My School Experiences in Beijing

[swiven]

Beiyan Language and Culture Institute

Time attended: 6 weeks

Website: http://www.sinolingua.org/index-en.html

Books used: BCLU

My class size: 5-10 people

Pros: Inexpensive, Multicultural

Cons: Little Oral Study, management ineffective and uncommunicative

Beiyan Language and Culture Institute is firmly in the camp of Chinese schools that believe that if you cram enough Characters into a western person, eventually you will get a westerner who speaks Chinese. Learning to write characters is their primary focus. Even the twice-weekly oral class began with thirty minutes of character drills (E.g. Teacher says new word in Chinese, you write down character from memory). Classes are held at the Capitol Institute of Physical Education, which is right next to Da Zhong Si subway station. Classes are comprised of Beiyan students and some Korean foreign exchange students.

It is apparent that the teachers have a rigorous schedule to which they are required to adhere. If you can’t keep up, that’s your problem. In fact, the composition of my class changed several times as a result of this policy as people dropped levels or stopped coming to class.

There were students as old as mid-forties and as young as 16. Most students were extremely devoted to study; if fact, that’s really all I had time for while I was studying there.

Like most Chinese schools, their apartment rental scheme is a complete rip-off. They are charging you at least twice the going rate. And, even though they own all the apartments, it is extremely difficult to change flat mates, even if your flat mate routinely wakes you up at 4 am with drunken carousing (yes, true story).

The only really nice thing about Beiyan is that they cater primarily to French speaking people. I was one of only two people in their program not fluent in French, but my French ability has improved dramatically in the last 3 months. Honestly, unless you want a joint Chinese/French program, I cannot recommend Beiyan. Additionally, it looks like you can get the same programs for a fraction of the cost through the Capitol Institute of Physical Education directly here http://www.bsu.edu.cn/jgsz/htm/xzbm/wsc/htm/wsc_lbww.html

Sprachcaffe International

Time attended: 1 week

Website:http://www.sprachcaffe.com/english/main.htm

Books used: BCLU

My class size: 4 people

Pros: Excellent Teachers, Fantastic Location

Cons: Less than motivated students, low level classes, particularly bad housing rip-off

Sprachcaffe is located in the Park right next to Tiananmen. They have lovely classrooms, half of which look out over the park. The teachers are interesting and willing to converse with you on a wide range of topics. They will teach you how to ask for/ do things in China if asked (For example, I was told how to ask for a leg wax, apparently a reasonably unusual procedure in China). I think they have been trained in how to explain Chinese grammar, as they explain very clearly in English and give excellent examples.

However, it appears to cater mostly to the “two weeks in China crowd” and the “party crowd.” Students in other classes appeared to range in age from 20 to mid fifties; my class was all early twenties (except for myself). My class (keep in mind that I am one step above beginner) was the highest level in the school at the time I attended. And my fellow students, while extremely nice, were not terribly diligent. In fact, in the five days I attended, there was not one day where all four of us were there, and each of the other three students each missed at least one day. The result of this is that the class progressed at a very slow level; we did a lesson and a half in the BCLU book in one week.

Additionally, although I did not visit the hotel that they use myself, I heard that it was not terribly luxurious, especially considering the prices they charge.

Chinese Language Education

Time attended: 3 days

Website:http://www.chinaledu.com/contact.htm

Books used: New Practical Chinese Reader

My class size: 3 people

Pros: CBD Location, Older students, Good teachers, Best administrative staff of all the schools I attended, reasonable prices

Cons: CBD Location, Older students

Chinese Language Education is located in the SOHO building, right next to GuoMao station. I only attended for three days, but throughout that time the staff made every effort to help me feel welcome. They lent me the books, so that I did not have to but them. Teachers suggested places that I might like to visit (for instance, a good western bookstore located on the way back to my apartment). The teachers were vivid and engaging.

The CBD is a very western area. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing. Honestly, if you are considering a long term stay in China, you may want to live someplace a little more international. However, I understand that many people want the experience of living completely surrounded by Chinese culture, without a Starbucks or a McDonald’s in sight.

The two other students in my class were both older than thirty-five. They appeared to be reasonably diligent students and nice people. I would recommend this school, especially for older students like myself.

Global Exchange Center

Time Attended: none

Website: http://www.glexchange.net/Chinese%20Language.htm

My class size: N/A

Books: BCLU

Pros: very nice students, friendly staff, offer online tutoring

Cons: Housing rip-off, students not very diligent

I visited the Global Exchange Center, but ended up not taking any classes there for a combination of reasons. First, I got sick the week I was scheduled to go there. Second, I felt that a $50 US “registration fee” was a little steep on top of 1 week’s tuition. Finally, I was less than impressed with my potential fellow students as fellow students.

The Center is Located on North Fourth Ring road by the Badoling Expressway. It is not walking distance from any subway station.

While I was at the Center, I was given the hard sell for “their” dormitories. When I actually went over to “their” dormitories, they were no more “their” dormitories than mine. In fact, they are run by a private company and I believe are used by several schools. The dormitory itself has a sheet at the front desk with a pricing list that lets you know just how much the Center is ripping you off if you get your accommodation through them. It seems very clean and very nice, although the rooms are quite small.

The students were very friendly; they invited me back to their dorms too look at their rooms. However, their average age appeared to be about twenty. And, honestly, some of their Chinese was not at a level I would expect from three months of study. The school says that it tests regularly and that students who fail the tests are forced to repeat classes. And I did meet one person who had to repeat. However, I just could not get enthused about sharing a class with a bunch of twenty year old party animals. I think this would be an excellent school for a young person looking to hang with foreign friends and do a little Chinese study, say on a summer break. However, I’d arrange my lodging with the dormitory separately.

The Language Center

Time Attended: 1 week

Website: http://www.1on1mandarin.com/index.html

Books: Chinese Made Easier

My class size: just me

Pros: Learn at own pace, teacher speaks excellent English, have American Staff members (also fluent in Chinese)

Cons: Can be difficult to get into classes if not staying entire semester, Administration kind of weird, teacher prone to switch to English too quickly

This school claims to specialize in teaching Chinese to foreigners. Their book is quite different from the BCLU model, a fact of which they are very proud. Having a one-on-one class is I think both a blessing and a curse; you can move at your own pace, but you have to be self-motivated. The school has semester long programs where you have one hour a day with people, but, if you are not willing to at least start with a class (twice a year) you cannot get into the program and can therefore only take 1 on 1 classes. After an hour long conversation, it was grudgingly agreed that I might be able to take just 11 weeks of the semester class, if I started on the first week. However, the price for this turned out to be prohibitive.

The administration appears to consist of a secretary, a Chinese administrator, and an American (Chinese-speaking) administrator. In trying to find out about the school and schedule only a week of classes, I was rather bounced around to and from each of these persons. Additionally, although it was agreed that I would have three hors of lessons a day, it was changed to two (I was only charged for two). The reason given was that they believed that two hours a day was a more optimal amount of one on one study. However, it seemed a little odd to me that they sent me an email about it 3 days after our conversation, rather than just bringing it up at the time. Also, they are terrible about email; your first communication should be a phone call.

The teacher is animated and speaks excellent English. She has a tendency to ask a question in Chinese, the give the English translation while I am still arraigning an answer in my head. The school recommends six hours be spent on each lesson, so at two hours a day, that’s 1 and 2/3 lessons a weeks, which seems a bit slow. However, the semester program has three hour days, so I assume that they do a lesson every two days.

These are just my impressions; hope they help.

[roddy]

Many, many thanks for that.

Interesting what you say about the Language Center - I'd seen publicity material for them, and thought they looked like they might be a cut above the rest, and while not letting you jump into the middle of a semester might not be convenient for you it demonstrates a willingness to stick to their own standards - many places would happily pile people in for the sake of their fees. The 'two hours is optimal' thing is a bit odd - even if only two hours of 'input' is optimal, an extra hour of revision or practice would be valuable. Or perhaps they meant for the teacher ;-)

[nubix]

thankyou Swiven. your coments are very useful.

[onebir]

It's almost as if you went to beijing to review the language schools!

(for which thanks very much!)

[uumeh]

Swiven,

I would like to thank you for the information you provided on the various language programs in Beijing. Its really helpful for many foreigners who are trying to decide how to navigate through China's complex language school environment. But, I actually had a very different experience at the Language Center.

I enrolled in their semester long program and I was very pleased with the experience. My semester began in September 2006 and ended in February 2007. Its structured so that from Monday through Friday, the students receive a total of 3 hours of classes each day (15hrs/week).

The 1st hour is the 1 on 1 class. Li Laoshi was my teacher. During the 1 on 1 class, we reviewed the current chapter's vocabulary and the lesson's dialogue. There was a constant focus on my tones and I was also able to ask Li Laoshi questions about the lesson's vocabulary. Li laoshi encouraged me to prepare presentations (stories in Chinese about my life) using the new vocabulary which I would present at the beginning of class.

After my 1 on 1, I began my 1 on 3 class. My teacher was Guan Laoshi and there were 2 other students in the class. My 1 on 3 class also re-emphasized the importance of tones. Additionally, we reviewed the current lesson's grammar and I was able to practice my Chinese with other students. The great thing about the 1 on 3 class is that you are practicing with students at your level so you don't feel embarrassed when you make mistakes. Furthermore, we were able to help each other understand Chinese grammatical concepts (sometimes another student can explain a concept a lot better than a Chinese teacher can).

My final class was my 1 on 1 with my tutor. It was another chance for me to review the materials that we learned in my earlier classes. Also, she made sure that my tones were correct and she helped me with my homework. We met after my 1 on 3 class.

The textbook we used was called Chinese Made Easier. Its basically your standard Chinese textbook. Each new lesson contains new vocabulary and information about the Chinese grammar. There's not really much to say about the book.

Finally, I think that it is better to learn Chinese in a small class due to the fact that it is a tonal language. The smaller the class, the higher the probability that your teacher will be able to correct your tones. At the Language Center, there was a constant emphasis on my tones which I feel is really important for Chinese language students.

[1on1Mandarin]

Dear Swiven,

Thank you for your comments regarding our program. I will try to do my best to address the issues you have brought forward.

The school has semester long programs where you have one hour a day with people, but, if you are not willing to at least start with a class (twice a year) you cannot get into the program and can therefore only take 1 on 1 classes.

We realized that this was becoming a problem for many part-time, or full time students that would like to do the semester program but have missed chunks in the beginning. Two main reasons for such a policy:

1) Adding another student into a small class with only 2 other students will drastically affect the class dynamics and flow. Furthermore, if a student is unable to commit to the end of the semester and leaves in the middle of the semester, the environment is once again disturbed.

2) At the time, we did not forewarn our students that there is a possibility of such a change.

What we have done to address this issue:

Instead of 1 hour of 1on1, 1 hour of 1on3 and 1 hour of individualized tutoring, starting from the 2007 Fall Semester, we are changing our Standard Semester Program to 1 hour of 1on1 and 2 hours of 1on4. Students will have the option to replace one of their 1on4 hours with an hour of individualized tutoring, if requested, with price adjusted accordingly. We will warn all of our full time students in advance that there is a possibility that other students will join your class during the length of the semester.

A 1on4 structure, will still allow for the discussion opportunities as seen in the 1on3, but the possible influx of students in an out of this structure, will not have such a strong effect as it would in a 1on3 class with only 2 students.

In trying to find out about the school and schedule only a week of classes, I was rather bounced around to and from each of these persons...However, it seemed a little odd to me that they sent me an email about it 3 days after our conversation, rather than just bringing it up at the time. Also, they are terrible about email; your first communication should be a phone call.

It is quite disappointing to hear that this was still a problem area when you attended our program back in the Fall. We are aware that this is one of the most important processes in a student's experience with us and we are always trying to improve the way in which we handle this area of our business.

Email

I agree that the first form of contact should be via phone and I constantly train our employees how to adopt and maintain the best practices in a service based industry.

We have now employed a full time Administrative/HR Manager to continue training our employees and improving our administrative practices.

Additionally, although it was agreed that I would have three hors of lessons a day, it was changed to two (I was only charged for two). The reason given was that they believed that two hours a day was a more optimal amount of one on one study.

3 hours of 1on1 vs. 2 hours of 1on1

Our suggested study plans for our students are based off of our assessment of their current abilities, age, extra curricular time commitments, etc.. While some students are certainly able to handle a load of 3 hours of 1on1, based on our experience, if a student is planning to study long term, 2 hours of 1on1 is a good place to start off with. We can always add more hours and increase the speed of the class if a student requests, but if a student feels that they need to cut hours, which in turn shortens their original schedule leaving extra unused hours when a student wants to leave, our refund policy only allows for one of two options: 1) Allow for the hours to be used in their next study period, or 2) if you are a part-time student only a partial refund will be returned.

Short term students are generally more prone and are generally less exhausted when maximizing their studying time with multiple 1on1 hours/day. Michael Chang, for example, the retired professional US tennis player, studied at our program this past Fall for 5 weeks at 4 hours of 1on1 each day. Though he was extremely satisfied with the program and the program that we tailored for him, I am positive that if he were to sustain a similar schedule for the length of one full semester, it would be very difficult for him to keep up with the minimum pace that we like to encourage our students to follow. Such a schedule requires a minimum of 5-6 hours of extra study time at home to keep up.

The teacher is animated and speaks excellent English. She has a tendency to ask a question in Chinese, the give the English translation while I am still arraigning an answer in my head.

As experienced by yourself, and probably many others, it is essential that the communication between a student and teacher is very clear, otherwise, the class can become completely ineffective. Our school's role in this area is to properly manage our teachers in a way that will make the learning experience for a student a satisfying one, which is why we often encourage our students, especially at the beginning of their time with us to inform us about any compatibility issues they are experiencing with our teachers.

Though we have now implemented a systematized student and teacher evaluation process in our program, I will keep in mind that perhaps we need to place more emphasis on reminding our students to let us know what is going on in their classes.

The school recommends six hours be spent on each lesson, so at two hours a day, that’s 1 and 2/3 lessons a weeks, which seems a bit slow. However, the semester program has three hour days, so I assume that they do a lesson every two days.

The average student at our school usually requires the following amount of hours to finish one lesson:

Curriculum : Average Hours/Lesson

CME 1-2 : 4

CME 3-5 : 6

Higher levels, depending on the textbook, will generally require at least 6 hours/lesson because there is generally more time necessary for discussion.

Once again, these are just averages. Some students require as few as 3 hours/lesson on CME 1-2, some require as much as 8 hours/lesson. It really depends on the student's pace. As a general rule of thumb, though, as long as a student lets us know how they sincerely feel about their class, whether it is pace or teaching style, we will do our best to make the necessary adjustments needed for a more effective class.

We are always trying to improve our program by welcoming our students' comments. Thank you for your impressions. We hope that our changes will make the experience for current and future students a satisfying one.

Best regards,

1on1 Mandarin