a review
I've been asked to review eChineseLearning. I guess I should start with a disclosure: I've met one of their staff members and her husband a few times, and they're good people. Kevin has already reviewed their free trial lesson. I should also state that China Uselesscom doesn't allow me enough speed or bandwidth to bother with things like Skype, and not only that, but I just don't have the webcam and microphone that are needed to take their free trial lesson. So I guess all I can do is tell you what I think of their website.
Well, it seems like a very professional setup, and I like their idea
of individualized, one-to-one tutoring. In fact, it's so individualized
that they let you schedule your classes for whatever time suits you, so
long as you schedule your classes ahead of time. They also offer a
range of lessons, and the website has separate pages for Adult, Teen,
Kids and Corporate lessons. The Adult lessons seem to be the most
developed, offering a range of subjects like regular Chinese lessons,
travel Chinese, Chinese culture, business Chinese, and HSK preparation.
Right now the Teen and Kids sections only offer regular or customised
Chinese lessons, and the corporate section is, perhaps of necessity,
entirely customised. There is also a section for schools, in which they
offer "customized solutions for school clients that are interested in
Chinese language learning." The teachers seem to be very well qualified
and experienced. And I'm browsing through the various subjects offered
to adult learners, and they seem very well planned out and structured.
Anyway, I can't offer much more than that, not being in much of a position to try any of their lessons myself. Seems like a good setup, though, and if you're interested in learning Chinese online, I would say its worth trying. I would say that individualised, one-to-one instruction online is certainly better than any classroom. That's about as effusive as I can get until I get myself in a position to actually try it for myself, though, sorry.