Main Site Blog Help

Recommendation for great language school for short term courses

#1

Dear ChinesePod crowd,

I am looking for recommendations for a great Chinese language school, that offers more flexible courses, e.g. 6 or 8 weeks, in either Taiwan or Mainland China.
The background is, that I am currently learning Chinese (in Europe) in parallel to my work, and that I will not have sufficient time to attend the full three month terms usually offered for example by the Mandarin Training Center in Taipei.
My level is I guess advanced beginners. I have been studying quite intensively with Skritter and ChinesePod for about one year (but in parallel to work unfortunately).

Any recommendations and experiences would be highly appreciated!

Cheers,
Jan

#2

PS

I found this school in Taipei via google, which seems to offer more flexible courses. Can anyone recommend the school? It is called Taiwan Mandarin Institute.

http://www.tmichinese.com/

#3

I studied on the immersion program for a few weeks at this school in Guilin and highly recommend it. The teachers could not have been more helpful, picking me up from the station, taking me shopping, showing me places to eat etc… it was an incredibly friendly community and i felt so welcomed. I also think it was one of the best value courses I found because my classes were all one on one - this does mean that you have to work hard (no staying quiet at the back of the class) but it also means that your classes can be tailored completely to your needs. The school was really fun, and you can learn a lot of chinese there, eating lunch with the staff, or playing table tennis and mahjong - there’s also lots of trips and activities such as karaoke, cooking or going for hotpot. But it’s still a school that’s serious about language learning. Everyone usually wants to go to Beijing or Shanghai but going somewhere where less people speak english is actually really beneficial for learning, even if the southern pronounciations can be a bit difficult (the teachers came from across china though). Guilin is also near some of the most beautiful scenic places in China to visit: Yangshuo and Longsheng rice terrices.

https://www.studycli.org/

#4

I’m going to China in a few weeks and have been looking at this school, but am also searching for the best option.

I’m thinking about doing 1-1 classes in an intensive 20h/week style to try and improve as much as I can. Being in an immersive Chinese environment will also help a lot.

I am in a similar situation as you, I was originally planning on staying several months in China but my life situation has changed recently and will be moving to the U.S. with my wife so now I only can stay 7 weeks. :frowning:

Here is a previous discussion that I had started about this topic, there are some good recommendations there.

#5

I just spent 3 weeks at KCE in Shijiazhuang and would highly recommend it!
http://www.gatewaychina.net/
It’s 4 hours a day one on one, with the option of a homestay - which was awesome for my Chinese and really fun. They are really flexible on timing and what you want to learn, as well as friendly and welcoming. I live in China and take lessons with an teacher twice a week, but I still made a lot of progress even in my 3 weeks there… hoping to go back!

Best of luck wherever you end up!