Philippine educators.

(The information in this article is for reference only and is not to be used as purchase advice.)

A Filipino English tutor doing face-time with Chinese students.

A drawing by a 51Talk student to express her wishes for China-Philippines friendship.

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Statistics in the report showed that 45.8 percent of users preferred Filipino teachers while 38.9 percent favored instructors from North America.
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51Talk students attend an average of 3.2 sessions per week, considerably higher than the industry average of 2.2 sessions.
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The CTR report showed that 7.6 percent of current users registered on online platforms for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic and 80.4 percent increased time spent on such platforms. And 69.2 percent of interviewees expressed desire to continue the time commitment to online tutoring after the pandemic.