1:1 Langauge Coaching
Get unstuck, be inspired, and accelerate your Mandarin learning with 1:1 coaching
Achieve your Mandarin fluency goals in less time, with less effort, and with much less pain.
With 1:1 language coaching, you’ll get a tailored strategy to achieve your learning goals, overcome your biggest challenges, and keep you on track.
You’ll get the right support, designed to fit your learning style, preferences, and time constraints.
I work with intermediate-and-above Mandarin learners like you to help:
Develop a personalised learning strategy to reach your fluency goals
Get you inspired, keep you accountable, and adjust and optimise the approach
Take action and break through your learning plateaus and solve specific challenges—everything from finding the right resources, to perfecting tones and pronunciation
Places are limited—I only work with a maximum of three clients at any one time.
If you’re interested, take two minutes to complete this form, and I’ll be in touch!
"Andrew’s approach is practical, personalized, and deeply insightful. It’s ideal for intermediate learners who want to maximize their efforts and see real, lasting improvement."
How 1:1 coaching will help you
The challenge most learners face is they don’t have a clear strategy or goal.
I know this because that was me before I really got my head around learning Mandarin, after several years of making every mistake possible.
Back then I flip-flopped between textbooks, dictionaries, novels, poems, TV dramas, movies, even children’s books. (The only reason I didn’t include “apps” in that list, is because they weren’t invented when I started learning Mandarin!)
I spent hours every day wading through a sea of Chinese stuff feeling lost and stuck.
Like I was moving backwards.
The problem?
I had no strategy. No plan.
When I realised this I developed my own approach, and refined it over many years. It helped me get to a high level of fluency fast, and maintain that level, even while living outside of a Chinese speaking environment for many years.
This is how working with me as your coach can help you.
Together we’ll create a strategy which works for you, to solve your key learning challenges, and you’ll get the support you need to implement, and keep you accountable.
"I’ve always struggled to find a system that worked, but with Andrew’s help, I’ve been able to rethink and refine my study process completely. It’s now more efficient, more focused, and most importantly, it works. I’m remembering what I study, and I feel far less burned out."
Who 1:1 coaching is for
1:1 language coaching is for established learners who already have a foundation in Mandarin, who want to make big improvements, but aren’t sure how to get there.
This is for intermediate and advanced Mandarin learners who are serious about investing in making rapid progress.
I help a wide range of clients, including:
Professionals who use Mandarin at work or in their research
Long-term learners who feel stuck in a rut, and frustrated by a lack of progress
Seasoned Mandarin enthusiasts looking to broaden their horizons, optimise their learning, and access new resources
This coaching is not for everyone.
If you’re a beginner looking for language lessons, this isn’t the right fit. This is not a language lesson, conversation practice, or discussion class.
As your coach—and someone who’s “been there and done it”—I’ll help you identify key weak points in your Mandarin learning, develop tailored strategies to overcome them, and keep you accountable and taking action towards your fluency goals.
It’ll be like working with a personal trainer or sparring partner—helping you stay on track, push through challenges, and build momentum week after week.
“While I am sure Andrew could help students at any stage of Chinese learning, I believe his service could be especially useful to students who have been studying Chinese for a number of years, and are looking for ways to keep the learning experience fresh and rewarding.”
"I recommend this coaching to anyone who is already committed to learning Chinese but feels stuck, scattered, or disheartened by slow progress."
How it works
There are two ways to work with me:
Mandarin Accelerator (4 x sessions)
Four weekly one-hour sessions to devise your strategy, implement, adjust, and keep you accountable over a one-month period.
Investment: $750 for four sessions
Intensive Audit (1 x session)
One session in which you can discuss any specific challenges you have, I’ll offer strategies and resources to help you overcome them, and kick-start your learning
Investment: $250 per session
"Working with Andrew was a game-changer. He carefully analyzed my learning patterns and helped me identify where I could build in more effective review and streamline my study routine. He showed me how to make better use of RealTime Mandarin (RTM) to improve vocabulary retention—something that now supports all of my current Chinese projects."
More about your 1:1 language coach
Hi, I’m Andrew.
I began learning Mandarin nearly 25 years ago, when I arrived in Beijing by train from Mongolia, armed with a map, a notebook and a Chinese-English dictionary.
What started as a two-month trip turned into a year hitchhiking through western China, where I learned basic Mandarin through raw immersion.
I then spent three years in Taiwan, first teaching English for a year, followed by intensive Chinese study in Tainan. Later, I earned an MA in Chinese Translation & Linguistics from SOAS, University of London, my first formal Chinese studies.
Over the past two decades, I’ve worked across industries in China as a business executive, advisor, interpreter, and translator—operating in Mandarin, surviving the gruelling “996” work culture, and building a China-related career.
In 2021, I launched RealTime Mandarin, now a top-ten Substack in education with 12,000+ readers. Through our paid membership RTM Plus, I’ve supported more than 1,400 learners get towards their fluency goals through authentic news-based content in podcasts, newsletters and learning resources.
I have decades of experience in learning, speaking and operating in Mandarin. I understand what it takes to achieve a high level of fluency, and maintain it.
I have first-hand experience of the challenges you are facing along that same journey, and how to overcome them.
Ready to get started?
If my experience resonates with you, if you feel stuck in your Mandarin learning journey, and you're ready to invest in a solution which will dramatically improve your Mandarin…
Get in touch today!
“I have been studying Chinese for more than 15 years and found myself in a bit of a rut, always reading the same types of materials. My goal in meeting with Andrew was to “kick-start” some new reading habits with a focus on the very broad range of materials available through Realtime Mandarin.
Andrew gave me a very good overview of his site. He suggested a different article each week and helped me find additional materials, not just on his website but on a range of Chinese language sites.
I now feel better equipped to incorporate news articles from a variety of Chinese sources into my studies.”