Gap Year Shanghai

The Full Immersion Gap Year

You start the first half of your year abroad in Shanghai with its amazing nightlife, international community and endless opportunities for doing pretty much anything you could possibly think of. After exploring this mega city, you will then spend the second half in China’s old summer capital Chengde (not to be confused with Chengdu) and experience the “real China”. No more expats, no international community, no English spoken, but only Chinese culture and Mandarin 24/7.

While there is no better way to learn Chinese in China than complete immersion in the city where Mandarin originated, this is of course culturally a lot more challenging than living in an international city like Shanghai. While Shanghai is a bit of a “dream world” that is very different to the rest of China. In Chengde you will see and experience how real life in China actually happens today.

The City: Chengde

Chengde (not Chengdu) was where the emperor and his court went to escape the summer heat of the capital during the Qing dynasty. It’s home to the original Qing Summer Palace, eight temples and the world’s largest wooden Buddha. Today it’s recognised as a UNESCO world heritage site. The city is located in the mountains north of Beijing, right next to the Great Wall. With 500,000 inhabitants it’s pretty small – by Chinese standards at least. Chengde is also the birthplace of modern Mandarin, since the standard Chinese pronunciation we teach today was based on the language of school children in Chengde. The city has three universities, is very safe, easy to navigate and has a much slower pace of life than other larger cities in China. At the same time there are no foreigners living here and you will be living with a Mandarin-only homestay family – so you will be completely immersed into Chinese culture and language day and night. All classes are taught 1-on-1 too, to make sure you don’t speak English with your classmates. This is the real China!

Chinese Language Year

Study two semesters abroad in a small group class at LTL Shanghai and achieve fluency in Mandarin. Class sizes at LTL are always small, with an average of three and guaranteed never more than six students per class. You’ll have 20 hours of class per week for each 18 week semester. Students can choose to live in an LTL shared apartment, homestay or organise their own accommodation in the city. With fun classes and an interactive teaching approach we make sure that our students not only progress quickly with their language abilities, but also enjoy studying.

No hidden charges or costs: When China closes down for one of its national holidays and our teachers return home, your class hours will be made up for. Your course books and materials are already included in the price and there are no hidden administrative charges.

Chinese and English Gap Year Program

You will first spend a month studying a Chinese course in Shanghai to get familiar with Chinese culture and grasp the basics of the language. After your first month you will spend another 18 weeks in a smaller city teaching English. This is an amazing opportunity to explore China on a budget during your year abroad and learn some basic Chinese at the same time.

While teaching English, the school will provide you with an apartment and 2000 CNY of spending money every month.

Study & Intern Gap Year

Learn Chinese and get real work experience in Shanghai while discovering China and making new friends from all over the world. With the Study & Intern Gap Year Program you will first spend a semester studying  Mandarin at LTL Shanghai and then be placed in a company for an internship. Depending on your preferences your internship can be either in an English, Chinese or mixed language environment and we will choose the company based on your future career plans. The internship duration can be anything from two to six months. In combination with your new Chinese language skills this work experience in China will be a great addition to your CV/Resume.

If you’re looking to keep costs down during your year in China, whilst still learning Mandarin and getting some work experience, then this is the perfect program for you. The program also includes our Standard Shanghai Survival Kit to get you settled when you first arrive.