LTL Language School || Learn Chinese (11 Cities)

Since fall 2015 I have now been studying Mandarin at LTL for about alltogether 30 months with my 2 teachers Alwin.
I had been studying Mandarin at both a big state university and another private school before but nothing compares to LTL!
I had pretty precise requirements when I signed up for classes at LTL: only one-to-one classes, with at least 2 different teachers, 15 hours a week at different hours during the day time and no use of text books.
None of this was a problem and this method has worked beautifully for me since the beginning.
When you have one-to-one classes you can have it exactly as you want it, concentrate on any aspect of chinese (grammar, conversational chinese, chinese characters etc. etc) you fancy.
I like having 2 different teachers who give me different input/ feedback.
I also tried a homestay in Chengde where I for 2 months stayed with a 3
generations family and had another great teacher. Highly recommendable experience!
I can only give LTL and my 2 teachers ny best and warmest recommendations.

A fantastic school to study at located in an equally fantastic area of Shanghai. I would say that the most excellent attribute that I experienced was their flexibility. Due to my work and travel commitments, which tend to be last minute, I had numerous interruptions to my daily schedule. Dealing with LTL was a relaxing process and solutions were always easy to find. My initial 7 weeks of intensive study was spread out over almost 4 months. I personally find this kind of flexibility to be excellent.!. On from that dealing with Alex, the head of the School in Shanghai, was an easy and often fun process. Along with Dannie and Johann, and of course the excellent teachers on their rather large roster. The weekly events that were organised are an excellent chance to get an inside view of the life and history of Shanghai, whilst also giving students a great chance to further practice their Chinese language skills in real life settings. Also I found that the one on one classes were excellent and the teachers I had allowed the classes to flow organically, so we not only studied from the text book, but also discussed contemporary topics and delved into Chinese history.. Overall my experience with LTL was a positive one and I would highly recommend any student wishing to further their study into the Chinese language in Shanghai, to get in contact with LTL.!!. 谢谢

I have been with the LTL school for 4 months. During the first month I was studying Chinese as a student. At that time I did the individual program in which I had 4 hours of Chinese every day. During this time I had the opportunity to study Chinese with 3 different teachers. They were all very well prepared. Studying with three different teachers gave me the chance to understand different points of view and learn three different teaching methods, which allowed my Chinese to improve super-quickly.

After the first month I started my internship for LTL. In this way I've been able to see both sides of the school, as a student and as a worker. Working for LTL gave me the chance to learn many new things all very useful for my career.

Also my manager was really impeccable, every day he taught me something new, making sure I was able to get by myself at the end of the day. All of this was an unforgettable experience.

During my 4 months in China I chose to stay in a Chinese homestay, it was the best choice I could make. At home I had the opportunity to talk and improve my Chinese, not to mention the homemade Chinese food that is really delicious.

I believe that the bonds I have created during this period at LTL will last a long time and that this experience will be impossible to forget.

I spent some time in the Summer of 2017 with LTL in Beijing learning Mandarin and the memories from that short time will last a lifetime.

The school was excellent, very relaxed and calm. A great environment to learn. My classmates, all three of them, were great company and we became good friends outside of class as well as in. Between us, we grew a strong bond with our teacher, Lucy (pictures attached below). The classes were well put together and within a short space of time my Chinese improved like I never imagined and it continues to do so to this very day.

The students and staff at the school are wonderful company and provides you with a great reason to get out of bed everyday!

I stayed with a Chinese Homestay during this time to top up my learning and try something I may never do again. What an experience. The mother, father and daughter were lovely company, so caring and thoughtful. The facilities were ideal and the food they made everyday was just sublime.

Zero negatives and memories I will cherish forevermore.

For two months, I visited a one-by-one language course at LTL in Beijing. I did not participate in the whole cultural programme, since my internship place already provided a place to stay. Furthermore, I also participated in the language programme in Chengde for one week.

The one-by-one language course was okay, but nothing special. During the two months, I had courses with two (male) teachers and we covered the book 'Short-term Spoken Chinese'. In my opinion, the quality of the language course can still be improved. A little more engagement and creativity from the teacher's side would have been nice. Apart from learning from the book only (which makes it a bit boring...), more creative exercises could have been applied during the course in order to better learn Chinese, for example reading a simple Chinese book or making a role play, etc. I think this engagement can be expected from a trained language teacher. I felt I did not speak sufficiently during the course, although it should be the priority that the student is engaged to speak more (at least more than the teacher).

For one week during the two months at LTL I also participated in the language programme in Chengde, which is a small town not too far from Beijing. I was told that staying at Chengde would boost my Chinese language skills - which was also true. However, in my opinion this programme is a bit overrated and too costly for the service received.
My host family was an old couple, which was pretty fine for me. They were really nice people although I would have wished that they would have integrated me more into their lives and showed more engagement. After my language course in the morning, which finished in the afternoon, I mostly came home. My hostmum would arrive at home a little later and start to cook. In the evening we watched tv together and then went to bed. It would have been nice to do more things together with them, such as joining them visit the places they go in the afternoon, or cooking together, etc. I also think for the price I payed for that week, at least the most important facilities should be provided (and it should not be needed to be stated extra), such as a shower, a bed (with a mattress - I had one but I heard of another person that slept on a wooden bed and who didn’t sleep very well) and a clean environment (often they didn’t wash the dishes properly and they were smoking a lot in the living room). Otherwise it was really interesting to see an authentic Chinese family.
Since Chengde is a quite small town, as mentioned, you rely a bit on the activities offered during the programme, in case your family is not very active. Before going to Chengde, I was interviewed by one of the LTL employees which activities I would like to do (horse riding, rafting, playing soccer, etc.). However, I was quite disappointed by the activities offered in Chengde since it turned out they were not included in the price for the Chengde programme. Zhongwen (a really active woman even though highly pregnant) tried to organize a lot but I was shocked about the huge prices. When staying longer Chengde, which is not the most interesting place on Earth, and I think I would get poor after a while if I always had to pay so much extra for every activity. The school could help to join more things that do not cost so much or even don't cost anything.

I hope those things I mentioned could be improved in the future, since I think that LTL school and also their Chengde programme has a lot potential. The outcome just needs to be more adjusted to the price and more creativity could make the stay at LTL much more interesting and fun.

Thank you.

Program: I completed a 6-month internship program with a homestay.

Experience: The internship provided me with a great opportunity to experience the dynamics of working in a commercial environment within China. I was given a board range of responsibilities, from assisting with company recruitment to reviewing company reports. Not only did this give me exposure to an array of skills that will prove useful for a future career, but it also allowed me to practice my Mandarin in a professional environment.

Homestay: The homestay was the most important aspect when it came to practicing my Chinese. Every day without fail I would communicate with my host family in Mandarin. This was initially quite daunting, but over time my Mandarin ability, along with my confidence in using the language, improved substantially.

Beijing: LTL will arrange an array of activities that will allow you to explore both the city and its surroundings. It may initially take some getting used to, but there is definitely a unique character to the city that I grew to love.

I have just completed my 3-week program at LTL Shanghai, and it has been fantastic. I am studying chinese at my university in Copenhagen, and did this to maintain my chinese level during summer vacation. From the moment i arrived in Shanghai airport (my 1st time in China) everything went smooth. The airport pick-up, provided by the school, was there on time, and took me directly to my homestay family. The homestay experience is optional, but was very interesting and allows you to really get the chinese culture under your skin. And of cause, it is the best way to improve your oral chinese.
The school is located in one of the most cool areas of Shanghai, and there are plenty of good restaurants, shops and bars nearby. But the best thing about LTL is the staff. They are so welcoming and friendly, and right away you'll feel like a part of the LTL family. They plan weekly events such as; dinners at various chinese restaurents, trips to cultural sites and karaoke nights etc. for both students and teachers which gives this a really cool social environment, that i have never experienced between teachers and students. Besides they are all really skillfull, in what ever part of the chinese language that you want to practice. I have probably learnt more here in these 3 weeks, than i would in months back home.
I will miss this place very much, but hopefully i will come back again and again. And so should you. I can not recommend this place any higher.

I have studied foreign languages abroad at schools in France, Italy, Brazil and Korea. I can say without a doubt that LTL is the best language school I have ever attended. From the very first moment you step inside the school, the administration makes you feel welcome and right at home. They go to great lengths to ensure your transition to Shanghai is a smooth one. The teachers at LTL are superb. They carefully explain the intricate nuances of the Chinese language - tonal pronunciation, sentence structures, grammatical rules, character writing - all the skills necessary to succeed in Chinese. But much more than that, the teachers are very friendly, approachable and always happy to help. There is always something going on at school - LTL plans daily lunches in the neighborhood, weekly dinners, karaoke, weekend visits to interesting cultural sites within Shanghai or trips to other nearby cities (e.g. Suzhou, Nanjing). With so much going on, it is common to see students just hang around for a few hours after class has ended. LTL puts so much thought and care into everything it does that it does feel like a family away from home, regardless whether you are here for one week, one month or one year. I wholeheartedly recommend the school to others who are considering studying Chinese in Shanghai.