Ms. Leslie Chan from USA
Cantonese Private Tuition (13/5- 9/5, 2010 & 3/6, 2011 – Present )
Financial Analyst, Assistant Vice President — Credit Suisse
External Reporting and Financial Publications
Zurich, Switzerland
1, Why did you choose Hong Kong Language School?
— I found the school by chance (or rather luck) in the HK weekly (free) newspaper
— I think this is a newspaper geared towards expats. The school was the 1st one that I rang, but I immediately liked how friendly and accommodating the staff was. I think it was good that they advised me to meet them first before deciding and letting them assess my needs. They were never pushy (as we know Chinese can be!). Price was fair, but not the main determinant of my decision making process.
2, How’s the school environment?
— Rooms and communal space were very comfortable and relaxed. Loved the free drinks and snacks — which helped keep the energy levels up during 3 – 4 hour private lessons! Air conditioning was a bit troublesome at times in terms of noise level and finding a comfortable level…my teacher had to keep adjusting it! Convenient location near MTR.
3, How’s the class atmosphere?
— Structured, but fun and relaxed. Good environment for learning. Learned a lot in each lesson and laughed a lot while doing so.
4, How’s your teacher? Was your class effective? Did you learn what you had expected?
— Loved my teacher. She was professional and fun. Flexible enough to gauge lessons around personal interests, yet also stayed structured. I appreciated her discipline with my pronunciation and thorough explanations of proper vs colloquial Cantonese – and made sure I learned the correct way 1st! I had private lessons so I was better able to personalize the lessons around my needs. My teacher was very good at taking interest in what I liked and tried to develop my vocabulary and speaking / comprehension needs to cater to those type of situations. I liked her practical approach to what a person should learn.
I think we could have worked more on comprehension since this is a weak area for me. I seemed to be able to speak, but often misunderstood what was being said to me when being asked or s/he responded.
5, Will you come back & take more lessons? Why?
— Yes, because I felt my teacher knows me well enough to understand my needs and will continue to push me, while still encouraging me and keeping things fun and practical. I appreciated how flexible / accommodating the staff were to ensure that I could fit in my lessons everyday. Staff are motivated to teach and considerate to their students.
6, Will you recommend Hong Kong Language School to your friends? Why?
— I think it is difficult to say that each person will have as positive experience as I did since I had the luxury of having private lessons and also a very good relationship with my teacher. I would definitely recommend my teacher, but as she is a representative of the school, I would feel more than comfortable to recommend the school itself to my colleagues.
