Est. 2012Manila, PHNon-profit

Your ideasare currency.

Manila's barter school. Teach what you know, learn what you're curious about, and pay in things, favors and good ideas. Not pesos.

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The idea

Everyone knows something worth sharing. Everyone needs something they can't buy. Trade School puts the two in the same room and lets a good conversation settle the bill.

How it works

Three steps.
Zero tuition.

  1. 01

    Teachers post a wish list

    Propose a class on anything, no credentials needed. Then list what you'd love in return: canned food, art materials, books, client referrals, help with a website, a delivery run, even music recommendations.

  2. 02

    Students sign up and bring one

    Pick a class, then commit to bringing something from the teacher's list. Goods, services, tangible or not. If it helps them, it counts.

  3. 03

    Everybody learns something

    Show up, swap knowledge, hand over your offering. No invoice, no receipt, no price tag. Just a room full of people who wanted to be there.

Classes

Learn something odd this week.

Straight from our class list. Each teacher keeps their own wish list, so sign up to see what they'd love in return.

Try it

What's
your tuition?

You have more to offer than you think. Tap what you could bring and print your own ticket.

Trade School Manila · admit one

₱0

Paid in

  • Nothing yet. Pick something.

Valid for one class · non-refundable, mostly delicious

Get involved

Pick your role.

Teach

Share what you know. Write a class plan, make your wish list, and run it. No credentials, no gatekeeping.

Propose a class →
Volunteer

Help instructors run their classes and sit in on the sessions for free.

Join the crew →
Learn

Magic, calligraphy, content marketing, plant care and a lot you didn't know you wanted.

See classes →
Host

Have a space? Share it with us!

From cafés and shops to parks, museums, and garages, any space can become a classroom. If you're willing to open your doors to a class, we'd love to work with you. Bring new people into your space, introduce them to what you do, and help us create more opportunities for people to learn from one another.

Offer your space →

Our story

A school with no cash register.

Trade School began in 2009, when a group of New York City artists ran a 35-day experiment where teachers were paid in goods and services. It drew more than 800 participants across 76 classes. The idea travelled.

In 2012 a group of friends in Manila heard about a Trade School in Singapore, wrote to the New York organizers, and started ours. We're a non-profit, held together by venue partners, volunteers and community support.

2009Born in New York
800+Participants in the first run
76Classes in 35 days
2012Manila joins the network

A worldwide network of self-organized schools

New YorkGlasgowBarcelonaEdinburghGuadalajaraOttawaManila

Manila's founding friends

Vanessa Abastillas · Jamaica Eileen Cachuela · Joanna Capones · Kristine Enriquez · Ethel Katrina Francisco · Antoinette Jadaone · Dana Salonga · Clarice Fong

As seen in

ABS-CBNWhen In ManilaCoconutsMuni

FAQ

Questions,
answered.

What barter items can be listed?

Almost anything that someone else might find useful or meaningful! You can ask for tangible items like food, art materials, books, or other supplies. But barter isn't limited to physical goods. It can also include client referrals, help designing a website, assistance at your shop, music recommendations, and other skills, services, or thoughtful contributions.

Get creative! You never know what someone might be happy to share.

How many barter items should I bring?

Each confirmed student is required to bring at least one of the five items listed by the teacher. Feel free to bring more if you're feeling generous, but one item is all you need to fulfill your barter exchange.

How are barter items exchanged?

Our Trade School Manila volunteers will help facilitate the exchange between students and teachers after each class. We'll also invite everyone to take a photo with their barter items as a fun way to document the exchange, help teachers keep track of what they've received, and add to our growing collection of classroom memories!

How are services exchanged?

Some barter exchanges involve services rather than physical items, and these may take a little more coordination. Trade School Manila will help connect students and teachers, clarify the agreed-upon exchange, and follow up on its completion to help ensure a fair and transparent experience for everyone.

We ask all participants to honor their commitments and communicate openly if any issues arise. Students who fail to fulfill an agreed-upon exchange may be excluded from future Trade School Manila classes to help protect the trust and fairness that make our community possible.

When is the next season?

Trade School Manila returns from April 1–30, 2027, with classes happening across Metro Manila!

Follow us on social media for announcements, class schedules, sign-up details, and other updates. We can't wait to learn and exchange with you again!

Who benefits from Trade School Manila?

Everyone in the community! Our circular economy is built on the idea that everyone has something valuable to share. Teachers exchange their knowledge for meaningful contributions, students learn new skills, volunteers gain new experiences, and hosts open their spaces to new people. Organizers help bring it all together.

But we're dreaming bigger, too. Our long-term vision is to establish a physical trade school and consumer cooperative store where barter can serve as an alternative way for underserved and economically marginalized communities to access goods, services, and learning opportunities.

We hope to make this possible through community donations and income from paid commercial classes hosted at our future facility.

Want to help us make this dream a reality? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at tradeschoolmanila.coop@gmail.com.

Say hi

Got a class
in you?

Want to teach, volunteer, host a class at your venue, or just ask a question? Send us an email and someone from the crew will get back to you.

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Email us

tradeschoolmanila.coop@gmail.comWrite to us