LTL far exceeded my expectations!

I've studied Mandarin at other schools before and had mostly positive experiences. What sets LTL apart is how connected you feel from day one. The community is extremely strong. In three weeks I made 10+ genuine friends from all over the world. Switzerland, Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, the US, and local friends in Taiwan. The social life runs itself because everyone is there for the same reason. I had constant invites to night markets, day trips to Jiufen and Beitou, karaoke, movies, and dinners.

The teachers go well beyond the classroom. Alice tailored my classes to focus on pinyin since I don't read characters, while still keeping the other four students engaged. She kept the classes entertaining and her bright personality shined through in every lesson. Outside of the classroom, she even organized a few events to get to know us on a personal level.

The rest of the staff is also great. Tammy went out of her way to host weekly Mahjong nights and made everyone feel instantly welcome. Riona (the school manager) has an inviting personality that makes both shy and outcoming students feel right at home. Alin worked hard to place me in the right level class — no easy task given my unique situation of being lower-intermediate with no character reading ability. And Cherry was invaluable for translating the more nuanced slang that only someone with native fluency in both Mandarin and English can really bridge. Overall, I felt the entire staff genuinely invested in getting to know their students on a personal level.

Regardless of your level, you will feel right at home. There were beginners, upper-intermediate students, and everyone in between. Everyone in the program speaks strong English so you won't feel lost regardless of where you're starting from.

The two-week minimum and flexible scheduling made it easy to commit. There is no doubt I'll be coming back every year!