About Hutong School | Chinese Classes |
| When was Hutong School founded? | What if I have studied Chinese Before? |
| When was Hutong School founded? | |
Does Hutong School pursue any Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives? | Can I take the HSK-test at Hutong School? |
Hutong School Programs | |
Accommodation | |
Cultural Activities | |
Internships | |
Don't worry, this ain't our first rodeo. Hutong School was founded in March 2005 and we started our Internship Program in September 2005. The Intensive Chinese Program was started in October 2006.
A lot, and basically everywhere. To be specific, we've welcomed more than 5000 people from no less than 38 different countries, namely Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Congo, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, and the USA.
Wondering if we're a real school or just an elaborate fiction created by 13-year-old internet trolls trying to steal your Bitcoin? Read about our student experiences on our student testimonials page or get in touch with them through our LinkedIn alumni group.
We've set up shop in old-school Beijing, baller Shanghai and laid back Hangzhou, so our programs are available in any of these cities. As of May 2014, the Internship Program is also available in Chengdu (hot pot, hip hop and pandas). Take a look at our locations page for more information.
While we believe in giving everyone the opportunity to come and experience China, we appreciate the effect this has on the environment. To help reduce the negative impact of air travel, we’ve partnered with a reforestation company that helps us plant trees on behalf of our staff and students. If you wish to offset the CO2 emissions from your journey, Hutong School will contribute half of the fee* and provide evidence that your trees are being planted.
*The cost of offsetting the effects of your journey depends on the length of your flight. We will advise you depending on your location.
Trying to claw your way to the top of the corporate ladder as quickly as possible? In that we would advise you to apply for our Internship Program to get invaluable real world work experience; this program also includes 4 hours of Chinese group classes per week. Trying to better Chinese than Zuckerberg? If you're mainly interested in learning Chinese, we suggest that you apply for our Intensive Chinese Program.
You can try praying to any of the hundreds of gods or Buddhist deities in your local Chinese temple to keep you from getting food poisoning. If that sounds like too much trouble we also offer our students a comprehensive health and travel insurance package through a trusted provider. Please contact us for more information.
Your lemonade stand isn't raking it like you thought it would? Thanks to our partnership with Journeys Are Made @Gapyear.com, we can support our students when making their flight bookings. You can find more information here; or make a direct enquiry on: http://b2b.gapyear.com/hutong-school
Program Starting Dates 2020* | ||||||
6 Jan 2020 | 3 Feb 2020 | 2 Mar 2020 | 6 Apr 2020 | 4 May 2020 | 1 Jun 2020 | 6 Jul 2020 |
20 Jul 2020 | 3 Aug 2020 | 17 Aug 2020 | 7 Sep 2020 | 8 Oct 2020 | 2 Nov 2020 | 30 Nov 2020 |
*Beginner level, non-beginners can start anytime.
See also:
Internship Program
Intensive Chinese Program
It is usually no problem if you arrive a few days later, we will make sure that you can catch up with your classes. We promise late students won't get stuffed into any lockers.
At Hutong School we celebrate both Western and Chinese holidays (we're pretty cool like that). Below you’ll find an overview of holidays for 2020.
Please note, the below dates are the likely holiday dates for 2020. The official public holiday calendar has not yet been announced by the government, so these dates are subject to change.
New Year: Jan 1st (Wed)
Spring Festival: February 24th – February 30th (Fri-Thurs)
Tomb-Sweeping: April 4th – April 6th (Sat-Mon)
Labor Day: May 1st-5th (Fri-Tues)
Dragon Boat: June 25th-27th (Thurs-Sat)
Mid-Autumn Festival: October 1st (Thurs)
National Day: October 1st-7th (Thurs-Wed)
Christmas Day: December 25th (Fri)
During these days Hutong School will be closed and no classes will be held. However, there will always be a Hutong School employee on stand-by during holidays and weekends (for all firecracker and dragon-boating related emergencies).
In order to guarantee a smooth application, we recommend that students apply two to three months before they plan to arrive in China. However, applications can be submitted anytime before the intended starting date.
Caught the China fever eh? Don't worry, it's possible to participate in our programs for longer than 12 months. Programs can be extended for as long as you wish.
Patience, young grasshopper. Generally, the minimum age of our Intensive Chinese programs is 16. But if you're between 14 and 17 you can take a look at our summer camps in Beijing and Shanghai. If you are younger than 16 and you can't make our summer camps, you can also apply for a tailor-made program. Please contact us for more information.
Like snowflakes (and your personality) all visa application processes are unique. Since it's a bit different for each student we will help you figure out which visa will be the best option for you based on your specific situation. Once you enroll in one of our programs, we will then be able to assist you with the details of the visa application process.
To apply for your visa, you will need to submit your application to the Chinese Visa Office in your area or to the Consulate-General which holds consular jurisdiction over the state where you reside.
A suitcase of unmarked, non-sequential bills. Ok just kidding, Hutong School requires all payments to be made via bank transfer or PayPal. Bank fees will be to the account of the student. Bank transfers can be made in EUR, USD or GBP (sorry, we don't accept your mom's crypto currency).
We do not provide scholarships ourselves. If you are a student, we advise you to ask the career center at your university for available scholarships. Many universities provide scholarships and they will be able to provide you with the most detailed information.
More information on funding possibilities: scholarships-and-grants
Most of the internships at our partner companies pay a small ‘living allowance’ to cover your beef noodle soup intake. However, some companies are unable to give their interns any compensation, especially when the internship duration is short.
Normal working hours are between 9:00am-6:00pm or 9:30pm-6:30pm (with a one-hour lunch break).
Sorry, the all the internship positions for "Associate Panda Cuddler" and "Dumpling Flavor Researcher" are full at this time. Seriously though, what kind do you want? We'll use our connections in a broad range of industries to find you the best possible position that fits your qualifications and preferences. We can offer you anything from internships in small start-ups to internships in multinational corporations. See our current Internship positions for updated information.
Fancy yourself an old China hand? Don't worry, we have group classes for many different levels of Chinese running at all times. If you do not fit into one of the existing group classes, you will then be given private catch-up classes rather than group classes.
We like to keep things cozy. Our classes have an average of 3-4 students, with a maximum of eight students per class.
Hutong School classes last 50 minutes, followed by a 10-minute break (or about 1/3 the length of an average Xi Jinping speech).
Yes, our Shanghai branch is a registered HSK center, so you can register and take the exam at our school. For all other branches, we help you to register and take the exam at the nearest exam center. You will furthermore be trained to take HSK exam at your best: we offer HSK preparation classes in all our branches.
Our beginner Chinese classes will take place in English and Chinese. Therefore, knowledge of the English language will be very helpful. As your Chinese level progresses, less and less English will be used in your classes.
Take a look at some pictures of our apartments.
All of our apartments have a kitchen, a living room with TV and DVD-player and a Western-style bathroom. In our apartments, you will have your own bedroom, but share the apartment with 2-3 other students from Hutong School.
Used to living the high life in the penthouse suite? On request we do offer private apartments. There will be an additional monthly fee on top of the normal program price.
We will try our best to place you in an apartment that will be the most convenient for you. From most of our apartments, you should be able to get to the school via public transportation in 30 minutes or less (not including time spent petting cats along the way).
Want to get a taste of Chinese family life without (or before) marrying into one? Just let us know and we'll help get you set up with a local family wherever your program is taking place!
It is possible to take part in one of our programs without accommodation. Please contact us for further details about the price for this option. We recommend finding alternative accommodation if you choose this option; unlike Amsterdam in the '70s, camping in Chinese public parks in very illegal.
Don't worry, you won't have to spend your nights alone on YouTube. We organize business and cultural activities for students 2-3 times per week. All activities are designed to help you experience Chinese culture as well as get to know other students from Hutong School. Curious about what we're up to these days? Take a look at our program calendar to see our upcoming events!
Our activities are held either in the evenings or on the weekends so that it is possible for everyone to participate.
Many of the activities that take place at Hutong School will be free of charge. However, there will be a small charge for other activities that have an entrance fee or traveling fees.