Program Reviews

I was originally drawn to Omeida based on the glowing reviews posted on TripAdvisor, Workaway and GoOverseas. Unfortunately, the first two sites have since deleted Omeida, based on general policy decisions. It's a shame, as this is a wonderful school in a lovely small city.
I was at Omeida for six weeks. I took Chinese lessons half the day and spent two hours a day providing English conversation for students from China. The Academy has a brilliant set-up. There is a Chinese School, where you will find bright and imaginative students from all over the globe. Then a block away is the English School, populated by hard-working and very friendly students, many of whom have left their home, spouse and children in different parts of China. They have come to Omeida for three months, six months, twelve months, in the hopes of learning English so they can get better jobs.
Most students at both of the schools fall in the 25-35 year old range, although there are students as young as 18 and as old as 68. Students form both schools fraternize at lunch and dinner, which is held in the canteen area of the Chinese School.
Our accommodations were very comfortable. A single room with a private bathroom and space for a desk for two. It was air-conditioned, which was a real plus during the months I was there. Potable water was available from a dispenser on the staircase. It's just a two minute walk from your room to the school.
Yangshuo is a charming small city with scenes from old China - vendors setting out produce on mats on the sidewalk, pickup trucks randomly pulling into town carrying walnuts, pomelos and other edibles, traffic lazily moving through the streets. Everywhere you look there are towering karats, shaped like upside down ice cream cones.
The school has fun Chinese cultural events on Wednesday afternoons and wonderful Saturday trips, which are a great opportunity to bond with your fellow students. The Administration is responsive and does an excellent job running the school.
After our stay at Omeida, we did your standard tour of China. It paled in comparison to our time at Omeida.

I stayed for three weeks. I liked the small class size. In my first week I had one on one tuition. The learning was placed well and the teaching fun and engaging. I had 3 hrs of classes each day in the mornings before my class I walked out cycled into the countryside. Yangshuo is an absolutely stunning place. I could stare at the mountains all day but in the afternoon I had classes. The school also provides meals at the cafeteria and the food is excellent. You eat with the other students including the Chinese students who are learning English it's a great cultural Exchange. I also chose the option of staying at the school hotel which is only 1 minutes away from the school. The school is in a lovely laid back part of town. After school you can watch the locals getting on with their lives it's a fascinating experience.

I spent six weeks at Omeida learning Chinese last summer and it was a great experience! Wonderful landscapes, kind people, professional teachers and a good vibe. Back home I tried the Chinese online course offered by Omeida and I was surprised by the quality of the lessons, I learned even faster!
Everyday I had the opportunity to volunteer with some chinese students who were learning english and thanks to the language partner program I had the chance to have interesting conversations with chinese people and practice what I learned in class.
Every week the staff of the school organised some cultural activity or some outdoor activities around Yangshuo. It's worth saying that the landscape there is incredible, you will never find anything similar around the world.

I suggest it to everyone!

10/10 Location

The school is located just outside the "CBD" of Yangshuo by that i mean West St etc. I actually prefer it because food, massages, groceries are 60-80% cheaper than being in West St itself.

9.5/10 Course

The courses are great for beginners, i would say you absorb the content quite quickly and can start practicing it with locals in every day life. The 0.5 stars are missing because you get grouped with people in a classroom environment and they might be stronger than you in some areas like reading and writing but you might be stronger in areas like speaking. It's hard to cater for everyone and they do a pretty good job at allocating students to the right levels.

10/10 Activities

The school holds activities throughout the week. On Wednesday you have cultural workshops, Thursday is social night at a bar then Saturday is a school organised trip. The Saturday trips are awesome. You get to go on hikes, tea plantations, kayaking on the river, bicycle riding through quaint towns, swim in the river etc. They actually take you to spots that tourists don't know about and only locals do. It's reasonable in price too.

9.5/10 Value for money

You definitely get bang for your buck here. I am pretty sure i searched the whole search engine to make sure i was getting the best price possible for the best school i could find. I compared other schools and they were about 30% pricier. The 0.5 stars are lost because i still think for China tuition is on the pricier end. Considering my daily budget on food here is US$5 a day, comparing that to tuition seems like a vast difference.

9/10 Overall

I thoroughly enjoyed my time here. I think it's a really special place, they go out of their way to make things work for you when you have changes in circumstances which i appreciate. Worthwhile doing some study here if you want to build on your Chinese. You meet great people from around the world and have the option of having a local Chinese language partner which is super helpful. I

For my first time volunteering solo abroad, Omeida sets the bar high. Yangshuo, China is an absolutely gorgeous place surrounded by mountains, combined with both modern amenities and rural lifestyles. I had the absolute pleasure of spending a month volunteering in their marketing department. The work isn't difficult at all, as the marketing manager works with your skillset and is adept at showing you the ropes. After your shift, you're free to do whatever you'd like. Whether it be bike rides along the river, hiking through caves, board game nights, or dancing in Chinese discos, there's always something to do here. There's an eclectic mix of students and volunteers from all over the world, and there's always new friends to make each week.

The staff here is incredibly welcoming, quick to accommodate any requests or take you to their favorite local BBQ spot. Their positive attitudes are incredibly contagious and will always plan fun group activities that make it easy to break the ice. This was incredibly valuable to me as a solo traveler, because I definitely left a family behind in Omeida. The dorms are basic, but there's plenty of storage and space. The food is delicious and family-style, so meals are a different experience each time.

I left Omeida wishing I could stay longer, which is probably the best feeling I could have gotten from this whole experience. One thing I do have to say is that because there's a lot of freedom here, your time is here is what you personally make of it. For me, I had the time of my life.

I have currently been studying for over three months. This Chinese school is fantastic. Not only have I exceeded my objectives, I have also made unforgettable friends, I have learned about Chinese culture and most of all I have spent my time, in Yangshuo along with its astonishing sceneries, having fun. The school is perfectly situated; I can get peace time by climbing mountains, wandering or jogging around the city, and when I want to socialize, I can go the gym, go to KTV’s and bars at night and all the activities that Yangshuo has to offer me. I like studying in Yangshuo because people are very pleasant to talk to and confortable to speak chinese to. Furthermore I always feel safe walking outside at night. The teachers at school are very competent and competent. The subjects of the lessons given are very interesting and useful in daily life. Day by day I have seen myself and my classmates progress and achieve goals that we had far from expected. The staff and teachers are very kind and always willing to speak Mandarin with you. Therefore, I gain every day in confidence, assurance and knowledge. I have five more months to go and I’m sure that I will continue enjoying my time at Omeida.

Hello, totally I spent more than half a year at Omeida being a volonteer and learning Chinese. For me it turned to be the most exceptional place for learning Chinese as the education there is very well organised, groups are small (on my level there were just 1-2 students in the class), teachers are very nice, patient, ready to explain and give examples.

I loved the place where the school is located as it's just 10 minutes cycling to the countryside, and 20 minutes to the famous Yulong River. You can explore the place by bicycle or scooter as there are many paths leading to different mountains, and lots of climbing spots.

Volonteering at Omeida is great as well, nice opportunity to teach English and make more friends among Chinese students. They come from different places of China and having conversation class with them can help you to discover China better. And it helps to save you money as well, if you have one volonteering class a day (Monday-Friday) you get free food or free accomodation, if you do two classes you get both.

So I definitely recommend the school for learning or for volonteering, you will love and come back! As I did ;)

I stayed at Omeida Chinese Academy for one month volunteering in the marketing department. I had a really great time during my stay and I can only recommend Omeida to anyone interested in going to China!

As a volunteer I would work 4 hours in the mornings Monday-Friday, which was perfect as it gave me time to go explore Yangshuo and the beautiful countryside in the afternoons. During my stay my main task was to help prepare Omeida's summer camp program, which included contacting potential schools and designing a pricing flyer.

In return for my work, Omeida would provide free accommodation and food (lunch and dinner). The accommodation was very nice and only a 2 min walk from the school. Every week Omeida organizes social and cultural activities for volunteers and students (BBQ, karaoke, hotpot dinner etc.) which I would usually attend. It's a great opportunity to learn more about Chinese culture and get to know the other students studying at Omeida. The environment at Omeida is really nice, very relaxed and everyone is very friendly!

In the weekends I would usually go explore the surrounding countryside. Yangshuo has some of the most amazing scenery ever! There is lots to do and see, whether its exploring some of the hidden caves and waterfalls, going on bike rides in the countryside or hiking up one of the karst mountains to enjoy a breathtaking view of Yangshuo.

This is my third week at the Omeida Chinese Academy and already, it has been one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Never have I felt more at home in a foreign land and more comfortable living amongst so many strangers. After my initial minute culture shock of new tastes and absurd driving etiquette, it was a piece of cake to settle into this rural way of life. Undoubtably, it helps that this small town of Yangshuo is a breathtaking paradise of green jagged mountain peaks and glistening blue rivers. The school itself is as well its own sort of paradise; a friendly and engaging atmosphere that cultivates strong connections between the students and teachers. This place has allowed me to make many friends of all different backgrounds and ages from all over the world. Everyday I meet someone new and can easily connect through our shared interest of learning a new language.
As a complete beginner to Mandarin I was a little hesitant to dive head first into the language at a school so far away from home, but this did not prove to be a difficult struggle. My only issue is finding enough time in the day to do all that I want to do! From swimming at the river and studying on the beach to volunteering at the school and going out at night with friends, I have learned many valuable lessons about how to balance work and play. I’m rarely bored for I find that there is always something to do. Every morning I have three hours of classes, then volunteering in the afternoon and many school-organized activities and personal excursions around Yangshuo.
The staff is very dedicated and committed to each and every student’s learning progress. They are constantly trying to improve the language experience. The small class sizes are extremely advantageous, this way the lessons can be personally tailored to fit your learning style. The teachers are very understanding and helpful, in and out of class. Thanks to them, I have progressed very quickly and now can have basic conversations with the locals I interact with on the daily. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to talk to your favourite shopkeeper and ask them about their day.
In conclusion, have nothing but good things to say about my experience thus far, and look forward to my next 6 months of learning here at Omeida!

I came to Omeida twice, for 4 and 3 months because I really love the place and their method to teach Chinese at Omeida. The staff is very friendly, ready to help you, the lessons are in small groups, two - four people that is really good to talk a lot, to be free to ask questions.
I have lessons in the morning at 9:25, that is perfect, not too early or too late. I have free time in the afternoon so I can go cycling or swimming by the riverside, the landscape is amazing here! It`s the best place for relaxing and meditation!
You can also choose where to eat: in the school canteen or in the restaurants and cafes outside. Both are very nice as in the canteen it's faster and you have many different dishes and also you can talk with Chinese students who learn English at the school. But when you eat outside you can choose different restaurant every time and eat with locals, and practice your Chinese!
Volonteering program is also great because you can meet more Chinese Students learning English, make more friends and also save your money! I definitely recommend it!