LTL Mandarin School

Before I came to China, I really had no idea what school to pick or what to expect. However I am extremely glad I picked LTL. They took care of everything from finding a home-stay that really fit my needs, to dealing with my sim card problems when I lost my phone. In Beijing, they have a small classroom and the students there immediately became my friends. During my first week there I was invited to go bar hopping in Guomao, clubbing in Sanlitun, and to watch an acrobatic show. The standard curriculum they follow really gives you a strong foundation and the teachers there know it by heart. The teachers themselves were great and patient, every teacher I had was really passionate and made things like learning characters extremely interesting. My only complaint would be in my group classes, sometimes LTL would throw students with a lower level into the group which slow the group down. However eventually this wasn't a problem as I stayed long enough that I became the only student left in my group class and it became cheap 1-1!

I also spent a few months in Chengde which was exactly as they made it out to be. My progress in Chengde was about double the speed it was in Beijing because it truly is immersive. The coordinator they have there (even though when I was there recently gave birth) works really hard to keep you busy with things and often invites you out. As all my classes were 1-1, my teachers became a really close friend. In my last week my teacher took me out to eat three times, and treated me to an experience in a Chinese bath house!

I loved my home-stays, both in Beijing and Chengde, though I did hear stories from other students that had a hard time adjusting to some cultural aspects. I personally think this is entirely based on how open your mind is!

Overall, China is a phenomenal country and LTL helps open the doors for you. I'm planning to go back to study with them in a few months.

After studying Chinese at other schools and not being so happy with them anymore, I decided to try LTL in Beijing and I'm glad I did. The school's location in the CBD which is very convenient, the teachers were good and I especially appreciated that the owner of the school was present almost every day. The management consists of both Chinese and foreigners which made sure that they know your needs and can help you in case there is a problem. I especially enjoyed the social activities such as joint dinners. The only negative point is that the school offers no shared or private apartments close to the school.

Classes: I had individual classes for one week. I found the teaching method rather plain and repetitive, as we essentially went page by page, exercise by exercise through the textbook. However, I managed to learn a huge amount in my 20h of study, and I have no doubt that this method is consistent and effective over longer time periods.

Teachers: My teacher was demanding but friendly, and pushed me to use my Chinese, always ensuring I did things correctly.

Location: Relatively easy to get to via metro, in a nice area.

Facilities: Comfortable, cosy, ample for the number of students there.

Activities: Absolutely loved the daily communal lunches and Wednesday pub quiz night, and have heard of many more activities happening weekly that I am loath to miss out on.

Housing: N/A

Overall: The community aspect of LTL ended up being the biggest draw-card for me, and shouldn't be underestimated. In between classes every hour, lunchtimes, and all organised group activities outside of class time, is an opportunity to make friends with similar minded people all learning Chinese. It makes learning the language fun and motivating, and the school really becomes somewhere you want to be every day. While I found the teaching method rather dry, the amount I learned and the friends I made more than made up for the hours of hard work. Big thumbs up.

Choosing to study at LTL was probably the single most important and best decision I made for my China trip. I had heard about the school from a friend back home and liked the quick way they replied to my emails, so I booked a two month Chinese course and homestay with them.
I got very lucky. The family I stayed with was a lot of fun to stay with. I hadn't studied much Chinese beforehand, so communication was not easy at first, but Mr. and Ms. Li were the best hosts I could have hoped for. In the two months I lived with them, I must have been to at least 10 family dinners, met countless of their relatives, went with them on three hiking trips, their niece's wedding, and ate what was probably the world's best food on a daily basis. Eating Chinese food at a restaurant has been a disappointment ever since, as none of them can compare with Ms. Li's cooking. We are still in touch and I hope they will come and visit me in the states next year.
The Chinese course at LTL was intensive and very professional. My two teachers, were both very professional and patient, which made classes both fun and effective. I learned a lot more Chinese in those two months than I thought I could have due to the combination of living with a Chinese family and intensive classes. I was very pleased with my progress.
The LTL team is very nice and friendly and provided me with a lot of support with any practical issues I had regarding living in China. I also met a lot of very interesting other international students at the school, some of which I am still in touch with today and I am very greateful for.
Overall, my stay with LTL was highly satisfactory.