Best Institution in Beijing to Learn Mandarin

[Tianjin42]

Hi Everyone.

I need to tap into the collective wisdom of the group here. I have taught in China before and have the opportunity to come back out to China to teach again. This time i will probably be teaching evenings and weekends so I intend to attend Mandarin classes weekdays. I have had a good look around and considered the big university course as well as the small private options. (By the way, I know that it is insane to teach full time and attend a full course but it's my main option at the moment so I will have to hardcore it).

To all of you who have any experience - which Beijing institution is best for attending Mandarin classes? I have heard good things about BLCU obviously, but others also. Also, the price is a consideration. Are there any great value places you know.

All help is much appreciated. Thanks group.

M

[greenarcher]

AFAIK school tuition and dorm fees are similar for all the big schools. There are language academies like Global Village if cost is of a great concern, they are definitely cheaper.

It's really in your determination and the amount of effort you put into learning and not so much in the school. Personally what I like about BLCU is the simplicity of their curriculum, they have decent teachers and it is great to be among people of all nations. The campus itself is compact and the location is great. You can choose between cheap dorms or expensive ones. Private housing are scattered all around the school campus.

[Tianjin42]

This is a useful start - thanks. Accommodation isn't a consideration as I will have a place through the teaching. I'm primarily interested in the tuition.

I agree that the attitude of the student is key but there are disparities between some of the courses so I thought it would be worth asking people who have been there and know. Just as useful if anyone has been somewhere where they would not recommend.

Also - on these courses what sort of hours do you do? Monday to Friday/ 4 hours a day? (and When? Mornings, set times etc)

Cheers,

M

[edelweis]

BLCU lower levels have 4 hours a day in the morning for the standard (non-intensive) class. More advanced levels may have a more scattered schedule as there are some electives.

Global Village has a lot of classes in various hours of the day see schedule

One thing to consider is the ease of access from your lodgings/workplace. You will be tired enough from all the teaching and studying, if you spend a lot of time in transportation you will probably exhaust yourself/burn out quicker.

[greenarcher]

The scattered schedule of advanced classes in BLCU are for the long-term (1 year) program. For the short-term (1 semester) program, it is either 4-hours a day (morning 8-12) or 6-hours a day (morning 8-12 afternoon 1-3). The 6-hour courses cost twice as much but they come with a long trip to another city/cities.

4-hour program (20 hours a week) costs 11600RMB unless the price has increased.

I'm not familiar with the advanced/regular classes of the long-term program but I heard the schedules are indeed more flexible.

[Tianjin42]

Thank you kindly.

BLCU is close to my prospective teaching institution which would make things easier. I agree - I don't want to be commuting much at all. Beijing's subway has always been great for me and might come into its own again this time.

There is no way I'll be doing intensive - full time job and full time education will be more than enough.

It's going to be a big ask but to be honest I've been doing my MA in England this year whilst doing two part-time jobs. It's not been easy but in three weeks it'll be over and I'll have my qualification (hopefully!). This should mean that doubling up in China should be just about okay.

Cheers,

M

[lameri]

I'm trying to decide on a school myself. What did you decide? Are you liking it?

Thanks.

[BeijingDaniel2011]

I'm probably a little biased because I work for a language school in Beijing (Live the Language) but I get mixed reviews about some universities (although BLCU seems to get the most positive reviews around). I think some people like the mix of campus life and study whilst others find that large classes aren't conducive to studying spoken Chinese or getting help with your individual struggles with the language.

Again the same goes with language schools- there are some really good ones around and some schools that don't get as positive reviews.

@Lameri: I would suggest that you demand trial classes at some language schools and then you can compare a few so you can really find a school which can match your requirements for study. If you want any further information about our school you can check out our thread here: Chinese forums-Live the Language or if you have any questions you can PM me. I hope you find something for you and let us all know what you decide to do so we can further the discussion here.

[roddy]

There are some good schools, and look at our school, and there are some schools that aren't good, look at our school, and some people like BLCU and look at our school, and some people don't like BLCU. BTW, look at our school.

Come on, if you're going to pepper posts with references to your school, at least make the post a bit more substantial. And I think I've said this before, and if not it's in the T&C's - no soliciting any pm's without a decent reason.

[Jiankou Collection Agency]

First you should figure what you are looking for - private school vs university.

I think that the choice of private school vs university comes down to one simple trade-off: class size vs. cost.

Is it worth to pay the extra premium for the extra attention?

[Jiankou Collection Agency]

by the way - does anyone know of a comparison site for schools in Beijing? I have looked around but not found one that does not actually sell courses - which seems to add a lot of bias for the more expensive options

[BeijingDaniel2011]

I don't know of any price comparison sites but that might be a nice little venture for anyone handy with computers

Alternatively, you could start a thread here and students studying at different schools can contribute prices. Might be an useful thread.