MANILA, Philippines - There’s a new school in town, where you don’t need to pay in cash to attend a class — you pay in kind! It’s Trade School Manila, where people barter for knowledge and ideas are the new currency.
How does this work? Instructors lecture on anything under the sun — topics they’re passionate about, which range from the arts to business to science and math. Students attend the lecture and pay just by bringing a barter item from the teacher’s wish list. For instance, if you want to attend the Streetdance Class (on Aug. 25), you just have to bring TimTam chocolate, a DVD or a pair of running socks for the teacher!
Trade School Manila has a wide variety of classes — some you may not find anywhere else: Tai-Chi, Basic Photography, Simple Book-Binding, Accounting Made Easy, Ladies Hip-Hop, Homeschooling, Investing, and Makeup 101, among others.
Trade School Manila also believes that absolutely anybody can teach, so you can sign up to be a teacher, too. You don’t need to be an “expert” — you just have to love what you’ll be teaching about and be happy to share your knowledge.
How does having an 11-year-old teach a Mind-Mapping class sound? This happens on Aug. 18. Visit http://tradeschool.coop/manila/class or http://www.facebook.com/tradeschoolmanila for more info. See you at the next class!