Kalpak English Academy – English Education Provider in Kyrgyzstan

Embarking on a journey in the world of ESL teaching often attracts aspiring teachers to established destinations like Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Yet, for those with a desire to explore the road less traveled, exciting opportunities await in up-and-coming regions like Kyrgyzstan.

In this article, we’ve had a chat with Noah Bratcher who is the co-founder of Kalpak English Academy in Kyrgyzstan. Join us as we explore the unique experiences offered by their academy and uncover their valuable insights and tips on how to launch a successful English teaching career in a developing teaching destination like Kyrgyzstan.”

💬 Hi Noah! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

“My name is Noah Bratcher, and I am from California, in the United States. I am the co-founder and co-director of Kalpak English Academy, an English language academy with seven locations across the south of Kyrgyzstan.

I studied history education for my bachelor’s degree, at Humboldt State University in Northern California. Upon graduating I worked in Japan through the JET program, which is a Japanese government initiative through which native speakers work for two years in a Japanese public middle or high school.

After that I received a master’s degree in the UK and taught in China, Kyrgyzstan, and virtually during the pandemic in Vietnam and Indonesia.”

💬 What brought you to Kyrgyzstan, and what made you decide to open a language academy?

“I served as a United States Peace Corps volunteer in Kyrgyzstan. Most Peace Corps volunteers serve in their early 20s, but I came in my late 20s in order to do something new and interesting with my life. I liked Kyrgyzstan, so I decided to stay here and open my own business.

During my time in the Peace Corps, where I worked at local public schools, I noticed that the low-cost private education industry in Kyrgyzstan is booming, despite it being a low-income country.

Also, I observed that the quality of other English courses in Osh was very poor. The other courses all follow the same cookie cutter format, with little thought to the needs and challenges of individual students.”

💬 Could you introduce us to Kalpak English Academy and the courses you offer?

“Kalpak English Academy is an English language academy with seven locations across the south of Kyrgyzstan. Two of our locations are in Osh, the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan, and the other five are in smaller cities and towns between one hour and three hours’ drive from Osh.

We offers basic English courses from beginner to upper-intermediate level. Additionally, we offer special courses for preparing to study abroad, as well as TOEFL preparation courses.

Our courses are three days a week, one hour and twenty minutes for each lesson. We have Monday, Wednesday, Friday classes and Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday classes. We also have weekly talking clubs where students can practice their conversational English. These take place on Saturdays. We also host occasional seminars and guest speakers.

In addition to our offline courses held in our branch offices, we offer online TOEFL preparation courses. We offer only group lessons, with no option for individual study.”

💬 What sets Kalpak English Academy apart from other schools?

“First of all, we make every effort we can to keep our educational quality higher than other courses. To this end, we have created our own curriculum and study plan. Our materials are either generated by our directors and senior staff or are accumulated from multiple sources and vetted by our directors.

We do not believe in using a single textbook, or even in teaching the same exact material for each group of the same level. Our instruction is adapted to the needs of the group and the student.

Secondly, we are successful because of our strong staff. We invest in our staff, for example, by requiring all of our teachers to get a TESOL certificate. We pay for the TESOL course, and teachers receive a raise after acquiring their certificate. To my knowledge, we pay higher salaries than all other English courses in Osh City.

Finally, we try to give back to our community. We have opened an NGO through which we are doing some small development programs. For example, next month we will donate educational materials including whiteboards, posters, textbooks, and speakers to twenty-five rural public schools in regions in the south of the country.

We also invest in our students’ future. For example, at the end of November we will take eight of our students on a three-day trip to the two best universities in Kyrgyzstan.”

💬 What should aspiring teachers keep in mind if they wish to work at Kalpak English Academy?

“At Kalpak we expect our teachers to be punctual, responsible, and well prepared for classes. When we have parted ways with teachers, it has generally been because of lack of preparedness for classes.

Also, teachers should understand that if they stay with us for a long time, Kalpak will offer them other opportunities for personal and career growth. We are a rapidly expanding company, and we need long term, loyal staff in order to carry out our vision.”

💬 Do you recruit teachers locally or from overseas?

“We recruit teachers almost exclusively from Kyrgyzstan. We cannot afford the salaries that would be requested by native speakers. However, I personally see no need for us to hire more native speakers.

For the salary of one native speaker, we can pay a well above-average salary to three or four talented local teachers. Local teachers know the local mentality, and they know the local languages (Kyrgyz, Russian) which is useful for explaining grammar to lower-level groups. We do not believe in the philosophy of English only – we are happy to use local languages to explain English grammar.

However, we are open to hiring one more native speaker, because there are some things which they can do best, particularly, academic writing in English. Were we to hire another native speaker, they must be willing also to travel between the Kalpak centers.”

💬 How can ESL teachers get in touch with Kalpak Academy?

“Any ESL teachers interested in Kalpak English Academy can reach out to use on our Instagram, @kalpakenglishacademy or by email at kalpakenglishacademy@gmail.com“

💬 Could you introduce us to the ESL teaching industry in Kyrgyzstan?

“In Kyrgyzstan the ESL industry centers around two spheres: language courses (like Kalpak) and private K-12 schools. It is absolutely easy to get a job at a private K-12 school in Kyrgyzstan as long as one is a native speaker with a diploma. Those without diplomas will not be able to find jobs. It is also possible to find a job here at a private school if you are not a native speaker, but you will need a diploma.

The future of the ESL industry in Kyrgyzstan depends on education policy makers in the country. Kyrgyzstan is a bilingual country; most people can speak Kyrgyz and Russian languages and it is possible to be instructed through either language in their public education system.

However, there is discussion of Kyrgyzstan’s future as a tri-lingual country, incorporating English as an instructional language. This will take a long time, as most public-school English teachers here have very poor English.”

💬 What’s the best thing about living and working in Kyrgyzstan?

“It is no secret that many people choose to work in ESL in developing countries because they can have a comfortable lifestyle, and the life of a foreign ESL teacher in Kyrgyzstan follows this trend. Kyrgyzstan is an incredibly cheap place to live compared to America and Europe, for example.

ESL teachers here can have nice apartments, go out to eat several times a week, travel within the country and regionally, and still save money. Kyrgyzstan is off the beaten path and offers very interesting cultural and travel experiences. It is a great place to spend a few years, or to live long-term.

I recommend considering Peace Corps service in the country, if you are an American citizen. However, Kyrgyzstan is a very conservative country and is lacking a lot of the amenities many of us expect if we are from the western world, so one should keep this in mind.”

💬 Any insider tips for ESL teachers who wish to launch a teaching career in Kyrgyzstan?

“Make sure that the school which hires you gives you the work visa BEFORE coming. A lot of foreigners are lured here with promises of a work visa and then get stuck in the visa-run limbo, having to leave the country every 60 days. This is relatively easy as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are easily accessible, but it can be a volatile region and borders do occasionally close.

A work visa is the safe, not to mention legal, option. About finding jobs, it may be difficult to do so from abroad. Many of the foreigners working here had some previous connection, such as Peace Corps or Russian language programs in the country. Reach out to me directly if you are interested in working here and I can find something easily.

Although most goods and services are cheaper here than in the rest of the world, anything imported from the west is much more expensive than it is in America or Europe. Furthermore, shipping things here is prohibitively expensive. Therefore, I wish I would have planned my suitcase packing a little more carefully the first time I travelled here.“

💬 What does the future have in store for Kalpak English Academy?

“Kalpak English Academy plans to expand with at least four new locations in 2024. After that, we will consider expanding to Bishkek, the capital of the country. Kyrgyzstan has a very strong North/South divide, both culturally and geographically. Expanding to the North is, therefore, a major task.”

Conclusion

A big thank you to Noah for introducing us to Kalpak English Academy and providing us with some insider insights into the ESL teaching industry in Kyrgyzstan. If you are interested in venturing off the beaten path and exploring a culturally rich and up-and-coming teaching destination, then Kyrgyzstan might be just the thing for you!

Before you go, make sure that you have prepared your essential teaching qualifications, such as your 120-hour TESOL/TEFL certificate to ensure that you have the smoothest possible start to your next adventure!