An English-teaching platform aimed at the $4.5 billion market for online language lessons in China is looking to hire 100,000 Filipino English teachers over the next five years to meet growing demand.
51Talk, which has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 2016, currently employs 18,000 online English teachers, of which 16,000 are Filipino, said its founder and CEO Jack Huang on Philippines television.
English proficiency is key to tapping demand, with online education estimated to be worth $50 billion, Huang told ANC’s Early Edition.
“We believe that Filipino teachers are the best teachers, best online English teachers in the world to teach Chinese kids,” Huang said.
“Naturally happy and friendly” Filipinos are a perfect fit to educate children ages five to twelve years, who make up about 80% of 51Talk’s students, he said.
