Program Reviews

I am enjoying my 1-on-1 classes at That's Mandarin Beijing. I do them part time, so not really intensive, but it suits me well having 4 hours of class a week.

I find the school very well organised, and easy to communicate with. The class structure is very flexible allowing for me to continue even when very busy, and the process if I need to cancel is simple.

I find the teachers very skilled and patient, and excellent at motivating me and also at mixing it up and creating tailored content (as well as following a curriculum).

The Smart Lingo website and app are also great – and just keep improving with new features. It is excellent to be able to revise anywhere.

I am very pleased with the integrated approach of That’s Mandarin. It has helped me a lot to pass HSK3 and now to prepare for HSK4. The big advantage as that the progress is recorded in personal files in That’s Mandarin self developed IT and in this way speaking, writing and memorizing new words is dealt with in a very effective way. The teachers are also very committed and diligent in helping the students to make progress. Availability of the teachers is flexible with allows for changes in the individual programs to adapt teaching to changing working times.

I spent four weeks studying at That’s Mandarin. Based on some previous coursework, I started in the HSK 2 class. I realized that this was the correct placement; however, it was still a bit tricky since my classmates and I had various strengths and weaknesses. For example, my reading and vocabulary was sufficient, but my listening and speaking skills were weaker. All of my teachers did a great job balancing this and helped each of us to improve. By the end of the first three weeks, I felt my skills had improved significantly. For the final week, I completed one-on-one classes since there were no other students enrolled in my level. This week was particularly helpful to fill in the gaps of my knowledge and to focus significantly on listening and speaking. Although I’m sure this was particularly frustrating for the teachers, it was a big help for me and helped to increase my confidence to practice speaking more in public. I can see a noticeable improvement in my Chinese skills and would recommend this course to anyone interested in studying Mandarin in China.

I really had a wonderful experience over the past four weeks studying the Chinese language under the tutelage of my two instructors: Song Yu and Xiao Dan. They are both competent, patient and knowledgeable. I have learned a great deal and plan to continue learning Chinese. I expect to come back to the school to improve my language skills and to continue studying on line. My two teachers provided me with the skills I needed to continue my studies.
You were also a great help in facilitating my trip to China.
I extend my sincere thanks to all of you.
J. Yves Charles

We are visiting Beijing for 2 weeks with our 3 kids aged 13, 11 and 9. We are coming from California. We searched online for summer camps to learn Mandarin. Many people in America and China ask us “Why?” and the answer is: a) we wanted an adventure together as a family, and b) we believe Mandarin is the most important language for our kids to learn at school, so we wanted an introduction to the language so that our kids are not afraid to continue learning.

- Location: great, we are staying in an apartment nearby, and we like being in a normal neighborhood to experience normal Chinese life.

-Teachers: laoshi hen fei cheng hao! Really excellent. We have been very impressed with the quality of the teaching. We like the conversational style, the content is very relevant to our activities in Beijing - eating, travel， shopping, meeting people. We have really enjoyed getting to know Chu and Cai and hope to stay in touch on WeChat. The kids are happy, they enjoy learning Mandarin words and all their teachers look very kind and patient. Ruby (9) struggled a bit with the homework - she is okay with speaking and listening but the written symbols and pinyin was harder than she was expecting.

-Safety: all good.

-Food: the kids liked the pizza of course, and trying some Chinese foods.

-Activities: the kids liked the trips to the Heaven Temple and Science Museum. The late change from the Zoo to the Silk Market was a surprise - if we knew the kids were going to the market we could have spent some time with them before teaching them how to barter / get a good price!

We had already been to the Silk Market and the Water Cube last week on our own, it would have been useful to know the school itinerary in advance so we would not need to go twice! We think they would prefer the Zoo to the Water Cube. Support from Holly was fantastic！

We took classes so we could share the experience with the kids. And we can help each other. And language is a fantastic way to understand Chinese people and Chinese culture.

I like learning Chinese characters and words and I like going to field trips. My favorite place is going to the Museum because I can visit and know the culture behind it. It’s so cool. And I like summer camp T shirt and their schoolbag. Yeah, and learning Chinese makes me happy. The morning activities are also very fun. Besides learning Chinese, I also learned working in a group. It’s a cool camp for summer.

I have been very please with the instruction that I have received from my That’s Mandarin teacher. They have been very professional, very helpful, and extremely diligent in preparing for our classes. The school offered a welcoming environment, and the staff have been helpful in arranging classes, especially when it has been necessary to re-schedule or change plans.

The teaching methods have been useful and well suited to my needs. The teacher has been flexible and willing to take the conversation wherever my interests lay. Overall, I have been very satisfied with my experience at That’s Mandarin.

Nivira
Morning excursions are very fun, but I think kids should be using more the Mandarin instead of English. I know that this is very difficult to master.
I think 2 hours of class per day is not enough, I would introduce more classes, writing, listening, etc..
As for the teacher, she learnt more the first week than the second, maybe cause the group she was in was more advanced
In general she was very happy about the teacher.
It was very kind of you to give them the final day presents and the certificate...

Marta
Teacher was pretty good and I learnt a lot. She also helps me moving around Beijing. Online system is very good.

I think this summer camp in Beijing has made me feel way more comfortable in speaking Chinese. Even though I live in Beijing, and speak Chinese (not fluently), before I didn’t speak up when I was speaking in Mandarin. Now it is much different. Also, most of the places that we went to, I had already seen, but it was different this time, because I actually learned more about the history and culture behind the place. Overall, the camp is really great to make friends from around the world that are in the same situation as you. They are learning Chinese, and are interested in the culture. It is a fun experience!

My children had a very nice summer camp at Thats Mandarin in Beijing. They improved a lot during the two weeks and learned many new words. The teachers are very good and the staff speaks good English and helps a lot. Everybody is very nice to the children and cares about them. There are not many children in each class, which makes it easier for the kids to practice speaking Chinese and to learn fast. The teachers include fun games and role plays in the classes to make sure the kids have fun during the lessons and don't get bored. I recommend this summer camp to all families.