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Private Chinese tutoring in London and online

Whether it's GCSE, A Level or something else — we can help you ace Mandarin Chinese!

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We offer Mandarin Chinese tutoring at a wide variety of levels, from young learners to older learners (GCSE, IGCSE, A Level, IB, Pre-U, etc.) and even to adult learners (those doing undergraduates or Masters courses, or learning just for fun).

Our qualified Mandarin Chinese tutors have been hand-picked by teaching experts (our longest-standing, most successful tutors, some of whom are PGCE qualified teachers) in our thorough selection process.

How can a Mandarin Chinese tutor help?

If you are looking to acquire Mandarin Chinese as an additional language at any age or if you are working towards a formal qualification such as GCSE, A-Level, or IB,  our tutors would be delighted to support you.

Learning Mandarin can be overwhelming, particularly to those who are self-studying, as it presents unique challenges for learners whose mother tongue is an Indo-European language. Not only do Mandarin students have to grasp speaking, listening and writing skills, but they must also consider the tonal nature of the language and the character-based writing system. Under the guidance of our Mandarin Chinese tutors, navigating the learning process can be as fun as it is rewarding.

A key advantage in having one-to-one Mandarin tuition is the freedom to explore as much of the Chinese culture and rich history as you wish. Our tutors are ready to support you on your journey to learning Mandarin Chinese, no matter your age or level of study!

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What Mandarin Chinese tutors are available at Titanium Tutors?

We provide Mandarin Chinese tutors for learners of all ages and levels, including children from bilingual households who are ready build on their naturally acquired speaking skills with more structured learning.
Our services cover all exam preparations, including GCSE, IGCSE, A Level and IB. Additionally, we offer Mandarin Chinese tutors for professional development, job relocations, and translation projects. 

 

Our qualified Mandarin Chinese tutors have been meticulously chosen by education experts, including our most experienced tutors, some of whom hold PGCEs. Our rigorous selection process ensures we only offer you the highest standards of tuition.

For a budget-friendly option, we offer undergraduate tutors—current students from top universities specialising in Mandarin and Asian Languages. These tutors are often native speakers with excellent academic records, a genuine passion for sharing their language and a talent for making learning Mandarin Chinese accessible.

For those with a larger budget, we can connect you with highly experienced graduates who have completed hundreds or even thousands of hours of teaching. Many of these Mandarin Chinese tutors possess PGCEs and/or PhDs, and some have experience teaching in classrooms or have worked with major exam boards as markers or examiners.

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What does a Mandarin Chinese tutor cost?

The cost of a Mandarin Chinese tutor is determined by the tutor's credentials and teaching/private tutoring experience. Undergraduate students currently either studying Mandarin Chinese alone or as part of an Asian Languages degree, and/or with native Mandarin proficiency sit in the lower price bands, whereas those with a teaching qualification, senior language teachers and/or examiners command higher hourly rates.

At Titanium Tutors, we offer Mandarin tutors at a range of rates - check out our prices here.

by Madeleine

A significant career boost?

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In the last couple of decades, China has risen to become one of the most

powerful nations in the world. Many academics, such as International Relations

specialists and Historians alike, believe that a turn away from America and

towards China is on the horizon for Europe, while China’s increasing global

power is already strongly felt in Eastern and South-eastern Asian countries.

 

As a result, increasing value is being placed on Mandarin Chinese-speaking

skills – recently, over three-quarters of UK business leaders stated that they

believed school leavers with a high-level of Mandarin proficiency would receive a “significant” career boost, according to a survey conducted by the Mandarin Excellence Programme. This is due not only to the huge economic and political opportunities offered by a pivot towards China (especially post-Brexit), but an apparent dearth in fluent Mandarin speakers within the UK workforce.

 

Outside of business and politics, studying Mandarin opens up the opportunity to gain insight into a country with a rich, long history and an exciting cultural output. Why was the Terracotta Army built? Who was Confucius, and why were his works so influential? What exactly was the Cultural Revolution? — China is a fascinating place, and learning Mandarin is a good place to start!

 

The effect of all of this can really be seen in schools - last year, 3,334 students took Mandarin at A Level, compared to 3,058 who took German. Entries for Mandarin have increased by 8.6% since 2017, while entries for other languages have declined by 16.5%. It looks like taking up Mandarin really is in vogue!

 

So what’s on offer within the UK education system? Mandarin can be taken at both GCSE (through Cambridge IGSCE, AQA or Edexcel) and A Level (Cambridge International or Edexcel).

 

At GCSE level, the AQA syllabus focuses on expanding students' cultural knowledge as well as their language skills. AQA’s syllabus exams the students’ listening, reading, writing and speaking abilities in Mandarin, and covers three main themes:

 

  1. Identity and Culture - this covers family and friends, technology in everyday life and leisure time activities.

  2. Local, national, international and global areas of interest - this covers social issues, global issues and travel and tourism.

  3. Current and future study and employment - this covers life at school, education post-16 and jobs/career options.

 

As a result, students covering the AQA syllabus will learn how to express themselves using vocabulary which is useful in everyday life, and be able to apply it to the world around them. For anyone planning to study the AQA syllabus, the specification (including a vocabulary and grammar points list) can be found here.

 

The Edexcel GCSE syllabus is fairly similar to AQA, in that it is examined over the same four skill areas (reading, writing, listening, speaking) which are assessed by examination at the end of the course. The subject areas covered by Edexcel are quite similar, but are classified differently:

 

  1. Identity and Cultre

  2. Local Area, Holiday and Travel

  3. School 

  4. Future Aspirations, Study and Work

  5. International and Global Dimensions

 

All of the topics covered by Edexcel must be studied in the context of both the student’s home country and that of countries and communities where Chinese is spoken, meaning that students will be able to understand the similarities and differences between their own cultures and that of Chinese-speaking regions. Students will be introduced to materials such as letters, short stories, novels and plays to build their comprehension abilities and cultural-knowledge.

 

Should students want to progress to A Level, Edexcel offers students the chance to improve their core language skills, and is offered in either Traditional or Simplified Chinese. The main topics are as follows: 

 

Theme 1

 

 (Traditional characters)

 當代華人社會變遷

(Simplified characters)

当代华人社会变迁

“Changes in contemporary Chinese society”

 

Theme 2

 

(Traditional characters)

中國文化

(Simplified characters)

中国文化

“Chinese culture”

 

Theme 3

 

(Traditional characters)

演變中的華人社會

(Simplified characters)

演变中的华人社会

“The evolution of Chinese society”

 

Theme 4

 

(Traditional characters)

1978 年改革開放對中國的影響

(Simplified characters)

1978 年改革开放对中国的影响

“The impact of reform and opening up [to the West] on China”

 

The course has three papers:

  1. Reading, listening and translation

  2. Written response to a text (a 2 hour 40 minute exam where the student must carry out a translation, write a response to a text the student has read previously, and then write a translation on a film they’ve studied in class)

  3. Speaking (a discussion on a theme from the specification, followed by an independent presentation on research conducted by the student, which is then wrapped up with a discussion on said research.)

 

At A Level, students’ language abilities are really put to the test, so anyone leaving school with a decent grade in A Level Mandarin should indeed have the skills which the Mandarin Excellence Programme showed are valued so highly. 

 

If Mandarin is piquing your interest, why not give it a go? And if you’re looking for some help, why not give us a shout and get some guidance from one of our expert Mandarin tutors? 

We offer varied Mandarin Chinese tuition rates to suit all budgets, with prices depending on the tutors' qualifications and their total number of hours of private tuition or classroom teaching experience. 

 

Are you lamenting your logographic skills? Has Confucius got you confused?  Let us find you a Mandarin Chinese tutor to inspire you and get you back on track! Contact us today.

Titanium Tutors – London Office

Address:

LABS Triangle, Stables Market, Chalk Farm Rd, London, NW1 8AB

Phone:

020 7164 6455

Opening Hours: 

Monday 9:00am – 10:00pm

Tuesday 9:00am – 10:00pm

Wednesday 9:00am – 10:00pm

Thursday 9:00am – 10:00pm

Friday 9:00am – 10:00pm

Saturday 9:00am – 10:00pm

Sunday 9:00am – 10:00pm

titanium tutors - London tuition agency.
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