In this era of globalization, a formal university education is

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.