Full Time 1-on-1 Classes

For me when choosing a language school it was important that it was IAELC certified, and that it was up front and honest about the prices, LTL had both.

Everything was fine when I arrived. I went straight to the homestay from the airport. The homestay was nice, I had good meals and nice people. It was a little difficult in the beginning as my Chinese was very poor, but that only meant that I had to use my Chinese in everyday life which helped me improve my level faster compared to just taking classes. With individual classes you are at the center of your teachers attention. This can be challenging as it demands that you are always focused, but it is also a great way to truly improve your Chinese.

In addition to learning Mandarin language I combined it with calligraphy classes. The calligraphy was an interesting experience. I’m glad I did it, but in the end I found it not really my thing. The individual classes I took were good, and actually fun. I learned a lot and I got along very well with my teachers.

If you are planning on studying Chinese in China I would like to draw your attention to the LTL School in Beijing.

The best recommendation I can give is that I am now about to start my 4th year at this school. In the summer of 2015 when I had decided to go to China to study Mandarin I contacted well over 10 language schools in Beijing. LTL got back to me very quickly and with all the answers to my questions about the school which convinced me that this school was very likely to suit my needs. I wasn’t disappointed.

I studied Mandarin before at both a big state-run university and a private language school in classes where the number of students ranged from 4 to 23. It was not a formula that suited me so before contacting the various language schools I had already decided that I wanted one-to-one classes and that I didn’t want to use text books but just discussing various subjects with my teachers. That was not a problem as one of LTL’s strong points is its flexibility. Whether you want one-to-one classes or to be in a class with other students. You can have classes at the school premises or at your place. You can have classes during day time, in the evening or during weekends this can always be arranged.

If you have 1-on-1 classes, you can organise the Chinese classes as you wish. I have 15 hours a week with 2 different teachers. This really is an advantage as having 2 teachers gives me different input, ideas and feed-back which is very valuable. The teaching atmosphere is very relaxed but also very efficient.

I am happy to say that I can, without any hesitation, give my best recommendation to LTL.

Learning Chinese is a wonderful journey and I am very happy I chose LTL Beijing to guide me along the way.

The school environment is both cosy and lively: from early morning to late afternoon, members of staff are always available and ready to help, whether it be with your Chinese classes or personal needs.

I booked a homestay for the whole duration of my stay, which allowed me the unique opportunity to experience from up close different aspects of the local culture. I especially enjoyed tasting a variety of homemade local dishes: Beijing cuisine is delicious! Also, staying with a local family helped me improve my Chinese listening skills tremendously.

Of course, where my Chinese really grew is at school: I took individual classes, 4 hours a day, every day from Monday to Friday. Let me say this loud and clear: my teachers were absolutely amazing!

They have shown an impressive level of competence and passion for their work, urging me to speak Chinese all the time, while providing me with all the necessary tools to do so.

Vocabulary, grammar, Chinese culture, songs, role plays… a lot of support and quite a few good laughs: the right ingredients for a successful language course.

I’m Sara from Italy and last July I graduated studying foreign languages so that’s why I’m decided to come to Beijing.

I discovered LTL on the internet while I was searching for the best school for learning Chinese. With a simple request of information, in no time I found myself in one of the most beautiful cities in the world and experiencing something truly wonderful.

Sara on the Great Wall of China

LTL offers a variety of possibilities, and manages to adapt to the language needs of every single student. From the start I was never alone, my point of contact Alex, explained everything to me to put me at ease. He helped me to prepare all necessary documentation.

After arriving in Beijing, my pick-up brought me to my apartment. I chose a large room with private bathroom. My room was beautiful and large. I had a breathtaking view of the city of Beijing.

On the Monday after my arrival I went to school to do my first lesson, the school building was very easy to find. As soon as I opened door of the school, I was very happy to see everything come to life after viewing LTL the internet before. The school is really nice and comfortable. When I’m there I feel at home. School members have became my family in China.

There are several classrooms for group lessons and for 1 to 1 classes. I chose to do lessons 1 to 1, my teacher was Jacqueline. I remember the day of my first lesson. I felt nervous, I could not understand everything she was telling me, and I thought I could not do it. But over time I saw and heard my improvements, because here you have the possibility to practice the language, to live the language.

Sara in Beijing

I studied two hours of lessons per day and studied hard outside of class. The schedules are flexible and I could make up the lost classes simply by reaching agreement with my teacher. Jacqueline is very flexible. The school gave me all the materials needed to study such as grammar books, exercise books, CD’s and so on.

My main goal was to reach HSK4. The teaching method is nothing like the ones I have encountered so far, the lessons with Jacqueline are intense. I spoke only in Chinese (it is crucial if you want to learn a language). Before moving on to the next topic she made sure that all my skills (listening, writing and speaking) were on the same level. We had a continuous interaction, a continuous exchange of information, questions and answers and written topics to get to know each other better and to learn other Chinese characters.

In eight weeks I came a long way. I started from not understanding almost anything to leading my lesson alone! I think that the teaching method really makes the difference. My experience here was perfect to say the least, it seemed they always knew me, and I must thank LTL school, in particular my teacher. Thanks to her I now believe in myself and thanks to her I speak and I understand Chinese.

In addition to the lessons, the school organizes various activities to discover this beautiful city every day. LTL for me was not just a school, it was a bridge that allowed me to get to know new people who I can now call my friends. It allowed me to understand a wonderful culture. It was the right choice for achieve my goals. Even 3,000 miles away from my hometown, it was able to make me feel at home!

Sara with the other LTL staff and students

So I want to say thanks to LTL school, thanks to the staff and thanks to the teachers who, for two months, were my parents. Just as parents would do with their children, LTL held me by the hand and taught me to be independent in a city like Beijing!

It seems impossible but in a few weeks I gained the confidence to do anything here, ask for information, take a taxi or order in Chinese! I think that as much as reviews can be useful, some experiences are to be done in person, so do not waste any time, come and live Chinese and let yourself be guided by this wonderful family!

Before coming to China to learn Chinese, I had heard a lot that Chinese is a very difficult language and is almost impossible to learn due to having “thousands of letters”, so I was intrigued to read a bit about this scary language. Just reading a little bit about the logic behind character writing and formation made the language much less frightening and actually more logical than many others.

Mohamed climbing one of China’s sacred mountains

Deciding to later on pursue Chinese Mandarin, I started looking for schools to study for a short duration (limited time because of work), and LTL was my first choice as it is located in Beijing and offers homestay residence which helps a lot in advancing faster as I found from a previous experience. In addition to that, LTL offers Chinese immersion programs which I would have tried had I only had more time.

One month before arriving to Beijing, I started to study as much as possible. Work limited the amount of time available for studying, but still I was able to read and say basic expressions, with apparently a very weird accent once I got to China.

Arriving in China and studying Mandarin
I took 1-on-1 individual classes (4 hours daily) for three weeks in Beijing since I wanted fast progress and a course tailored to my own interests.

The good thing about individual classes is that progress is much faster since you are forced to talk and focus most of the time, differently to group classes where you have the chance to take a break when other students are talking. In addition my classes were tailored exactly to what I wanted to learn, which I enjoyed a lot. For my case, my main focus was on conversations and vocabulary required to survive during my planned travels.

The downside (or the upside?) of 1-on-1 classes is that you have to be focused all the time, are fully dedicated, and should prepare for each class beforehand. I found the quality of teaching at LTL excellent and my teachers very friendly. The 1-on-1 classes benefited me a lot in noticing the errors I used to have in pronunciation and in tones, and working more and more to correct them. Also, even though I of course had no classmates in my 1-on-1 class, I met a lot of other students during breaks, after classes or during activities organised by LTL.

One important thing to know before taking 1-on-1 classes is to know what you are expecting in and from these classes so they can be planned in a way that fits you. Outside the class, try as much as possible to use whatever you learned with native Chinese people – I found my homestay family very helpful in that regard.

After about a week, I was having basic conversations and at some points was able to impress native Chinese by saying not-so-easy phrases. After another week, I was able to check train tickets online on only-Chinese websites, and to buy these tickets from the ticket vendor. I struggled a bit at the beginning, but it did work.

After three weeks of classes, I went on a 6-day trip to two other cities and back to Beijing, climbed two of China’s five sacred mountains, camped and slept there, slept once on a train, missed a train and had to negotiate to refund and buy another ticket, met and befriended lots of Chinese, and took LOTs of pictures with locals as well as foreigners (wài guó rén  –外国人-you will hear this a lot).

Two weeks after returning to Lebanon, I am trying to keep up with my Mandarin by practicing with any Chinese person I meet here – I do miss China and LTL a lot.