Introduction

LTL Mandarin School was founded and established in 2007 by Andreas Laimböck, born in Frankfurt, who first came to China in 1999 and started studying Mandarin in Beijing in 2002. Since the school was established they already taught over 3,500 students from 105 different countries; it has 4 school locations in Shanghai, Beijing, Chengde & Taipei; Rated 4.8 stars on TripAdvisor; 19 classrooms with an average of 3 students per class; 32 Certified Chinese Language instructors; and accredited by International Association of Language Centres, German Education Industry (Bildungsurlaub), Swedish Higher Education Ministry (CSN), and Hanban/Confucius Institute Official HSK Testing Centre.

Why Choose LTL?

1) Their Teachers

The teachers are the jewel in the LTL crown it’s that simple. They take huge pride in their teachers in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengde. They are the best in the business and they know this because they only employ the best at LTL Mandarin School.

That is why LTL Mandarin School has such a strict recruitment process in place for teaching staff. All LTL teachers must have a Bachelor’s or a Master’s Degree in ‘Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language’ (对外汉语). During this four year course, they learn how the Chinese language works, how to teach it to foreigners, and learn more about their own culture. They are also required to pass English language exams and do work experience placements.

Prior to starting at LTL, their teachers also have to complete at least two years of teaching experience at another school. They will then be interviewed and do demonstration lessons before signing the contract.

2) Over a Decade of Experience

LTL Mandarin School has been going strong for over a decade now and we have helped over 3,000 Chinese enthusiasts learn more about the Chinese language and experience the country’s unique culture.

Their centres in Shanghai, Beijing, and Chengde have always been built on a solid foundation of trust. Their students from around the world trust and allow them to organize all aspects of their program, and support them throughout their time in China. It’s important that parents trust them to ensure the safety of their children, and our network of Chinese homestay families trust LTL to arrange for students to live in their homes.

3) Central Location

Their schools in Beijing, Shanghai, and Taiwan are all perfectly located to make your life going to and from school so much easier.

LTL Mandarin School Shanghai is located in the heart of Shanghai’s Former French Concession. From the 9th floor windows they can see Shanghai’s famous tree-lined streets with their shikumen architecture and the glossy, modern skyline of Pudong beyond.

LTL Beijing is based right in the heart of the Central Business District just a five-minute walk from Dawanglu Metro Station which is accessible on two lines. There are plenty of eateries, foreign and local a stone's throw from the school. They also have easy access to bars, a gym facility and even a swimming pool at the Beijing centre.

LTL Taipei is located between the artistic, vibrant Da’an district. Packed with restaurants, cafes, concert venues and lush parks alongside cool, trendy Xinyi, home to Taipei 101 and a wide range of clubs and bars. Two of Taipei’s most exciting night markets, Gongguan, and Linjiang are just a short distance away from their school

4) 24/7 Support

For many, the idea of living and studying in China is a daunting one, especially if this will be your first visit to China. Before your arrival, your Student Advisor will be on hand to help you prepare for the trip and answer any concerns you may have. They’ll also be around the school during office hours for day-to-day queries once you’ve arrived (such as where to find the best dumplings!)

They also offer a number of extra add-on services that many newcomers find helpful in the first few weeks, while they adjust to life in China.

All LTL students are covered by their 24/7 emergency support guarantee – they sincerely hope you won’t need it, but should you need emergency help whilst living in China, they’ll only be a phone call away.

5) LTL Community

LTL Mandarin School is so much more than a learning facility. Whether the students stay short-term or long-term, they hope their school will become a ‘home away from home’ during their time in China. Their students mean everything to them and the bonds created between student and staff, teacher and student, homestay and students are strong and this is something they are hugely proud of. Many students will end up forging lifelong friendships with the people they meet in China.

That’s because although their students come from diverse backgrounds and speak different mother tongues, all are united by a common aim – learning more about China and Mandarin Chinese.

LTL also organizes a weekly social calendar so that new students quickly feel part of the community. Everyone at the school meets to eat lunch together every day and there are a variety of LTL social events throughout the week – from Wednesday Night Social Dinners to weekend day trips. They have a lot of fun and LTL knows you will as well.

6) Immersion

There are a number of ways LTL can help you immerse yourself into Chinese culture and language as soon as you set foot in China. For example, the majority of their students stay with a local Chinese Homestay family. If there’s a sport or activity you’re keen to get involved with while you’re here, let them know, and they’ll help you to organize it. Put into practice what you learn in the classroom and apply it.

For those who want to take the immersion experience to the next level, there’s also their Immersion China program, in which you’ll spend half of your program in the rural city of Chengde – where you really will be surrounded by the Chinese language 24/7!

7) Accredited

Don’t just take their word for it – various organizations have recognized LTL Mandarin School as a top-quality provider of Chinese language programs. These organizations include: International Association of Language Centres (IALC), Chinese Government, The German Ministry of Education, The Swedish National Agency for Higher Education (Högskoleverket/CSN), and by universities around the world such as the Michigan State University.

8) Diversity

LTL pride themselves on hosting students from all four corners of the planet. Whether you are from Holland or Haiti, the Vatican or Venezuela, the chances are they’ve had a student from your country before!

English is the main spoken language in and around the school, except for Chinese of course!

That said, you’ll hear a whole host of different languages being spoken and the great thing about our environment is everyone has the same passion. Learning languages and sharing language experiences.

They even have students becoming the closest of friends even if they cannot communicate with each other at all. After weeks of studying Chinese together, you’ll get an English speaker and a Russian speaker communicating in solely Chinese. In their opinion, this is just beautiful! If you don’t believe, they can put you in touch with these students!!

9) Become Fluent

Great teachers, a strong curriculum, immersive homestays, 24/7 support, a fun social community and so forth are all important. However, they are all just tools to achieve what is their most important aim: to get their students to Chinese language fluency. The myth that you need to be a Ph.D. level super-brain, studying Mandarin for years to achieve fluency, unfortunately, is still widely spread, sometimes even among Chinese language teaching professionals themselves. LTL was founded to get rid of this unfounded myth.

Of course, when you study in a class with 20 other people, do not speak Mandarin after class and do not follow a structured curriculum it can take many years to learn Mandarin. However, that doesn’t mean Chinese is difficult – it just means that most people learn it the wrong way. They are here to prove that becoming fluent is far from a miracle of supernatural learning abilities, but simply the result of good teaching, immersion and a well-structured program.

Homestays speed up your learning speed. The Chinese complete immersion program gets a complete beginner to HSK 5 – and sometimes 6 – within a year. Small classes and professional teachers achieve fast progress. There is no magic to this, but it is a simple application of sound language teaching principles. And the results show. LTL students start speaking Mandarin in their homestays from the first week. Their students have a 98% HSK exam pass rate and win Chinese language competitions.

Chinese language fluency is absolutely achievable and with the right program should take a beginner no longer than a year to reach. Whether you come for just a few weeks, months or a whole year, forget about all the bells and whistles, in the end, LTL is just about one thing: to get you to become fluent in Chinese as fast as possible.