Leaders Academy Interview
We had an opportunity to have Ryan Khoo give us an interview about Leaders Academy prior to our school opening. We are thankful that he thought about us and had fun answering his questions. We were one of the first businesses to open in the Emerald 88 of Sunway Iskandar.
We are proud of what we have developed and confident in the services we provide our students. We have always had a passion for education and you can see through the interview some of the reasons why we opened up our school.
We hope you enjoy the interview as much as we did, and do not hesitate to contact us for questions/comments or if you are interested in giving us an interview.
Leaders Academy - English Language School run by a Korean Couple
Iskandar Malaysia has seen a growing foreign population in recent years, many do not count English as a first language such as Koreans, Japanese, and Chinese. The population growth has been significantly driven by the presence of new International schools and private schools such as Marlborough College, Raffles American School and Sunway International School.
Perhaps then it is not surprising that we are seeing new supporting businesses grow including schools to teach English as a 2nd language. Ostensibly, this is to help kids (and even adults) to learn English as a 2nd language to help in both their academic and practical pursuits.
Leaders Academy is one such institution preparing to start up in Iskandar Malaysia. Run by Korean couple KJ and Min Suh, we ask KJ about her business and her plans for it.
Q1. Can you give a bit of background of yourself? What were you doing before you started Leaders Academy?
I spent my youth in South Korea. Then, I had an opportunity to study abroad in Canada and studied Economics & Business at university. Being passionate about teaching English, I continued pursuing my master’s degree in English Teaching as well as TEFL certificate. After coming back to my home country, I’ve been teaching English for 15 years in major English academic institutions (YBM, JLS, Yoon’s English School, etc).
Q2. Why did you start Leaders Academy in Iskandar Malaysia?
After a couple visits to Malaysia, my parents were amazed by the environment and decided to live in Johor on the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) visa program.
The city of Johor Bahru caught my attention as my son had just reached the age to attend elementary school and I wanted him to study in an international school here. It would broaden his learning and give him an opportunity to adapt better to different cultures and experience diversity.
Being in Johor Bahru naturally led me to continue in the Education business, which I have been doing for more than a decade in Korea. That is how I started Leaders Academy. I witnessed many Koreans come to Johor to study but in fact they struggled a lot at the beginning and did not adapt well to the new environment. As a teacher, I would like to support them by providing them the education that they need.
Q3. Why do you think there are many Koreans in Iskandar Malaysia?
Many parents in Korea are eager to educate their children in better environments outside of Korea. However due to multiple reasons, including financial constraints, many parents do not get a chance to do so.
Iskandar Malaysia is really an attractive and ideal option for various reasons. International schools and living costs are affordable compared to the ones in the United States or other English speaking countries. The quality of education available here (both academic as well as extra-curricular) is among the top in the world. The fact that Iskandar Malaysia is able to host world famous interntational schools from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada is wonderful.
In addition, students will be exposed to diverse cultures at earlier ages with an opportunity to learn English as well as Chinese (Mandarin), which is another huge benefit.
Johor’s weather is warm without air pollution throughout the year and this is a big advantage to a lot of Koreans. It is also a modern city with many facilities compared to Seoul.
Q4. What kind of services will Leaders Academy be offering?
The mission of Leaders Academy is to help students from abroad to adapt smoothly into the new environment in Johor Bahru. We are open not only to Korean students, but to anyone from outside Malaysia who are new to the country and culture. We will provide classes to help students improve their English proficiency, as a second language and to help them integrate into international school life.
Other types of classes will also be offered, including customized sessions for small groups of individuals to ensure they can catch up with the school’s curriculum.
Most importantly, Leaders Academy will build an English library with thousands of English books. By providing a structured reading program, students will be able to develop reading comprehension, understanding, and logical thinking.
Q5. How would you describe Leaders Academy's core capabilities? Where do you see the business in 5 years' time?
Leaders Academy’s core capabilities are as follows:
- Unique and differentiated top notch facilities
- Experienced native teachers from the United States and Canada
- Proven curriculum and English library stacked with over 4,000 books
- Specialist counseling on English education
We want to see students at Leaders Academy improve their language skills day by day with high levels of satisfaction, resulting in rapid growth of the Academy via word of mouth. We are confident with our business model and see huge potential in Iskandar Malaysia. In time, we hope for our business to grow via a franchise model throughout Malaysia and other Asian countries.
A Message from Leaders Academy
Leaders Academy would like to thank Ryan Khoo for taking the time to interview and include us in this fantastic book about the growth and opportunities Iskandar has to offer. At the time of publishing, Leaders Academy was currently not open, however the fundamental passion for education still remains the same to this day.
