Program Reviews

I had an amazing time learning Chinese at LTL Language School in Taipei, and I honestly can’t recommend it enough—especially if you’re a beginner like I was.

I started as an absolute beginner, and the combination of group classes and one on one lessons was perfect for me. The group classes were motivating and fun, and it was great to learn together with others. The 1 on 1 classes really helped me focus on my own pace and personal weaknesses. Looking back, I’d probably go for only 1 on 1 classes in the future, because I feel I’d benefit even more from that level of personal attention.

All the teachers are fantastic. Wolfgang 老師 is just incredible when it comes to Chinese characters—it genuinely feels like he knows everything about them. He explains things in a way that actually makes characters make sense, instead of just asking you to memorize them.

Vivian老師 is super fun and instantly gets you talking. After just a few minutes, you find yourself speaking Chinese, which is incredibly encouraging and makes the lessons feel light and enjoyable rather than stressful.

Jia老師 is full of energy and very persistent—in the best possible way. Her teaching style is absolutely sensational. After the very first day, I already understood how the Pinyin system works, which felt like a huge win. Her classes were intense, motivating, and extremely effective.

Yawen老師 is also a really fun teacher and puts a strong focus on practical, everyday Chinese. Her lessons are incredibly useful for daily life in Taiwan and help you feel more confident using the language outside the classroom.

Behind the scenes, there are the amazing people who really make everything work: Alin, Riona, Greta, and Cherry. They are honestly the magic of LTL. Whenever you have a question or a special request, they always try to make things possible. Everything runs so smoothly because of them, and you always feel well taken care of.

I especially want to highlight Greta, Alin, Riona—they were incredibly quick to respond whenever I needed additional documents or official papers. Whether it was forms, confirmations, or extra paperwork, they just provided everything promptly and clearly, which made the entire process stress free. That kind of efficiency and reliability really takes a lot of pressure off, especially when you’re abroad.

On top of that, LTL organizes lots of fun activities like group lunches, mahjong, and other cultural events, which make learning Chinese much more social and enjoyable. Having lunch with Riona and Cherry was always great—they help students practice real life Chinese, whether it’s ordering the right food, asking the lǎo bǎn for more tea, or getting a little push to ask for the bill 😄.

One thing I really learned during my time at LTL is how important the right environment is when trying to overcome the challenge of learning a new language. Chinese can feel intimidating at first, but being surrounded by supportive teachers, motivated classmates, and a well structured learning setup makes a huge difference. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, you feel encouraged and capable of pushing past mental barriers.

Because of this environment—and the way the program is structured—I made progress much faster than I ever expected. With the provided setup, clear guidance, and consistent practice, I was actually able to finish an entire textbook within just two weeks. That alone shows how effective and focused the learning experience is.

I also chose the homestay package, and it was perfect for me. I was matched with a wonderful family. We talked a lot during dinner, laughed a lot, and simply had a great time together. Living with them taught me so much about daily family life in Taiwan and made the whole experience feel even more special and authentic.

By the end of my stay, I felt more confident speaking Chinese, more comfortable navigating daily life in Taiwan, and genuinely motivated to continue learning.

All in all, LTL Taipei isn’t just a language school—it’s a place where you learn, connect, and grow. With great teachers, an incredibly supportive team, and a motivating learning environment, it’s an ideal place to study Chinese. I’d 100% choose LTL again without hesitation.

I would highly recommend choosing the LTL Chengdu Mandarin program. I had a wonderful host family and lot’s of support from the school. I always felt cared for in every aspect of the program.

I feel like I learned so much during every class with my teacher, Juan Tang. She understood my pace of study and provided ample review to ensure I was comprehending the information.

Also, Chengdu is an amazing city with SO much to do. The people are friendly, chill, and always ready to have some fun. Everyone needs to visit place, and LTL Chengdu provides the perfect environment to do so!

Studying at LTL Chengdu with Teacher Fangying was an amazing experience. She is not only an excellent teacher but also incredibly kind, patient, and supportive. She always made sure I fully understood everything and consistently encouraged me to keep improving.

Thanks to her, I made a lot of progress in my Chinese. I’m truly grateful for her dedication, positive energy, and professionalism. I would highly recommend both LTL Chengdu and Teacher Fangying to anyone looking for a great and enjoyable learning experience!

Studying at LTL in Taipei is an amazing experience! The teachers are very nice and my Chinese has a lot improved over the past few weeks. I love that we have a lot of activities here: I attended calligraphy, qipao and cooking workshops, and it was really fun and interesting. I also find it nice having lunch together, it is very fun and I discovered so many delicious restaurants!

Everyone at the school is very helpful and I know that I can ask practical questions and advice if I need to. I would recommend LTL!

I joined the LTL Mandarin course for an extremely short 3 week program. While I would have loved to have stayed longer, I was lucky to find a program that offered short courses for people with limited vacation time like myself. I have been studying Chinese for 3 years consistently on iTalki, as well as doing 范老师 pronunciation bootcamp, but I have felt that my progress in Chinese had been really slow, so decided to try a 3 week immersion.

For this program, I opted for 2x 1:1 sessions a day (2 hours each, so 4 hours of instruction a day). I also opted for their homestay package. My goal was to improve my everyday Chinese communication. Despite doing multiple lessons a week for 3 years, I found that any Mandarin conversation I would have with a Chinese person that wasn’t a Mandarin teacher would quickly get to a point where we were unable to communicate.

One of the things that is really impressive about the LTL program is the amount of flexibility they offer to what you want to learn. In many ways, I think I am probably one of their “difficult” students, as my goal isn’t to pass the HSK or get a certain proficiency in business Mandarin. People with those goals will have well defined curriculums they can follow. My goal is a lot more vague – being able to communicate with Chinese people in everyday settings, which has probably meant a lot more work for my teachers as they figure out how to design a curriculum around that.

I have been really impressed with what they have done. I have two teachers: Wei and Daniel. Daniel engages me for two hours every afternoon, asking me questions about life, my philosophy, and trying to build my Chinese vocabulary for deep discussions I would have with people. It helps build insight into Chinese culture, as we translate various proverbs from English to Chinese, and discuss how the Chinese wa of thinking differs significantly from a Western style of thinking.

In terms of everyday Chinese, Wei had been an absolute gem. She quickly identified that I had a mid-intermediate level for speaking, but quite a low level for listening. I have really appreciated how strict she has been at not letting me take shortcuts by only picking out keywords and ensuring I can identify each word.

I think in my previous classes, my teacher on iTalki had focussed on encouraging people, and learning Chinese culture. This had allowed me to get away with grasping at keywords and trying to fill in the blanks from context, with the assumption that as I continued working that I would get better at filling in those gaps. Unfortunately I was really reaching the limit of this technique, and the natural listening improvement wasn’t happening. Wei identified this, and really helped me build techniques to improve my ability to listen to Chinese.

Wei is also very connected throughout Chengdu, and will often invite various college friends to the school, giving us opportunities to continue practicing Chinese with native speakers who are also trying to learn English. This has added to the number of “effective hours” of immersion I had during these 3 weeks.

Outside of the class, there are several opportunities for building community.

The first is if your teacher introduces you to their other students. I was fortunate that in addition to meeting Wei’s friends, I also got to meet with two of her other students. We were able to practice Chinese together, as well as enjoy activities around Chengdu like lunches and Karaoke.

The second was the gym / games area attached to one of the teacher areas. On my second day, I was playing pool and table tennis with a small selection of teachers during a study break. One of my teachers, Daniel, is a little bit of a pool shark! Fair warning.

Finally, there are activities that the school organizes themselves. This comes in meetings once a week where the school invites students from around Chengdu, as well as special events on the weekends for students that want to join. While I was here, the school organized a weekend group picnic and a trip to Jinli Street.

I stayed in a homestay with a man about my age (I am 44), and for most of it his parents were visiting. The homestay family was incredibly kind and caring. We did a couple of activities together, the most memorable of which was being a passenger on an electric scooter on the outer rings of Chengdu!

I would say the biggest drawback is that LTL runs a little like a startup, so sometimes things can fall between the cracks. This made my first couple of days a little bit of a bumpy ride as I tried to figure out how things operated in China. But once everything was set up, and I was in classes, everything has gone really smoothly since!

tl,dr;
I would highly recommend LTL in Chengdu. Their program is very flexible, and tailored to what you want to learn. Chengdu is a city that is easy to navigate by rail (even without no Chinese!) and a very pretty part of the country, but also one where it will be hard to find other native English speakers. You end up having to use the Mandarin you’ve learnt for all your everyday activities.

I really enjoy my time at LTL. Everyone is very kind and helpful. Riona, Anqi, Cherry, Alice, and Pin-wei are more like friends than teachers. The classes at LTL are fun and very personalized. I just would not recommend the accommodation, since you can find cheaper and better options. Other than that, I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn chinese in a fun way! After school teachers will organise a lunch and you will try a lot of local dishes. Also 1-2 times a week, they will do an activity

I am studying here for 6 weeks (4 hours a day 5 days a week). It is quite intense and I would prefer 3 hours a day, but we're moving fast and already on to book 2! Our teachers are Tammy X and Francine, both excellent and experienced teachers. The teaching structured but flexible. I like the Chinese conversations at the start of lessons, teaching us vocabulary outside the textbook, and different ways to say things. We're also given cultural information, for example, how red envelopes are used vs white envelopes.

All classes socialise together at lunchtime for a meal and we visit different eating places. Cultural activities are organised for those who want to sign up, as afternoon activities several days a week. There's always plenty to do and people to meet. The staff and students are all super friendly and I highly recommend this language school.

Ein toller Aufenthalt an der Sprachschule. Ich habe es sehr genossen, auch wenn vietnamesisch eine schwierige Sprache ist. Mein Lehrer John hatte sehr viel Geduld mit mir. Er hat mir neben dem Schulstoff auch viel über das Land Vietnam vermittelt. Ich habe im Weiteren die Freizeitaktivitäten der Schule genutzt. Ich werde die Zeit an der LTL Language School immer in bester Erinnerung behalten. Ich danke allen für die herzliche Aufnahme und die tolle Zeit an der Schule. Viel Erfolg und alles Gute Ursula Mori

English:
A wonderful stay at the language school. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though Vietnamese is a difficult language. My teacher, John, was very patient with me. Besides the course material, he also taught me a lot about Vietnam. I also took advantage of the school's leisure activities. I will always cherish the memories of my time at LTL Language School. Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome and the fantastic time I had at the school. Best of luck and all the best, Ursula Mori

I’m 16 years old and I came to LTL through an other students recommendation from my school in Switzerland and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience! I was firstly most abrasive about meeting new people and making friends, but that was the least of my worries as the people in my group and in the school were so sweet and supportive! I signed up at first for one on one classes, group classes and safaris, but it was honestly a bit overwhelming and I was pretty exhausted afterwards, so I scraped the one on one classes and the combo of group classes and the safaris were really well matched and I really recommend it! My teachers Winnie (great sense of humour and teaches well) and Jamie (very relatable and patient ) made every lessons so fun, engaging, and surprisingly easy to follow. In just three weeks, I learned more than I thought, and each time I left class I could always apply what I learned immediately. The school in general also has an amazing atmosphere where people are always talking during break time and sharing stories (all ages included, which makes it even better). In conclusion, if you want teachers who truly care about you and the lessons, meet new people, and enjoy china as a whole this is the place. Highly recommend!

I'm so glad I decided to join LTL Chengdu. I have the best teacher! Wei is absolutely amazing. When I signed up for the intensive course I was a bit nervous about the intensity and whether I'd be able to do it but it's been great so far and that's all thanks to Wei! She makes the classes fun and we spend time on various aspects including learning new content, revising existing content, speaking exercises and listening exercises. She mixes things up and there is never a dull moment. She took her time to really understand my goals and is always thinking of how to help me. Each day, she shows up with new ideas on how to help me with my blockers. She also encourages me to speak to locals in mandarin and sometimes accompanies me helping me to get the conversation started. This has really pushed me out of my comfort zone and as a result I've improved so much!!! It's unbelievable how much I've progressed in just two weeks! She is a top-notch teacher and I'm very much looking forward to the rest of the programme.

Thanks LTL Chengdu!!