CLE-Chinese Language Education School in Beijing

[airthus]

Hello everyone. Im new to the forum here. I found it searching for something (mostly) unrelated, that being the entrance medical exam for foreigners.

I planned on going to the CLE - Chinese Language Education School in chaoyang district. Has anyone ever gone to the school / go there now? I dont really know anyone in Beijing.

School website: http://www.chinaledu.com/

Also it seams i always hear about scholarships shortly before the due dates of the applications. I read a lot about the Chinese gov't scholarship on the forum and it sounds really interesting, but i saw the due date was apr 30 and my heart sank heh, i wonder if there is still enough time for me to gather the application and apply.

I look forward to meeting all of you!

Edited April 16, 2009 at 03:27 AM by airthus

[roddy]

See here. I think that poster may have written more about the school as well, check her other posts and see.

The government scholarships wouldn't apply to a private school like this though.

[bigtops]

I've been attending one-on-one classes with a tutor there for just over two months, so I can't speak about their language courses. I will say, however, that the staff is very conscientious and serious about education... I never have the feeling that this is a strictly money-making organization and although my tuition costs damn near half my salary, I part with it willingly because I am very happy with my teacher and the progress I've made.

I will say that the students in classes all revert to English in their break periods and during one conversation I had with a couple of them they told me that their homework was cut down to one hour a night because nobody was willing to do more. A lot of em seem to hang out together and enjoy a student lifestyle as wild as you can find anywhere. If a social life you seek, you can find it there. And if you want more than an hour of homework a night, it'll be easy enough to find stuff to do on your own.

Even though I can't speak on their classes, I certainly recommend the school. But like Roddy said, no government scholarship is going to help you. Check the CSC support group page... I hear that the deadline has been pushed back to May 10.

[airthus]

Thank bigtops. That is definitely the answer that i was looking for. I start classes there in a few days and I know absolutely nobody in Beijing ^_^ Im really looking forward to meeting my fellow classmates, sounds like a good place. thanks

[Menino80]

Bump--any further updates? It seems to be a highly regarded school.

[William Barrow]

Having spent roughly 9 months at CLE as a Gold-Package student with accommodation, I feel pretty well qualified to write a review of the school. In summary

PRO’s:

• The teaching for the most part was great. The majority of teachers were patient, clear and have really brought my Chinese along in their own unique way.
  
• Class numbers were small. For a good portion of time I was 1-1 or 2-1, and it never got larger than 6-1. I cannot stress how important this is (in my opinion at least) for learning good Chinese quickly. Worth the extra money over going to BLCU etc where the classes are 30 strong and you've hardly got any time to speak.
  
• I made some really good friends and had a lot of fun at the school. The trip they organised was good, if a little on the cheap and cheerful side.
  
• The staff are always willing to help.
  

CON’s (only my personal experience):

• Support staff not always the most clued up on whats going on, and pretty lacklustre at communicating with students. (Having said this, the main 'offender' in terms of poor service has since moved on from the school, so things have seemingly improved a bit on this front)
  
• ‘Gold Package’ isn't great value for money.
  
• When I left the student numbers were a little low, but I think they may have bounced back slightly since (plus this is the price you have to pay for small class numbers).
  

 

I won't lie, I did have a few issues over my time with CLE, but I think I may have been a victim of bad timing (visa rule chages, no shared accomodation etc) rather than any particular fault on their part. It didn't always feel like the best organised unit, but they were always willing to help and always tried their best.

 

Hope this helps you in choosing a school!

[foar]

Thank you William Barrow! I'm considering going to this school in February 2015, it looks great value for money compared to other schools, considering it's potentially tiny class sizes. It also seems to care more about it's students and less about rolling in the £$ than other schools do.

 

William Barrow, could you please give a little information as to what your level was before you went to CLE, and what level you were at afterwards? If possible, in regards to each of speaking, listening, writing and reading? Also how hard you worked/motivated you were to learn? That would be really great  .....ooh also, how long were you there for? One year?

 

Does anybody else have any information to give, maybe post- October 2013?

 

Thanks a lot.

[Johnny20270]

hi foar

 

 

 considering it's potentially tiny class sizes

 

 

I think its good to phone them to clarify if they can tailor their courses and gets definitive answers about questions. I am still researching schools but I do find everyone promising the world but lots of "maybes", "should be", "can't see why not why" but no commitment, when you ask specific question especially like class size.

 

For example BICC average 3-4 per class but then say can have a maximum of 8. I suspect for lower levels the average number of students is higher. For me this possibility of having 8 per class is a deal breaker. 3 students v 8 per class means a different learning rate and cost comparison becomes very different

[foar]

Thanks Johnny, yes I would definitely phone/email them first to make sure. It does say on the site that the max class size would be 6, which I would be happy with. Anything less would be a bonus. 

[Ren4]

Hi
I was reading the post and planning to go to CLE school next year for 1 year. I dont know any Chinese at all. I wanted to do the HSK test and if possible finish all levels. Can someone tell me if 1 year is enough to finish all tests?
and also has anyone enrolled with the internship program? is it safe?

 

Also, which is better Hutong School or CLE?

 

Thanks a lot