LTL Language School || Learn Chinese (11 Cities)

My life in Beihai was a fairly interesting one. I went and stayed with a generous family. The school organized this home stay for me before my arrival after asking me questions about my preferences and any special considerations I may have. An added benefit was that the home was only 20 minutes away from the school by electric scooter. They did this and gave me a good teacher as well. The school had a small feel as there were only a few students there. However, it felt like there was little stratification or cliquishness with the students present. We would have activities frequently, typically the activities involved food and would happen on a weekly basis. My only critique that was not anyone's fault was that I got switched around between a few different teachers. Experiences may vary, as I heard this was an exceptional circumstance. Overall, this was a school that gave me the chance to learn Chinese in a setting where I felt the most freedom to express my thoughts in Chinese and learn vocabulary in an engaging way.

I booked 3 weeks of 1-on-1 classes, with 4 hours of class time everyday after finding out about LTL from searching around online. My teacher was Presli, who was at all times super energetic, warm and considerate.

During our first class, Presli and I set up how we would work to reach the goals I had set beforehand in improving my spoken chinese and fixing in some more advanced grammatical structures. LTL Chengdu had a variety of formal materials available, and we chose a textbook that was suitable to my level and aims in improving my speaking skills. The textbook itself was up-to-date and included interesting topics (unlike my previous experience with the HSK series, which was often an exercise in willpower to get through) and often acted as a launchpad for topical discussions that allowed me to get hours of interactive practice and feedback in my speaking every lesson using what I had just learnt.

Throughout the three weeks, Presli also adapted the lessons when she noticed I was particularly interested in certain topics, and we ended up having a lot of cultural and historical discussions which both upkept my energy throughout the lesson, encouraged genuine expression while using Chinese and taught me a thing or two about Chinese history. Because of my goals, the textbooks were definitely not the only materials we used, and Presli employed a lot of interesting and fun media. She also made sure that I left with some excellent recommendations on Chinese media since I'd previous struggled to navigate the wide variety that exists.

Regarding logistics, the process of setting up my lessons was super simple. I booked mine a little last minute (about 2-3 weeks beforehand) and after a few forms I was basically ready to go. The easiest way to pay is using Wise to wire money, but it's a simple enough process. Throughout the three weeks, I was encouraged to give any feedback if I wasn't happy, either to my teacher or to the admin team, and we could correct things. This wasn't necessary for me, but I never felt like if something was wrong that anyone would have any hesitation or issue with fixing it to my satisfaction.

The atmosphere of the Chengdu school was also great. Every single teacher is super nice and they are all ready to communicate with you in Chinese at a level that your comfortable with. During my first week, everyone was keen to make sure I was seeing the best sites of Chengdu and gave me a lot of recommendations. Presli even helped me find and book my tickets for Dujiangyan with a Chinese app so that I could avoid some nasty booking fees on the international sites which were higher than the actual prices.

The student community also felt much more tight-knit than other schools, and we practised speaking with each other during our short lessons breaks as well as met outside of the school. This was another thing about LTL Chengdu that was great and really set it apart - we often spent a lot of time together outside of the classroom. Every day I'd start or end my lesson by gathering with the students and teachers and eating lunch together at local places, and occasionally we'd also get dinner together. LTL Chengdu also more formally plans weekly socials activities - for example, I particularly enjoyed destroying the other students at mahjong (with no credit to my own talent, but a bit to luck and a lot to the team of Chinese people sat behind me giving me helpful hints) and then going out for hotpot afterwards, alternating between the non-spicy broth and the sichuan 'medium' spicy. We also went out into the city, doing things like watching the incredibly successful movie Ne Zha 2 together (which none of us foreigners had heard of) and on my second weekend with LTL Chengdu, I, Presli, her friend (and knowledgable tour guide), and a fellow classmate took a weekend trip to Chongqing to explore the city. We had great fun seeing, doing and eating all the things one must when they visit Chongqing (including testing our bravery with a lot of high altitiude sightseeing), and of course it was also an incredibly immersion experience in Chinese.

While of course I imagine it must vary from school to school, I haven't seen or heard of a Chinese language school with such friendly teachers or such a tight knit cohort of students as I experienced over my three weeks in Chengdu, and even with my examples it's hard to express how friendly and welcoming an environment it was.

Chengdu itself is also a great city, and quite underrated in the eyes of foreigners it seems. The atmosphere is very relaxed, and the people, as demonstrated by LTL Chengdu's teachers, are all incredibly friendly and ready to let u try your Chinese with them. The vast majority don't speak English, so it is definitely more of an immersion experience than, say, Beijing or Shanghai. Coming from England, I also appreciated the weather ☀️

I cannot recommend LTL Chengdu enough, and I'm extremely glad it was the language school I chose. If I return to China, I'll definitely be booking another few weeks with the school.

I stayed in Beijing for 8 weeks doing the Chinese program at LTL. I enjoyed the classes even though sometimes it was a bit difficult, but luckily there was enough room to ask questions. The school is located near the city center, so it is very convenient to do sightseeing after class! LTL also organises 3-4 activities every week, varying from Tai Chi class, visiting Tian'anmen Square or a dumpling making class. They also offer a trip to The Great Wall (Mutianyu part), very convenient and not that busy on a sunday!

I stayed in Beijing LTL location for two months. I really enjoyed my stay. Any issues that I encountered where taken care of and you can reach the student advisor any time. I did encounter a problem with my first home stay, but the school handled the situation very professionally and I was able to switch. During my stay I met different people from all over the world and made lots of new friends as well. My teacher (Alice) did a great job as well. She is very patient and you can really tell that she loves her job! I can definitely recommend! ;)

The teachers, staff and other students were great. Everyone was really open and accommodating. Any small issue encountered from SIM card to getting around the city the staff quickly helped with, they provided assistance before, during and after the program. The student community was great and activities organized by the school aided in seeing the city. From exploring Beijing’s night life to learning how make dumplings. Teacher Alice was great! She made sure to explain everything super well and took time when any of us students were confused.

The lessons at LTL Chengdu are personalised, intensive and motivating. I was picked up where I was linguistically right from the start. I would particularly like to emphasise my teacher Presli: she is not only a top professional, but also a great person. Her ability to notice and celebrate even the smallest progress motivated me enormously. She helped me to overcome my weaknesses and at the same time encouraged my strengths. I learnt more in eight weeks than I had in months. A clear recommendation!

LTL Chengdu is more than just a language school. Here you are taken seriously, supported individually and seen as a person. I got to know four great teachers - first and foremost Presli, who teaches with clarity, humour and great empathy. Unicorn took us to great restaurants at lunchtime - a culinary adventure! And Mandy organises everything smoothly in the background. Thanks to the buddy programme, where friendly Chinese buddies help with practising, you immediately feel integrated. The school has state-of-the-art facilities and is located in a stylish building. And Chengdu? A fascinating city - big, but never anonymous. I felt at home from day one.

The experience here has been amazing. The teachers, the staff, the environment. I love how it feels like a family, and you don't feel judged. I have learned so much and made lifelong friends. My homestay was the best, we are even planning a visit to my home country. I loved everything, definitely recommend! Also, I enjoy how they always find ways to make fun activities to integrate everyone and get us to experience more of the Beijing culture. Special thanks to my Chinese teacher Lilia, the most patient, awesome, and wholesome Mandarin teacher I have ever had!

Studying Chinese with LTL in Beijing was absolutely wonderful! My teacher Carol was amazing - very smart, patient and well prepared at all times. 1-1 class with her was super fun and I made so much progress. My homestay was amazing as well. I lived with an auntie who cooked the best food every day and only spoke to me in Chinese - even more progress! The free time activities organized by Linda and the fabulous school team were great as well, from visiting temples to tai chi class and tasting tea, it really allowed me to discover Chinese culture from so many angles. I 10/10 recommend this program and really recommend the 1-1 class and homestay option.