Fees and Other Frequently Asked Questions

• What classes are available and how are they run? See Programs
• How much do classes cost?
• How do I enrol in a class?
• How do I pay for classes?
• Can I get a refund if I do not want to continue classes?
• If I already know some Chinese, how will my level be assessed?
• Where are face-to-face classes held in Perth?
• How do online classes work?
• What do I get for completing a program? Are they accredited?
• Why are online programs only available in Australia?

The fee for a one-term (generally ten-week) class depends on the number of students taking the class. In addition, we charge more for HSK preparation classes than for other classes. For each student the normal fee for each term is as follows:

Class sizes will normally be limited to eight.

For individual study (a single student), programs are completely negotiable, and payment is thus per session rather than per term. Normally we would expect $75 for a 90-minute face-to-face session or an 80-minute online session, whether for HSK preparation or something else.

All required study materials are supplied free of charge in electronic form. If you would like them supplied in hard copy, there is an additional charge of $15 per term.

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Start by emailing the Centre at <enquiry@easternroad.com.au> to express interest in a program. We will also want to know such things as what sort of timeframe would suit you, and we may also want to assess your Chinese ability to make sure what level is best for you. When there is enough demand, classes will be scheduled and we will let you know about it and invite you to attend. For regular classes you should normally be prepared to pay for the whole program at the time of the first lesson, unless you make other arrangements. (For individual tutoring, payment arrangements are negotiable.)

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Payment is through electronic bank transfer or (for students in Perth) by cash. After you enrol you will be told the account number to transfer the payment to.

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Generally no. If you do not want to continue classes after the first lesson, then we will ask you to pay only for that lesson (pro-rata). If you continue, however, we would not normally give a partial or whole refund, since our ability to run classes for the set fee depends on having a minimum number of paying students. In this we simply follow the same practice that similar programs seem to follow: we expect students to commit themselves to their classes for whole term and thus generally do not give refunds.

In unusual circumstances we would consider making exceptions to this policy, such as if a student could not continue for medical reasons soon after starting classes. In addition, we may be willing to negotiate a reduced fee at the start of a program if a student is aware that they can attend only part of it, such as no more than half.

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Assessment is informal, and for the sole purpose of placing you in classes at an appropriate level. An instructor will consider what you say about your past and recent study and use of the language and then explore your ability to understand and produce spoken and/or written Mandarin Chinese. This will be considered together with your reasons for studying Chinese to suggest possible programs.

More advanced students may wish to consider the possibility of individual tutoring, which can easily be adjusted to suit their own particular strengths and weaknesses.

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The Centre is located in the northern Perth suburb of Madeley. It is in a residence, with an office and with a front room in which classes will be held.

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Online classes are currently being taught through an application called Zoom. To use it you need a Windows or Apple computer with speakers, a microphone, and ideally a webcam, and this needs to be connected to the internet.

You can obtain the Zoom software (the Zoom Desktop Client) for free by signing up for a free account on <https://zoom.us >. Alternatively, when you receive an email inviting you to a Zoom meeting, clicking on the link is supposed to download the application automatically, if you do not already have it installed.

For how to use Zoom, see <https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360034967471-Getting-started-guide-for-new-users>. On Youtube you can also find several videos about using Zoom.

Currently our class sizes have been too small to make it worthwhile for us to pay for the use of Zoom. Because of this, our Zoom sessions are restricted to 40 minutes at a time. In practice, we simply take a short break after 40 minutes and then continue with a new session.

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Like others of the same type, our programs are not accredited, and there is no award or certification for completing them, although for set programs (not special tutoring) we can give you a certificate of attendance if you attend at least 70% of the classes. Basically, you enrol in our programs in order to improve your knowledge of and ability in Chinese, and that is your reward for completing them. For students in our HSK classes, this should enable them to obtain certification by passing the HSK Chinese examination at the appropriate level. Aside from that, if you require some other sort of certification of your Chinese knowledge or ability, you should take an accredited VET or higher education program.

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There are two practical difficulties with serving students outside of Australia. One is the need to pay through electronic funds transfer to an Australian bank, which may not feasible from some other countries. The second is the fact that we may not be able to schedule classes conveniently for students in quite different time zones, such as in the Americas or Europe. In addition, we understand that there are much larger online providers looking after such areas, and we see no need to compete with them.

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