Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have access to washing facilities?

Yes, each shared apartment comes with a washing machine so you can wash your clothes.

Is there anything I should bring?

You should find everything is provided at the shared apartment so the answer, apart from yourself and your possessions, is no.

Will I experience Chinese immersion in the shared apartments?

Experiencing immersion in China very much depends on the individual. If you want, you have an ideal chance to meet local Chinese friends who don’t speak any English. If you get close to them, maybe you could go for dinner or play sports together. This will help your Chinese hugely. The difficulty here might be the more reserved nature of the students. Whilst you may get to know some, others will be a little shyer and harder to get to know.

If you want to experience immersion in China we believe the best way to do this is by staying at our Chinese Homestays in Beijing, whilst taking our Chinese Immersion program. There is always a chance to learn Chinese in China, take every opportunity you can.

Does the landlady speak English?

She doesn’t, and generally in China, outside the main expat areas you’ll find this is the case. On the flipside, your landlady is very experienced when dealing with foreign students and most of these students speak basic or zero Mandarin. Therefore, you should not worry about the language barrier. It’d be useful to maybe download some apps on your phone before hand. Pleco, for example is a hugely useful Chinese dictionary app that will help learn Mandarin in China as well as break down any language barriers.

Is there a preferred arrival time?

Yes, the preferred time of arrival is between 11am and 6pm on a Sunday. This ensures the smoothest transition. After landing it may take around two hours to get to your apartment. Arriving at off peak times is a little more troublesome for not just the land lady but yourself as well. That said you can arrive whenever you decide. If you have any questions or worries about flight times, please speak to us.

Do you have a gallery of pictures for the shared apartments?

We do and you can find it via our Accommodation in Beijing gallery.

How do I get to school on my first day?

You will either travel alone or with other LTL students. If you are a little unsure of the route, please allow yourself a little extra time. You will get used to the subway which you’ve likely never used before. Don’t forget Google Maps will not work in China as a VPN is required. On that note it is useful to get your VPN installed before coming to China. It is more troublesome to do it here. Express VPN and Astrill are two we recommend and tend to work well here.

Is there a cleaner?

For the communal areas, yes there is. For your own room you are responsible. If hygiene is a concern of yours it might be worth booking a larger room or a homestay in Beijing instead. This mainly applies to the communal bathroom area.

In a studio apartment, do I need to share bathroom or kitchen with other residents?

No, the draw of our studio apartments is that it gives you complete privacy. This means all rooms are yours and yours only.