Lingayen
Foreign visitors and foreign workers are both heading for record highs. We look at demand for Japanese people who speak English, what it means for salaries, and how many hours of study it takes, and think about careers to come.
Spend the same two or four weeks abroad, and will your English improve by the same amount? Here are five habits shared by people who get the most out of a short-term study-abroad programme, all of which you can copy from today.
Which prefectures are strongest in English education? We compare school English results, household spending on language classes and education investment in Asia (South Korea), then ask where Hokkaido stands and what investing in English means for the future.
AI now offers English conversation practice and corrections around the clock. So do you still need to study abroad? We weigh up what AI learning can really do against what you can only learn by being there.
Can you study abroad without quitting your job? We test an 8-day, 7-night short-term study-abroad plan for working adults, using 5 days of paid leave plus the weekends, looking at the schedule, the cost and the reality of time off in Japan.
Fuel surcharges have come down. Here's the appeal of — and the things to watch for in — a "New Year study-abroad" trip to Cebu or Sydney, where you can see in 2027, plus the preparations to start in September.
Beyond the family holiday. Why parent-and-child study abroad — learning, living and growing together — is drawing so much attention now, and what it is really like.
I went to Australia to study twenty years ago and found that my carefully studied English wouldn't get me through a single conversation. Two decades later, has anything changed? Looking at the ministry figures, the proficiency indices and the study-abroad statistics, one gap turns out to be as stubborn as ever — and one thing has changed more than I expected.
Too crowded, cliques everywhere, food that doesn't agree with you — the rumours about studying in Cebu are common. We checked them against our own school visits and tell you honestly what we found.
GLC offers real freedom — but freedom here is never the same as going easy. With online lessons before you even leave and plans built for parents and children alike, our representative found a school where you choose the Cebu study-abroad experience that fits you, not the other way round.
Our representative visited Stargate, a language school in central Cebu City, to see at first hand why it is easy to recommend to English beginners and first-time travellers — and to share, honestly, both what reassured us and what is worth checking before you go.
The final day of our Cebu inspection — confirming nature-rich campuses and thorough student support, and coming away with a deeper resolve to develop a new study-abroad plan.
When's the best time to study in the Philippines? We break down the dry and rainy seasons, when the sea looks its best, and how to dress when flying in from snowy Hokkaido.
Will Filipino food suit a Japanese palate? Our staff ate their way through the Philippines and came back fans — here's our honest verdict, plus a Top 10 dishes and Top 5 sweets to try.
New study-abroad plan development kicked off in earnest in Cebu — inspecting a Japanese-affiliated university and three Korean-run language schools as we searched for the right fit for people from Hokkaido.
We signed a friendship-partnership agreement with the Mayor of Lingayen and spent the day immersed in a town where English is genuinely woven into everyday life — a reminder of just how much this place has to offer our students.
Our representative sets out from New Chitose, flying via Nagoya and Manila before the long drive north to Lingayen — Series II of the Hokkaido study-abroad site visit diary opens with a day of connections, first impressions, and the warmth of familiar faces at the end of the journey.
Is the Philippines really dangerous? We walked Manila and Lingayen ourselves — here's the honest picture, the precautions that genuinely matter, and why Lingayen felt far more reassuring than we expected.
We flew home from Manila to New Chitose on the final day of our eight-day reconnaissance trip, taking with us a deep appreciation for the warmth, the learning, and the people we encountered throughout our time in Lingayen.
We made the long journey from Lingayen to Manila by intercity bus, then spent the remaining daylight exploring Manila on foot — a side of the Philippines quite unlike anything we had seen so far.
A full day in Lingayen — CSi Mall, Jollibee, a beachside hotel inspection, and a farewell dinner.
Island hopping at Hundred Islands with the teachers — caves, BBQ, taho, and a night-market dinner.
From a trial English lesson and a traditional Salsalo farm lunch, to the launderette, a partner hospital, hotel visits, and a late-night massage — a full day of learning and living.
From a morning beach ride by tricycle to a local café, a city museum, and the town hall — a day spent exploring Lingayen on foot and discovering what life around the school is really like.
