Where Can You Get the Best Chinese Lessons Online? The motivations for learning Chinese are as diverse and compelling as the language itself. Perhaps you're fascinated by the rich history and culture of China, eager to read its classical poetry or modern literature in its original form. Maybe you're looking to expand your business skills and communicate directly with the vast Chinese market. Or, you might dream of traveling through China, exploring everything from bustling cities to serene landscapes, all while engaging with locals in their native tongue.
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Preply is an online learning platform that was founded in 2012 with the mission to connect students and tutors from around the world for language learning, including Chinese. It works by allowing you to choose a tutor who meets your learning goals and schedule.
Over 2,000 Chinese language tutors
For Chinese language learners, Preply offers over 2,000 tutors who are native speakers or have high proficiency in the language. You can select a tutor based on their experience, teaching style, and reviews from other students. Once you find a tutor you like, you can book lessons at times that suit you, using Preply's online classroom for video sessions, chat, and to share learning materials.
Search results tailored to your needs
When you sign up for Preply, you specify the language you wish to learn, your proficiency level, and if you're seeking a specific culture or accent, such as Hong Kong or Taiwan, in addition to China. You can also opt for only native Chinese speakers. Next, you indicate your availability for lessons and your budget per lesson, which can range from $1 to $40.
Over 2,500 Chinese tutors
When we filtered for native Chinese tutors born in China, we found 2,194 results. Simply filtering for Chinese speakers resulted in 2,537 tutors. You can also filter for specialties such as business Chinese, Chinese for children, Cantonese, Chinese literature, and HSK preparation. We appreciated the option to sort by Preply's top picks, popularity, price, number of reviews, and best rating. These features were absent in Preply's closest competitor. Also, we found Preply's interface to be much cleaner compared to its biggest rival on our list. However, Preply doesn't appear to have a way to filter only for tutors who have certifications. Instead, they have something called a "super tutor" designation, which they give to teachers who are highly rated and "experienced".
Tutor profiles are comprehensive
Similar to its competitor, you can click on profiles to view bios, credentials, and introductory videos. A useful feature is that hovering over a profile brings up the video, so you don't need to click into the profile to watch it. This can help you get an understanding of the teacher's personality and accent, which could be beneficial if you're seeking lessons for your child or have difficulty understanding non-native speakers. Tutor profiles also show you how many lessons have been booked in the last 48 hours, how many students have contacted the tutor in the same time period, and how long it usually takes for the tutor to respond to messages.
Trial lessons are 25 or 50 minutes long
Hetty H., for example, is Preply's most popular Chinese tutor. She has a Certificate in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (CTCSOL) and students describe her as attentive, cheerful, and patient. If you wanted to book a trial lesson with her, you'd click the pink "Book Trial Lesson" button, then choose between a 25-minute "Get to Know the Tutor, Discuss Your Goals and Learning Plan" session or a 50-minute "Get Everything That's in a 25 Min Lesson Plus Start Learning" session. You'd then go to the calendar tool and pick your date and time. Remember that a lot of the tutors on this website live in China, so you may need to adjust your schedule to be available for late-night or early morning sessions. Any dates or times that the tutor isn't available just won't show up on the calendar. A 25-minute session with Hetty costs $14, and a 50-minute session costs $28.
Preply underpays their tutors
Preply has some astonishing low per hour rates for their tutors, starting at $3 for a 50 minute lesson. While that's a great deal for learners, we can't help but disapprove of Preply for not making sure their tutors are paid fairly. For reference, $3 is not even minimum wage in China - $3 USD is about 21 Chinese Yuan, and as of the time of this review, Shanghai's (already too low) minimum wage was 26.4 Yuan ($3.70 an hour). To make things worse, your chosen tutor won't get paid at all for a trial lesson with you. For the first lesson with a new student, the entire amount is claimed by Preply. After this, a commission is charged on each lesson taught by the tutor. This commission starts at 33% of the tutor's earnings per lesson and can decrease to as low as 18% the more lessons the tutor teaches. Preply's main competitor in our review, however, lets tutors keep the trial fee and never charges more than a 15% commission fee.
Lessons are not booked individually
Preply has an unusual approach to booking lessons. Unlike other platforms where you can book individual lessons, with Preply you sign up for a subscription. After your trial lesson, you choose how many hours of lessons you want (between 1 and 5) with your chosen tutor each week and pay for the first 28 days upfront. This subscription automatically renews every 28 days until you cancel it. You can schedule or reschedule your lessons anytime, and view all your lesson details on the "My lessons" page. You're never locked in, and can cancel your subscription anytime you want. If you haven't used any of your credits and it's been less than 28 days since you paid, you may even get a refund. Importantly, your tutor gets paid after each lesson, once it's confirmed that the lesson took place.
Subscription model may cost you
We took a look at what Preply's customers had to say about their experiences with the platform, and it doesn't look good. While a decent amount of users had positive experiences, we found a number of complaints that the subscription model is being leveraged by Preply to steal customers' money on a technicality. In one case, a customer's tutor was unavailable for two weeks, which prevented the customer from using his credits before they expired for the month. When he approached customer service about the issue, they denied his request for a refund because he had already used a portion of his credits that month. That meant he had to sign up for lessons with tutors he had not previously learned with just to get some value out of the money he spent. In another concerning review, the customer alleged that Preply is allowing scammers to pose as tutors on their site. Apparently, these "tutors" accept a student's booking of their lessons, but then reschedule the date so that it never takes place, resulting in the customer again losing out on their credits.
Big disappointment
Generally, we're fans of one-on-one tutoring for Chinese language lessons. We think it's really beneficial to be able to ask a tutor your questions directly and that this format makes it easier to stay accountable and focused. Unfortunately, we don't think Preply is the best place to sign up for Chinese language tutoring. Between their greedy commission fees, a shady subscription model, and reports from customers that they allow scammers on their platform, we think you're much safer with Preply's one-on-one tutoring competitor in our review.
Continued from above...
The motivations for learning Chinese are as diverse and compelling as the language itself. Perhaps you're fascinated by the rich history and culture of China, eager to read its classical poetry or modern literature in its original form. Maybe you're looking to expand your business skills and communicate directly with the vast Chinese market. Or, you might dream of traveling through China, exploring everything from bustling cities to serene landscapes, all while engaging with locals in their native tongue.
Learning Chinese, however, presents a unique set of challenges unlike those found in learning languages like Spanish or French. For one, there's the intricate system of Chinese characters, each carrying its own meaning and pronunciation, which can seem daunting at first glance. Then, there's the tonal nature of Mandarin Chinese, where the meaning of a word can change dramatically with the pitch of your voice.
But don't let these hurdles deter you. With commitment and the right resources, you're on your way to fluency. Mastering Chinese opens up a universe of cultural, professional, and social opportunities, allowing you to connect with over a billion speakers worldwide.
Online Chinese lessons offer a variety of approaches to suit different learning preferences. For auditory learners, there are programs focused on immersive listening practices, helping you attune your ear to the nuances of the language. If you're game for a challenge, gamified learning platforms make acquiring new vocabulary and grammar points engaging, rewarding your progress with points and badges.
For those who prefer a more structured learning path, comprehensive courses provide a blend of video lessons, interactive quizzes, and writing exercises, ensuring you develop a well-rounded skill set, from character recognition and writing to speaking and listening.
And if personal interaction is what drives your learning, tutoring services connect you with native Chinese speakers for real-time conversation and cultural exchange, enriching your study with authentic experiences.
Feeling overwhelmed by the options? Here's what to consider as you begin your journey to learn Chinese:
To guide you to the best Chinese lessons for your goals and preferred learning style, our team at Top Consumer Reviews has tested today's leading options and provided honest feedback on what each one offers. So, what are you waiting for? Embark on your Chinese learning adventure today!
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Why Should You Learn Chinese?
In this day and age there are lots of reasons to invest in learning different languages. But what are the reasons to learn Chinese specifically? You might be questioning which language you want to learn next, and if so Chinese would make an excellent choice. There are many reasons to learn the language of such an illustrious culture, and this list will only be an abbreviated version, but it's something to strongly consider if you are up to the challenge.
One reason to learn Chinese is probably the easiest to understand - do it for the culture! China is a country with a beautiful and fascinating history, and learning the language is one more way to learn about the culture. If you ever visit China, you'll be glad you took the time to learn the language, and it'll help you understand more while you're there. And even if you never visit China, it can be a fun experience for yourself that also gives you a peek into a whole different part of the world.
Another, more specific reason for learning Chinese is for the future. Right now, China has connections with almost every country across the globe, and learning the language to communicate could be very helpful. From being a translator, to hoping to work in business, a smart language to learn would be Chinese. China works with a lot of countries, and is a massive producer of various items, so learning how to negotiate and talk to people in their own language would go a long way towards making a good impression.
Chinese is a very difficult language to learn, and there are many different ways you can communicate with it. That being said, learning Chinese could open several new doors for you. You could impress people with your knowledge, and even expose yourself to Chinese pop culture. You would see a whole different side of the world through Chinese movies and literature; things so easily get lost in translation, but by cutting out the middleman and doing it yourself, you make sure you are hearing everything correctly. You must look at the challenge of learning the language as an invitation instead of an obstacle. You are bringing yourself to new heights, and perhaps you will inspire more people to join you, by learning Chinese as a second language.
For these reasons and many more, learning Chinese is a great decision. Use your time and money to learn a new skill that could be invaluable to you for a variety of reasons. As long as you remember to respect the culture it comes from, learning Chinese can be a very healthy and exciting goal to work towards achieving. Join millions today in learning a whole new world through the language of China.
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