This contemporary program is less intensive than other specialized programs. However, it still strives to acknowledge and respect individual differences without making presumptions about the participant’s ability in areas other than second language acquisition.

Our tutors have repeatedly discovered that the best speaker of the language may not be the best reader and the best reader is not necessarily the best writer. The program focuses on the individual strengths and weaknesses of each individual participant.

Instructional materials are also provided in the form of handouts and course books for the specific Chinese level of the participant.

I. Speaking or Oral Expression will focus on developing the participants’ speaking and pronunciation skills.  At the beginner’s level, simple topics related to daily life are taught, and more specialized and complex topics are discussed at the intermediate and advanced levels.

II. Listening Comprehension will focus on developing the participants’ listening skills and their ability to understand the language.  The speed will depend on the proficiency of the participant.

III. Reading Comprehension will focus on developing the participants’ reading skills in terms on putting context clues or, in higher levels, comprehension and speed.

IV. Writing will focus on the system of Chinese character writing or stroke orders.

V. Grammar will focus on the fundamentals of Chinese grammar, sentence structures, expressions and phonetics.

VI. Learning by Doing will focus on the usage or application of the language while interacting with the local population under the supervision of the tutor.

Selection Process

In selecting our tutors, we make sure that our tutors they have an extensive experience in teaching Chinese as a second language.  They are also either graduates of education (major in teaching Chinese as a second language to foreigners) or are former Chinese teachers in prestigious Universities such as Beijing Language and Culture University.  Some of our tutors have also taught Chinese in other countries so they are educated in an international culture and environment.

Why have a Tutor?

Next Step China understands that not everyone is fortunate enough to have more than three months to spare for studying Chinese in China.  We therefore believe that the Intensive Tutoring Program and the Specialized Programs have an added-value because of the time you save in learning Chinese.

In fact, all of Next Step China participants who went through the University Programs have expressed their appreciation for their tutors namely because they felt that they’ve learned more in an hour of tutoring compared to two or four hours of classes in the University.

Next Step China therefore feels that, apart from attending your regular classes in the university you are going to be enrolled in, we should highly encourage students to avail of after-school tutoring to reinforce the lessons that were taught in class.  We pride ourselves in having a strong network of tutors to help those who are serious in improving their mandarin.  We make sure that we choose the right tutors and provide a higher remuneration than anyone in the industry because we look for quality not quantity. We cannot stress more on how much we care about the quality of the education you receive.