Lightwater Mandarin Tutors and Lightwater Mandarin Tuition

Personal Description:
I am a professional , competent qualified Chinese teacher who has 20 years of invaluable experience, And I am able to effectively communicate with students of all ages and abilities .

Teaching Experience:
I am currently a Mandarin lecturer in a university , teaching university students and adult learners .I have experience teaching students in primary schools and secondary schools.

Tutoring Approach:
My lessons depend on the individual needs of the students whether it is for preparation for an exam , for tourists ,for business travellers or for those wanting to learn for their pleasure .
My tutoring covers pronunciation ,conversations,grammar, reading, culture and simplified Chinese character writing.
I can teach at my own house or that of the students.

Subjects

Personal Description:
I am passionate about teaching languages, mostly orientals, and also coaching martial arts and self defence. I coach the IWTA-EWTO-WingTsun 梁挺詠春拳.

In the first 12 weeks of the beginners program you'll learn the basics for a proactive and "pre-emptive" self defence and to deal with the most "common" types of attacks. This is the Blitz-Defence program.

Afterward you start a more sophisticated training program where you learn to deal with an aggressor in a less violent way by using our unique tactile skills training method.

I can assure you, you will terminate every lesson by learning something new and useful! All I need is your concentration.

Due to the contact nature of this martial art I cam only teach in person and not online

Teaching Experience:
Currently tutoring Italian (advanced level) and Japanese (basic level) in all the 4 skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking).

January 2012 - PRESENT: I have been teaching Italian language since January 2012 on 1-2-1 base and via skype when I am abroad.

February 2012 - April 2012: I taught Japanese language for absolute beginners via skype.

April 2010 - February 2012: I taught at The Mill Languages School, in Macclesfield town centre: Mandarin, Japanese, German. In particular I have taught German language to a tailored group to refresh their skills.

August 2015 - 2016. Tutoring Japanese language to beginner level via skype. I taught to school teachers who are planning to travel to Japan and teach English, they need a minimum fluency to go by.

....however; nothing can beat the experience I have matured over these past 2 years. I need your full committment over a term period (3 months). I need a quite learning environment where I can focus on your progress; either a public library or my house; coffee shop may work depending on the time we agree.

Tutoring Approach:
I am based in Macclesfield and I teach in an informal and yet methodical way; I can teach colloquial and formal languages.

As for martial art for self-defence (WingTsun Kungfu 梁挺詠春拳) I have been teaching privately at different venues.
Each 1-2-1 class has to be booked. I combine the Kungfu system with my experience in working with body awareness and body technique at contact.
This is a very diverse method of teaching in comparison to the mainstream as it involves not just the purely choreographic aspect but a more comprehensive.

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Personal Description:
I am a native Chinese speaker and can speak fluent Cantonese and Mandarin.
I also teach Piano, Trombone, Double Bass and Music Theory up to Grade 8 and Jazz Piano up to Grade 5 as I have all the qualifications in those instruments.
Piano lesson starting from £40 per hours depends on level.

Teaching Experience:
I have 16 years of teaching experience of Music, Maths and Chinese.

Tutoring Approach:
I am patient in teaching and would like to work together with student step by step until they understand all the things.

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Personal Description:
ONLINE OR Face to face LESSONS AVAILABLE .

Qualified teacher for over 20 years, including GCSE A Level KS3 Also delivering the oral part of exams.

As a speaker of four languages I know what it feels like to be a student as well as a teacher, so I like to ensure my lessons are not boring but also not just fun and no learning development happens.

I have a purpose designed classroom in my house, with whiteboards etc and a wealth of teaching material, a real teaching environment encourages good learning.

Teaching Experience:
From 2017 to date I have had many students pass GCSE and A-Levels.

Since 2015 I have also been teaching Mandarin at a local private school.

In August 2015 I travelled to Beijing to undertake further teacher training at the Beijing Language & Culture University, as I feel it is important to not become complacent and look to learn new methods and techniques.

2006-date Having moved to the UK I have taught at BBC Worldwide, London Conversation Piece, Basingstoke Queen Mary College, as well as numerous one to one classes for adults and children of all levels from holiday conversations, academic like GCSE & A Levels and professional usage such as legal, museums etc.

2001-2005 Qualified as a Mandarin teacher at the Taipei Langauge Insitute and taught people from the UK, USA, Japan and numerous other countries.

Tutoring Approach:
Every student is different so whilst my all classes cover the basics, they all are developed to personally meet your requirements and expectations.

I use various teaching methods, such as role play, newspapers, television episodes, even a trip to Chinese restaurant as well as a variety of text books and mock tests.

I will explain the grammar and how culture effects the language.

I speak with the standard correct Chinese pronunciation and use both simplified and traditional characters and even classical.

It is important to me that you both enjoy the classes but also see your Chinese develop.
Naturally lessons will cover, talking, reading, writing, listening

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Personal Description:
I am an energetic, enthusiastic and well qualified Mandarin teacher, who has already had over 10 years of teaching experience, including UK, Germany, Belgium, Taiwan and China, two international schools, two UK independent schools and four different language centres.

Teaching Experience:
Lecturer of Mandarin Chinese, University of West England Jan.2016- present
I am presently teaching one lecture per week in the Business and Law department to classes of up to 30 adult students. With the use of a variety of materials and drawing on my past experiences of creating a Chinese programme, I have created a suitable syllabus for beginners who will likely be using their new language skills in their future business positions.

Teacher of Chinese, Badminton School, Bristol, UK Sept.2015 - Sept.2018
This permanent Monday -Friday position gave me my first experience in preparing students for GCSE, iGCSE and A-level examinations. Due to how international my school is, I teach native Chinese speakers and non-native speakers. This breadth of student-base has expanded my skills considerably. From teaching students their first lesson to analysing millennia-old Chinese literature with native-speakers, I have enjoyed this challenge. I have developed the Chinese syllabus while here, which now has curriculum classes in years 7, 8 & 9. Last year saw my first two non-native speaking students take their GCSEs; both my British and my Korean student got As, after I had taught them from beginner level, two years previously. I am also the GCSE examiner for the oral summer examinations.

Teacher of Mandarin Chinese, Bristol Grammar School, Bristol, UK Jan. 2014 -July 2015
I taught Mandarin Chinese to a range of ages, all of whom were absolute beginners. My youngest group consisted of six-year-olds and my oldest group consisted of seventeen-year-olds. I brought Chinese into the school, which continues to teach compulsory Chinese classes to year 7, even after I moved on to Badminton School in 2015

Teacher of Mandarin Chinese, Bristol Language School, Bristol, UK Sept. 2014 - Aug. 2015
This part-time position saw me teaching Chinese to different levels of adult learners in the evening. My students ranged from absolute beginners to B1 level.

Teacher of Mandarin Chinese, International House Bristol, Bristol, UK Sept. 2013 - Jan. 2016
This part-time position saw me teaching Chinese to different levels of adult learners in the evening. My students ranged from absolute beginners to B1 level.

Teacher of Mandarin Chinese, Ms. Sun's Mandarin Corner, Beijing, China Sept. 2012 - June 2013
After graduating from BLCU, Beijing, where I completed my Masters in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, I set up and taught in this school, which added to my ever-growing classroom experience by teaching students of all ages. I taught up to twenty hours per week, and had students from eight different countries. Although I tried to use Mandarin whenever I could, I could confidently use English or German to explain certain points if necessary.

Teacher of Mandarin and EAL, Rego British International School, Beijing, China Sep. 2012 - Dec. 2012
A very rewarding and challenging position, which expanded my teaching experience tremendously and offered me experience teaching the English curriculum (including GCSE Mandarin), as well as time teaching children with a vast range of ages and levels of Chinese. I taught both Mandarin Chinese and many aspects of Chinese culture and history.

Lecturer of Mandarin Chinese, Chinese Centre, Wen Hua Uni, Taipei, Taiwan July 2011 - Jan. 2012
In this exciting position, I taught Europeans, Asians, North Americans and Australasian all as part of my one-to-one and group class programmes.

Lecturer of Mandarin Chinese, Chinese Centre, Fu-Jen University, Taipei, Taiwan April - June 2011
Keen to get back into the classroom and get some first-hand experience to assist me while writing my Masters' dissertation, I got a position at my previous university, where I met some very interesting students from countries such as Honduras, Vanuatu, Germany, Paraguay, Italy, Britain, The USA, Japan and Korea.

Teacher of Mandarin Chinese, Taipei Language Institute, Taipei, Taiwan Jan. - April 2011
This was a useful experience, as I taught both group classes as well as handful of one-to-one classes.

Practical Lecturer of Mandarin Chinese, Sinology Department, The University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany Sept. - Dec. 2010
Using the textbook "Taiwan Today", I taught my class both Mandarin Chinese and about Taiwanese culture. I really appreciate my time here as I was given the freedom to create my own programme and to create each lecture. During my time at The University of Heidelberg, I covered a few of my colleagues' first semester Mandarin classes.

Lecturer of Mandarin Chinese, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, China 2009-2010
During the first year of my Masters course, I assisted and taught a number of Chinese courses.

Chinese, English and German tutor 2006 - 2010
I have taught private adult classes in both Taiwan and China. This was my first professional experience of teaching people from such a varied cultural background.

Tutoring Approach:
I am a calm, patient and energetic teacher. I love sharing my culture and native language with students, as I love travelling and learning new languages and cultures myself.

Everybody's development must be attended to individually. As a teacher, I am able to ascertain and cater for the educational needs of every one of my students. I know that every learner will have varying speeds of learning and will be able to access the content of the lesson in different ways. In my ten years of teaching experience, I have taught from primary school children up to international business people.

Whether you want a tutor for GCSE or A-level preparation, inspiring a love of the language in younger learners, want to learn Mandarin for fun, travelling, for business or for HSK exam, I have had experience teaching all types of language learners.

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Personal Description:
PRIVATE CHINESE (MANDARIN/CANTONESE) LESSONS WITH QUALIFIED NATIVE TUTOR (GCSE/AS/AL/ADULT LEARNER)

Hello and Nihao! My name is James. I have realised that Chinese has become a more and more popular language worldwide recently due to the increased economic activities China does with the rest of the world. It is the most widely spoken language in the world (approx. 1.3 billion Chinese speakers in the world). It is also one of the six official languages in the UN. It is now a trend that in order to be a successful business person or even a professional in other aspects, it is important to acquire the ability to speak Chinese and to understand the Chinese culture.

As a Chinese Language Support Officer at University of Exeter and an ex Chinese Teacher at a private boarding school (Trinity School in Teignmouth, Devon), I would like to promote the Chinese language and culture as much as I can. I am now offering private Chinese lessons at a learner-friendly price in the Torbay and South Devon area. The price is as below:

GCSE: £27 PER HOUR PER PERSON
AS/A-LEVEL: £27 PER HOUR PER PERSON
ADULT LEARNER/UNIVERSITY LEVEL: £27 PER HOUR PER PERSON



PRVIATE JAPANESE LESSONS

Konichiwa! With a very good command of Japanese and seeing a growing interest in the language, I am now offering flexible Japanese lessons to the those who are interested. I am willing to travel to teach with added travel expense. Prices as as below:

CHILD LEARNER : £30 PER HOUR PER PERSON
ADULT LEARNER: £30 PER HOUR PER PERSON



PRIVATE ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS LESSONS (GCSE/AS/AL/UNIVERSITY)

Graduated with a Business and Economics background and seeing pupils at my school struggling with their Business and Economics school work, I also offer private Economics and Business lessons for those who need help with their school work outside school. Price is as below:

GCSE: £32 PER HOUR PER PERSON
AS/A-LEVEL: £32 PER HOUR PER PERSON
ADULT LEARNER: £32 PER HOUR PER PERSON
UNIVERSITY LEVEL: £35 PER HOUR PER PERSON




PRIVATE MARTIAL ARTS AND SELF DEFENCE LESSONS (ANY AGE AND EXPERIENCE)

As a life-time passion, I have had an extensive training in Martial Arts since I was 15. So far, I have been training in boxing, wing chun, Muay-Thai, Brazilian Jiujitsu, Filipino Kali free style wrestling and MMA. I was the University Students' Champion in a Muay Thai Tournament in 2007 back in Hong Kong. Seeing MMA and self-defence has become more and more popular nowadays, I am offering private Martial Arts/Self Defence lessons. If you are interested in learning any martial arts, whether as a beginner or as an experienced fighter hoping to sharpen your skills or simply just want to learn self-defence to protect yourself, please do not hesitate to get in touch. You can arrange 1:1 sessions or group sessions according to your needs. Price is as below:

£22-25 PER HOUR, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF GROUP


I look forward to hearing from you.

Teaching Experience:
9 years as a Chinese Language Support Officer at University of Exeter

6 years of teaching in Trinity School Teignmouth (a private school)

10 years of home tutoring with various age groups

6 years of teaching private kickboxing and self defence lessons

Tutoring Approach:
Flexible approach according to different students' needs

Subjects

Personal Description:
I'm a master student from China majoring in human nutrition in Glasgow university. Before this, in my undergraduate university in China I have worked as a proofreader of dictated draft from speech records for student union. I'm good at wording and grammar. Recently I learned a little German and Arabic to experience how people speaking varies around the world and also inspired by these teachers as to how to approach to a language from 0.

Teaching Experience:
During this year I have taught a classmate mandarin from 0. He is a Scottish. However, he is keen to learn a wide variety of languages. When he found Korean and Malay easier he gave up mandarin. Such a worldwide culture vulture! Anyway, no matter you learn mandarin for culture, travel, work, yellow-face friends, curiosity, or just Chinese restaurants, you are all warmly welcome! I can teach you from the basic pronunciation which is like singing to beautiful Chinese characters which is like dancing.....

Tutoring Approach:
I'm only available from September to December 2016. I'm friendly and very patient. If you have time for homestudying I can teach more during tutorial; if not, we will practice more together to consolidate memory. Language is for communication, absolutely not for getting a high score!
Honored to be your teacher!

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Personal Description:
Teaching at a prestigious independent secondary school in Kent, I am a native speaker with excellent subject knowledge and language skills. Having over 8 years of Mandarin teaching experience, my students range from pre-school young learners to adult learners. I am a qualified teacher with postgraduate certificate in Education and I am specialised in tutoring GCSE and A-Level Chinese.

Teaching Experience:
3 years as primary school English teacher in Shanghai.
3 years as Mandarin teacher at Kent Adult Education.
5 years as Mandarin teacher in secondary school (11-18 ) in the UK.

Tutoring Approach:
I am able to make your learning fun and enjoyable by means of creative techniques. I instil a sense of confidence in my pupils enabling them to maximise their understanding of the language. Each student is treated with respect and understanding regardless of their age, gender or personal circumstances. All my students have achieved Grade 8 or 9 for Chinese GCSE.

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Personal Description:
I am British, and living in Hampshire. I am a qualified secondary school teacher in the UK (QTS, PGCE), and have taught Mandarin Chinese full-time in both the state and private sectors in the UK, at two schools leading the country in their Mandarin provision. I have passed the highest level exams in Mandarin Chinese (HSK level 6, and Advanced Speaking HSKK), and have lived in China for six years. I have just completed a Master's degree in the field of applied linguistics.

My Education background is as follows.

2016-2017: University of Southampton
- MA English Language Teaching.
- Specialism in motivation in online learning.
- Distinction level pass anticipated. To receive certificate in November 2017.

2014-2015: CfBT; University of Hull
- QTS (Qualified Teacher Status), with PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate of Education).

2002 - 2005: University of Durham
- First class honours degree: Politics BA.

1992 - 2002: Portsmouth Grammar School
- A levels: French A, Spanish A, Politics A, History A,
- GCSEs: 6 A*s. 3 As.

Teaching Experience:
2017 - 2020: LSI Portsmouth English Teacher
- Taught Exam preparation courses (IELTS, CPE) to foreign students.

2015 - 2016: Whitgift School Mandarin Teacher.
- Taught Mandarin and French to secondary school students aged 11 to 15 at one of the top schools in the UK.
- Offered a permanent contract at the school.

2014 - 2015: Bohunt School Trainee Mandarin Teacher (School Direct Salaried).
- Learned from Outstanding teacher at 2014 TES School Awards Overall
School of the Year.
- Taught Mandarin and French to secondary school students aged 11 to 13.

2010 - 2014: Guilin University of Electronic Technology (Guilin, China). TEFL English Teacher.
- Taught English to Undergraduate students majoring in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language.
- Prepared students for the IELTS examination.

2008 - 2010: Caterpillar Inc (UK). Purchasing Specialist (Graduate Trainee)

2007 - 2008: New Dynamic Institute (Chengdu, China). TEFL English teacher.
- Taught small groups of professionals in middle and senior management, both conversational and Business English, in an English training school.

2005 - 2007: Thames School of Languages (Huizhou, China). TEFL English Teacher.
- Taught primary and secondary school students aged 4 to 18 in an English training school.

Tutoring Approach:
My approach to tutoring is based on my own experience and academic research in the field of second language learning.

- I aim to foster and maintain motivation, through relating all topics directly to my students' everyday lives, experiences and opinions; and through providing instruction which is tailored to students' requirements.
- I aim to make my students feel comfortable through helping them to feel relaxed and providing as much linguistic support as is needed.
- I aim to increase my students' linguistic knowledge through using resources which are at a level just slightly beyond the student's current level, so that they are comfortable, but challenged.
- I am to promote skills development through developing comprehension skills (reading and listening), but also productive skills (speaking and writing).

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Personal Description:
I am bilingual, cross-cultural understanding Chinese Mandarin teacher. Being a native Chinese Mandarin speaker and having about ten years teaching experience on private and classroom Chinese Mandarin and helping vast numbers of children and adults to achieve their goals, I offer Chinese Mandarin classes for all age-children to adults, individually and in group, for all levels, all goals.

Teaching Experience:
I have about ten years teaching experience on private and classroom Chinese Mandarin and helping vast numbers of children and adults to achieve their goals.

Tutoring Approach:
I tailor lessons for different clients on their level, age and goals. I can bring you a fresh, enjoyable Chinese learning experience. I believe that learning a language is not only about class time - it is about being immersed into a culture and experiencing everything it has to offer. It will be a fun and interactive way along your learning.

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Personal Description:
Native Mandarin speaker born and raised in China, systematically educated to a high standard (graduated from primary, middle and high schools). Highly educated, successfully graduated with a couple of academic degrees from top British universities including Imperial College London. Currently working in banking in the city of London.

Teaching Experience:
Many years of one to one experiences with private school students from Tonbridge and Sevenoaks as well as younger kids and mature students.

Tutoring Approach:
I have had experience teaching children from a young age as well as mature students, therefore I am more than happy to customize teaching pace and technique according to the requirement of my students.

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Personal Description:
I am a fully qualified and experienced Mandarin and Spanish teacher, and held the positions of Head of Chinese at both Oakham School and Oundle School. I am bilingual in Spanish, and studied Chinese at University for 4 years, including a year in China.

Languages have always been a passion of mine, and I am eager to help language learners of all abilities. I am friendly and approachable, and realise how difficult Mandarin in particular can be for learners with no Chinese background. I genuinely enjoy finding new ways to help pupils overcome these difficulties, especially with writing and speaking. Spanish has its own challenges, and I am equally passionate about both languages.

Teaching Experience:
I have taught and am familiar with a range of exam boards and syllabuses. At GCSE Level I have taught AQA and EdExcel, and Cambridge IGCSE. I have also taught IB Diploma Level: Spanish Standard and Higher Levels; Mandarin ab initio. I have taught A Level and Cambridge Pre-U in both languages for a number of years. All my pupils have achieved top results.

Tutoring Approach:
I believe that everyone learns differently and I will first spend time getting to know exactly what is needed, and how the individual learns best before coming up with a personalised plan. I believe my strongest ability is an adaptability to meet the varying needs of the pupil as, generally, this is why tuition is being sought beyond the school curriculum.

In terms of academic structure, I would aim to follow a curriculum but have the flexibility to pause where needed. I am a firm believer that confidence is an essential part of learning a language, and I hope to give my pupils the confidence that they need.

Lastly, but equally as important, language learning should be engaging and fun. I strive to keep a healthy balance in this. So often I meet pupils who have initially fallen out of love with a subject and bringing them back on board is essential. Whilst the emphasis is always on academic progress, lessons will always be enjoyable.

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Personal Description:
I am a qualified (CELTA) English Language teacher who has been teaching in Taiwan, Poland and the UK since July 2017.

I have studied Chinese, German and Spanish so I fully understand what it is like to learn a foreign language. I like to keep my classes informative, useful and enjoyable, and I will tailor them to suit you and your needs.

I read and write extensively during my free time, and I aim to encourage others to see the positives in both reading and writing effectively. I also enjoy football, travelling and gardening.

I am dedicated to improving my knowledge and skills, and I pride myself on being a strict and dedicated teacher who encourages every student to reach their full potential.

Teaching Experience:
Since completing my CELTA in 2017, I have taught ages 3-65 from levels A1-C1 in General English classes, but also IELTS, FCE, CAE and PET exam preparation classes. My favourite classes are IELTS and Intermediate levels, but I am comfortable teaching anyone who is willing to learn.

I have always received strong ratings from my students (school / teacher feedback) and often receive emails from previous students, asking me for help or support with their English.

Tutoring Approach:
I aim to teach all skills equally, but can tailor my lessons based on your strengths and weaknesses. I want to help my students develop a wide range of vocabulary and enable them to understand and use every day language, such as ordering in a restaurant or buying a train ticket, discussing the news or giving their opinion on a political situation.

I always include vocabulary and pronunciation work and believe that correction is a vital part of every lesson. I encourage my students to self-correct, especially in writing, and often find that after a few lessons they are able to make progress in this area.

My classes include games (kahoot, board games, cards, hangman...), social media when relevant, BBC / radio programmes and other interesting activities that will help students increase their English skills in a useful way.

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Personal Description:
Fully qualified teacher of Mandarin (all levels).

I prepare students for GCSE and A-level exams, as well as conduct and assess these exams for schools. I also provide teaching services for higher education establishments, government departments, and corporate entities.
I assist students with all levels of the Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK), and all my students have a very high success rate.

Teaching Experience:
I have been professionally teaching Mandarin for 15 years +.

Tutoring Approach:
I am a passionate teacher and like to keep my lessons interactive and fun.

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Personal Description:
I am a native Chinese speaker who grew up in a Traditional Chinese environment in Taiwan. I've also studied art, lived and worked in the UK for the last 4 years. Therefore, I have a sufficient understanding of both languages and I've been teaching Chinese to adults and kids for more than 3 years. 

I enjoy helping people express themselves through Chinese, and making the learning process delightful and practical. I also have multiple interests including drawing, yoga, planting, swimming, reading, dancing, going to exhibitions and going camping. I am happy to share things I know with you and learn from your interests. 

Teaching Experience:
In the last three years, I've helped students with different needs, backgrounds,  ages, and different Chinese levels. For example, helping a total beginner to build up a basic knowledge of Chinese, helping intermediates to have daily conversations, and helping the advanced learners to speak precisely in daily and business contexts. 

I can teach in the pin yin or Zhuyin system according to students' needs, and both traditional and simplified Chinese. My previous experiences include preparing a family(aged 6 and aged 35) to move to Chinese speaking country, introducing Chinese to teenagers who are interested in Chinese culture and history, and helping people who want to work bilingually in English and Chinese, as well as support people who had learned Chinese long time ago to pick it up again. 

I am passionate about teaching the Chinese language and culture, and I enjoy seeing my students' joy in achieving and improving.

Tutoring Approach:
We will design the course content together based on your interests, needs, and abilities, and develop it according to your goals. The course can be in full Chinese or half Chinese and half English. 


For beginners, I usually start with building up vocabularies, recognising characters, and speaking, then move on to sentence structures and grammar. I encourage my students to speak and communicate confidently even if it's not perfect, and we will correct the word order and grammar from the conversations. 


I enrich the courses with props, books, games, and videos for students of different ages. My approach is to create an enjoyable and relaxed space for you to speak Chinese and learn from mistakes. I will help you cultivate your confidence with my patient and friendly guidance.

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Personal Description:
I'm passionate about teaching languages and admittedly spend far too much time preparing lessons or so I'm told at home! My greatest motivation comes from the sense of achievement when my students are able to express themselves more in their target language.

I'm a qualified teacher from Hong Kong with 15 years of experience in teaching Mandarin and English, and I have met the professional requirements for language teachers in both subjects.

I studied Linguistics in university, and achieved a score of 90.7 in the Putonghua Proficiency Test. I understanding challenges my students may face when learning a second language, and I am confident in teaching Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) using English as medium of instruction.

Tell me your expectations and let me tailor lesson plans and teaching materials just for you.

Teaching Experience:
- 3.5 year experience in online teaching (Mandarin, Cantonese and English)
- Invigilating GCSE & A-Level Chinese (Speaking - Mandarin & Cantonese)
- 15 year full time teaching (Mandarin and English) in secondary schools in Hong Kong

Tutoring Approach:
I feel genuinely happy for my student, a new dad in a bilingual English-Cantonese family!!

Congratulations to my student who can now give a short presentation in Cantonese and write a paragraph of over 70 characters! Believe it or not, her handwriting is better than that of many primary school students in Hong Kong -- I'm so proud of her:)

My 11 year old student has also learnt to tell her favourite story, Finding Nemo, in Mandarin while preparing for the musical at school. We both enjoyed talking about the characters and writing the story together -- it was so much fun!

Tell me your learning goals, and I'll tailor lesson plans and teaching materials just for you.

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Personal Description:
I specialise in helping students achieve Grades 8-9 in GCSE Chinese through structured, exam-focused training.

TCSOL-qualified Mandarin teacher with over 20 years of experience, specialising in GCSE, IGCSE and A-Level exam preparation. I am also a certified HSK examiner and GCSE Speaking Examiner, with a clear understanding of exam requirements and marking criteria.

Teaching Experience:
Many of my students have achieved strong GCSE results, including those who initially struggled or lacked confidence.

I have developed a structured GCSE Chinese programme, supported by my own teaching materials, to help students improve efficiently and master key exam skills.

I focus on delivering targeted, high-impact teaching, while maintaining a supportive and engaging learning environment where students are challenged but not overwhelmed.

Alongside 1:1 tuition, I run multiple local GCSE Chinese group classes, allowing me to identify patterns in student performance and deliver highly targeted, exam-focused teaching.

Tutoring Approach:
Lessons are fully personalised and focused on achieving measurable results.

For exam preparation (GCSE / IGCSE / A-Level, including AQA, Edexcel and Cambridge IGCSE), lessons focus on:
- Speaking fluency and exam performance
- Writing structure and accuracy based on mark schemes
- Listening skills and exam techniques
- Targeted improvement on weak areas

Lessons are designed to be effective and focused, using proven teaching methods to maximise progress.

After each lesson, students receive targeted homework and lesson notes to reinforce learning and support independent revision.

️️ Limited availability - most students stay long-term.

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Personal Description:
I am a full-time Mandarin Chinese tutor in the UK. I hold a PhD in Applied Linguistics from Newcastle University, as well as a Certificate in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. I am a positive, reliable and supportive tutor, and I like to create a friendly and encouraging learning environment. I firmly believe that a relaxed atmosphere can lead to more effective learning. I
have a high student retention rate, with many students continuing to learn with me for a long time. I offer a free 20 minutes online initial consultation. Enhanced DBS check, academic qualifications, and references are available upon request.

I can help with
*General Mandarin and more, such as Business Chinese, Chinese for travel, character reading and writing, graded reading etc.
*Exam Support ( GCSE, IGCSE, A Level, HSK).
*Personalised lesson planning
*All ages and levels
*1 to 1 & small group
* Online & in person

Outside of teaching, I am a mum to two teenage boys. Even though they don't need me as much as they used to, they still keep me busy! In my spare time, I love reading, walking and watching movies.

Teaching Experience:
I have been teaching Chinese in the UK for over 15 years and have taught learners of all ages and levels, both in private and group settings. My teaching experience also includes working with local schools and institutions. I also work as a visiting speaking examiner for GCSE and A Level Mandarin, and regularly visit local schools to conduct speaking exams. Before moving to the UK in 2005, I worked as a secondary school English teacher in Taiwan.

Some recent reviews shared by students and parents I have supported.

"I have been working with Fenlan or laoshi for the past 5 months now and am pleased to say I'm very happy with her teaching approach and overall attitude to work. I first met Fenlan through first tutors whom I'm very pleased with also for finding such a fantastic teacher for me but also having a really reasonable finders fee which I was very appreciative of. I was interested in Chinese for a while and I decided I wanted to learn as an interest and hobby I looked one for more information when I came across first tutors. I had a good look at their website and decided to ask if anyone would like to teach me, Fenlan agreed and I have been learning for the past 5 months now making steady progress with which I'm happy with and enjoying. Fenlan has a good nature is easy to get along with and very patient with a great sense of humour that makes you feel relaxed and comfortable. I would recommend her to anyone I can't imagine there is better. Thanks so much to first tutors and thank you Fenlan.
~Dean Allan, Newcastle~

"My son has had an excellent experience so far with Fenlan, his Mandarin tutor. Lessons are engaging, well-structured, and tailored to his level, which has really boosted his confidence. Highly recommended." ~Jill, Newcastle~

"My daughter has had a few weeks of lessons with Fenlan and we have been amazed at the progress she has made in this short time from her teaching. Fenlan is patient, highly organized and talented, and we are extremely glad we found her. We are happy to recommend her without hesitation." ~Ian, London~

Tutoring Approach:
My lessons are highly interactive, with plenty of conversation mixed with grammar and exercises. Although my lessons are fun and enjoyable, I also make sure they are challenging enough to suit different abilities and levels. I also bring Chinese cultural knowledge and culture-related activities into my lessons, so you are not just learning the Chinese language, but also getting to know and appreciate the rich culture behind it.

I tailor my lessons to each student's individual needs. We will discuss your needs and goals together, and I will create a personalised plan for you. We can also make changes to the plan whenever needed as your learning progresses.

Lessons are usually based on a textbook suitable for your level. I will recommend a textbook for you to purchase. I find textbooks useful because they provide a clear structure for learning, with important language points introduced in a logical, step-by-step way. I will also supply extra digital materials whenever they are useful. (If you are doing a short course just for exam prep, a textbook might not even be necessary.)

I encourage students to learn character reading and writing from the beginning. You may find this challenging and it can make the initial stages of learning a little slower, but it will benefit you greatly in the long run. However, I understand that students have different goals and preferences, so we can adjust the balance between speaking, listening, reading and writing according to your needs. If you prefer to focus mainly on speaking and listening, we can do that too.

Once students have learned around 150 words commonly used characters, I will gradually introduce graded reading into their learning. I have found it helps improve reading skills, reinforce vocabulary and character recognition, and give students greater sense of progress and achievement. It can also be a fun and enjoyable way to meet familiar language in a meaningful way.

Homework is given regularly to help consolidate your learning. Throughout my teaching career, I have seen how helpful homework can be, and I always encourage my students to do it when possible. However, I also understand that every student is different, especially adult learners who have to use their time outside work to learn Chinese. So, if you don't have time to complete your homework, I promise you won't be punished! 😀

You may find that Chinese is not as difficult as you think once you give it a go. I firmly believe that, with the help of the right tutor, you can overcome the challenges that may come with learning Chinese.

Good luck with your learning, and I look forward to hearing from you!

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