Private Chinese schools in Tianjin

[Pengyou]

I have seen several private classes spring up in Tianjin. They are the typical 10 hours a week, usually 2 month long courses that focus on preparing people to pass the HSK. Can anyone recommend one of these? Or tell me how to choose a good one? perhaps tell me which set of books is best?

Thanks

[1on1Mandarin]

This is a very old thread, but for those that are looking for a good private school in Tianjin, Tianjin New Century seems to have a relatively good reputation. Some of my friends have gone there and have held high reviews for them. They also teach Chinese Made Easier.

[palindrome]

TLI (Taipei Language Institute), which is excellent, has a branch in Tianjin.

I took classes with them for two months in the fall and it was the fastest progress I've ever made in Chinese.

Their contact information:

Add: B-1808, Sunny Square, Shiyijing Rd., HedongDistrict, Tianjin, China

Tel:(86-22) 2421-8989

Fax: (86-22)2421-9922

E-mail: tianjin@bjtli.sina.net

[heymister]

I'll be starting Taipei Language Institute in April and I will post updates on my experience to the forums.

Palindrome: Glad to hear about your positive experience; it confirms what I've heard from other sources. Stil, I'd appreciate any other details you can share.

Thanks!

- Mike

[Pengyou]

I have attended New Century in Tianjin. At more than 16,000 rmb per semester (tuition only, and I heard it has gone up now), it is one of the more expensive programs in China. They have pretty good results for oral Chinese but are weak in reading/writing. The grammar is also taught intuitively, something which I don't respond well to. I am looking for a diquicun type school that has more of an emphasis on reading/writing.

[NateM]

I would also be interested in finding out if people have had good results with some of these schools. I'm debating doing a private language school vs a public university like Tianda, Nankai, or Waiyu Xueyuan, and am having a hard time deciding if the individualized attention is worth the extra money.

[Pengyou]

Your question is a difficult one - is the extra attention worth the extra money. You may want to take a few minutes and browse through other posts on this website for the full picture. I studied at New Century and made good progress in my oral Chinese but when I finished, I found my reading/writing was lacking. I have talked to people who have done the Chinese university thing. It seems that after about 3 years of either both produce the same results. The one on one oral option produces faster oral, but at the expense of your reading/writing. Also...what kind of learning style do you have? I always do better in a small group.