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Christopher Wilton-Steer

I wanted to come to China and learn Chinese so I applied for a course at a famous Beijing University. However, the university teaching style -- with 25 students per class, monotonous repeating of vocabulary, bored teachers, out-dated words and sayings -- left me disillusioned. Before the course had ended, I was already looking elsewhere. I then found That's Mandarin. I took the free trial lesson and after just 30 minutes I decided that this was exactly what I needed. Just that one lesson taught me more than a whole week did at the university. This is no exaggeration, because 1-to-1 teaching is all about you. The teachers really get the most out of the class time. Moreover, constantly using the language means you not only learn more but also retain more. When you start a course, a story is devised. It is rigid in the sense that it has a beginning and an end, but it also flexible in that you can influence it and thus be creative and play with the language. That is really important for improving retention. Within a few weeks I was having conversations and discussions about things I imagined would be months away. I think the most important thing about learning any language is confidence and That's Mandarin gives you that “out of the classroom” confidence to go out and speak Chinese. The dedication my teachers had in my Chinese language education dramatically increased my motivation to learn. I got the sense that they actually cared. For less than it would cost to go to one of the universities and endure the conditions mentioned above, at That's Mandarin I received great service and an absorbing, creative and productive language education.

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