Diana Fahrmann-Li from Germany

Mandarin Upper Intermediate 1 & 2 (21/2 – 20/3, 2013)
Mandarin Upper Intermediate 3 & 4 (9/4 – 7/5, 2013)
Mandarin Advanced 1 & 2 (23/5 – 20/6, 2013)

1, Why did you choose Hong Kong Language School?

— First of all the location of the HK Language School is very convenient. I live on Kowloon side and could reach the language school easily by ferry. But there are many other ways to reach the school: subway, bus etc.

Secondly I met some teacher in person when I did the assessment test. Their person and professional competence convinced me that they are motivated and I could learn with and from them.

Finally I think the price for the language class is very reasonable . If you compare the price with other language schools in Hong Kong the one here is almost the cheapest and the classes small enough to learn as much as you want and as you yourself do for it.

2, How’s the school environment?

— The school environment is very nice. The school rooms are small but big enough to learn in a peaceful atmosphere. There is a tea corner where you can serve yourself with water, tea or coffee and there are even some snacks in case you get hungry before or after class. The other students are from different countries and you get easily in touch with them even if they are not your classmates because the size of the Language School allows it.

3, How’s the class atmosphere?

— At first I had private classes without classmates. Then one woman joined my class and we got along very easily. We had the same language level which I think was perfectly matched by the school. The class atmosphere was very good, we had good conversations in Mandarin and by learning from the other classmate’s strenghts and weaknesses I could improve my own language skill.

4, How’s your teacher? Was your class effective? Did you learn what you had expected?

— I was very satisfied with my teacher. She is a native Mandarin speaker so I could learn not only vocabulary and grammar but she also taught me much about China’s history and culture. We constantly spoke Mandarin with each other so my Mandarin language skill noticeably improved within the months I took the language classes. Through the speaking practice I have now no more hesitation speaking with native Chinese people.

Actually my expectations were exceeded. I never thought I would make such a progress within this short period of time.

5, Will you come back & take more lessons? Why?

— If I would come back to Hong Kong I would take lessons again in the HK Language School. Besides the conversation class next time I would complement it with the reading and writing course.

The above mentioned shows that taking classes in the HK language school really paid of for me.

6, Will you recommend Hong Kong Language School to your friends? Why?

— Yes of course, I will recommend the HK Language School. I was very satisfied and achieved what I intended to. The location is convenient, the school fee is very reasonable and the teachers and staff of the school are friendly and competent.

Garry Law from UK (the gentleman in the middle)

Mandarin Beginners Full Day (19/8 – 13/9,2013)
Mandarin Intermediate Full Day (2/10 – 30/10, 2013)
Finance Mandarin Private Tuition starting from 19th March, 2014

“I immigrated to HK from UK and I knew that if I was to successfully find a job and to truly experience HK, then learning Mandarin would be essential. After researching on the different language schools available, I chose Hong Kong Language School because of it’s: flexibility, competitive costs, different range of courses and quality of teaching. The school lessons were tailored according to my requirements, as I had other daily commitments. The classes were professional yet relaxed and my classes were a mixture of one to one private teaching and with classmates. Both my teachers – Carol and Lily were experienced and made my lessons both extremely enjoyable and interesting and I was looking forward to going to my lessons everyday. After two months of daily lessons, I can hold a good level of conversation in Mandarin, as a result of the effective classes. My new Mandarin skills helped me to secure a job for one of the largest financial companies in Hong Kong, and if work commitments allow, I will definitely try to come back to take on additional lessons. I highly recommend the Hong Kong Language School as your Cantonese/Mandarin school, should you wish to learn either language for social or business”.

Gary Sciscent from U.S.A (the gentleman on the right)

Survival Cantonese (4/2 – 6/2, 2013)

1, Why did you choose Hong Kong Language School?

— I took a crash course in Cantonese (Survival Cantonese) but I was already familiar with HKLS because my daughters had taken a Mandarin class at the school one summer. In both cases, the school was able to offer customized language classes with a professional language teacher on very short notice.

2, How’s the school environment?

— The school is in a full-service business district easily accessible by the subway.

3, How’s the class atmosphere?

— The classroom and office space are clean and brightly lit. My classes began promptly and there were periodic short rest breaks.

4, How’s your teacher? Was your class effective? Did you learn what you had expected?

— My teacher was superb and was sensitive to my ability to absorb the material and paced the class accordingly. I was interested in learning some introductory Cantonese, and this course was perfect for me. My class focused on everyday dialogue and useful expressions and we used the school’s in-house developed handbook and cd that I still refer to when I self-study at home.

Of course learning, especially language learning, requires a good measure of individual effort and study time outside of the classroom. I needed a teacher to provide leadership and to help me navigate the course but in fact a fair amount of progress in my case depended on doing my homework and preparing for class every day.

5, Will you come back & take more lessons? Why?

— Yes, I will take more classes in Cantonese – it’s hard to stop once you start.

6, Will you recommend Hong Kong Language School to your friends? Why?

— I would advise anyone learning a language to look for a school that is easily accessible and has well-qualified instructors who understand your goals and can help you design a realistic language program. In both cases, HKLS met those criteria and I had a successful learning experience.

Dr. Barbara Meisterernst from Germany (the first lady from the left)

Mandarin Advance Full Day Class (11/5 – 6/6, 2011)

Linguist, Sinologist, Researcher, Lecturer
Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany

1, Why did you choose Hong Kong Language School?

I found Hong Kong Language School in the internet when looking for a language course fitting my very tight time schedule. The information was clearly provided and the price for a four weeks course appeared to me quite reasonable in comparison with other offers. Additionally my enquiries about enrolment and payment conditions were answered promptly and in a very friendly manner.

2, How’s the school environment?

There is nothing to complain about. It is easily accessible and nicely located.

3, How’s the class atmosphere?

The atmosphere in class was perfect. With only one classmate the courses were very intensive. Additionally, I was very happy with the choice of my classmate; we had a lot of fun together in class and found a lot of things to talk about and to discuss. I also had the impression that our two teachers were very well chosen for our interests and our personalities.

4, How’s your teacher? Was your class effective? Did you learn what you had expected?

The two teachers we had were perfect, each in her particular way. It was very good to have two different teachers who are both native speakers of Mandarin but come from different areas and have different accents, which forced us to adapt to both of them instead of getting used to just one. Additionally, their respective idiolects and their focus in class were slightly different, partly due to age, partly due to differences in interest. I did not expect to learn so much about different aspects of modern Chinese culture, different ways of life in Hong Kong and Mainland China from two so well informed, nice and open-minded people. We had very lively discussions about many topics of the day, but also about general questions of life in China and in Europe. And we also had a lot of fun together. Carol always prepared some funny games for us, which forced me to talk, and this was exactly what I expected from the course. Additionally she opened conversations about a lot of important practical topics, such as computers, software, mobile phones, etc. and in this way provided us with a lot of relevant vocabulary for everyday purposes. With Lily we had a lot of interesting and well informed discussions about both Ancient and Modern Chinese history which I enjoyed very much. It was always great with both of them. I was never bored even for a minute and I would have liked to continue for another month or two. Already during, and particularly after the course I felt much more confident with my Chinese colleagues, I understand them a lot better now and I am less reluctant to join in a Chinese conversation than I was before.

Thanks a lot again to both of you, Lily and Carol. I really miss our discussions.

5, Will you come back & take more lessons? Why?

If I ever have the occasion I will definitely come back for another course like the one I had. I learned Modern Chinese mostly on my own, and although I went to some evening classes before, this course was the first that really suited me and my particular interests. It was very good for me to have the opportunity to speak Chinese in an environment that provided normal conversational situations and discussions on everyday topics and did not just follow the (mostly not very interesting) topics in an exercise book. Both teachers always reacted to every question and topic we raised and provided the relevant vocabulary, etc.

6, Will you recommend Hong Kong Language School to your friends? Why?

Certainly for all the above reasons. If all teachers are like Lily and Carol, nothing can go wrong.