Benefits of Studying in Cebu Before a Working Holiday

A working holiday is a popular system that lets you live abroad while working. However, once you actually arrive, quite a few people run into walls such as “English is not understood as much as I expected” and “I cannot find a job”. In particular, if you depart without confidence in your English, you may struggle in the first few months with finding part-time work and setting up your life, and fail to make good use of that precious time.

That is why many working holiday hopefuls in recent years have been adopting **study abroad in Cebu before the working holiday**. Prices are low and there is an environment for learning English one-on-one, so you can effectively improve your speaking skills even in a short time. In addition, the location close to Japan and the reassuring support system make it an ideal step before a working holiday.

This article explains clearly the concrete benefits of studying in Cebu before your working holiday.

What you need most on a working holiday is not fluent grammar but “the ability to understand what you hear” and “the ability to express your own intentions”. In part-time job interviews and daily life locally, you are expected to respond in English on the spot.

The biggest feature of study in Cebu is its **curriculum centered on one-on-one lessons**. Because you spend a lot of time speaking one-on-one with a teacher, you never end up just sitting silently at the back of a classroom. By devoting around 4 to 8 periods a day thoroughly to speaking and listening, you can build “familiarity with speaking” and “quick response ability” even in a short time.

Furthermore, teachers customize lessons to each student’s level, so whether you want to start again from the basics or strengthen everyday conversation, you can study in line with your own goals. As a result, a major advantage is that **you can reliably acquire the minimum English ability needed at the start of your working holiday**.

Even if you want to build English ability before a working holiday, attending a language school in Australia or Canada generally costs **JPY 300,000 to 400,000 per month for tuition plus living expenses**. If you attend for several months, that alone eats up a large part of your working holiday funds.

Study in Cebu, on the other hand, typically costs **around JPY 150,000 to 200,000 per month including tuition, dorm and meals**. Since you study while staying in a dorm with three meals a day, there is almost no need to worry about living costs there.

In other words, for the cost of one month at a language school in the West, you can **study properly for 2 to 3 months** in Cebu. Combined with one-on-one lessons that produce results even in a short time, the cost performance can be called overwhelmingly high.

In this way, by studying in Cebu before the real working holiday, you can **build English ability while saving funds**, which is a major appeal.

In Cebu, there are plenty of curricula that go beyond general grammar and TOEIC preparation to teach **English directly useful for working holiday life**.

For example:

• **English expressions for part-time job interviews**
• **Customer service English for cafes and restaurants**
• **Guidance on writing a resume**
• **Basic workplace phrases (reporting, consulting, requesting, etc.)**

You can focus on skills you will need as soon as you arrive locally.

In one-on-one lessons with a teacher, “role-plays assuming real situations” are often used, and a major strength is that you can acquire natural conversation flow through experience.

This greatly reduces worries after the working holiday begins, such as “I get nervous in interviews and the words do not come out” or “I cannot understand English at work”. In other words, **study in Cebu is the shortest route to acquiring “ready-to-use English”**.

A working holiday is practical study abroad in which you “live while working”. So you need not only language skills but also the ability to adapt to life abroad. However, starting your first life overseas suddenly in Australia or Canada is a high hurdle both psychologically and financially.

In that respect, study in Cebu is ideal as a **“practice ground” in the preparation stage** before a working holiday.

• About 4 to 5 hours by direct flight from Japan, with a time difference of only 1 hour
• School and dorm support systems are in place, so you can feel at ease even on your first time abroad
• A relatively friendly environment that is easy to live in

Because of these features, a major appeal is that **it is easy to take your first step into life abroad**.

In addition, locally you have to handle meals, transportation and shopping all in English, so before departing on your working holiday you naturally get used to the “rhythm of life abroad”. As a result, you can adapt smoothly to your environment at the start of your working holiday.

The number of people choosing study in Cebu as working holiday preparation is increasing year by year. For that reason, at language schools you often meet **peers who plan to go to Australia or Canada**.

Once you have friends with the same goal, you have more chances to exchange information.

• Experiences of looking for work in the working holiday destination
• Living information for each city (rent, safety, transportation, etc.)
• Resume formats you can actually use and interview preparation
• The flow of procedures needed to prepare for travel

A great strength is being able to get this kind of real information from seniors who have already experienced it and from friends who are also preparing.

In addition, there are cases where you can reunite locally with friends made during your study, which gives strong support at the start of working holiday life. In other words, study in Cebu brings **major benefits not only in English ability but also in “building connections” and “gathering information”**.

To make a working holiday a success, **strengthening your English** and **adaptability to life abroad** are essential. However, attending a language school after arriving locally is expensive and can delay when you start job hunting.

In that respect, by including study in Cebu before your working holiday,

• You can strengthen your English in a short time with one-on-one lessons
• You can cut costs significantly compared with the West
• You can learn practical English for interviews and customer service
• It is close to Japan and ideal as practice for life abroad
• You gather friends and information, making working holiday preparation smoother

You can gain many benefits like these.

If you think “I want to go on a working holiday, but I am worried about my English” or “I want to start life there smoothly”, we strongly recommend **making study in Cebu your first step before the working holiday**.