FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
My base rate is $50 for an hour lesson, and $35 for a half hour lesson. For longer lessons, or for packs of lessons purchased at once, I can give a discount on the hourly rate. If you come to my home (or we meet somewhere in my neighborhood) for lessons, I only charge the base rate; if I travel to you, then I might require an additional charge of up to $25 for travel time, depending on the transport time required to reach you.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I start with a new student by getting an understanding of their current level and background in the language, and then talking about what the student's learning goals are. We then go through some of the possible ways to achieve those goals realistically, including how much time outside of our lessons the student is committed to studying and reviewing. Finally, I use some methods to start gauging the student's best learning modalities through a short set of exercises.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I earned a BA in East Asian Studies, with a focus on Mandarin Chinese language and culture from Oberlin College. After graduating, I moved to Shanghai, China to live for nearly 8 years, where I continued honing my language skills through immersion. After returning to the United States in 2008, I taught beginning Mandarin for 4 years to middle school students at the Fayette Street Academy in Santa Fe, NM; I also started teaching private Mandarin lessons in Santa Fe concurrently.