Mandarin Plus

Sanlitun SOHO, B1-535, Beijing, China
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  • Mandarin Plus 1/17
  • Mandarin Plus 2/17
  • Mandarin Plus 3/17
  • Mandarin Plus 4/17
  • Mandarin Plus 5/17
  • Mandarin Plus 6/17
  • Mandarin Plus 7/17
  • Mandarin Plus 8/17
  • Mandarin Plus 9/17
  • Mandarin Plus 10/17
  • Mandarin Plus 11/17
  • Mandarin Plus 12/17
  • Mandarin Plus 13/17
  • Mandarin Plus 14/17
  • Mandarin Plus 15/17
  • Mandarin Plus 16/17
  • Mandarin Plus 17/17
reviews

Reviews

50% recommend

based on 2 reviews
5 stars
1
4 stars
0
3 stars
0
2 stars
0
1 star
1
Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing

"I had a great time improving my Chinese intensively."

Elena Obukhova, student from Russia

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.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
15 Jul 2013 - 26 Jul 2013
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Met none of my expectations"

Richard Frost, student from Hong Kong

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.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
2 Sep 2013 - 13 Sep 2013
Would you recommend this school?
No
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
housing

Housing

Mandarin Plus offers the following housing types:
homestay

Homestay - Single-person room - Breakfast

A$ 228
weekly
Location: In the city center of Beijing
Housing type: Homestay
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: Breakfast (7 meals per week)
Facilities: Kitchen, laundry, telephone, wireless internet, free internet, carpet, air conditioning, heating, and other
Distance to school: 5 - 50 minutes
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
A$ 228
apartment

Apartment - Single-person room - No meals

A$ 205
weekly
Location: In the city center of Beijing
Housing type: Apartment
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Kitchen, laundry, wireless internet, free internet, carpet, air conditioning, heating, and other
Distance to school: 5 - 50 minutes
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
A$ 205

Serviced apartment

A$ 1,045
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Location: In the city center of Beijing
Housing type: Private apartment
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Private bathroom, kitchen, telephone, wireless internet, free internet, tV room, air conditioning, and other
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
A$ 1,045
A serviced apartment is accommodation of the more luxurious type. Comfortable living room, bathroom and kitchen. Typically located in a compound with guards, an inner garden and often a fitness room or other sports facilities. Your house will be cleaned once or twice per week, depending on the compound available.
hotel

Hotel - 2-person shared room - No meals - 2 students must book together

A$ 614
weekly
Location: In the city center of Beijing
Housing type: Hotel
Room type: 2-person shared room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Private bathroom, laundry, telephone, wireless internet, free internet, carpet, air conditioning, heating, and other
Distance to school: 5 - 50 minutes
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Restriction: 2 students must book together
A$ 614
visa

Visa support

We cannot apply for visas on behalf of students. However, the school can supply you with all the documentation you need to support your visa application.

Your letter of acceptance will be sent to your home address by regular mail at no charge to you.

Flights and airport transfer

Please note that we do not book flights for our students. If you are researching airfare costs, we recommend using Kayak.com, a search engine that lets you compare flight options from your home country to Beijing based on your budget, schedule and preferences.

Travel insurance

Study abroad worry-free with Language International's health and personal effects insurance coverage. When you book a course with us, you can opt to purchase an international insurance plan that covers not only your health care cost but also loss of your personal belongings. You must book your insurance in advance when you register.

Learn more about our insurance plan »

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map

Map

Sanlitun SOHO, B1-535
Beijing

China

School location

Mandarin Plus offers high-quality language programs in Chinese and English with a curriculum designed to maximize second-language acquisition. We seek to improve understanding between cultures, making our center in Beijing a friendly and welcoming place for students of all ages and nationalities.

Our staff and teachers are experienced education professionals who create a dynamic and warm learning environment for every member of our community. In addition to attending language classes, students are welcome to join our many cultural activities including weekly movie nights, themed events and local tours.

questions

Questions and answers

Have questions? Get answers from Mandarin Plus staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.

Ask a question

"Are the text books included in the course fee?"

DAMIEN EDWARDS, student from USA
Mark Gruendemann, Taiwan Mandarin Institute Taipei school representative

As regards to course materials, this is compulsory and can be purchased via LI. Please refer to LI website for details.

Was this helpful? Yes

"Would you please give more information about the type of activities?"

DAMIEN EDWARDS, student from USA
Mark Gruendemann, Taiwan Mandarin Institute Taipei school representative

There are regular social activities in the evenings and also during class. The cost varies depending on the activities. The activities varies from week to week. The students normally look at the notice board in the school to see the activities on that week.

Was this helpful? Yes

"I noticed that the express mailing fee listed by your school on our website is 0. Does that mean you do NOT provide visa supporting documents to students?"

Cora Fu, Mandarin Plus school representative

We provide visa assistance to students.

Was this helpful? Yes

"I just want to clarify the express mailing fee. Because you provide visa supporting documents to student, do you charge any fee on this or the fee is included?"

Cora Fu, Mandarin Plus school representative

We don't charge any fee for our invitation letter.

Was this helpful? Yes

"How about for sending the letter by express mail (DHL or FedEx) to a foreign country?"

Rosalie Lutfiyya, student from China
Cora Fu, Mandarin Plus school representative

We don't usually send out the original version because Chinese embassy accept printed invitation letter for visa application.

Was this helpful? Yes

"Is it a private apartment?"

Richard Frost, student from Hong Kong
Cora Fu, Mandarin Plus school representative

Usually one apartment has 2 bedrooms and one bathroom.

Was this helpful? Yes

"Does the single-person apartment of Mandarin Plus have its own bathroom?"

Richard Frost, student from Hong Kong
Cora Fu, Mandarin Plus school representative

No it doesn't.

Was this helpful? Yes
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