Learn Chinese in Shanghai with That’s Mandarin

For both group and private classes, one class lasts 50 minutes. Most of our students take more than one class per day, so there's always a 10-minute break between classes - it proves to be helpful to process what you've just learned.

Part-Time Group courses include 4 classes per week.

Intensive Group Courses include 15 classes per week.

Class schedule for Private classes is flexible.

The class content is based on the course you've chosen, and the classes can vary slightly based on the teacher's personal style - but an average class usually includes a review of previously learned content, an engaging and student-centered input of new words & grammar, a reading/viewing section (of a related article or a video), and practice, practice, practice - which will help you convert the newly learned content into your active vocabulary.

Most importantly, you will be encouraged to speak Chinese as much as possible, and the classes will be held in Chinese. For more details, read the next 2 questions.

We have high requirements for our teachers, and only hire 5% of applicants. All our teachers are native Chinese speakers and are university graduates with majors in Chinese language education or literature.

They have also previously obtained a Teaching Chinese as a Second Language (TCSL, or TCSOL) certificate before they joined us and successfully completed That’s Mandarin’s mandatory Teachers Training Course (TTC).

All of our classes are taught in Chinese to give students a fully immersive Chinese experience. Even for absolute beginners, our teachers will only use limited English to help you understand them. Our teacher will use pictures, videos, signs, and gestures to help you learn.

As your Chinese level progresses, less and less English will be used in your classes and you will be able to understand more and more Chinese every day.

We recommend applying at least 3 months in advance to guarantee you will get a spot in a program of your choice, with your preferred schedule. By applying early, you can also benefit from our early bird discount.

Besides, you will need to apply for a Chinese visa at least 30 days in advance and longer if you’re applying for a student X2 visa (for long-term Chinese courses only).