Learn for free: Trade School Manila teaches skills you never realized you wanted to pick up

Photos via Trade School Manila Facebook page

Early in 2012, a barkada of professionals, all from different fields, stumbled upon Trade School New York, a non-profit, non-traditional learning community by way of barter. As in, you can take a class for free so long as you fulfill any one of the items in the instructor’s wish list. You can, of course, teach a class; you just need to list your wishes down. Pretty simple, right?

Six months after pressing the “Start A Trade School” button on the Trade School New York’s website, on July 12, 2012, Trade School Manila started its first season, with 25 classes and 140 students. The classes are held in various venues (check their website for the latest schedule).

TSM’s Clarice Fong and Ethel Francisco broke it down even further in six simple points:

1. Trade School Manila runs in seasons. Think of seasons as short semesters. Each sem, or season, runs for about 12 weeks, with an average of about four classes a week. They are now in the middle of Season 3, which they say, will end sometime in December. Season 4 should start sometime in the first quarter of 2014.

2. You can ask for just about anything! Someone asked for infant diapers, which the ladies say has to be the strangest barter deal TSM has witnessed yet. “Someone also asked for 100 high-fives, and another for umbrellas to be given away to a hearing-impaired community.” It goes without saying that the harder your wish list, or the more expensive, the less likely someone will sign up for your class.

3. And just about anything is taught! The first class ever taught was Spanish Wine tasting, by brand marketing practitioner Leanne Jacinto. There’s been a Filipino Sign Language class, Tai Chi, Personal Savings Management, a course on ukulele and even make-up classes. They don’t ask for qualifications, too, as long as you’re passion-driven and can inspire your students. But if you want a tip…

4. Personal financial planning is the most popular class. Seems like a lot of people are concerned and taking the proactive choice of learning about their finances. These classes are always sold out and are “practically mainstays” in Trade School calendar season. Other equally popular classes are photography and papercrafting.

5. It’s run by volunteers. Trade school enjoys a flat structure, run by volunteers who (a) all have day jobs and (b) all have been students of Trade School. As such, they are a joy to deal with – try e-mailing them a question and you’ll get the most pleasing and professional of answers.

6. TSM has been called hipster. “Not that we tried to be,” they say over e-mail. The hippie/bohemian nature of non-monetary exchange would definitely appeal to certain types, but at the end of the day, like every one, they don’t want to be boxed in the hipster, or any other category, for that matter. “We want Trade School to be accessible to all. Anyone who has a love for learning is our market.”

 



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on