Back Print Page Email Page

"I choose TLI-The Mandarin School because of the very small class sizes, and convenient location and class times.  I really appreciate that the class focus is on oral pronunciation –you don’t just sit and listen in class, you constantly have opportunity to practice. I’ve learned far more in a shorter period of time than I would have imagined.

Although I don’t travel to China for business, an unexpected benefit of taking these courses is that I am able to pronounce the names of my Chinese customers and colleagues correctly.  My clients are delighted by and appreciative of my ability and it has made a profound difference in developing deeper relationships with them.  My learning experience has also increased my awareness of Chinese culture and history, and made me feel more connected to the growing influence of China in the world."

K. Andersen, Sales
Equifax

"It’s been a few months for me and already I am feeling more confident to test out my new found speaking skills. Thanks to your school programs and all the hen hao laoshr (excellent teachers), my speaking and writing has improved dramatically in only a few short months!  I have tried books, I have tried CD's I have tried listening while flying and asking others while in China but nothing has come close to the Mandarin School's system, even the Rosetta Stone CD's did not help.

I highly recommend your school to others and can honestly say that TLI- The Mandarin School is zuihao de (the best)!"

"TLI-The Mandarin School has made an incredible difference in my Mandarin speaking abilities. I had enrolled in several other Mandarin courses before, and they all focused on writing Chinese characters and learning a long list of vocabulary.  However, they all failed to focus on tonality.  If you learn 400+ vocabulary but you’re unable to say them correctly, there’s a missing gap.  

I had felt that I had to relearn my Mandarin again from months of bad speaking. TLI-The Mandarin School was able to turn that around by focusing on the true essentials of speaking Mandarin. Their friendly and professional teachers used terrific teaching methods. TLI-The Mandarin School’s advantage is individualized attention within a small class setting, focusing on speaking well.”

A. Fung, Project Manager
CIBC Technology Infrastructure


“Learning to speak Mandarin at TLI-The Mandarin School has been an enjoyable experience.  I’ve taken a mandarin a course at college, had private tutoring and none compare to the style taught by TLI. As a beginner learning Mandarin, I was in search of a class that I could really work on a lot of the things that I felt were weaknesses and didn’t understand, as well as build up my confidence to start speaking mandarin outside of class and TLI did exactly that.  Their teaching methodology and patient instructors allow students the ease of learning at their own pace.”

K. Gravelle, Accountant


“My experience at the Mandarin School has been great. The lessons are customized based on what I need to learn and improve upon, and there is a lot of interaction and speaking on my part. My teacher is very engaged and great at explaining what is actually used in China, as well as helping to improve my pronunciation. I feel I've improved my Mandarin significantly in only a few weeks!”

E. Wong, Manager
Maple Leaf Foods


“Your teaching staff are of the highest caliber, and have certainly made the experience an enjoyable one. I am looking forward to the next level and hope to continue beyond that.”

J. White, President
Televac


“I had my Chinese placement test this morning and goods news: I was placed in Intermediate! That was the goal that I set for myself this summer and I am so happy that it all worked out. If it weren't for my teacher, and your AMAZING SCHOOL then it wouldn't have been possible. Get the Globe and Mail to give me a call... I have more to say about you, the school and your teachers."

C. Ramsay, M.S.F.S Candidate
Georgetown University


Specific feedback from TLI-The Mandarin School student surveys

1) How does TLI–The Mandarin School help you address the challenging aspects of learning Chinese?

• “Low student to teacher ratio and supportive environment definitely helps address learning tones, and intonation.”
• “By giving active feedback of when my pronunciation is close. This helped me to find out what exactly I need to do with my mouth to produce the desired sound.”
• "Our class was small which kept the perfect balance between getting individual practice and learning from others.  I now feel better prepared to handle myself on a trip to China."
• "The teacher was excellent - encouraging and knowledgeable."
• “Constant drills. And the teacher wouldn't move on, until she could hear that we were making the proper sound and using the appropriate tone.”
• “The instructors did a lot of repetition drills as well as examples and dialogues. It helps when you get challenged and have to stop and think about it, instead of just reading directly from the book.”

2) What did you like best about your experience?

• “Low student to teacher ratio.”
• “Small class size.”
• “Learning a lot of new vocabulary.”
• “Very nice classrooms, great teachers, flexible administration.”
• “The conversations we had in Mandarin. The exercises that didn't seem so "textbook." For example, bringing in a photo and speaking about it...or preparing a mini speech about ourselves. These types of exercises help with the application of Mandarin to "real-life" situations.”
• “The very direct and individual quality of the teaching as it increased my confidence and always quickly corrected and improved upon my weaknesses.”
• “Discussing subjects - oral presentations made me feel like I was actually speaking Chinese.”
• "I really liked that it was such a small class, because it gave our teacher an opportunity to hear our personal weaknesses and address those, and give us individual attention so that each of us could progress.”
• “I really enjoyed the small class sizes, and the constant 1 on 1 conversations.”

3) Would you take another class with us or recommend us to a colleague?

• “Yes. Best school in Toronto from my experience.”
• “I found the teaching very good and aggressive without being overbearing. The class times coincides well with my current schedule.”
• “Yes. Good assessment of my learning needs.”
• “Yes. I found it very enjoyable and it helped my mandarin a great deal.”
• “I enjoyed my experience and would like to continue.”
• “Yes. I found the course to be really motivating. I'm someone who isn't the most self-motivated, so I really appreciate a school setting when learning something new, especially a language.”
• “I definitely feel more confident with my basic conversation skills. With discipline on my part and continuation of classes, I will be at the goal level I want to be at.”
• “I found the courses very well run and I learned a great deal.”
• “I feel the class did a very good job of covering the basics needed to learn Mandarin.”
• “Good curriculum - great location downtown”
• “I've already recommended it to a few colleagues, because I really like the instructors and their teaching methods. The drills were excellent and I thought the focus on learning the tones was so important as the very first step in learning a language like Mandarin.”
• “I love the downtown atmosphere, and the teachers straight from mainland China who are very good at what they do and easy to understand. The small class sizes and early morning weekend classes are ideal. I was really impressed with my experience with TLI, which is why I am continuing on.”

© Copyright 2005-2008 TLI-The Mandarin School. All Rights Reserved.
Last Updated: November 28, 2008