In this era of globalization, a formal university education is often not enough to land a good job. This is why professional courses offering additional skills ranging from languages to computers are mushrooming. These professional courses are the topic of this week's Focus Issue, and the article below is one of three stories to explore the topic.

English courses doing good business

Joko E.H. Anwar Contributor Jakarta

The business of language courses, particularly English courses, is experiencing something of a boom in Jakarta. More and more people are coming to the capital, not to mention the millions already here, while job opportunities continue to be somewhat limited.

What this means is that English is no longer an added value for job seekers who want to rise above the tough competition, rather it is a necessity.

And more parents are enrolling their children in English courses so they will be able to learn the language from a very early age.

Entrepreneurs with solid financial backing are signing on with worldwide franchises to open English courses here, while those with limited capital are opening more modest courses.

These countless small English courses offer more or less the same programs, and all have relatively low tuitions.

However, since these courses draw their students from the people who live or go to school near their offices, the competition between the courses is not that cutthroat.

The larger English courses, however, must compete with other large courses to draw students from around the city.

People do not mind having to travel a little for English classes, as long as they are confident that they are getting the best program and instruction.

At a glance, the English courses in the capital are very similar. The programs are usually separated into several levels: for preschool children, for children in elementary and junior high school, and for adults.

Some of the programs also include Test on English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) courses, conversation classes and on-site training programs for companies that want to improve the English skills of their employees.

Tuition fees are also similar, about Rp 350,000 for about 30 hours of lessons for children. Adult classes can cost up to Rp 1 million. Most of the courses break up their classes into about 80 percent conversation and 20 percent grammar.

However, all of the courses try to create programs to distinguish themselves from the competition.

"We emphasize one-teacher-one-student courses and we don't offer TOEFL preparation classes like other English courses," an official at the Berlitz Language Center Indonesia, Citra Ratih, told The Jakarta Post.

She said that many students chose to study English at the U.S.-based franchise, which opened in Indonesia in 1997, because the schedule was very flexible.

Students are free to choose whether they want their classes to be conducted at the Berlitz office, in their offices or at their homes.

And students do not have to sign up for a package that contains a fixed number of hours, but rather are free to determine how many sessions, at a minimum of two, they want to take.

Meanwhile, the director of English First (EF) Indonesia, Arletta Darussalam, said what set EF apart was that it published its own textbooks.

"Starting up an English course is easy, just establish it then just choose some top-selling books to be taught to students. But we do more than that," Arletta said.

She said English First conducted intensive research before publishing its books, to make sure that the materials contained in the books were the most suitable to be taught to students here.

The English course is also well known for its programs that allow students to spend time in a country where English is the native language.

The marketing manager of English Language Training International (ELTI), Lina Dewi, told the Post that ELTI only employed the most highly trained teachers.

"Our Indonesian tutors graduated from the Department of English at the Teacher's Training Institute (IKIP), while our native speaker teachers must have a certificate to teach English from their home countries," Lina said.

She said that ELTI, which opened a branch in Indonesia in 1981, carefully observed its teachers before assigning them to a class.

"We assign our teachers to a particular program according to their nature. Those who are more lively are assigned to a conversation class, and the more serious ones get a report writing class, for example."

Lina also said the placement tests students must take before being assigned to a particular program level were both written and oral.

"Unlike in many other places, the oral part makes the placement test more accurate in determining a student's level of knowledge."

Susanty Widjaya, the franchise and marketing director at the International Languages Programs (ILP), said its English course could be distinguished from the competition because it used a unique method called "student-centered".

"We encourage our students to be more active in the classroom," Susanty said.

She added that the syllabi for ILP's programs were constantly updated and revised according to current needs.

The newly opened Regent Indonesia Language Center uses a method it says combines the best methods for teaching English.

"We use a serious but fun method," the dean of the language course, Michael Early, said.

With this method, he added, teachers also use games as tools to teach the students.

Since all of the English courses claim to be the best in the business, those who want to take an English class should first spend some time researching and observing a course before signing up.

Potential students should also figure out why they want to improve their English, what they want to do with the language, before deciding on which course will best suit their needs.

Otherwise, they could find that they have spent their time and money on a course that does not meet their needs.