Program Reviews

I spent 3 weeks at Chengdu LTL school to start learning Mandarin from zero. I was very pleased with what I could learn in that short time, especially due to my lovely teacher Pànpàn who would always search for the best way of explaining the things to me and was always very patient with me. She was quite flexible in adapting her teaching style to my needs. Besides classes with her were fun, so I was always looking foreward to them. And even besides classes, she would always answer my questions or help me out with daily life struggles in a new country. I´m very glad I had her as my teacher.
Also the other teachers, Unicorn and Ying are lovely and always took good care of us. The teachers and Mandy even showed us around the city, took us to the places we should see and the meals we should try. Also the atmosphere among the students was quite comfortable and we enjoyed spending time together after classes. That made my experience in Chengdu very rich and I hope to come back to see everyone again! I´m especially grateful for Pànpàn and Unicorn for taking such good care of us.

I attended class for two weeks and it was amazing!

Both teachers I had, Jennifer and Yoonjeong, were super accomodating and very motivated to teach the students. I am glad I chose this school over the others and would recommend anyone to take a look at their program.

Staff are also very friendly and helpful wherever you need it. The director kept checking up on me, trying to see if the classes match my level and if I needed any adjustments to the program. I felt very much cared for and admire the motivation of the staff and the teachers to make a good experience for the students.

From my first email to the school, I had a good feeling about my stay and my booked course. Every question I had was answered really fast and in detail.

The teaching rooms have a good atmosphere and water, tea, coffee, and more stuff are provided. After class, you can stay there and do homework or other fun activities. I received the work materials on site, and there was no need to bring a laptop or a tablet to class.

I can recommend all of my teachers, from Tammy X., Francine, to Anqi. Everyone at the LTL school was willing to help me and my classmates, even with things outside of class.

Hello everyone, I would like to comment on this web page to testify to the excellent experience I had by trusting the LTL organization. Indeed, I was born in Vietnam but I grew up abroad in France. Cut off from my culture of origin at a very young age, I decided to undertake this journey back to cultural and social immersion. My teacher was immediately super attentive and was able to advise me as soon as I arrived. The place where we study is quite nice close to my Western landmarks in terms of atmosphere. I recommend don't hesitate.

My 3-week program at LTL was incredible, and a huge part of that was my teacher, Panpan. She made learning Chinese not only effective but also really fun. Her patience and clear explanations gave me the confidence to pass the HSK 1 exam. 很高兴 !

Outside of class, the Chengdu Safari was a highlight. We got to explore amazing parts of the city, which was a fantastic and immersive cultural experience. It was the perfect way to practice what we learned in class.

I can't recommend Panpan enough.  Tā shì zuì hǎo de lǎoshī! If you're thinking about studying at LTL, you should definitely do it

I studied in Hanoi for a month and in that time my teacher Jasmine has been incredibly kind, patient and attentive in teaching me Vietnamese. After one month I had noticed real progress and am more confident in speaking. Classes were held in a cafe which was a refreshing scene compared to a classroom itself. Class times were flexible which was beneficial as I still a university student. Also, my teacher took me on a weekend trip to visit Tà Xùa, this was such a unique experience and a great getaway from city.

Bildungsurlaub in Shanghai: a two‑week Mandarin course, fully self‑funded for personal growth.

I’m a beginner (only a few months with an app). Both weeks included 2 hours daily of 1‑on‑1—very personal and tailored; I learned a lot with Anne—and 4 hours of small‑group classes (week 1: 4 students; week 2: 3) with Ray and Winnie. We followed the textbook but deviated smartly when it helped, for example with tenses and practical dialogues. I realized my big Hanzi gap and the need to catch up, so I took many fundamentals to review at home.

The atmosphere was warm and close‑knit—breaks felt familial, with friendly chats among students from other small classes.

My accommodation was uniquely charming and just three metro stops from the school, which made daily study convenient and comfortable.

Overall, the mix of tailored 1‑on‑1 guidance and intimate group sessions delivered steady progress and confidence in everyday situations.

I highly recommend LTL Language School in Taipei! The teachers are fantastic, the environment is incredibly welcoming, and you can make real progress in a short amount of time. Everyone is super friendly and supportive. The classes are well-structured but also fun, making it easy to stay motivated. Teacher Tammy Xu was the absolute best, patient, knowledgeable, and always made learning enjoyable. It was a great experience and I am glad I chose to study here. If you want to improve your Mandarin and meet nice people, this is a great place to go.

I was at LTL Shanghai for 3 weeks in Sep/Oct, and before I'd even left, I found myself wishing I'd booked a longer stay. I did a Group Class for 4 hours a day and then 1:1 for 2 hours each day on top of that.

The group classes primarily go through a series of textbooks called "Short-Term Spoken Chinese" which consists of two Threshold (green) books, two Elementary (blue) books, and one Pre-Intermediate (purple) book. Apparently, there's also an Intermediate (orange) book, but there wasn't anyone taking courses at those two levels while I was there.

The pace of the class is rather quick. Each day and a half or so, we went through one chapter in the textbook, which covered about 25-30 new words, and around 5-6 new grammar points. However, the number of new words is somewhat misleading, as there are definitely words that get repeated from previous books. If you're someone that has a solid base, or has studied through some of this material on your own, you'll find that they duplicate things, presumably for the sake of repetition and retention (but you also have to wonder why they choose to repeat certain words - like "postage stamp". How often are you gonna be using this word in your daily life?)

During my 3 weeks, I think I had almost every teacher there as an instructor (aside from the famous Winnie, although I did get to chat with her a bit outside of class, and she seems really cool :D). Lois, Wei Wei, Jaime, Jason, Anne, and Ray were all very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, even though it seemed pretty obvious that for many of them, this was probably their 100th time going through the same material. They are very patient, doing their best to accommodate to the various levels of the students in the class (more on this later), add lots of cultural insights and tips, and try to make the lessons as fun and engaging as possible.

While this isn't necessarily something LTL can control, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the other students, who really help make the experience what it is. Since you're spending at least 4 hours a day with your classmates, plus time spent together during activities/meals or living in the same shared flat/homestay, the atmosphere and camaraderie that everyone brings is crucial to helping motivate you to practice your character, enjoy the learning experience and explore the city together. I was fortunate enough to meet many people, both young and old, from all over the world, who helped make my time so fun and productive.

Also, can't forget to mention Alex and Mojca (who was sadly away for the last 2 weeks of my stay), but both she (while she was there) and Alex did a lot to make sure that everyone has what they need and are being supported in whatever way possible. Whether it had to do with the courses themselves or navigating all the new Chinese apps, both were super helpful and responsive the whole time.

I mentioned earlier that the teachers did their best to accommodate the different levels of the students, since every week is a revolving door, one can't be expected to be in a group of students that are all at the same level and are all in a class that is appropriate for that level. However, if I had one critique, it would be that due to where my level was, I was forced (through no one's fault) to choose between a course that was too difficult or one that was too easy. At least for the purposes of the 1:1 course, I've already given the feedback that a more comprehensive placement assessment would be helpful, and that could perhaps better inform what should be covered in the 1:1 and which group class would actually be ideal.

Despite my last point, I absolutely would still recommend the course, as you do learn a lot. I believe I improved my reading by at least a couple of hundred characters in the few weeks I was there, and I learned a lot of foundational grammar and structures that I'd never really encountered or understood before. The only thing I would do differently, if I had to do it all over again, would actually be to go into the level that was "too easy", rather than doing the level that was too hard. The reason being that since the courses are paced rather rapidly anyway, there was a good chance that the lower-level classes would have caught up to where my actual level was during the time I was there.

We've loved studying at LTL, period. Even if it was just one week, our Chinese grew so much. I can't recommend it enough. The teachers we had the pleasure to work with(Jason, Anne, WeiWei) were incredibly good. There's an amazing atmosphere at the school and there are people for all ages and nationalities. They organise different events like going out for hotpot or some other food so we can integrate and also practice our Chinese.If ever we get a chance to come back here, we'll surely get some more classes at LTL.

Antoni & Iwona