Mandarin Plus

Mandarin Plus has such a good location. It is in a modern district next to different entertainments. I found my teachers qualified to teach a spoken language which was necessary for me. They were so friendly. I hated to get up early, but I did it because I really liked studying in Mandarin Plus. Courses were so intensive and helped me to learn a lot in a short period of time. It was a great time! Miss it.

Postives:

1. Location of Language Centre in Sanlitun

2. Clean facilities with water and comfortable classrooms


Negatives. There are so many that I'll try and describe them all.

1. My language level. When I arrived I presumed they would want to try and find my current level by giving me some sort of test but instead was given a teacher and a book who was then surprised I could already speak some. The book she brought in was unsuitable and had to try and find another more appropriate.
Quote from your website: "You will take a placement test on your first day to determine your class level. You may also take this test before your arrival in Beijing

2. From the description f the course online I thought it was going to be small group classes so was surprised to find that I was the only student and it was to be 1-2-1 lessons. If I had known this I would not have signed up for the 6 hour intensive day course as it was too much for just one person. Also the course was nothing like the description which I thought would be structured. Spending time on all aspects of Chinese but in reality I was just using one book and going through page-by-page and was incredibly boring. I was hoping to interact with other students but there were none and most of the time I was the only student in the building.
Quote: "Course topics: Listening, speaking, pronunciation, reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, and activities
Not sure what the activities were..!

3. Use of a book. The language centre gave the teacher a book and I wasn't given any materials at all. Not a copy of the book and when I wanted to make notes and revise after hours at the weekend had to take pictures of the pages and then try to read it from my phone.
Quote from your website: Make progress step by step. Included in the language course are: - 30 hours per week of Chinese language instruction - Teaching materials - Weekly Chinese movie night"
There wasn't any movie night and the book was for classroom use only.

4. Quality of teachers: Very poor. The first day had a young girl who was at a college and therefore not a qualified teacher. For some of the day she spent it on here phone receiving calls and seemed totally disinterested. By the end of the day she told me that something urgent had come up at her college and she needed to go back and wouldn't be returning and they would provide me with someone else the next day. I left the language centre and the girl found me in a coffee shop and muttered something about she wouldn't get paid for that day!

Anyway, the next day I had another young lady who was at least more professional in her approach but still was not a professional teacher. When I had problems understanding she seemed at a loss of how to explain certain things and give me new examples and couldn't inspire as a teacher. Each day we would go through the book in a monotonous way and then in the middle of the second week my boredom level reached a new low as on Wednesday morning she was yawning, on her phone. I actually don't blame here, it was tedious for me and I am sure for her as well. At lunchtime I complained to the Language Centre staff about it and when I came back after lunch I sat with the teacher and a member of staff and told them if I were to continue I'd need to do something else. I suggested we do some other things when I came back on the next day. That day, I left at 1pm as I just needed a break from the place and was close to quitting and just going home.

I went back the next day, I bought some newspapers and other materials for us to look at.

Also on your website: A certificate of completion will be issued at the end of the course.
I didn't get one. Maybe I was so eager to get out of there they didn't have time to give me one.

So, at the end, I didn't progress how I wanted to. Actually, I think I learnt more from just chatting with locals online and also meeting them and generally chatting than I did in class. I guess my vocabulary improved from the classes but not much else.

I certainly would never go back. In fact on the weekend, I was walking round the hutongs and discovered a very nice language centre and in just 5 minutes there the staff seemed so much more professional.