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Overview

Personalise your learning with a course of private Chinese lessons in Shanghai. In a 1-on-1 class you have the full attention of the teacher, so whether you want to improve your tones or learn Business Mandarin, the lesson will always be relevant to you and your needs. At LTL Mandarin School it’s easy to make friends even when you take 1-on-1 classes, thanks to our busy social calendar and close-knit family atmosphere. We eat lunch together every day near the school and do different cultural activities around the city at the weekends.
You can try 1-on-1 classes as an addition to your Small Group language program, or if you want to make really rapid progress, then do an intensive full-time 1-on-1 program of 20 or 30 hours per week.

  • Certified native teachers
  • All teachers speak English
  • Individual curriculum
  • Regular events to meet other students
  • Student visa invitations provided
  • No hidden fees
  • Tailored To You

    Tailored To You

    Pre-assessment: Free online language assessment before arrival

    Individual curriculum: A personal study plan focusing on your needs

    Flexible lesson plans: Your course adapts to your study progress

    Personal support: From the visa application to getting a mobile SIM

  • Quality You Can Trust

    Quality You Can Trust

    Professional teachers: Fully-qualified with years of experience

    No time wasted: The full 60 minutes is focused on you alone

    No hidden fees: No extra charges for textbooks or materials!

  • Friends & Community

    Friends & Community

    Inclusive: After classes students eat, chat and go out together

    Weekly social calendar: School-organised karaoke nights and weekend trips

    Expert guides: Student Advisors on hand for expert local knowledge

  • Shanghai’s Best Language School

    Shanghai’s Best Language School

    Historic area: Live and breathe Shanghai history in the French Concession.

    Convenient location: 5 mins walk from Subway Lines 1, 10 & 12

    Facilities Newly renovated school with bright classrooms & free WiFi

Course Overview

Choose to supplement your Small Group program with two hours per day of 1-on-1 tuition, or if you really want to study intensively, then opt for a full-time 1-on-1 Mandarin Chinese course.

55 minutes per class for Small Groups, and 60 minutes per class for 1-on-1.

Small Group & Individual Standard Individual Intensive
Hours / week 20 (Group), 10 (1-on-1) 20 (1-on-1) 30 (1-on-1)
Start Dates On a Small Group start date Any Monday Any Monday
Duration From 1 to 24 weeks From 1 to 52 weeks From 1 to 52 weeks

Pricing

Below are the tuition prices in CNY for some sample durations of the LTL Chinese Language programs that include 1-on-1 tuition. All prices include your first textbook and all learning materials. As you can see, the longer your course, the greater the discount on the base tuition price – up until 12 weeks, after which the minimum rate applies.

Number of Weeks Small Group & Individual Standard Individual Intensive
1 4,644 4,644 6,966
2 8,886 8,886 13,932
4 15,348 15,348 23,020
8 28,112 28,112 42,160
12 38,772 38,772 58,152
>12 +3,231 +3,231 +4,846
Email Icon For alternative durations and prices in other currencies, please contact us.

Upgrades

Shanghai Safari

Get out of the classroom and onto the streets of Shanghai with the LTL Shanghai Safari. There’s no better way to learn Chinese than by interacting directly with the locals themselves. During a Safari session you will learn how to buy a subway card not from a textbook, but at a subway station itself, and you’ll learn how to barter for souvenirs by going directly to a market. It’s this sort of ‘living the language’ that we we believe makes sense to be taught outside the classroom.

A certified Mandarin Teacher will accompany you the whole time, and will always be on hand to teach the vocabulary you will need to achieve your task. More importantly, your teacher will give you direct feedback right there and then.

How a session works:

1) Warm Up: Your teacher will explain today’s task before you set off, going through the vocabulary and sentence patterns that you will need.

2) The Safari: Whether it’s asking a shop assistant where to find red socks, or discussing rental prices with a property agent, the complexity of the Shanghai Safari task will depend on your Mandarin level. We have twenty Safari scenarios prepared for you.

3) Cool Down: Your teacher reviews the additional vocabulary that came up and explains when, how and why misunderstandings might have occurred. They will also suggest additional phrases that you could have used.
  • Best suited to Chinese beginners at levels A1 or A2
  • 10 hr/wk of your 1-on-1 Chinese lessons will be upgraded to Safari
  • The upgrade can be applied for a maximum of 2 weeks
  • You are responsible for any purchases made during your Safari

Discover Shanghai

Do you want to see and learn about Shanghai’s culture and history, from the beautiful Yu Garden to the imposing Bund? If so, you should consider the LTL Discover Shanghai upgrade, where you will take your private Chinese language classes at some of Shanghai’s most famous attractions. This is an outdoor program which allows you to study Mandarin by mingling with the locals and experiencing everything that Shanghai has to offer. Your teacher will take you from our central language school to a different location each day, and often base your lesson around the place you are visiting.

Course information:

  • Available for all Chinese levels from A1 to C2
  • Explore a different historic or cultural sight each day
  • 20 hr/wk of your 1-on-1 classes will be upgraded to Discover classes
  • The upgrade can be applied for a maximum of 2 weeks
  • You are responsible for any purchases made during your Discover classes

What Our Students Say

Kennedy Kidd Testimony for LTL
Kennedy Kidd
San Diego, USA

Intensive Individual classes, had good teachers. Everyone was very patient and accommodated my learning.

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Kennedy Kidd Testimony for LTL
Kennedy Kidd
San Diego, USA

I originally studied in Beijing, but have been there for 3 times already, so I wanted to go to a different place. I haven’t been so much to Shanghai and I heard it’s an interesting place so I wanted to try it out. LTL could offer Individual classes, as well a flexible schedule and a Homestay, which were all important to me.

Cheers!

I signed up for the “Discover Shanghai” upgrade, which was nice, especially if it’s your first time in Shanghai. We went to the Oriental Pearl Tower, Xintiandi, Nanjing East Road Shopping Area, The Yu Gardens, The City God Temple and The Bund.

Before coming to China I didn’t like Chinese food, so I was nervous that I might not like the food of the Homestay family, but I found it was actually delicious. Best Chinese food I ever had!

Intensive Individual classes, had good teachers. Everyone was very patient and accommodated my learning.

I want to come back to China to study even more Chinese, and maybe do an internship. We’ll see.

Stuart Leesong Testimony for LTL
Stuart Leesong
Melbourne, Australia

When I arrived to Shanghai, after organizing the program with LTL, we started classes and they were really great!

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Stuart Leesong Testimony for LTL
Stuart Leesong
Melbourne, Australia
Stuart attending Xinjiang style dinner.

Stuart attending Xinjiang style dinner.

My name is Stuart, I’m from Australia but my parents are from South Korea. I studied medicine in university, and wanted to go with my friends to China to do a Chinese study program Chinese. While Googling for places to study, the LTL website popped up. Me and my friends decided to search up a bit more, and found that LTL had like a lot of reviews! One amazing review site listed some 25 reviews with really high ratings. I then called up the school and talked with the school director, and I was really impressed. The guy seems like he really knew his stuff, not to mention he also sounded very interested in helping me learn Mandarin, regardless of coming to this school or not. That’s always a good feeling : )

Stuart on a day trip to Nanxiang water town

Stuart on a day trip to Nanxiang water town

When I arrived to Shanghai, after organizing the program with LTL, we started classes and they were really great! My teacher was amazing, we really clicked! We were having an Individual 1on1 program, which was organized really well, and my teacher also hung out with us after class, so it was really easy to make friends with her. The environment of the school was really great. We had a lot of fun LTL dinners, and the social presence of the school director really rocks! The atmosphere was very casual, which felt very welcoming, and I enjoyed hanging out and talking with the staff after and in-between classes.

I can say that originally I didn’t want to go to Shanghai due to the higher costs of living and the high foreign population, and I was a bit unsatisfied about this until I came anyway. Shanghai didn’t win me over, LTL did!

I definitely want to come back and study again at LTL if I’m able to, or at the least, will definitely visit 🙂

Mia Dexter Testimony for LTL
Mia Dexter
London, UK

I loved how I would have conversations with the teacher at the start, and then we would learn and review words based on this conversation.

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Mia Dexter Testimony for LTL
Mia Dexter
London, UK

I first studied with LTL in 2012, in Beijing. My aunt’s friend is a travel agent and I found LTL through her.

Mia and friends after class.

Mia and friends after class.

I enjoyed my time at LTL, but I was eager to try out a different city this time around. I’ve heard good things about Shanghai. When I arrived in Shanghai everything was smooth and easy, within two days I already knew where things were, and who to ask.

I stayed in a homestay, the location was very convenient and my homestay mother was a very nice person. It was a very welcoming, and friendly atmosphere and I was told to just relax and feel at home. They were always willing to help me out with anything.

Beijing duck dinner

Beijing duck dinner

My classes were great. I loved how I would have conversations with the teacher at the start, and then we would learn and review words based on this conversation. All in all I had four different teachers and they were all great. The more you get to know them the easier the learning becomes. With 1 on 1 classes you really get to know your teachers which makes learning easier. I really learned a lot during my time at LTL.

Overall I had a great time at LTL, the social life was amazing, I always felt welcome, and Shanghai is just an amazing city.

FAQs

How fast will I learn?

The progress you will make obviously depends on how hardworking you are, and how you choose to spend your time in Shanghai outside of the classroom. From experience, those who stay in an LTL homestay with a local family will improve their oral fluency and listening comprehension more quickly than those who live with other foreigners. But as a general guideline, a motivated student at LTL Mandarin School on the Standard Individual program could expect to reach approximately HSK 3 level after about 10 weeks. See our Levels page for details.

How exactly is my study plan formed?

Before you arrive in Shanghai, you will have a language assessment with our Director of Studies over the phone / Skype. This is not an exam, but rather an informal conversation so we can gauge your current Mandarin Chinese level (if any) and decide which learning materials you should work from – whether that’s a textbook, newspapers or documents from your field of work. We will also ask you if there are any particular areas you wish to focus on, such as tones, HSK exam preparation, or even talking about specialist, technical topics relevant to your career. Once you have started the 1-on-1 program, your teacher will always be open to adapting lessons to your needs and preferences. Perhaps you decide to start each lesson reviewing what you studied the day before? Or perhaps you decide you prefer to cover as much ground as possible, and review in your own time. Either way, our teachers have had many years of experience in teaching Chinese, so they will work with you over the duration of your course to develop your study plan.

How can I apply?

Simply click here to contact a Student Advisor directly!

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