With Will · Native Mandarin teacher · Decades of experience
Speak Mandarin before you land in China
1-on-1 online lessons built for travellers. Learn the phrases that matter — food, transport, directions, shopping — and arrive ready to connect, not just survive.
✓ Free 30-minute intro · ✓ No payment required · ✓ Cancel any time
From $40 / hr · No lock-in contracts
Six topics. Every real situation you’ll face in China.
The Traveller course covers exactly what you need for your trip — no filler, no textbook exercises that don’t apply to real travel. Each topic maps directly to moments you’ll encounter on the ground.
Ordering Food & Drinks
Navigate restaurant menus, describe dietary requirements, order street food confidently and understand what you’re being served. Covers popular dishes, local drinks and what to say when you love — or don’t love — what arrived.
Getting Around
Taxis, the subway, buses, DiDi — plus asking for directions and understanding the answers. Covers how to tell a driver your destination, read basic transit signs and navigate independently without needing Wi-Fi.
Shopping & Bargaining
Ask for prices, compare items, understand what vendors are saying and negotiate politely at markets. Covers numbers, prices, sizes and the phrases that help you get a fair deal — without the awkwardness.
Accommodation & Check-in
Hotel check-in phrases, room requests, reporting issues and understanding staff responses. Also covers common signs you’ll encounter in lobbies, lifts and public buildings throughout China.
Cultural Etiquette & Greetings
First impressions, toasting customs, how to politely decline, gift-giving norms and local expressions that earn goodwill wherever you go. Goes beyond phrases into genuine cultural understanding that locals notice and appreciate.
Emergencies & Key Phrases
Health phrases, how to ask for help, important contacts and the Mandarin you need in urgent situations. The phrases you hope you won’t need — but absolutely should know before you travel anywhere in China.
Like what you see? Take the next step.
Book a free 30-minute intro lesson with Will. See if it’s the right fit — no payment, no pressure, no lock-in.
Book your free intro →Six phrases. Useful from day one of your trip.
These are the kinds of expressions you’ll cover in your first few lessons — practical, real, and immediately usable on the ground in China.
Want to start learning these properly? Book a free intro call and Will will put together a plan for your trip.
Apps won’t prepare you for a real conversation in China
Apps teach you to tap the right answer. Will’s lessons teach you to hold a real conversation under pressure — at a market stall, in a taxi, at a restaurant where nobody speaks English.
Built around your itinerary
Tell Will where you’re going — Shanghai, Beijing, a remote village — and your lessons focus on exactly the vocabulary and situations you’ll actually face on your specific trip.
Real speaking from lesson one
You won’t freeze up when a taxi driver talks back to you. Will’s lessons are conversational by design — you’ll speak Mandarin in every session, not just listen and repeat exercises.
Travel-ready in weeks, not months
You don’t need fluency to travel confidently in China. Will focuses on high-impact phrases and real listening skills that make a genuine difference from the very first day of your trip.
From your first message to travel-ready Mandarin
No contracts, no packages, no cohorts. Three simple steps to start speaking before your trip.
Book a free intro call
A relaxed 30-minute chat with Will. Tell him where you’re travelling, when you leave and what you’re nervous about. He’ll map out a realistic plan to get you ready in time — no pressure, no sales pitch.
Start your tailored lessons
Your first lesson is built around your trip and your timeline. Will teaches the phrases and listening skills that will make the biggest difference on the ground — so you’re genuinely prepared, not just rehearsed.
Arrive in China ready
Confident ordering food, hailing a taxi, finding your way and having simple conversations. You’ll know what to say — and what to do when locals say something unexpected back.
From their first lesson to their first trip
Travellers who went from zero Mandarin to genuine, usable confidence — before they landed.
“I had six weeks before my trip to Beijing and had never studied any Mandarin. Will focused on exactly what I needed — food, transport, directions. By the time I arrived I was ordering food and catching taxis on my own. Couldn’t recommend him more highly.”
“I was terrified I’d freeze when someone spoke back to me. Will trained me for exactly that — he’d throw unexpected phrases at me so I’d learn to listen and respond, not just recite. It genuinely changed how my whole trip went.”
Answers before you ask
“I had six weeks before my trip to Beijing and had never studied any Mandarin. By the time I landed I could order food, ask for directions and have a simple conversation. The confidence it gave me completely changed how I experienced the trip.”
Sarah 🇦🇺 · Australia
Get started with a free intro call
No obligation — just a 20-minute chat about your goals. We’ll get back to you within 24 hours.
