Chinese Education in London

Wednesday, 21 January 2015 12:50

In recent years the demand for Chinese education services has steadily risen in the U.K.
capital. To some this would seem logical, given the growing economic clout of the Peoples’
Republic of China in our increasingly globalised world. However, there are still many people
who are largely in the dark about China and especially about the Chinese language.

When talking to friends and other members of the education sector I often encounter questions
indicating an interest in China, and yet also a certain level of ignorance regarding the nuances
of the language and the social issues facing the country and its people. It feels like, at present,
London parents and professionals are definitely aware of a need for Chinese, but still in the
early stages of understanding how to meet that need and how the tangible benefits of having
Chinese language skills might reveal themselves.

This is both encouraging and challenging to a company such as Dragons in Europe. We

encounter many requests from schools and parents alike about providing Chinese language
teaching to children. Parents who work in business, law, the media, finance and so on are all
coming into contact with more Chinese people and Chinese companies in their professional
lives. Because of this, they recognise first-hand the power of having Chinese language skills in
the workplace.

Likewise, the messages being received by Heads of schools and other education managers are
that Chinese is not only a valuable language to teach their students, but it is also a subject that,
if present on a CV or Record of Achievement, can set students apart from those who only speak
French or Spanish. After all, Chinese has a reputation for being a difficult language to study – a
reputation that serves Chinese speakers very well as they meet the challenges of applying for
further education and jobs.

So how do you meet the need for Chinese? There are a number of options. Many parents find
that the schools that their children attend do not offer Chinese on curriculum. The obvious
choice for such parents is to seek out either a weekend/evening class or to find a private tutor.
In London there are already some weekend Chinese schools which cater for children. However,
at present these schools are mostly targeted towards children of Chinese families. This means
that the children already have a huge amount of support outside of the classroom with their
Chinese. As time goes on, there will undoubtedly be growth in after-school classes aimed at
children from non-Chinese backgrounds. These will be a great solution when there is nothing on
offer at the schools: learning a language in a small group can be more fun and can help the
students to become more flexible with their language usage. They will hear each other speak
and learn from their classmates’ questions and mistakes.

Another popular solution if the school doesn’t offer Chinese on curriculum is to hire a private
tutor. Private tutoring can be an extremely effective way to teach a child any subject – the
lesson can move at exactly the right pace for the child and practical arrangements such as the
time and location of the lesson can be very flexible. The key to having an effective private tuition
learning experience is to find the right tutor. Some tutors are more suited to a certain age-group.
Some are more suited to certain level of language study. At present there few quality control

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Chinese Education in London
Wednesday, 21 January 2015 12:50

certifications or official referral processes specifically designed to help find a Chinese tutor in
London. However, some teachers will hold certifications such as Mandarin Chinese Teaching
Certification (MCTC), which could help ensure the parents’ expectations are met.

Schools are also approaching the need for Chinese differently, depending or their budget
limitation, time-tabling constraints and staffing. Usually the most common approach for a school
to take when first trying to bring Mandarin Chinese in is to set up an after-school club. This may
be paid for by the school or by the parents. These clubs do come with many drawbacks.
Children are tired and want to engage in less academic activities after their school day is over.
Often the drop-out rates of after-school clubs are so high that they fail after only one term.

Another approach is to bring Mandarin onto the curriculum. This requires having access to a
regular and qualified teacher – often someone difficult to find at present. Advertising in the TES
or similar channels can lead to a successful appointment, but so often the respondents are
qualified only by their ability to speak Chinese as a native, not to teach it in the Western
classroom. Again, certifications such as MCTC aim to make teacher recruitment easier and
stress-free.

As Chinese continues to grow and the supporting accreditations, examination and teaching staff
also expand there is no doubt that London will be able to provide broader and better quality
Chinese education services to its children in the near future.

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