Orientalmente: Learn Chinese Online with native-speaking professors

A couple of weeks ago we received an email from Paola Costa, founder and director of Orientalmente, an online platform that provides private Mandarin lessons through Skype. The idea seemed quite interesting to me, especially because the teachers are language professors that teach in Chinese universities and, at the same time, the prices aren’t too high.

So I sign up on to their website and I scheduled a free trial lesson.

Even if at the beginning I was a bit skeptical, after the trial class I was convinced that Orientalmente offers an interesting alternative to who wants to learn Mandarin but is too busy to join a traditional Chinese school on his city.

Thus we decided to publish this review and even got a discount code of 10% for all the readers of SDC that want to purchase any Orientalmente’s package. The discount code is “SDC14″.

Why I think Orientalmente is an interesting option for Chinese language learners

Orientalmente offers an elegant solution to a problem that most of the distance language learners face, that is “immersion”.

In China I had the opportunity to meet many people that came here after they studied Chinese language in their country for a while. After a couple of weeks, the majority of these people become frustrated because no one understand them and they can’t understand anyone.

It’s obvious that an online platform that provides you native-speaking teachers will help you to solve this problem as you’ll be forced to speak in “real” Chinese language.

Also, we aren’t talking about some random guy (or girl) that may want to talk with you in Chinese if you then talk in English with him (her). No, on Orientalmente you’ll get in touch with experienced teacher able to guide you through your learning process and reinforce your weak points.

How much it costs?

The price for one hour lesson varies from as little as 11 USD (8 Euro) to 24.5 USD (18 Euro). The price depends on how many hours of lessons you purchase (there are three plans of 30, 60 or 120 hours) and when you want to take your lessons. Consider that most of the teachers live in China so if you want to take your lesson on Sunday at 2 a.m. (China’s local time) it’ll be more expensive than taking the lesson on Monday at 10 a.m.

As I said, using the discount code “SDC14″ you’ll get a 10% discount on any lessons you decide to purchase.

The pros of Orientalmente’s method

In my opinion the strongest points of the method are the following:

• The price: I’m impressed with the low prices offered by the platform: keep in mind that you’re paying for one to one custom lessons with Chinese professors.

• The flexibility: You can chose to have your lessons when and where you want. Whether you want to have your lesson on Monday during your lunch break or on Saturday night while you’re having a beer in a bar, it’s up to you.
  Source: http://www.saporedicina.com/english/learn-chinese-online-with-native-speaking-professors/