Dear All,
Recommendations on best value for money for one or two semesters mandarin learning (I am elementary/pre intermediate). Preference for somwhere near a beach.
Thankyou
Do you want results, or a beach vacation that you can justify?
Do you want to learn to write, or not?
Read, or not?
Do you need a visa?
What is your desired outcome?
These questions are all key to recommending a placement that is the best value for your money, rather than “the cheapest best school”.
Very pertinent questions and I understand you may have some excellence in your field. I do not have money for high powered training. My normal means of learning is self motivated and through everyday interaction. I have a little free time coming up and wish to supplement this with some formal classes- this supplementary training is the objective. Because Taipei is frankly a horrible place (for me) to live, and students have lots of spare time the beach is important Yes. Reading and writing not so important, Visa will be needed but there reamins the possibility I could get a working visa and study around a job. Are all the university courses approximately equally good? Is there a learning centre in Ilan?
Yes there is a program in Yilan (Foguang). There is also a program in Hualien (Tzu Chi). 慈濟大學語言教學中心. You might also consider Tainan (Chenggong) or Kaohsiung (National Sun Yat Sen) since there is some beach access in both places. I think the tuition is set by the government with very little variation so the best way to save money is to live somewhere cheap. Hualien is pretty cheap. I would choose Hualien or Tainan myself.
佛光大學語言教育中心
Here’s the complete list
By all accounts the courses are of equal quality (or equal poor quality). Most people benefit from them, so I think you should go somewhere where you would like to live.
Thanks, I was thinking of Hualien myself however the cost of Tzu Chi is relatively expensive compared to CCU and the Ilan is really very expensive!
Equally poor quality! I appreciate this maybe the case…
I agree with Feiren. I’m in the Tzu Chi program myself, so here’s my input. Since I figured most Chinese language centers were pretty much the same, I chose Tzu Chi for the location (a breath of fresh air after five years in Taoyuan) and the humanitarian aspect that is connected with the school.
For myself, I feel that self-motivation—ie. pushing yourself to get out there and speak—has more of a bearing on your progress than the quality of the program. The class itself is a tool to keep you consistent and disciplined. That said, I am pleased with my class this quarter: We have two teachers (a more hardcore instructor Mon~Thur and a fun conversation teacher on Fridays) who provide a balance of speaking, listening, reading, and writing, which fits my particular needs.
Thankyou I too was attracted to the school ethos. When you made your school comparison what kind of differences in price did you find?
Are you staying in the dorm? If so, how is it?
If you’re not staying in the dorm, how much are your accommodations?
Are you staying in the dorm? If so, how is it?
If you’re not staying in the dorm, how much are your accommodations?[/quote]
I’m not staying in a dorm; my reasons are on this thread: http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=122848&start=10#p1544196
I live in a studio apartment (套房 taò fáng) that I found through a real estate agent. It’s a ninth floor apartment in a 16-floor building, 5.5km from campus. It has a small kitchen area and a large airy balcony with an ocean view. Actual living area is 10 ping. Monthly rent is NT$6,000 + $600 admin. fee (管理費 guǎnlǐ fèi)
To be honest, I really didn’t compare. I guess I had read prices somewhere before, because I had a figure of about $30,000/term in my mind. I knew I wanted to be on the east coast, and pretty much decided on Tzu Chi after reading their website and sending them email (I didn’t get any responses about my Tzu Chi questions on this forum, though).
Thanks Steve, is there a nice beach nearby?
The nearby beaches I’ve seen so far are rocky, not sandy, the most famous of which is probably Qixingtan (七星潭).
I’ve found some more sandy beaches as I’ve traveled outside of the city along the coast, but you’d need a car/scooter/bicycle to get to them. For example, there are Niushan (牛山) and Jici (Jiqi 磯崎) beaches. You have to pay to enter Jici, not sure about Niushan. However, if you have transportation you can find places along the coast on your own, like this place I found.
Thanks again, will you stay in Hualien long?