Online tutors boosting incomes as demand surges due to coronavirus lockdowns

By Neil Jerome Morales

   MANILA, March 23 (Reuters) - Filipino teacher Raven Kate De Leon is in demand, spending up to 10 hours a day at her home computer surrounded by mini cars and stuffed toys that she uses as props to inject fun into her English classes for students far away in China.

   Since the coronavirus took a hold in China at the start of this year and forced schools and offices to shut down, thousands of Filipino teachers are cashing on overtime as grade schoolers and professionals in China, Japan and beyond turn lockdowns into opportunities to better their English.

   One of only a few countries in Asia that can combine affordable e-learning with an ample supply of teachers and strong English proficiency, the Philippines is uniquely placed to absorb demand in Asia for Internet language classes.

   Online platforms like 51Talk of China Online Education Group  and RareJob Philippines, and a host of smaller local Philippine outfits, have seen demand and usage soar since February, bucking the devastating effect on the world's economies from coronavirus, which has infected more than 337,500 people and killed more than 14,500.

   "I usually have 20 classes every day, so I could meet the demand of the great number of students nowadays," said De Leon, 22, who works for 51Talk.

   "I take that opportunity to give them a fun and fruitful distraction because I know they're stressed, worried."

   De Leon is currently now working from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., without a day off.

   51Talk charges around 45 yuan ($6.36) per 25-minute session, with teachers earning around 130 pesos ($2.53) per hour.

   China shut down its schools in February to contain infections. More than two dozen countries followed suit, sending more than 290 million children and youths out of school, data from UNESCO, the United Nation's cultural agency, showed.

   "More and more, the safe way to continue learning is to go online," said Jennifer Que, country head of 51Talk , which has 20,000 partner-teachers in the Philippines.

   Many online teachers in the Philippines typically work from home, which has insulated them from the home quarantine measures that have devastated businesses and restricted tens of millions in the Philippines, which has nearly 400 confirmed cases.

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   Shares in the $419-million China Online Education has surged 154% year-to-date, compared to the NYSE composite index's  34% slump in the same period.

   Other e-learning firms like TAL Education Group , New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc and GSX Techedu Inc have seen their shares rally up to 24%, 17% and 112%, respectively, notably at the height of the school closures in mid-February.

   RareJob, which has around 6,000 Filipino tutors and specialises in the Japan market, saw its users nearly double to 800,000 since February, CEO Gaku Nakamura told Reuters. Japan shut down its schools last month to halt the coronavirus spread.

   "In these kinds of situation, parents do not want their kids to go out," Nakamura said, adding that RareJob's monthly fee of $60 for Japanese students and $100 for business-level English is cheaper by up to 40 times versus learning centres in Japan.

   Japanese teenagers form the bulk of Kristine Concepcion's 26 daily students.

   "I'm happy to be of service in this situation and I admire them for still choosing to learn," said Concepcion, a RareJob tutor of five years, who uses candy, Astroboy and stuffed toys to keep her child students engaged.

   But not everywhere can cope, including the southern city of Davao, which has a backoffice industry comprising 50,000 mostly call centre agents, but no more than 300 home-based online tutors.

   "We could not meet the demand," said Samuel Matunog, president of the industry group, ICT Davao. "Every day, we are asked if we still have a supply of teachers."

   Regardless of whether school and work shutdowns will continue for much longer, online learning firms are hoping to leave a lasting impression on an underserved market.

   51Talk wants to engage 100,000 Filipino tutors by 2025 or earlier and hopes its teachers will get good ratings and referrals after the surge in customers to ensure demand after coronavirus containment measures are over.

   "Of course we don't want this outbreak to last a long time but this is the best moment. If teachers do their best, even after things normalise, students will look for them," said country head Que.

(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Martin Petty and

Michael Perry)

((neiljerome.morales@thomsonreuters.com; +632 8841 8914;)

尼尔·杰罗姆·莫拉莱斯

路透马尼拉3月23日电-菲律�孜摹た亍さ吕锇�(Raven Kate De Leon)很受欢迎，她每天花10�痹诩依锏牡缒陨希芪敲阅闫岛吞畛渫婢撸谜庑┩婢咦谰撸对谥泄难窃谟⒂锟紊献⑷肜秩ぁ�

自从�床《驹谥泄仁寡：桶旃夜乇找岳矗坡杀祭眉影喾眩泄⑷毡竞推渌业男⊙а妥ㄒ等耸堪逊馑涑闪颂岣哂⒂锼降幕帷�

菲律�侵奚偈父唤旱５闷缱友坝氤渥愕慕淌┯土己玫挠⒂锼浇岷掀墓抑唬谖昭侵薅曰チ镅钥纬痰男枨娲τ诙酪晃薅牡匚弧�

中国在线教育集团(51 Talk Of China Online Education Group)和菲律�areJobs等在线平台，以及众多规模较小的菲律�疗�2月份以来需�褂昧慷即仙谧床《�(Coronavirus)对全�迷斐傻钠苹敌杂跋烊词茄┥霞铀９谧床《疽迅腥居�337，500人，导致逾14，500人死�/p>

“我通常每天有20节课，这样我就能满足当�垦男枨痹�51 Talk工�2岁的德莱昂说。

“我借此机会给他们一�ざ挥谐尚У姆中幕幔抑浪茄沽艽艿Ｐ摹！�

德莱昂现在从早上8点开始工�酵砩�11点，不放一天假。

51 Talk每25分钟收费约45元(6.36美元)，教师每小时收入约130比�53美元)。

2月份，中国关闭了学校，以�腥尽Ａ瞎幕沽瞎炭莆淖橹氖菹允荆喔曳追仔Х拢贾�2.9亿多儿童和青年辍学。

“越来越多地，继续学习的安全途径是上网，”51 Talk的国家�淠莞ァた�(Jennifer Que)说。51 Talk在菲律��献Α�

菲律�矶嘣谙呓淌νǔＴ诩夜ぷ馐顾敲馐芗彝ジ胧┑挠跋欤庑┐胧┐莼倭朔坡杀拗屏耸郧姆坡杀７坡杀�400例确诊病例。

跳跃值

�梗壑�4.19亿美元的中国在线教育(ChinaOnlineEducation)股价已飙升154%，而同期纽约证交所综合指数(NYSE)的跌幅为34%。

包括TAL教育集团、新东方教育与技�殴竞虶SX Techedu公司在内的其他电子学习公司的股价分�橇�24%、17%和112%，尤其是在2月中旬学校关闭的高峰时期。

RareJobs的首席执行官中村(Gaku Nakamura)告诉路透社(Reuters)，RareJobs在日本市场拥有约6，000名菲律�Γ溆没孔�2月份以来几�艘环锏�80�Ｈ毡旧细乇樟搜＃宰柚构谧床《镜拇ァ�

“在这种情�改覆幌肴盟堑暮⒆映敝写逅担钩渌担琑areJobs每月60美元的日本学生和100美元的商�锼降姆延帽热毡镜难爸行谋阋�40倍。

在克里斯汀·康塞普��26名学生中，日本青少年占了很�糠帧�

“在这种情�液芨咝四芪欠液芮张逅侨匀谎≡埃笨等瘴怠？等瘴且幻谖迥甑腞areJobs家庭教师，她用糖果、Astroboy和填充玩具来吸引孩子们的注意力。

但并非所有地方都能应付，包括南部城市达沃(Davao)，该城市有一�ㄐ幸担�5�行拇砣俗槌桑怀�300名家庭在线辅导人员。

“我们无法满足需�盜T达沃(ICT Davao)行业集团总裁塞缪尔·马图诺�muel Matunog)表示。“每天都有人问我们是�薪淌┯Α！�

无论学校和工�？问欠中な奔洌谙哐肮径枷Ｍ诜愕氖谐∩狭志玫挠∠/p>

51 Talk希望到2025年�缙盖�10�坡杀Γ⑾Ｍ诳突Ъぴ淌γ悄艿玫搅己玫钠婪趾屯萍匀繁Ｔ诙谧床《镜拇胧┙崾枨/p>

“当然，我们不希望这次疫情持续很长时间，但这是最好的时刻。如果教师尽最�Γ词故虑檎；且不嵫罢宜牵惫以卓怠�

(尼尔·杰罗姆·莫拉莱斯报道；马丁·佩蒂和马丁·佩蒂编辑

�づ謇�(Michael Perry)

((neiljerome.morales@thomsonreuters.com；+632 8841 8914；)

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