To learn Mandarin as a Chinese Heritage Speaker – ABC (American born Chinese), BBC (British born Chinese), CBC (Canadian born Chinese), Singaporean or anyone else who grew up with a Chinese language or accent – is quite different to students without a Chinese language background.
The Chinese for Heritage Speakers Program is specifically tailored for you to ensure you are not held back by other non-heritage speakers and your individual needs are addressed.
Classes are individual specifically for the reason that a Chinese Heritage Speaker will have very different needs to a foreign speaker learning Mandarin.
This in turn will speed up your learning progress further.
Welcome to the first day of your Mandarin learning journey.
Individually tailored to you
1 on 1 classes for speedy progression
Personal study plan
Expert and certified teachers
Chinese Heritage Speakers
Knowledge – All Chinese languages have similar structures Any dialects helps – Cantonese, Hokkien, Shanghaihua etc. Pronunciation – Learn the differences in Mandarin quickly Similarities – Grammar structures, words are often the same
Individual
Different – Every heritage speaker has a unique background Assessment – Start with a free assessment of your situation Personal Study Plan – We create a personal study plan for you Individual – Focus will be on your specific needs
This Program is for:
Made for – American/Australian/Canadian etc. born Chinese Made for – Singaporean, Hong Kong, Malaysian, etc Chinese All levels – Suitable for any level in a Chinese accent Characters – We will teach you the ones you need
Fast Progress
Quick progress – Learn Mandarin faster by using your knowledge Intensive – Study hard and get your Chinese up to speed ASAP Individual – Faster progress through private Chinese tuition No delays – You won’t learn stuff you already know
CHINESE FOR HERITAGE SPEAKERS
To learn Mandarin as an ABC or BBC is very different to an American or British student without a Chinese language background.
As a heritage speaker, you can utilize the language knowledge you absorbed as a child to progress faster in Mandarin.
At the same time each student’s situation is different and a heritage speaker who just listened to his parents speak Cantonese at home needs a very different program to an advanced level Hokkien speaker.
The participants in the LTL Chinese Heritage Speaker Program come from a very wide variety of backgrounds and language levels. Some speak fluent “kitchen Mandarin” and can converse in Mandarin without problems at home, but can’t speak it in a professional business setting, while others need to learn how to correct common pronunciation mistakes Cantonese speakers make in Mandarin.
We will first identify your current level, needs and targets with you together via a personal assessment – if you are not in China yet, this can be done via Skype or WhatsApp – and then design an individual learning program for you.
THE OPTIONS
Program
Chinese Heritage Speakers – STANDARD 1-on-1 20hrs/week
Chinese Heritage Speakers – INTENSIVE 1-on-1 30hrs/week
2 weeks
42,024
63,038
3 weeks
57,306
85,957
4 weeks
72,588
108,880
8 weeks
132,947
199,425
12 weeks
183,378
275,067
13-52 weeks
15,282 / wk
22,923 / wk
Prices are listed for a sample selection of course durations for Chinese speakers in Beijing. It is possible to take the course for only a week or up to a full year.
All Prices are in New Taiwan Dollars (NTD)
Prices include: Personal assessment, personal study plan, course tuition and all text books.
Heritage Speakers – FAQ’s
Can I study in a group?
In our experience for Chinese Heritage Speakers their Mandarin learning experience is not only quite different to non-heritage speakers, but also other people of Chinese descent.
A BBC who speaks advanced Cantonese, but cannot read or write characters, simply has very different needs to a Singaporean who grew up speaking Hokkien with his grandparents and learned Mandarin in School.
So while of course everyone is welcome to join our small group classes in Beijing, you might end up not being able to utilize your linguistic heritage for maximum language progress.
This is what the Chinese Heritage Speaker program was specifically designed for: to help you to learn Mandarin as fast as possible through a focused and individualized curriculum, without being held back by the different learning patterns of other students.
How do I sign up?
Send us a message to let us know what you want or ask any questions you might have.
You will have a reply within less than a working day, including a proposal and quotation for your course and can sign up straight away.
Do you recommend Homestay for Heritage Speakers?
Yes, definitely.
Especially speakers of Chinese dialects like Hokkien, Cantonese or Hakka tend to pick up a lot of Mandarin simply by listening and being forced to use Mandarin to communicate instead of English.
A homestay family in Beijing is the best way to progress your Mandarin skills quickly.
Will I be able to meet other students?
Yes of course.
While the classes are tailored specifically for you, all students of whatever backgrounds have lunch together, participate in the same school social activities – of which we have quite a lot – and are part of the same community.
While you might progress faster in Mandarin than most other students outside the classroom LTL is – and we know that this sounds cheesy, but it is true – one big family.
What our students say
Jocelyn Hung
Hong Kong
★
★
★
★
★
I asked Seraph (my teacher) and Angela if we could incorporate current events/rising trends in China, as well as Chinese culture and history. Both Seraph and Angela were very responsive and worked to address my desires immediately.
Learning Chinese as an overseas Chinese is different from learning Chinese as a complete beginner. I already had some knowledge of the language. I found my teacher (Lucy) was very adaptable to my needs.
The LTL community is a big family that welcomes all students with a warm hug. There are school organised events every week that also give you a chance to get to do things that you wouldn‘t necessarily have thought of on your own
Prior to LTL, my Mandarin was at a basic conversational/reading/writing (Traditional characters) level. My main goals were to learn Simplified Chinese and to gain fluency in speaking, reading, and writing so to feel more comfortable using the language in future business settings.
The Great Wall – Beijing students explore and discover
I started with the HSK 4 textbook, but upon realizing that the content was not very applicable, I asked Seraph and Angela if we could incorporate current events/rising trends in China, as well as Chinese culture and history.
Both Seraph and Angela were very responsive and worked to address my desires immediately. Seraph began to buy a local newspaper for me every morning and she would send me articles she found interesting/relevant to read at home.
She also asked me what specific topics I’m interested in learning more about and she would then find news/articles to help broaden my knowledge. When I come across unfamiliar characters in class, she tries to explain the definition in a way that helps me remember the word and also provides useful examples. I truly appreciate and would like to commend Seraph’s hard work both in and outside of class – I could not have asked for someone more patient and responsive as Seraph!
Jocelyn and Katrin in Beijing
It’s hard to analyze the level of improvement in my Mandarin, but I can happily say that I no longer feel threatened when I see Simplified text and can recognize and understand a broader range of characters.
Although reading and understanding Chinese newspapers is still a challenge for me, I can generally read the headers/sub-titles and gain a good understanding of the key ideas. Whilst there is still a lot more room for improvement, I am content with my improvement in this past month.
I am glad LTL has frequent feedback forms and I enjoy the flexibility in crafting my own lessons. Although it took some time to find a suitable learning/teaching style that best addressed my goals at LTL, I am overall very satisfied with my classes and teacher. Thank you LTL for a great month of learning!
Daniel Neu
Germany
Daniel and his classmates in Beijing
My family has lived in Beijing for 200 years and I have been to Beijing several times. However, this was the first time I really got to learn Chinese properly which was interesting in its own way. Actually one of the reasons I chose LTL Beijing, in addition to the good reviews and the apparent value was that it was close to my grandmas apartment here in Beijing.
Learning Chinese as an overseas Chinese person is quite different from learning Chinese for a complete beginner. I already had some knowledge of the language, and the culture so some things were easier for me. Even though I was doing a small group class the teacher was still very adaptable to all our needs. It was also great that she knew our strengths and weakness both as individuals and as a group. It really helped my learning.
I really enjoyed the experience of finally learning Chinese, and it is something I want to continue with. Already I plan to go back to LTL, maybe next spring?
Winkie
Switzerland
Winkie at the Summer Palace in Beijing
The LTL community is a big family that welcomes all students with a warm hug. There are school organised events every week that also give you a chance to get to do things that you wouldn‘t necessarily have thought of on your own. The school staff are really nice. You can come to them with whatever problem it is that you have and they‘ll do their best to try to solve it.
My stay with LTL lasted just short of a month and it passed really quickly. I was staying in a shared apartment, and I liked it this way because you have the freedom of coming and going as you want to. The room is good for Chinese standards and everything went pretty smoothly. The apartments I stayed in were good and accessible by public transport. The second one was even in walking distance of the school.
For my 1-on-1 lessons I had a younger teacher similar to my age. We got along really well and spoke lots. One of my main aims for Beijing was to get to speaking more Chinese. I rarely get a chance to speak Mandarin back home. Personally, I really liked to have a good conversation with my teacher. As a special treat I got to have an excursion every two weeks here, which is a nice way of changing up things a little bit instead of sitting in a class room all day.
I‘ve wanted to explore China for quite a while now. Even though I‘ve seen Shenzhen and Hong Kong before. The ancient cultural aspect weren‘t quite present in those two cities. However, Beijing with the Forbidden Palace, Hutong’s and all the gardens and temples was just what I needed. It turned out to be the right decision. I‘m mesmerised by this city and all its scenery. This city is so big, that it has a little corner for everybody. No matter what you are looking for whether it be the old artistic quarters of the Liulichang or the more modern area Sanlitun.
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It was also great that she knew our strengths and weakness both as individuals and as a group. It really helped my learning.
