If you want to learn the Chinese language, you’ll have to put in a lot of effort, because, frankly, it’s not the most straightforward language to learn. The Chinese language ranks as one of the hardest languages to learn in the world.

For this reason, many Chinese language learners choose to join a class and learn as a group instead of taking private lessons.

However, is that the right choice? Is it a better idea to learn the Chinese language as a group? Or, are you better off taking private lessons?

Below, we discuss the pros and cons of learning Chinese as a group, as well as taking private lessons.

Private Chinese Lessons – Pros and Cons

Pros 

• Private lessons mean that the lesson plan is explicitly based according to your own language learning goals and what level you are at.
• You can choose to stop any time since you’re paying per session. You also don’t have to worry about transportation costs since you’ll be taught where you want and when you want.

Cons

• Private lessons are expensive. If you want to learn the Chinese language from a private tutor, you have to be prepared to spend for it.
• Because the focus is solely on you, the pressure to learn will be much higher.
• Although you’ll have the instructor to practice conversations with, it’s still a lot better you’re your language learning journey if you have a group of people to converse with.

Chinese Language Class – Pros and Cons

Pros 

• The emphasis on competition cannot just be understated. Joining a Chinese language learning class means that you’ll be competing, even if indirectly, with many other interested learners. That should serve as motivation for a lot of people.
• Having people to practice with can be very useful for learning a language, as well as economical. Between learning the language inside the classroom and studying for it outside during your free time, you’ll be spending more time than you realised and at a much lower cost.
• Chinese language classes cost significantly less compared to private lessons, even if you factor in transportation costs.

Cons

• You’ll be subjected to the availability and accessibility of the classes. This will severely limit your options.

Which Method of Learning Chinese is the Best for You?

Ultimately, language classes are just a mere tool for learning.

How much Chinese learn and how fast you learn it still depends on how motivated you are. Because, if you’re motivated, it doesn’t matter what you do – you’ll learn Chinese either way.

So, the real question is, what’s your purpose for learning the Chinese language? Is it for fun? Or, is it for possible career advancements?

Once you’ve found your answer, it’ll be easier for you to decide if you want to take group or private lesson to learn the Chinese language.