private tutors in China??

[svenske]

Hej!

well, i didn't get much of a response from the last post, but i thought I would continue to ask some questions in case someone out there can help me.

1. Is it easy to find private tutors for Mandarin lessons in Beijing, Northern China?

2. Is it better to organise something before travelling to China? or find someone when I arrive?

3. How much is the average rate for a private tutor in Mandarin?

4. Finally, I'm arriving in Bejing in July, can anyone reccommend good contacts for a private tutor in Mandarin (low intermediate level)?

Thanks heaps for helping! svenske

[kdavid]

Tutors are easy to find. Their quality, however, is another story.

It would be best to start looking upon arrival. Interview a few different tutors and pick the best one. Make sure you emphasize during the first meeting that this is NOT a language exchange and that they are not to speak any English whatsoever unless you ask the specifically for it. Otherwise, you're likely to find a lot of college students who want to practice their English as opposed to teaching you Chinese.

In fact, depending on your level, it may be best to pretend that you can't speak English at all--this way they won't attempt to communicate with you in English.

I'm not familiar with the going rate in Beijing, but in Harbin I pay 20 for an hour.

[venture160]

Most professors at Universities in schools will also do tutoring on the side, you could simply post a note (in chinese) at one of the foreign students classrooms and see if you get replies.

[Rachel_S]

Hello,

1 & 3. It is extremely easy to find private tutors, especially in Beijing Haidian District - where the majority of Beijing's universities are located. Students at these schools often make great teachers, and often tutors are teachers of Chinese who are seeking part-time work. Ads on sites like ThatsBJ.com, CityWeekend - Beijing, and fliers posted on university campuses are your best bet for finding a good tutor at a great price. Tutoring should probably go for between 50 and 100 元 per hour for your average-to-good teacher.

2. It is far better to wait until you get here. Not only will the price be more reasonable (and you can haggle too - it's almost expected!), but you will be more likely to find quality instruction, especially in university settings. Often, these teachers are fantastic at what they do, but they do not have the time or the resources to advertise internationally.

4. Check Beijing University, Tsinghua University, and BLCU's campus boards. They are bound to be chock full of willing tutors.

Hope this helps!

[svenske]

Thanks heaps for the info here! its a bit daunting as it is my first time in China, but I'm looking forward to the experience, its good to know you can just turn up and find something straight away.

Much appreciated tips!!

[atitarev]

I'm not familiar with the going rate in Beijing, but in Harbin I pay 20 for an hour.

Kdavid, I like this price. Is this in yuans or US dollars, though?

Harbin must be much cheaper to live in too.

[mpallard]

Paying 50-100 RMB for an hour of tutoring is ridiculous unless it's an actual teacher with experience. Even then I say it's a waste of money.

I'd just give 20RMB to some random dude with some spare time and have them teach you. You will have to tell them what you want done, structure the lessons, and what not but once you know how you study best you just need to show them how best to teach you.

I had a private tutor for a long time in Taiwan and it was really good. The girl had no teaching experience but that became irrelevant after the first week. Actually it ended up being cheaper than paying tuition at the university for the same amout of "class" time.