Program Reviews

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

I had a wonderful experience with the LTL program in China. I had so much fun and the staff was absolutely fantastic — especially Linda and Ilaria !!!! — who were incredibly supportive and always available.

This program really helped me get back into the Chinese language and I enjoyed myself immensely and made friendships that I’m sure will last a very long time.

The organized trips were also a highlight: they were not only interesting and well-planned, but they gave me the chance to bond with people very different from me. Spending quality time together in such a unique environment allowed us to connect in ways that would be hard to achieve back home.

The weekend trip to Cheng De was also another beautiful and valuable experience that the LTL Mandarin school offers ( which I would recommend to everyone!)

I’ve had the opportunity to study at LTL School in Taipei three times now, and each experience has been truly enriching.

I discovered many new places and museums — and once again, LTL School’s organization was truly outstanding!

I’d especially like to highlight the two summer courses, during which I made significant progress thanks to Teacher Kate and Teacher Sissi. Their motivating and professional teaching style not only helped me improve my language skills but also inspired me to continue exploring Chinese language and culture more deeply at home.

Although I wasn’t able to achieve the progress I had hoped for during my most recent course, the overall experience remained positive and valuable. One of the school’s great strengths is the chance to meet people from all over the world – often with a great sense of humor and fascinating stories.

Manuel handled the entire registration process — including all of my questions — with remarkable speed, friendliness, and professionalism.

The support provided by Alin and Riona was always warm and professional. Each of my stays was well-organized and handled with great care. The accommodation also met my expectations: functional, well-located (about a 30-minute walk to the school), and with shops nearby.

I sincerely thank the entire LTL team for their dedication and look forward to future learning opportunities.

I attended the school from September 8th to 19th, 2025, and had 지한 선생님 as my instructor. It was an excellent experience. She is a highly professional teacher who created a very pleasant atmosphere in the classroom, prepared her lessons thoroughly, adapted to the different needs of each participant, and managed to make everyone feel truly motivated to learn. I can only recommend her as an outstanding professional to anyone who wishes to learn Korean. The school itself is also very welcoming. Everyone working there made a great effort to ensure that our stay was truly enjoyable and satisfying.

I recently spent two weeks studying at LTL Taipei, and I was positively astounded by the quality of the language courses. In that short time attending LTL Taipei, I was able to build a strong foundation in Mandarin and even start writing in Traditional Chinese. The immersive group classes with our wonderful teachers, Avril Liu and Sissi Wang, were engaging and professional - providing a great balance between structured coursework and entertaining conversations with each other.

Beyond the classroom, I appreciated the LTL team’s dedication to organizing social activities, which made the whole experience even more enjoyable and immersive. Going to group lunches, alongside with making some great new friends have made the trip very enjoyable :) A special thanks to Riona and Alin for all their hard work in coordinating these events!

I learned so much in just two weeks and left feeling motivated to continue my Mandarin journey!

I am on week four out of ten and have already learned so much. I had no previous experience with Mandarin and had signed up for the group classes. The group classes helped me learn faster as opposed to learning by myself and being in a group helped me better practice speaking in Mandarin. My teacher for the group class, Anqi Zhang, helped make class engaging by including topics or words that were relevant to us and gave extra details that made the coursework easier to understand. I definitely recommend LTL Taipei to anyone wanting to learn Mandarin.

I had an amazing experience studying at LTL Mandarin School in Beijing. Not only did I get to know this fascinating city, but the school itself exceeded all my expectations. My classes with Lilia were an absolute highlight. She wasn’t just friendly and fun — she was genuinely curious about our cultures and often shared Chinese customs with us, which made lessons feel like real cultural exchanges. She constantly encouraged us to create sentences in Mandarin while making the classes lively and engaging. On top of that, she was excellent at understanding my “broken” Chinese and patiently helping me correct it, which gave me the confidence to keep trying and improving. Her friendliness, curiosity, and dedication made learning both enjoyable and effective, and I can honestly say she played a huge role in my progress. The program itself is well-structured and effective, and my classmates were all great people, which made the learning environment even more positive. Even during the breaks, the atmosphere at school was fantastic — the staff were kind, attentive, and fun to hang out with. We ended up playing a lot of mahjong during those moments, and I quickly became addicted to it. The school staff also deserve a big compliment: they were always ready to help with anything, whether it was buying tickets, answering questions, or even solving issues with Chinese apps that can be tricky for newcomers. That kind of support made a huge difference in daily life and gave me peace of mind throughout my stay. The activities organized by the Director of Studies, Linda, were excellent. They were fun, engaging, and well thought out, giving me a genuine glimpse into Chinese culture and daily life. They also created great opportunities to socialize with other students and discover things I wouldn’t have found on my own. The evening activities run by Ilaria complemented this perfectly — her choices were always creative, thoughtful, and fun. They often turned into social gatherings where we would have a drink during or after the event, which made them not only cultural highlights but also fantastic bonding experiences. Both Linda and Ilaria put a lot of care into their activities, and together they made my time at LTL even more memorable. I also had the chance to do a homestay for four weeks with Mary, and it was an unforgettable experience. She was incredibly kind and always went out of her way to help me, whether with daily life or practicing Mandarin. Since she didn’t speak fluent English (you can actually choose the English level of your homestay family), we ended up speaking a lot of Mandarin, which was a huge benefit for my learning. Whenever my Mandarin wasn’t enough, she was patient and creative, using gestures or apps to make sure we understood each other. The school also offers some really useful extra packages. I chose the Survival Kit, which included airport pick-up, a metro card, and a SIM card with data — a real lifesaver for someone new to China. I also tried the Connection Kit, where a Chinese person takes you out to experience local life. In my case, it was teacher Tara, and I really liked it. She showed me places that felt authentically local rather than touristy, and it was a fun way to both enjoy Beijing and practice my Chinese in real-life situations. Tara was a lot of fun to hang out with, and she made the whole experience even better. On top of all this, Beijing itself is a truly fascinating city. Walking through it, you’re always bound to find something new and interesting — from hidden streets to lively markets and cultural gems around every corner. And the people in China are incredibly welcoming; they are kind, receptive, and always ready to help, even if there’s a language barrier. This made my stay even more special. Overall, my time at LTL was incredible from start to finish. The school, the teachers (especially Lilia!), the activities (thanks to both Linda and Ilaria), the staff, the homestay, the city itself, and the people all came together to create an experience I’ll never forget. I can wholeheartedly recommend LTL to anyone who wants to learn Mandarin and experience China in a truly immersive way.

I guess I'll start off with the only real negative I can think of, it's fairly expensive of a program. However, that's pretty much it.

Other than that, the staff are amazing, the one on one classes really helped me advance very quickly in Mandarin. The environment was also helpful for learning and getting a hang of the written and spoken Language. The activities that were organized were fun and helped us learn about things in Taipei that I wouldn't have otherwise ever tried to do, such as going shrimping and eating said shrimp. I had several teachers that were able to focus on separate things that let me learn a lot in a very short period of time and I would give this program a very solid 5/5.

I took a 6 week group language learning course at LTL from July to August this year. As someone who has no prior experience of learning Mandarin (I don't think Duolingo counts), it was a really great way for me to start at zero and get to a point where I can partially order and have small conversation in Mandarin.

This was helped by my teachers Pin-wei, Thomas, Sisi and Issa. They each brought something different to my classes which I found elevated my learning and my experience overall. My learning was also helped by my classmates, who I could practice with during and after classes (and were just generally fun to be around with).

Outside of learning, LTL provides activites in the evenings (KTV, calligraphy, board game nights) which are a fun way to hang with your peers and teachers. Shout out to Riona and Alin for organising these events, they do add to your time at LTL quite a bit!

Overall, I found the language learning immensely helpful and the external activities a great way to feel a sense of community. You really can't go wrong learning here.