English School in Quezon City Trains GMA Artists

The American Institute for English Proficiency, with branches in Makati and Quezon City, has been training Jackie Rice, Jeric Gonzales, and Ruru Madrid, all of whom are GMA Artist Center talents.  The talent and development department of GMA has partnered with The American Institute Quezon City Branch to develop the English proficiency and communication skills of its artists so that they continue to improve on their craft in acting, singing, and dancing, and in this case, becoming a better English speaker and a more personable communicator.  They are taking private classes, but they sometimes join the groups to practice. 

Here are some of the things that they are learning:

• Grammar
• Writing
• Public Speaking
• American Accent
• Critical Thinking
• Impromptu Speech
• Extemporaneous Speech
• Hosting
• Confidence Building
• Personality Development

American Institute for English Proficiency - Quezon City
131 Timog Avenue, 3rd Floor (corner EDSA)

American Institute for English Proficiency - Makati
227 Salcedo Street, Suite 2G (corner Gamboa Street)

If you would like to improve your English and communication skills as well, you may join us for either private or group classes.  Many of our students have already had a chance to practice their English when our celebrity students are having their class at our office.

Most Filipinos Won't Read Despite Benefits

I moved to the United States when I was just nine years old.  When I got there, many kids, especially Filipino kids, made fun of me because I didn't speak English, and my accent was, well, very Filipino.  I had other Filipino friends who also just migrated to the US, and they, too, were made fun of because of their English and accent.  I didn't want to be teased of bullied, so I decided to quickly improve my English and American accent.  I did many things like watching television and mimicking the sound of the actors, but the one that really helped me a lot in becoming more proficient was reading books.  That's right, reading! 

After a few years, my accent was reduced, and I started to have a neutralized American accent.  Guess what, I was playing lead in theater and even became the captain of my debate team in high school.  To add to that, I was the literary magazine editor and editor-in-chief of our high school paper.  Yes, I was class president too.  I attribute my growth and development to reading, the past time that most Filipinos hate.  But I tell you, if you really want to go far, you should learn to love reading. 

Here are three benefits of reading:

1. You become smarter.  Yes, you really do.  You improve your knowledge as you gain information.  You become a critical thinker, and you will strengthen your analytical skills.  Reading helps you to gain so many perspectives from different characters, including of course, the authors.  You become a philosopher, a psychologist, and a thinker. 
   
2. You become a better communicator and better in English.  Your vocabulary will expand, and your writing and speaking skills will definitely improve.  You start to sound like the characters you read about.  You start to speak like the authors you read.  When you absorb all these stories, the information, these perspectives, these ideas, you can use them to strengthen your speech.  And if you read books written in English, you definitely will become a better English speaker.
   
3. You become more successful.  When you become smarter and a better communicator, success naturally follows.  A well-read person, combined with having a great-personality, can go very far in life in terms of career and business.  People naturally gravitate to a well-spoken, intelligent individual, regardless of looks and social status.

The problem is, even with these benefits, most Filipinos will not read.  They would rather make excuses like "I'm busy," "I don't have time," or "It's boring."  Then again, the world is fair since success comes to those who do not make excuses.  Otherwise, everyone would be successful.

So are you ready to pick up a book and start reading?  Chances are, you are not.

Learning English at a Young Age is an Advantage

Kalihi Waena Elementary School May Day
Celebration.  I was in the 5th grade when I  was
selected as a "kahili bearer."

The average age range of our students at the American Institute for English Proficiency is 20 to 30 years old.  Many of our students finally came to our school to improve their English and communication skills because they are looking to boost their careers, gain confidence and employment, or seek personal enhancement.  They are mostly Filipino professionals from different industries, and because most of them are working, they can now afford to study English.

One of the reasons why many of them do not speak English well is because they did not enjoy their classes.  Furthermore, they didn't believe that English and strong communication skills would one day help them in their careers.  After some years in their respective industries, they have come to reach the glass ceiling and impenetrable walls, and they no longer feel that they are as competitive as their colleagues.

Fortunately for me, I moved to the United States when I was just nine years old.  At an early age, I realized that strong English and communication skills would be my edge.  In high school, I was the editor-in-chief of our newspaper and the literary magazine editor.  I was also  the captain of the debate team.  I even participated in speech competitions,winning awards in dramatic interpretation, and I was a member of our school's theater group.  In college, I continued participating in speech and debate competitions, winning numerous awards in speech, specially in my final competition held in Vancouver, Canada, where I won Western America Communication Association's Impromptu Speaking Championship.  At the end of my college life, I was selected as the commencement speaker. 

I strongly believe that I became a good speaker because I started at an early age.  As soon as I knew that I would need strong communication skills to compete in the "real world," I was determined to continually improve my English and communication skills, which would, in turn, enhance my critical thinking and build my confidence.  I remember joining a reading program at our local school library; it was especially enjoyable because I could get stickers for each book I read.  I even remember the very first ever gift that I got from a teacher, a dictionary.  She told me that one day, I would be a great speaker.  Today, I am the co-founder of the American Institute for English Proficiency, and my clients include celebrities, politicians, call center managers, doctors, and lawyers.  I have worked with major local and multinational firms. 

I urge parents and older siblings to encourage their young ones to start at an early age.  Do not allow your children to be handicapped with poor English and communication skills.  Do not wait till they are in high school, and it becomes harder to acquire the language skill.  And for those who would like to continue learning, it is never too late. 

English Proficiency Scholarship Giveaway

This is my first time working with bloggers and social media practitioners in terms of giveaways.  I know that bloggers individually and collectively have a strong voice and presence online.  Therefore, I have decided to offer them 20 English proficiency scholarship giveaways valued at almost Php 120,000; each scholarship is good for a 40-hour course at either the Makati or Quezon City branch of the American Institute for English Proficiency.

The group courses include: C3 Course (Conversation Fluency, Critical Thinking, and Confidence Building), PSG Course (Public Speaking and Grammar), and CX Course (Communication Excellence).  CX Course is actually a combination of the C3 and PSG courses, and it includes American accent training.  There are about 5-15 students per class.

Since I have never done a giveaway with bloggers and social media experts before, I am very excited to see the results.

Examination Ethics

Cheating is part of the human nature.  Here in the Philippines, we tend to associate this word to the elections.  Whenever the election results come out, we have everyone, including voters and elected officials crying foul.  Throughout my more than six years of teaching at The American Institute, I have come across individuals who have asked me to do something unethical for them.  For different reasons, there were people who have asked us to lie for them.  Here are some of the things we've encountered:

1. Money for Certificate.  The most common one is to give them a certificate even if they have not enrolled in our English proficiency classes.  They will just pay the tuition fee.  Why do they needs these certificates?  They want to present to their employers that they are improving their skill sets.  They want to present to a future employer that they have studied at The American Institute, which would give them a better chance of gaining employment.  They can also present these certificates to the embassy when migrating to an English speaking country like Canada, the US, the UK, or Australia.
   
2. Falsified Certificate.  There have been individuals who have gotten a copy of the certificates we issue, and they reproduced their own with fake signatures.  One technical training center required their students to complete at least 100 hours of English proficiency training in order for them to complete their school requirements and graduate.  These students created their own certificates, but they were caught when the training center called us to verify the certificates. 
   
3. Exam Substitute.  Just recently, I got a call from a foreigner who would like me to find someone who would take the TOEFL or IELTS exam for them.  This individual mentioned that his school required him to have a 7.0 Band on his IELTS exam, and he would be willing to pay someone who would pretend to be him and take the exam for him. 

Of course, we point blank refused to do anything unethical.  These individuals argue that there are some schools who would do that for others.  Well, they called the wrong school.  Some of them even argue that "this is the Philippines."  Well, sorry to say, but we do stand by our corporate motto: Ethics, Education, Empowerment.  Ethics is the first word, and with better education, citizens would become more empowered, as in empowered to create better decisions.  So instead, we clearly tell these individuals that what we do is to help them speak English well so that they do not have to resort to any unethical behavior.

There will always be individuals who would like to take the quick, easy way.  We believe that learning a language isn't necessarily easy, but it could be made possible when one practices, studies, and works hard.  At The American Institute, we make learning more fun and interactive so that acquiring the English language and improving one's communication skills can be more effective.