If you are planning to learn English somewhere in Asia, three names come up again and again: the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. All three use English every day, and all three are a short flight from most of the region. The differences are in how you are taught, what paperwork you need, and what your daily life costs. This is an honest side-by-side, written by a school in one of them.
Three countries, five questions
Permit rules were checked on official sources in October 2026. They change, so always confirm with the school and the immigration authority before you book.
Where the Philippines is genuinely different
The thing that sets the Philippines apart is not the climate or the price. It is the timetable. Here, the one-on-one lesson is the normal way to learn, not an expensive extra, so a typical day gives you far more time speaking with a teacher than a group-based course can. For a student whose problem is speaking, that difference shows up within weeks.
The second difference is that most schools here are built to be lived in. Your room and meals are usually part of the same package as your classes, so there is no apartment to find and no food budget to manage. A small study permit, filed for you by the school, is usually the only paperwork on top of your passport.
A note on accents and tests
English in the Philippines grew up with an American-built school system, and you can still hear it. For students aiming at the TOEIC or the TOEFL, both of which come from the American testing organization ETS, practicing with teachers whose English leans American is a quiet advantage. If your target is the IELTS, that is fine too: the test accepts any clear, consistent accent, including your own.
Where Malaysia or Singapore may suit you better
Singapore is the most English-first of the three, and one of the most international cities anywhere. If you plan to study or work there afterward, learning in the same city makes sense. The trade is cost: Singapore regularly ranks among the most expensive cities in the world, and the EIU placed it joint first in 2023.
Malaysia offers a multicultural city life where English sits comfortably next to Malay, Chinese and Tamil, and halal food is easy to find everywhere. It is also home to branch campuses of several British and Australian universities, which matters if a degree is your next step.
In both countries, check that the school is actually allowed to take international students. A course that cannot get you a student pass is not a course you can take.
Questions to ask any school, in any country
- How many one-on-one hours are in a normal day, and how many students are in a group class?
- Is the school approved to enroll international students, and does it handle the permit for me?
- What exactly does the price include: room, meals, books, permit fees?
- What are the attendance rules, and what happens if I miss classes?
- Can I talk to a current or recent student from my country?
Twelve questions to ask an English school goes further, before you pay anything.
Where we fit
We are an English academy in Baguio, a cool mountain city in the north of the Philippines, so you should read this knowing which side we are on. If one-on-one speaking time and a quiet place to study matter most to you, we think the Philippines is the strongest of the three. If city life or a future in Singapore matters more, one of the others may be right, and that is a perfectly good decision.
The cost of studying English in the Philippines explains what a stay here includes.
The honest downsides of studying in Baguio covers what you give up here.
Official sources
Singapore: ICA, Student's Pass for private education institutions.
Malaysia: Immigration Department of Malaysia, Student Pass.
Philippines: our visa and SSP guide, with links to the Bureau of Immigration.
Leaning toward the Philippines?
Tell us your level, your goal and roughly when you want to come, and we will tell you honestly whether Baguio is the right fit.
Apply nowSend us a message if you are still comparing.
