Speak English with confidence in the Philippines

I chose Talk Academy after learning it sits inside "The Villages," a safe area. It was my first time living alone abroad, but the teachers and staff listened and advised me from the heart — I could even ask them about hospitals and shopping. Being able to concentrate somewhere I felt secure is what made my first time studying abroad work.

I enrolled because I was drawn to how clean the new campus was and how complete the facilities were. The teachers each had their own specialism, so I could work on grammar and speaking efficiently. Over six months I became close with them — we played badminton, went to karaoke. Three meals were served on weekdays, Korean, Filipino, Japanese, a different menu every day.

I studied for twelve weeks as a new challenge after retiring. The dorm was clean and spacious, I could even cook simple meals in the kitchen, and I slept comfortably. Lessons were one-on-one, so I could focus on my own weak points — pronunciation, conversation. On weekends the Japanese staff took us to the mall for shopping and meals.

I studied for fourteen weeks to build up my English before starting high school in the US. Outside class I spent time with friends my age from Korea, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia, and on days off we went to the cinema and restaurants together. In the evenings there were free vocabulary and movie classes, so I was surrounded by English every day. I came away with more than English — I got to enjoy meeting people from everywhere.

It was only a four-week course, but I made a lot of friends. The teachers were friendly and worked jokes into the lessons, so I could speak English without freezing up. After each class I got a "class record" — the teacher's comments — which really helped with review. Even in a short stay I gained confidence and started speaking up. That was the big result for me.