Jamie Keyte founded Manhattan Mandarin in 2012. ​A native New Yorker, Jamie attended The St. Bernard’s and Trinity Schools. He graduated from Kenyon College with a BA in International Studies. In 2008, Jamie studied abroad where he completed an intensive Mandarin language program at CET in Shanghai.

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Upon graduating, Jamie ran high school educational tours in both China and the United States. In 2010, Jamie decided to further enhance his Mandarin skills and completed a second intensive language program in Beijing. This led him to a job at Thomson Reuters, where he became the China Project Manager for a Thomson Reuters’ subsidiary. During this time, Jamie developed the concept for Manhattan Mandarin and co-founded IvyGate, a Beijing-based SAT tutoring and high school/college application company.

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In 2019, Jamie returned to Trinity to run the Mandarin 1 program.

He continues to run Manhattan Mandarin and has taught 10,000+ hours of private Mandarin lessons. 

Daphne was born and raised in Upstate New York. She received her BA in Chinese Language and Asian Studies from Union College. She grew up speaking Chinese at home with her family, but chose to pursue a higher level of Chinese beyond basic conversational skills in college. In 2019, Daphne spent a semester abroad at Shanghai’s Donghua University to study Mandarin and Chinese politics through CET’s rigorous language program. 

During her time abroad in Shanghai, Daphne interned at Share E-Commerce as an assistant and translator on marketing projects for the company. After she came back to Union, she worked as an assistant ESL teacher and Japanese language mentor, tutoring high school and college students in addition to attending classes. 

Daphne loves anime, drawing, and learning languages. She is fluent in English, Mandarin, and Japanese. She is passionate about language acquisition and hopes to give others the same opportunity to discover what lies beyond exams and textbooks.

David is a co-founder of Manhattan Mandarin Real Estate. He has over 13 years of principal investing and managing real estate assets experience. In 2009, he founded Minuit Partners, a boutique investment company that focused on multi-family and mixed-use assets in the New York City area. The firm’s portfolio included 30 properties with over 500 residential units under management.
 

Prior to founding Minuit Partners, David was the co-head of acquisitions at Madison Capital, overseeing the entire investment team. David's previous experience includes years with Stonewater Partners (an equity partner with Fortress Investment Group) and Morgan Stanley (Real Estate Group).
 

David received a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering and Economics from Tufts University and a Master’s degree in Real Estate Finance from New York University.  He is a licensed broker in New York.

Keren Liu grew up in China and moved to the United States in 2012. Teaching Chinese was one of her dreams since middle school and she has taught Chinese in both public schools and the US Department of Defense. 

After 7 years of teaching, she developed an unshakeable faith in Comprehensible Input-based teaching methods, so that her students can learn Chinese as the Chinese do. 
 

She has a secret weapon that enables her to use more than 90% of Chinese starting from the first lesson and you will understand her. She will help you internalize the sentence structures through natural conversations, so it is effortless to memorize them. 
 

Her goal is to empower you, the student, with high-level language proficiency and the confidence to communicate with native speakers.

Dan (Celine) Sun was born and bred in Shanghai. She received her NYU TESOL and Foreign Language Education dual degree in 2017 and started her teaching career at a public school in Brooklyn. She believes that every language learner is unique, so the teacher has to teach in accordance to the student’s aptitude.

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Celine is passionate about language teaching and learning. Majoring in French and
Francophone Studies in college, she is also fluent in French and is a lover of French culture.
 

Upon graduating, Celine worked for Shanghai New Oriental School where she taught an English translation class to students aged 10-18. She was awarded Teacher of the Year in 2013, along with other 14 teachers out of a total pool of about 500 teachers.

Celine wants to take advantage of every opportunity this amazing city could offer. She is excited to meet her students from diverse educational and cultural backgrounds and tries to offer an interesting and meaningful language learning journey to all of them.

Shiyao is a native of China but has quickly embraced becoming a true New Yorker. 

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She graduated from NYU with an MA in TESOL/Teaching Mandarin and received an MA in Childhood Education and Special Education from Touro College. 

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She currently teaches at PS 310 K (School for Future Leaders) in Brooklyn. 

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Shiyao loves to travel and dance. Growing up she preformed traditional dances and continues to learn at studios across NYC. 

With a cross-cultural background in China, Hong Kong and the United States, Rebecca is fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese and English.

Upon graduating from Hong Kong Baptist University in Sociology with honors, she worked as an Education Program Manager for an NGO where she advocated for at-risk immigrant children.

Her experiences in child development, immigrant reintegration, project management, and volunteer training earned her admissions to Columbia. Rebecca is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Rebecca plays Pipa and was once an active member in a professional Chinese orchestra.

Leanne has a B.A. degree and has been teaching Mandarin for over nine years in New York City. She also attended TCSOL certificate program at Columbia University and graduated in 2019.

She has helped learners with their Chinese language progress, created a friendly and communicative study atmosphere, and has developed teaching plans that fit most students when they started to learn the language. She is good at making connections between language learning and students’ real life situations to inspire voluntary learning. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and watching movies.

Ms. Sylvia was born and raised in Guangdong, China. She earned a BA in Educational Foundations with a minor in Special Education from the University of Oregon. During college
life, Ms. Sylvia has worked in various settings and age-group classrooms but still seeking her path. After graduated from school, Ms. Sylvia worked in a toddler classroom for one year and discovered her passion for working with young children. Growing up as a bilingual speaker and working in a multicultural classroom spark Ms. Sylvia's interest in language teaching for young children. She pursued a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) while working as a full-time teacher. After this working experience, Ms. Sylvia decided to expand her knowledge in the field of Early Childhood and language teaching. She later went back to school and gained a MA in Early Childhoods Education in Teacher Colleges, Columbia University, with a certificate in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (TCSOL).

Ms. Sylvia believes that each child is unique and has great potential to be discovered. Now, she is here and ready to create an inclusive and language-rich environment for your children!

Currently, she is a preschool/PreK Chinese lead teacher in Irvine, California.

Maggie Laoshi was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, where she fell in love with foreign languages at an early age. She studied French and Spanish until joining an after school Mandarin program in her senior year as teacher assistant. From those early days of painstakingly tracing 你好, 再见, 我爱你 all over her high school textbooks, Chinese language and culture held a fatal attraction for her.

Maggie Laoshi majored in Chinese at the University of Virginia, first going to China in 2009 and returning every year until 2012 when she finally bought a one-way ticket! She taught social studies at an international high school, then completed a Master of International Business degree at Hult International School's Shanghai campus. 

After business school, Maggie Laoshi oversaw marketing and business development of 9 Chinese sales offices for one study abroad company sending thousands of Chinese students to the US annually. She then served as Chief Learning Officer for a Shanghai-based online tutoring business where she developed the complete ESL curriculum and recruited and trained hundreds of online tutors. 

Maggie Laoshi loves working in international education and bringing people of different cultures together. Since becoming a mother to two daughters she has worked more closely with individual students and families as a college counselor and language tutor. In her spare time she enjoys Chinese kungfu training with her daughter Abby and husband Jianhu and looks forward to baby Elinor joining the family fun!

With a doctorate in Asian Studies, Dr. Wu is an experienced teacher with a demonstrated history of working in teaching Chinese language, literature, and culture both in China and the United States. She is a native speaker of Mandarin Chinese and skilled in Chinese language teaching, educational technology, tutoring, and curriculum development. She came to the States in 2018 and successfully completed her teaching training program at Washington University in St. Louis.

After that, she joined East Stroudsburg University as a Chinese Instructor and responsible for the all levels Chinese language courses. She is an active member of ACTFL, CLTA. Her recent interest is in developing proficiency based on ACTFL standards, integrating technology, Chinese poetry and film in Chinese as a foreign language classroom. Her passion in these areas could inspire the students to explore the world and be curious to meet many people.

Born and raised in Shanghai, Sunny is a native Mandarin speaker who loves sharing her cultural background. After coming to the US for college, she started to teach American kids and adults Chinese language and culture. 

With more than 5 years of tutoring experience, she tailors personalized content around student’s interests and adds in stories, anecdotes, and songs to help students better learn and digest. She enjoys becoming friends with her students and fosters an encouraging and supportive learning environment. In her spare time, she enjoys reading books and spending time with friends. 

Xinyi is a native Chinese speaker with 

three years of experience teaching Chinese to K-12 and adults.
 

Xinyi earned a Foreign Language
Education master’s program at the University of Pittsburgh. There she learned and practiced effective and practical language teaching pedagogies, such as PACE grammar lessons, authentic learning methods, images culture lessons, etc.
 

She was an adjunct instructor of Chinese at an American private college; she gave lectures to college students in English on Chinese grammar and vocabulary within authentic cultural contexts. She also provides different assignments and homework for students to practice speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

Some of her most satisfying experiences as a teacher have come from helping struggling students to grasp complex grammar rules
and culture through a combination of individual conferences, class activities, and group discussions.
 

As a personal tutor, she focuses on personalized tutoring based on students’ language proficiency levels and interests. She is firmly committed to student advancement as she feels that support and guidance are helpful tools in any professional setting.

Anyi is a native Mandarin speaker from Beijing who’s raised in China and Australia. After graduating from Harrow British School Beijing, Anyi moved to the U.S.and completed her undergraduate education at the University of Miami in Journalism in 2019. She is currently pursuing her master degree in Teachers College, Columbia University in Communication & Education. 

As a native Chinese speaker who studied abroad at the age of 17 and traveled to 25 countries, she has an international background and a deep understanding of Chinese and American cultures. Anyi is fluent in both Mandarin and English and she worked at UMTV as a news reporter. She is enthusiastic,outgoing and extremely passionate about teaching. She enjoys spending time with children and is very patient with them. She believes that students are able to learn the most when they are interested in the culture and having fun. 

In her free time, Anyi enjoys traveling,working out, playing the piano, reading, and volunteering at different charities. She’s very excited to explore more beautiful places and go on more adventures.

Gina was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. She earned her PhD in Chinese literature from the University of Pennsylvania, and before that, she graduated from Cornell University with a major in Comparative Literature and a minor in East Asian Studies. She has studied Chinese since high school, and has

participated in several intensive Mandarin language programs, including CET–Harbin, Tsinghua–IUP, and a program at the Mandarin Training Center in Taipei, Taiwan. She has also interned as an English teacher in Wuhan, China, and she completed a Fulbright Grant in Taiwan researching her doctoral dissertation.

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Gina now lives in Coconut Creek, Florida, where she works full-time as a Mandarin Chinese high school teacher. She also tutors in both Chinese and English as a Second Language for her school and assists with interpreting for Chinese students and their families. She has an ACTFL OPI rating of Advanced-High on her Chinese speaking and an ACTFL Chinese writing proficiency score

of Superior.

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In her free time, Gina enjoys reading, writing, listening to music, and continuing to study Chinese and other languages.

Alex is a native speaker born and raised in Shanghai. Growing up speaking Chinese, he developed great interest in ways different cultures interact. As a result, he took and mastered Advanced Placement courses in an international school and gained insight on the importance of cross-cultural communication. Alex has more than 100 hours of experience tutoring several AP courses including Physics 1, Statistics, Micro&Macro Economics, and Psychology. He is currently studying at University College London for Economics and Statistics degree.

Wenjie is the head Mandarin teacher at a local secondary school in London. He finished his teacher training programme at UCL Institute of Education and holds a master’s degree in language teaching from King’s College London. As a native Mandarin speaker, Wenjie will help you to gain deep and connected knowledge and skills related to Mandarin while exploring the culture with a range of authentic materials selected, including Chinese classic and award-winning films and music. Your Mandarin language learning will progress in a natural way with logically sequenced and effectively implemented content. He makes sure your Mandarin learning experience at Manhattan Mandarin is super enjoyable because you’re in good hands!

Tianyun is a native Mandarin speaker born in China. She has extensive experience teaching mandarin to children and adults from schools, universities and society through the Confucius institute. In 2018, she received her qualified certificate as a mandarin teacher to speakers of other languages (CTCSOL). Targeted students in her classes can be given a variety of emphases. She encourages classroom interaction and enjoyment for children through games and competitions while business groups focus on communication skills. She frequently introduces Chinese history and culture in her classes to pique students’ interests. By learning Mandarin with her, you will make significant progress not only in language but also in terms of your capability for thought and scope of vision.

Tianyun is available for both remote and in-person lessons in London. Her courses are designed for beginning, intermediate and advanced Chinese language students. She is also well-versed in HSK exam preparation.

Harry Keyte is a professional Mandarin Chinese tutor based in London with over 10,000 hours of experience providing Mandarin Chinese lessons. Harry founded Manhattan Mandarin UK in 2022 after seven great years of teaching Mandarin in NYC. He has run the after school Mandarin programs and taught at St. Bernard's, Buckley, Chapin, Spence, and Allen-Stevenson. He grew up in New York City, where he attended St. Bernard’s and Trinity School. Since completing two intensive CET Mandarin language programs in Shanghai and Beijing, Harry has greatly enjoyed helping non-heritage and heritage Mandarin students of all ages and levels master a language that he too once was daunted by! Harry is greatly suited for helping beginner and non-native speakers tackle their early Mandarin challenges while making lessons fun. 

Harry is available for in-person, in-office, and remote private Mandarin lessons in London, GCSE Chinese tutoring, as well as general Mandarin lessons for students of all ages and levels. Harry teaches the HSK 1 and HSK 2 Adult Beginner Mandarin Chinese Classes in Marylebone. He is also highly experienced in providing in-office beginner Mandarin lessons for businesswomen and men. 

Yanqing earned her Master's degree in TCSOL at Shanxi University in China and completed a one-year TCSOL program at the Teachers College of Columbia University.

Because of her passion for enriching students with Mandarin language skills and Chinese cultural knowledge, Yanqing started teaching in 2012 and has enjoyed more than 10 years of gaining valuable teaching experience. She also spent two years teaching at a middle school in Indonesia.

Besides teaching at Manhattan Mandarin, Yanqing is also a Teacher Assistant in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University.

​Christine is a native Mandarin speaker from Malaysia. She received her BA in Business Mathematics and then spent three years working as a professional recruiter in Hong Kong and Malaysia, where she also taught Mandarin to local students.

While at her university, Christine set up Mandarin-learning events for exchange students and organized a number of programs to foster greater cultural exchange.

She is very passionate about both cultural exchange and language study and is fluent in five languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese, and Malay.

Valerie, a native New Yorker, received her undergraduate degree at Johns Hopkins University.  She received a Masters Certificate in Chinese Studies from the Johns Hopkins  SAIS Nanjing Program. 

With over 15 years of experience living working and studying in China, Valerie has worked as a cultural and language consultant in film production and in education leading educational tours to China for New York private schools and teaching Chinese.

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Valerie was one of our first tutors and is an after school wizard and a favorite of all of our students. 

Colerain, a Utah local turned New Yorker, has a lifelong love for learning languages and speaks 4 altogether (English, Mandarin, German, and Spanish)! Although she misses the Wasatch mountains, she enjoys the incredible parks, museums, and restaurants NYC has to offer.

During her undergraduate studies, Colerain lived abroad in Taiwan for a year and a half, absorbing the language and culture, and developing a deep appreciation for the incredible food (dumplings, scallion pancakes, beef noodle soup, taro stuffed wheel cakes, and mango shaved ice to name a few!). After graduating from Brigham Young University with a degree in Media Arts and a minor in German, Colerain completed a masters program at the University of Utah in World Languages with an emphasis in Chinese teaching. During her graduate program she studied abroad in China at Nankai University in Tianjin for a Chinese language summer program, and also attended a program for teachers who are non-native Chinese speakers at Minzu University in Beijing as a Fulbright-Hays scholarship recipient. 

Colerain taught first grade Chinese immersion for 5 years before moving to New York City. She loved the time she spent in the classroom with 6 and 7 year olds, and especially enjoyed seeing her students grow and delight in their language abilities. As a non-native speaker, she understands the challenges of learning Chinese, and she uses her own experiences to support and encourage her students on their language learning journeys. Colerain also coached the elementary school Dragon Dance Team, working with students to perform at the annual community Lunar New Year Celebration.

Apart from languages, Colerain also loves hiking and camping, birdwatching, dogs, and making tiny animals out of polymer clay.

Virginia Cutchin is an experienced, China-focused intercultural consultant (over 20 years) and ICF-accredited executive, health/wellness and neurolanguage coach®. Virginia’s co-creative process helps clients thrive – with whatever resources they have and in whatever circumstances
they find themselves – and to fully realize their professional and personal goals. Virginia’s combination of cultural sensitivity, deep listening skills, well-timed powerful questioning and subject matter expertise where appropriate encourage clients to constantly clarify, pursue and
achieve their own objectives. In this way they gain insight, autonomy, accountability and continuity. As a language coach, Ms. Cutchin applies the neurolanguage coaching® approach
for efficient and cost-effective English, Mandarin and/or accent modification goal attainment.
 

Ms. Cutchin has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in global marketing, international business and other topics at major universities in New York and Washington, DC, and at an English language learning institute in Beijing, China. She is currently associated with Johns Hopkins University’s Advanced Academic Programs and the US-China Chamber of Commerce. Professional memberships include Chinese Language Teachers Association and the Society for
Intercultural Education, Training and Research. Prior to establishing her company in 2001 Ms.
Cutchin was charged with business development, teaching and marketing functions as a Marketing Officer at the USA headquarters of Bank of China.

Tingxuan (Tiffany) Zhang is an instructional designer and language researcher at QTALK World Language Publishing. She holds a Master's Degree in Cognitive Science in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University (2017). She is passionate about visual learning and applying cognitive and neurological theories to language teaching methodology. 

Tiffany has also been a member of Psi Chi (ΨΧ), the International Honor Society in Psychology, since 2015 and published a research article on the visual learning method in the Journal of Research on Chinese Language Teaching in 2018.

Aside from the lab, Tiffany enjoys every moment of working with students and watching their growth. 

Harrison graduated Magna Cum Laude from Union College, where he double majored in Mandarin and Economics. His thesis on Clean Energy in China earned him a publication and high honors.

Harrison took his Chinese to the next level during his studies at Fudan University in Shanghai - where he also consulted for Clean Energy Associates. Harrison went on to work at General Electric in the prestigious Financial Management Program and today works as a Project Manager for Estée Lauder in Manhattan. Harrison has 3 years of experience tutoring students of all ages in Mandarin.

Serena is currently a Master’s of Arts candidate in Chinese Pedagogy at Middlebury College, specializing in translation and teaching Chinese as a foreign language. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Hamilton College where she majored in Chinese and minored in Public Policy. 

Serena has a passion for working with students of all ages and has had a wealth of experience teaching and mentoring students both online and in person in subjects including: English, Reading & Writing, Public Speaking, and Debate, Literature, and her personal favorite, Mandarin Chinese. 

As a Chinese adoptee who grew up in the United States, but later studied and worked in Beijing for several years as a young professional, she has unique cultural and linguistic insights on what it takes to learn Chinese successfully. Above all, Serena loves inspiring her students wherever they are in their Mandarin learning journey.  

Shuwen is a native speaker from China and is currently studying at George Washington University for a Master of International Education with TESOL/ Teaching Mandarin certification.

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Shuwen is passionate about working with children and her nonprofit work. 

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In her free time she loves painting and traveling. She often bring her painting and calligraphy skills into her Mandarin lessons!

Yaru graduated from the University of Miami in 2020, majored in advertising, minored in marketing. As a native Chinese speaker who studied abroad at the age of 15, she has a deep understanding of Chinese and American cultures. Married to a Brazilian American man has only increased her enthusiasm in sharing her cross-cultural experiences. 
 

Yaru is very creative, motivated, and patient with teaching. Build connections between the languages is her teaching philosophy. She believes that learning the culture makes the language more attractive and fun. She is also learning Spanish and Portuguese and planning to study in Spain in the near future. 
 

Besides teaching at Manhanttan Mandarin, Yaru is a real estate investor and owns a small jewelry business. In her free time, she embraces outdoor activities and enjoys trying food from different countries.

Ivy is a native speaker of Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, and English. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in comparative literature at Harvard University. She received her A.M. from the same department at Harvard. Before moving to Boston, she earned her B.F.A and B.A. Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell University.
 

As an avid language learner and literature enthusiast, Ivy also speaks French, Arabic, German, and some Uyghur. She uses her experience in language learning and knowledge in linguistics to help her students achieve their goals. She understands that learning a language can be challenging, so she always makes her class a fun and rewarding experience.

Yuezhou Jin was born and grew up in Shanghai. She is currently working for a public school in NYC. After earning her master degree from NYU TESOL and Foreign language education program in 2013, she started her teaching career in high school. 

She believes the ultimate goal of learning a foreign language is to develop integrated language skills in and outside of the classroom. In addition, language and culture can be delivered in a communicative way. Learning Chinese and getting immersed into an entirely authentic culture and worldview is the surest way to become open-minded, understanding, well-rounded and that is absolutely priceless. 

Her students range from beginner to intermediate high level, some of them are even taking AP Chinese! She is passionate about elevating a better understanding of the Chinese culture through multi-entries instruction and diverse fun projects. 

Sa Sheng (Sara) specializes in teaching Mandarin to all ages and skill levels. With over 5 years of experience she is passionate about sharing her language and culture. She loves bringing fun into the classroom (even for adults!) and avoids traditional teaching styles. Using educational toys she inspires students to have confidence in their speaking skills. 

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Sara graduation from Florida International University with an MBA!

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 Sha Lu (Rissa) is a native speaker in Mandarin. She came to Washington D.C. from Kunming, China, where she started her Mandarin teaching journey in 2017. 

She has extensive tutoring experience to students of all ages and of various backgrounds, including elementary school kids, working professionals,  college students, and US diplomats. With over four years of teaching experience, Sha has developed different learning methodologies based on individual preferences in order to maximize learning results. 

In addition, Sha holds two graduate degrees from American University in Public Administration and Data Science, and is aiming to apply her teaching skills and data knowledge to careers in educational and data-adjacent fields.

Linling was born and raised in Guangzhou, China. After receiving her bachelor's degree in psychology from Sun Yet-sen University in China, she moved to the UK to pursue a master's degree in Psychology and Education at the University of Cambridge. This summer, she will move to Austin to start her PhD study there. 

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Linling is passionate about teaching Chinese language and culture. As a researcher in reading difficulties, she also has experience teaching children with dyslexia and comprehension deficits. She is patient and friendly. Believing that motivation is the best teacher, she always encourages students to express their thoughts and ideas freely. 

Diana Shen is a native Mandarin speaker. She graduated from University of Southampton, UK in 2020 with an MA in Design Management. She has worked in London as a teacher at hatching dragons and is particularly experienced in helping young (pre k) kids cultivate their interest in mandarin. Having founded and worked at a private art education company in China, she is a qualified artist and loves using art and calligraphy to inspire kids to learn mandarin.

In addition to teaching younger kids she has extensive experience teaching Chinese GCSE, HSK, IGCSE, IB and Pre-U at different Chinese language levels and all ages. London based, she offers calligraphy and art to help learn Chinese. She loves teaching Mandarin and is highly responsible and well-organized.

Michelle was born in Beijing. She is a native Mandarin speaker and is also fluent in English and Japanese. At five years old, she began formal training in Voice and Piano in Beijing. Later, she received her B.S. in Accounting from Kean University and Rutgers University, New Jersey. Then, she moved to Tokyo, Japan with her family and studied the Japanese language at Takusoyoko University, Tokyo. After returning to New York, to continue her passion for Language education, Michelle completed the TCSOL program at Columbia University Teachers College and has since been active with language education as one of the program’s Alumni association co-chairs. 

Learning multiple languages has become a meaningful and skillful process for her. It has allowed her to become more efficient and expand intellectually. Languages themselves go way beyond just being tools of communication. It is the beauty and learning of the culture behind languages that enables one to develop a profound respect and understanding of all the diversity around the world. It is these experiences that Michelle has most valued and is excited to share with young children.

Currently, Michelle is studying at Columbia Teacher’s College and lives with her family and her trilingual daughter in Manhattan.

Ivy Song is a UK Certified Accountant with an ACCA (Association of Charted Certified Accountants) Certificate. After graduating from university, she spent several years with Fidelity Beijing’s Venture Capital Office. With Fidelity, Ivy focused on TMT and traditional deal research, and she developed a passion for entrepreneurship.

She founded IvyGate Consulting in 2013, which specializes in educational and business consulting.

Ivy has also utilized her strong Chinese government connections to serve as a PR consultant for international companies within China. Ivy has an exhaustive understanding of how to launch marketing events in China, such as workshops and forums. She can also secure and maintain the continued participation of government leaders, market experts, and media staff in multinational ventures.

Jay is a native speaker who came all the way from Beijing to get his MBA from Fordham University. He has extensive tutoring experience and loves teaching students of all ages. He is very passionate about teaching his native language and sharing Chinese culture while establishing wonderful relationships with his students. 

Jay is a dog owner and loves New York City. He teaches several of our immersion classes as well as one on one lessons.

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Jay is also the Founder and Boss of Cooper & Jin. In our humble opinion, the greatest socks ever!!

Cooperandjin.com 

Michael lived in Taiwan from 2009-2011 and studied Mandarin at Nanjing University in 2013. He received a B.A. in Chinese Language and Literature from Brigham Young University in 2015.

At university, Michael developed a passion for Chinese language pedagogy. Chinese language study can enable Americans to develop highly meaningful cross-cultural relationships. In the words of Confucius, “Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?”

Gwen has been teaching Mandarin for over 25 years, working with students of all ages and backgrounds. She founded and led the Mandarin language program at the Trinity School in New York for fourteen years, and also taught Mandarin at the American School in Singapore, where she and her family lived for seven years. Gwen has several years of experience as a
private Mandarin tutor as well, serving the New York area.

Gwen began her professional involvement with China early on, helping to launch the first US-China scholarly exchange program while working at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. She advanced her undergraduate study of Mandarin at Yale University and the Oriental Institute at Oxford, followed by graduate language training at the
Monterey Institute of International Studies, Georgetown School of Foreign Service, Taibei Normal University in Taiwan, and the American University in Washington, D.C, from which she holds a Master’s degree in Mandarin and International Relations.
 

As a non-native learner of Mandarin, Gwen has a special appreciation of what it takes for other non-native speakers to gain proficiency in spoken as well as written aspects of the language, which reflect China’s rich culture and history. Her aim is not only to teach, but to inspire her
students and to make learning Mandarin fun!

Gwen lives with her husband in Manhattan, and continues to enjoy all that New York has to
offer.

Aidan started learning Mandarin at Bates College and took to the language quickly. With only two years of study under his belt, he directed an English education program in Chengdu, China, that hosted over one hundred American, Chinese, and Russian students. Right after that gig, Aidan dove straight into an intensive language program with Middlebury in Kunming. 

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In his lessons, Aidan uses strong relationships, creativity, and fun to inspire a love for Mandarin that goes beyond the classroom. After all, what’s the point of knowing how to build a ship without a yearning for the vast and endless sea?
When he’s not busy waxing philosophical about language learning, Aidan likes drawing, writing, and taking his dog Astro for runs in the woods.

Joseph was born in Macau and spent his early years in Shanghai. He began his formal Mandarin studies after graduating from high school - spending a year in Guangzhou, China teaching English in local middle schools and taking Chinese classes. He then spent one year studying Education at the University of Hong Kong, followed by three years at UNC Chapel Hill, where he double majored in Chinese and Linguistics with a minor in Education. While a college student, Joseph was one of the first teachers hired by VIPKID, an online English education platform for elementary students in China. He would later become a teacher mentor for VIPKID, helping to train teachers in the best virtual teaching practices. 

After earning his bachelor’s degree, Joseph then pursued a master’s degree in International Relations at Nankai University in Tianjin, China (with all coursework and thesis completed in Chinese). Most recently, Joseph worked as a consultant at a public affairs firm in Beijing, advising multinational companies on how to best operate in the Chinese market. He is currently the lead Chinese teacher at a private international school in Atlanta, where he teaches K-12. 

Joseph is looking forward to using second language learning approaches that energize students and give them as many opportunities to use Chinese in practical scenarios as possible.  He is excited to create an immersive and hands-on Chinese environment, and to share the many tips and tricks he picked up along his own Chinese learning path.

Shantan is a Mandarin language teacher and a former ESL/EFL teacher with years of experience teaching various age groups and nationalities. She holds a Master’s Degree in TESOL and a certification in TCSOL, both from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her unique capability of teaching both English and Chinese allows for deep insights into both languages, helping students really connect with the cultural aspects as well as the subtle nuances of the languages. Adhering to student-centered teaching, she believes that the starting point of any given course should come from the goals and interests of each individual student.
 

Growing up in Taiwan and coming from a language educational background, she is committed to creating optimal learning conditions in the classroom or online, where students are provided with ample input, quality feedback, and interactive activities in which they are given plenty of opportunities to practice using the language. She is also adept at creating lessons catering to students’ preferred learning styles, incorporating textbooks, original materials, videos, songs, and more. Always friendly and encouraging, she is able to engage students in a safe learning environment where they can freely speak their minds while developing language fluency as well as accuracy.

Lauren Wilmore is currently a Master's candidate in Teaching a Foreign Language at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. She graduated magna cum laude from Barnard College, Columbia University with departmental honors in Chinese and French Comparative Literature. 

Lauren fell in love with the Chinese language in middle school and has been studying it ever since. While in undergrad, she spent a semester in Harbin under a strict Chinese language pledge with CET Academic Programs.

Lauren’s students describe her as enthusiastic, patient, and always excited to bring students’ interests and hobbies into the language classroom. She is passionate about languages, teaching, and the performing arts, and she loves incorporating music and theatre into her lessons. 

Ben Frank is an American who has been learning Chinese since 2008 and living in Shanghai full time since 2014.

His fluency in Mandarin has given him the opportunity to work for the NBA in China since 2015. Over the years, Ben has not only developed and managed NBA-themed Family Entertainment Centers across China, but he has also served as a bilingual host at official NBA events in China featuring past and present superstars like Kawhi Leonard, Paul Pierce, and Dominique Wilkins.

Ben has a wealth of experience honing his Chinese skills both in the classroom and the boardroom, where he has spearheaded negotiations with large Chinese corporations on behalf of the NBA.

In his spare time, Ben is an international touring stand-up comedian who has headlined comedy clubs across 10 different countries.

Paul was born and raised in New York City. He graduated from Middlebury College with a major in International Studies and minor in Education Studies. He began studying Mandarin during his first year of college, and also attended an intensive Mandarin program with CET Beijing for a semester. He became increasingly interested in how second language acquisition can be used to provide educational opportunities to students around the world.

After graduating, Paul moved to Beijing to work as an education consultant, where he worked with a variety of students from China to help them prepare for their future college application seasons, as well as continue to immerse himself in the Chinese language.

In his free time, Paul enjoys different styles of partner dance, and has also played drums for different music groups in New York and Beijing.

Sindy was born in Changsha. She is a native Mandarin speaker and
is also fluent in English. She has more than 5 years of teaching
experience in Mandarin and art.

Sindy graduated from Fashion
Institute of Technology and Hunan Normal University, majored in
Chinese as a foreign language, fine art, and fashion design. She also
has a mandarin certificate and a teacher license in China. She excels at Chinese calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting, craft, sketching,
watercolor, and other art fields.

Sindy loves to combine Chinese and
Western cultures in teaching Mandarin and art.
 

Currently, she is co-founder and director of UHERE International
Education Center and ArtHere Studio.

Luke was born and raised in the great (albeit rainy) city of Pittsburgh where he now resides. He took an interest in languages in high school so he decided to major in Mandarin at Penn State University. He involved himself with the State College Chinese Alliance Church during his four years there. He now works with elementary school students at Pittsburgh Colfax and has worked for Pittsburgh Public Schools since 2017. In his free time he likes to explore Pittsburgh’s three rivers via paddleboard and hang out with friends.

Sunhanyan was born in Shanghai. She is a native Chinese speaker. She received a Bachelors degree in Digital Media Art from the Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts.

After graduation, she was

an Art teacher in Shanghai public elementary school for three years. Because of a keen interest in

languages, she applied for the Foreign Language Education program, a master program in the

School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. She is now nearing completion of her Masters degree.

During the two years of study at Pittsburgh, she explored how to take advantage of language as a

tool to create an active learning community better. Rather than lists of vocabulary words and grammar rules, teaching language is about putting these elements into the authentic context for students to use in the real world. Language learning is a social process, which includes cultural

issues. She is committed to guiding students to appreciate and experience Chinese culture in

learning the language.

Sunhanyan believes that the teachers role is like a GPS, knowing where the student is and where they are going and then providing the proper mediation to get to their destination. I am excited about putting my experience teaching art together with my knowledge of how to create an active language learning classroom.

Zhishang (Eve) Wang is a Mongolian ethnic minority raised in Beijing, China. With her bilingual background, she is fluent in Mongolian and Mandarin. She is also sensitive to language nuances and developed a great interest in literature. 

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Zhishang earned a BA degree in English and International Studies from China Foreign Affairs University. She spent her junior year at Barnard College, Columbia University studying Chinese and English comparative literature. After four years of hard work, she is fluent in English and has reached intermediate level French. Growing up in a multicultural community kindled her interest in language teaching and culture communicating. She also did a summer internship at Tangshan No. 46 Middle School during her senior year.

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After graduating from college, Zhishang pursued her MA degree in Comparative Literature at King's College London. In London, she started her Mandarin teaching as a private tutor. As a language learner, she can put herself into students' shoes. She believes everyone has a unique learning style, so she tailors sessions according to students' individual interests and needs. Language learning can't be separated from its culture. As a history lover and literature student, her classes are culturally rich. 

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In her spare time, Zhishang loves traveling, reading, and boxing. She is also passionate about exploring different cultures. 

Anqi is a CTCSOL certified Mandarin tutor who has been providing private Mandarin lessons in London and online for nearly 3 years. She is a native speaker with a BA from Media and Communication from University of Toronto. Her students range from 2 to 72 year olds, coming from various cultural and professional backgrounds.

She enjoys cooking, traveling, yoga, swimming, tennis, art, philosophy, and watching F1. Whether you are a 3-year-old whose favourite song is “We Will Rock You”, or a 72-year-old who loves poetry from the Tang dynasty, be prepared to share your interests and experiences in life with her during lessons as well, because what else is language for? 

Mei is a native speaker born and raised in Taiwan. She can teach in both traditional and simplified characters.
She discovered her interest in Chinese from writing since she was still in school, which gave her chances to publish her own books. With her passion for Chinese, she started to teach Mandarin as a foreign language after graduation. She has been teaching in Taiwan and Hong Kong for the past 5+ years, and she has just recently moved to the UK. With over 5 years experience, she can teach Mandarin at all levels and always knows how to find the most suitable learning methods for students. Most important of all, her expertise is developing students' listening and speaking abilities. Under Mei's guidance, students will find having conversations with natives a goal they can achieve. She always teaches students with patience, and encourages them to develop their potential while she is learning with them.