Tips for beginner in BJ: Mandarin night schools near Sanlitun?

[tysond]

Since you asked, I've been a customer of LTL for the past two years.

 

I've done about a hundred 1:1 lessons in my home, my wife did an intensive course for 3 weeks at the school, and I did a 4 day homestay + "safari" (lessons while visiting tourist sites) in Chengde with them.  I have found them to be very good - flexibly accommodating my goals, giving me honest advice on how I should study, supplying trained teachers, and meeting my needs on scheduling around my work schedule.  I initially chose them because they had the clearest and best laid out website on prices and programs, and they continue to maintain it (not a certainty in China!).

 

My wife also had a good experience, even though she was adamant that she wouldn't learn characters and coerced the teacher and the other student in her small class to take her shopping during afternoon classes.  She came out confident in survival chinese with good pronunciation (but is a bit forgetful on tones!).

[Triling]

I found this website although I'm not sure if it's legit

 

http://www.gooverseas.com/study-abroad/china/thats-mandarin/31880

http://www.gooverseas.com/study-abroad/china/ltl-live-language/18536

http://www.gooverseas.com/study-abroad/china/hutong-school/15426

 

http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/beijing/mandarin-schools/live-the-language/ 

 

http://www.languagetripreviews.com/language-schools/chinese/china/beijing

[Triling]

So to recap, 

 

Full-time university courses (4 hours a day, semester long, geared best toward students or people who are currently not working)

1. Tsinghua IUP - full-time course only? most people i've read said it's the best

2. BLCU Beijing Language and Culture University - full-time course only? someone said it was mediocre, but many said it's good
3. BICC http://www.hibicc.com/   

 

Privately owned academies most frequently mentioned
1. That's Mandarin Learn Chinese in China - someone said this place has a very innovative course, which differs from normal language courses
That's Mandarin Part-Time Chinese Program
2. Live the language 中文学校 - Chinese Language School in Beijing | LTL Mandarin School - someone said they met the founder and he was a very passionate person
1 LTL Mandarin School
 

Privately owned academies with some positive mentions

1. Hutong School Chinese Language School China: Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Brussels, London, Milan, Paris & Sydney someone said that their company recommends this place to their interns and that it has been good
Hutong School: Study Chinese in Beijing & Shanghai
2. Frontiers How to learn Chinese mandarin in Beijing, China-To study Chinese mandarin choose 【Frontiers】-The best Chinese school in Beijing China
3. CLE Learn Chinese in China with CLE
http://www.chinaledu.com/

Some review websites I've found, which may or may not be legit:
Mandarin Schools in Beijing
Study Abroad in China - Reviews of China Study Abroad Programs

[abcdefg]

I studied at Mandarin House (too long ago for my experience to really be meaningful.) But it seems they are still around. I had no complaints when I attended (early 2007.) They helped me get started. I took two sessions there, six months or so apart. (One-to-one mostly.) I remember that their teachers were willing to travel to the student's homes for a small extra fee. 

 

http://www.mandarinhouse.com/

[ChTTay]

Triling, TysonD gave you a pretty solid review. Thoughts? You don't like the look of LTL?

[Triling]

ChTTay, 

 

I appreciated TysonD's review very much and it seems that LTL is very active on this forum as well.

 

However, it's a bit out of the way from my place in Sanlitun compared to Hutong and That's Mandarin so I probably can't go there.

 

[Triling]

I ended up going with That's Mandarin.

Their system is quite good, as compelling as others have noted.

Hutong was also very good and the location is very nice (lots of nice restauranst, etc)