ShanghaiTutors Review – Finding Mandarin Tutors in Shanghai
When I decided it was time to level up my Chinese, I really struggled to find a group class that matched my level in Shanghai. I was kinda stuck between HSK 4 and HSK 5, and most of the Chinese language schools just didn’t have enough students to start an upper-intermediate class. The one that did had a schedule that totally clashed with mine.
So, I thought I’d give private tutoring a shot. I stumbled upon ShanghaiTutors when I Googled “Mandarin tutor in Shanghai.” Their website looked sharp and professional, so I figured, why not? There wasn’t a ton of online info about them, but I took the plunge anyway.
Honestly, I’m so glad I did! I started with their 40-hour package and liked it so much that I ended up extending it to 80 hours. The service and support from ShanghaiTutors have been fantastic, which is why I felt compelled to give them a shout-out as this awesome hidden gem.
So,
What is ShanghaiTutors?
ShanghaiTutors is not a Mandarin school; it’s more of a platform that connects Chinese learners with Mandarin tutors based on what you can spend and other needs. They take a service fee for successfully matching you up.
Think of it like a real estate broker, but instead of finding you an apartment, they find you a tutor! Founded back in 2012, they’ve helped over 2,500 learners and are mostly based in Shanghai, though they just expanded their services to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Suzhou.
What’s Cool about ShanghaiTutors?
1. Diversity of tutors
ShanghaiTutors has a diverse team of tutors. It’s easier to find a tutor who clicks with you.
Everyone comes to learning Chinese for different reasons. For me, I’m just into the language because I love it. But a lot of people have more serious goals, whether it’s advancing their career, boosting their business, or preparing for the HSK exam.
Sure, you can take private lessons at language schools, but I’ve found that many teachers there seem kinda stuck in their linguistic bubbles. They often lack real-world knowledge outside of grammar and vocab.
I once asked a bunch of teachers at my school about local bars or clubs when I first got to Shanghai, and they had no clue! It felt like they hadn’t even set foot in one. And when another student from Iran asked about factories and sourcing for his trading biz, he got the same blank stare. It was really frustrating.
Most teachers in Mandarin schools focus solely on teaching Chinese, and it’s a very cookie-cutter approach. It doesn’t matter if you’re from England, Colombia, Japan, or anywhere else; you’ll be taught the same way, which isn’t very personalized.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I appreciate teachers with solid qualifications, but it feels like schools focus more on credentials than on what makes a teacher truly helpful. Plus, with fewer than 10 teachers at most medium-sized schools, the options are pretty limited. While the teachers are all “professional” (at least advertised to be), it’s hard to find someone who really connects with you beyond just grammar and vocabulary.
On the flip side, ShanghaiTutors has over 150 tutors from all sorts of backgrounds (in Shanghai alone). Many are teaching Mandarin for a living, but a lot have been in fields like commerce, engineering, or arts. They all go through an interview and screening process, and that variety means you’re way more likely to find a tutor who meets your needs and interests.
If you’re into Chinese culture, you can find a tutor who’s just as enthusiastic about it – maybe even learn calligraphy or Tai Chi while picking up the language. Need someone with finance experience for your consulting gig? Just ask for a tutor from that field. I even heard about a tutor who founded three multi-million-dollar tech companies – he teaches Chinese just to unwind from his busy life. If you want to level up in China, he’s your guy!
As for me, I wanted a tutor who’s really into Chinese history and literature. I enjoy learning about different dynasties and reading Chinese novels. I was lucky to find my current tutor, who shares my passion for literature and has even published a few short stories online. We dive into Chinese sci-fi together (I’m a huge fan of Liu Cixin’s Three-Body Problem), discussing everything from the Cultural Revolution to the Great Famine – lots of fascinating topics.
Halfway through my 40-hour package, I was convinced I could learn way more effectively with the right tutor. I stay excited for lessons, and when you’re enthusiastic about learning with someone you enjoy, the progress happens much faster.
2. Pricing Model
ShanghaiTutors has flexible pricing, making it easier to find a tutor that fits your budget.
Unlike language schools, you actually get to set your own price.
So, if you’re looking for a Mandarin tutor and your budget is 150 RMB/hour (about 21 USD), you can either search for tutors who charge under that on their website or ask for recommendations that fit your budget. You can suggest pretty much any price you want, but keep in mind, if you offer too little, you might not get the best match.
Here’s a quick look at their suggested rates:
1. Amateur tutors: 90-120rmb/hour
(mostly college students doing it as a side gig)
2. Professional tutors: 130-160rmb/hour
(those who teach Mandarin as their main job)
3. Star tutors: 170-200rmb/hour
(the top-notch, experienced ones)
Here’s the deal with tuition at ShanghaiTutors. It all depends on how many hours you want to sign up for. The minimum they ask for is a 40-hour package, but if you feel like you need more, you can totally increase that.
Since ShanghaiTutors is just a platform and doesn’t make a profit off your tutoring, they charge a one-time flat fee of 400rmb for helping you find a tutor. This fee is the same whether you sign up for 40 hours or even 400 hours with the same person. Plus, they offer a year of support in case anything comes up with your tutor.
My experience? I went with a tutor from their Star Tutor category, who charged 170rmb/hour. So, I shelled out a total of 7,200rmb on the first day to cover the 40-hour package – 6,800rmb for the tutor and 400rmb for the service fee. I really liked the lessons, so after finishing the first 40 hours, I decided to add another 40 hours, just paying the 6,800rmb since I didn’t have to pay the service fee again for the same tutor. In the end, I spent a total of 14,000rmb for 80 hours of tutoring. Totally worth it!
My Experience with ShanghaiTutors
Finding the Tutor
Their corporate website ShanghaiTutors.Com made a good impression on me. It had a clean and simple design, and I found it super easy to navigate.
There’s a solid mix of tutors listed – almost a hundred in Shanghai alone. You can sort them by city and category, plus each profile comes with a photo.
If you click on a tutor’s pic, you can see all sorts of details like their age, education, experience, and a rundown of their teaching style. There’s also their availability and rates, plus student reviews to see what others think about them.
If you find someone you like, you can book them right away. Some tutors prefer to keep a low profile, though, so they don’t have profiles online; you can only find them through recommendations from ShanghaiTutors.
For me, scrolling through all the profiles felt a bit overwhelming, so I decided to fill out a request form for a recommendation instead.
You can specify what you’re looking for in a tutor – like gender, age, teaching language, and style. I made sure to mention that I really wanted someone who was enthusiastic about teaching (that’s a big deal for me), preferably had some knowledge or interest in Chinese history or literature, and could be flexible with scheduling since I sometimes have to work late or travel. I also included a bit about my current level and what I wanted to achieve from the lessons.
The next day, I got a response from a ShanghaiTutors rep. (see below)
Dear Claudia,
Thank you very much for contacting ShanghaiTutors. We are happy to provide a tutoring solution for you.
With your budget and requirement in mind, I reached out and found a very good fit. The teacher’s name is Vera, she is from our star teacher category, very experienced with intermediate and advanced students (she has taught in Confucius Institute abroad before), and her charge is very moderate (170rmb/hour). You can view her profile here: http://www.shanghaitutors.com/Shanghai-Mandarin-tutors/… (her profile is not visible online for privacy as she requested). She can teach you in your mentioned timeframe and can commute to the Shanghai Railway Station area for the lessons.
There is just one thing to note, per our payment policy, full tuition (minimum 40 hours) and one-time service fee (400rmb) will be charged on the first day of the lesson. The service fee enables us to maintain the operation of our site and give you one year’s support. I hope this is not an issue for you.
Please let me know if you want to set the start date for next Tuesday or earlier, as I need to make a pre-arrangement with the tutor.
Best regards,
Jessie
ShanghaiTutors Team
The email I got was well-written, and the tutor seemed like a perfect fit for me looking at her profile. But since it was my first time using their service, I asked if I could take a single lesson first before jumping into a whole 40-hour package. They happily agreed.
ShanghaiTutors does not offer free demos or trial lessons (makes total sense to me – no tutor wants to spend 30 minutes to an hour riding public transport, come to your home, give you a 2-hour lesson, and go home unpaid, right?), but they do let you buy a single lesson to try out the tutor before you commit to any package, which is nice.
Meeting the Tutor
There are a bunch of places you can choose for lessons, like home, office, cafés, even parks. I opted for a cozy café close to where I live. Since ShanghaiTutors is not a language school, they don’t have classrooms, but they can be very helpful in suggesting some quiet spots if you’re new to the city.
For me, the café vibe worked perfectly!
It was just a couple of days after I filled out the request form that Jessie, the consultant, set up a time for my trial lesson. She added me on WeChat (basically China’s version of WhatsApp) and fired off a few questions to get a better idea of my level and past experiences, which helped my tutor prepare.
I have to say, just chatting with Jessie on WeChat gave me really good vibes about the whole company. And as soon as I met Jessie and my tutor in person, all my remaining concerns disappeared. They were both really friendly and professional. We kicked things off by chatting in English for about five minutes to get to know each other and talk about what I was hoping to achieve in the lesson (I wasn’t great at explaining my goals in Chinese), and then we switched to Chinese to chat a bit more for another five minutes to see where I was at with my skills and what areas I needed to work on.
After our little intro, Jessie gave us a few tips on how to make the most of our time together and then left us to dive into the lesson. I later learned that Jessie is actually a fantastic teacher herself – she even wrote a book on how to teach Chinese, which I found at the Shanghai Foreign Language Bookstore!
My lesson with Vera went great. We spent the first hour chatting about some recent news in Chinese, and the second hour, we read a story together on her laptop. After class, we even chatted a bit more in English about our experiences in Greece (she had worked at the Confucius Institute in Athens for a year, and my grandfather was from Greece!). I could truly tell from her face how much she loved teaching, which made me decide right then and there to book more sessions with her.
Making Payment
As for payment, ShanghaiTutors has a “100% upfront payment policy,” so I had to pay for my 40 hours and the service fee on the first day. Since I was really happy with Vera, I just went ahead and paid through WeChat right after that first lesson. They also accept cash, Alipay, and bank transfers, which is convenient.
One thing I really appreciate about ShanghaiTutors is their Moneyback Guarantee. I can get a refund within a year if I can’t finish all my lessons or if I’m not satisfied with my tutor (there are some conditions, so it’s good to check out their website).
I’m not planning on asking for a refund anytime soon – I’ve been really happy with my lessons. I might even book another set of 40 hours once I finish my current package., but it’s nice to know that if life throws a curveball, I won’t be losing money – 99% of other companies I know don’t offer something like that.
Scheduling Lessons
For scheduling lessons, I usually had one 2-hour session each week on either Tuesday or Thursday. If either of us was too busy or had to travel, we would just pause for that week and pick up again the next. It’s easy to set up lessons with Vera – we just chat and make arrangements on WeChat.
According to ShanghaiTutors, if I need to reschedule or cancel, I just have to give my tutor a heads-up a day in advance. This flexibility is a huge plus for me since I often have to work late or travel last minute, so this policy really works in my favor without any penalties.
Support
They also gave me a support number/WeChat when I booked, telling me I could reach out anytime if I had issues. I appreciate that they guaranteed I could switch tutors or get a refund if I weren’t happy within the first year. Thankfully, I haven’t needed to contact support because everything’s been going smoothly. I only reached out once to book another 40 hours, and the payment process was super easy.
ShanghaiTutors Review: The Good
I’ve already said a lot up to now, here’s a quick recap of the good stuff I found with ShanghaiTutors.
- 1. Easy to find a matching tutor
- 2. Easy to stay on budget
- 3. Prompt communication
- 4. Possible to book a trial lesson (just pay for that first lesson)
- 5. Solid lesson quality
- 6. Easy to schedule
- 7. Continuous support
- 8. Money-back Guarantee
ShanghaiTutors Review: What Could Be Better?
1. At this time, they don’t have an app yet, and their website isn’t the most mobile-friendly, making it tricky to book on your phone or tablet. But using a computer browser works just fine.
2. They do require at least 40 hours of booking upfront, which means you pay everything on the first day. I personally don’t mind this since it gives them greater incentive to treat me well as a valued customer and a serious learner, thus throwing their full support behind my course, but I get that it might be a stretch for those on a tight budget.
3. There’s no physical learning center – you’ve got to pick your own spot for lessons. If studying at home or work isn’t an option, you might end up in a café (and have to buy a coffee too). I did not have a problem with this since my local café is nice and quiet, but if you’re in a busier area, it could be a bit of a struggle to find a good spot.
ShanghaiTutors Review: Last Words
I’ve had my share of online tutors before, checking out places like MandarinTutor and TutorMing, which are great for learning Chinese if you’re not in China or can’t find a local tutor.
But after over a year with ShanghaiTutors, I have to say there’s just something about learning face-to-face that online tutoring can’t really match. Every time I meet my tutor, it feels like catching up with a good friend who really cares, which is way different from just chatting with a random person on a screen.
That’s just my take, of course. Your experience might differ depending on who you end up with, but ShanghaiTutors has done a fantastic job pairing me with the right tutor for my needs. I’d say they’re a reliable choice whose judgement and expertise you can trust.
If you’re on the lookout for a good Mandarin tutor in cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, or Suzhou, from a company that really pays attention to your needs and offers great service and support, you definitely want to check out ShanghaiTutors!
Our site – ImproveMandarin.Com is a fantastic reference resource you can go to for honing your Chinese skills. Here you’ll find the most trustworthy advice and practical knowledge to dramatically improve your Mandarin!