Financial crisis hits ESL enrolment

“The global financial crisis is affecting many ESL [English-as-a-Second-Language] schools because learning a new language can be considered a luxury item and affordable to parents when times are good,” he said. “Obviously, there will always be a portion of international students who need to learn a new language. But, the majority of ESL students, particularly international students from Japan and Korea, has declined significantly. This is a common echo for many ESL schools in Vancouver.”

But the story is brighter when it comes to diploma and degree-granting schools, both at his locations in Canada and overseas in China and the Philippines. Said Chu: “Parents are advising their children to stay in school to either earn a degree or learn a trade skill instead of wasting time finding a dead-end job. This trend is positively affecting our international enrolment as some students in China are taking it one step further by enrolling into our overseas diploma or degree programs in Canada from China.”

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