How to Learn Tagalog in the UK

The flag of the Philippines

There are a number of good reasons why you might want to learn Tagalog in the UK. Perhaps you have a Filipino spouse and want to learn some Tagalog so you can communicate with her family. Or you might be going to the Philippines on business or for a vacation and think it might be useful to pick up a few words of the local language. While there are resources out there to help you learn Tagalog in the UK, don't expect to be able to simply walk into a college and enroll in a class. Tagalog isn't a popular language to learn, so you'll have to be resourceful to put together a learning program.

Instructions

Find a Teacher

1. Put the word out among the UK Filipino community that you are looking for a teacher. According to the Philippine Embassy in London, there are roughly 250,000 Filipinos in the UK. While many of these are migrant workers who won't have enough free time or the work clearance to teach you, approximately 10 percent of the Filipinos in the UK are second generation students at university, so you should target your search for a teacher among this group. Join a site aimed at this group, such as phil-uk.com, and post on the forum that you are looking for a teacher.

2. Assess the applicants to find the right teacher. Find out how the classes will be taught, what experience the teacher has and obtain references if possible.

3. Negotiate a price with the teacher. As of May 2010, you should expect to pay from £10 to £20 ($15 to $30) per hour, but may be able to get a discount for paying for a group of lessons up front.

Choose Your Materials

1. Compare books and audio courses to find the right materials for you. It's possible your teacher won't have taught Tagalog before so you may need to assemble the teaching materials yourself. As of May 2010, Rosetta Stone was selling a level one Tagalog course for £169 ($246), and Teach Yourself Tagalog was available from Amazon at £8.50 ($12).

2. Visit SEAsite's online Tagalog program and take advantage of the free resources it has.

3. Share your course materials with your teacher, and draw up a weekly learning program to help you hit your learning targets.

Tips & Warnings

• Make the most of every opportunity to speak Tagalog. Most Filipinos in the UK are based in London so try to find some you can talk to. If you live outside of London consider going online to find a language exchange partner.

References

• Philippine Embassy in London

Resources

• Phil-UK
• SEAsite Tagalog Learning Resources