Mandarin/ Cantonese Chinese Lessons for Individuals and Businesses
Nǐhǎo / Néih hóu! If you’re looking to learn Mandarin or Cantonese, you’re in the right place. With over a decade of experience, I’m a qualified and highly skilled teacher with a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language from SOAS, London, and a proud Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists. I’m passionate about helping learners of all ages and abilities achieve their language goals. Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to refine your skills, my tailored, engaging, and supportive lessons are designed to meet your unique needs.
One-To-One Mandarin or Cantonese Chinese Lessons for Adults
Whether online or in-person in the Watford area, every lesson is meticulously tailored to meet your unique learning needs. My teaching style is fun, engaging, and incredibly patient—as a mum of trilingual kids myself, I understand the challenges and joys of language learning firsthand! I create a supportive, pressure-free environment where learners feel comfortable making mistakes, asking questions, and building confidence step by step. Each session is designed to be interactive and practical, ensuring you can apply what you learn in real-world situations, whether for business, travel, or personal growth.
GCSE/ A-Level Chinese Tuition
With over a decade of experience teaching Mandarin, I have helped countless students achieve top grades in their GCSE and A-Level Chinese exams, often gaining remarkable confidence and fluency in a short space of time. My lessons are meticulously tailored to each student’s needs, focusing on exam technique, vocabulary building, and real-world language skills to ensure success beyond just passing the test. My engaging, patient, and supportive approach helps students feel confident in both spoken and written Mandarin, even if they started with little prior knowledge. Whether you need help mastering tricky grammar, improving speaking fluency, or excelling in exam preparation, I’m here to guide you every step of the way!
Corporate Mandarin/ Cantonese Lessons
I offer corporate Mandarin and Cantonese lessons to help your team communicate more effectively with Chinese-speaking clients, partners, and colleagues. Sessions can be tailored to your industry, covering practical language skills, cultural awareness, and business etiquette to ensure smooth and professional interactions. Whether you’re looking to enhance client relationships, avoid cultural missteps, or offer a unique team-building experience, these lessons provide both real-world value and an engaging employee perk. Get in touch to learn more!
Mandarin or Cantonese Chinese Lessons for Children
As a mum of two trilingual children and the author of Bilingual and Trilingual Parenting 101, I know firsthand what it takes to make language learning engaging, effective, and stress-free for kids. With years of experience teaching children as young as 6, I bring an extremely patient, fun, and encouraging approach to every lesson. Using storytelling, games, and real-life conversation practice, I help young learners build confidence, improve pronunciation, and develop a strong foundation in Mandarin or Cantonese. Whether your child is a complete beginner or already familiar with the language, my tailored lessons ensure they feel supported, motivated, and excited to learn! I can offer 1-to-1 or small-group lessons for siblings/ friends :)
Why Learn Mandarin?
Mandarin is the world’s most spoken language, with over 1 billion speakers globally. Whether for business, travel, or personal enrichment, learning Mandarin opens doors to new opportunities and deeper cultural understanding.
From a professional standpoint, China is an economic powerhouse, and knowing Mandarin can give you a competitive edge in business, international trade, and diplomacy. Many multinational companies value employees who can communicate with Chinese clients and partners, making Mandarin a highly sought-after skill in the job market.
Beyond career benefits, learning Mandarin allows you to engage more deeply with Chinese culture, from understanding traditional customs to enjoying Chinese literature, films, and music in their original form.
While Mandarin may seem challenging at first, its logical structure and lack of verb conjugations make it more accessible than many assume. With the right approach, you can start speaking confidently in a short time.
Whether you’re looking to expand your career opportunities, connect with Chinese-speaking friends and family, or simply challenge yourself with a new language, Mandarin is an incredibly rewarding choice that will enrich your life in countless ways.
Why Learn Cantonese?
Cantonese is a vibrant and culturally rich language spoken by millions worldwide, particularly in Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangdong province, as well as large overseas communities, from London to Toronto. If you have family ties to Cantonese-speaking regions or plan to visit Hong Kong, learning Cantonese allows for more meaningful connections with locals and a deeper appreciation of the culture.
In business, knowing Cantonese can be a huge advantage, especially in industries connected to finance, trade, and international relations, where Hong Kong remains a key global hub. It also helps bridge cultural gaps and build stronger relationships with Cantonese-speaking clients, colleagues, or partners.
Although Cantonese has a complex tonal system, its structure is similar to Mandarin, so learning one can make picking up the other easier. If you’re looking for a language that’s both practical and culturally enriching, Cantonese is a fantastic choice that connects you to a rich history, thriving communities, and exciting opportunities.
Student Testimonials
"Kayee is a brilliant and inspirational teacher. She is unfailingly enthusiastic, gives clear explanations and really knows her stuff. Since we started our lessons my Mandarin has come on immensely and my confidence has improved in every area. I would not hesitate to recommend Ka Yee to anyone who is interested in either improving their Mandarin or starting to learn this incredible language for the first time." - Nick J., Solicitor, 2013
"My experience of a brief crash course in Mandarin with Kayee was excellent. She tailored the course to my needs and was very good at helping you learn the things you want to learn. She was always very encouraging throughout which is always helpful when starting something from scratch." - Matthew N., Trainee Doctor, 2015
"Before I began learning Mandarin, I knew a quality tutor makes a huge difference. Picking up bad habits early in any skill can take months or years to get rid of them. I chose Ka Yee based on her professional history and I could not have made a better choice. Ka Yee is an excellent tutor who accommodates for my specific preferences to learn the language, and she goes the extra mile to explain and practice every topic in which I felt difficult to comprehend. I would definitely recommend Ka Yee to both beginners as well as advanced students who are looking to take their skill to the next level." - Steve O., Entrepreneur, 2014
"I've been studying Mandarin with Ka Yee for about three months now. Although I had learned a little bit by myself beforehand, I have improved enormously during that time. She always tries hard to make the lessons fun and is great at stopping and explaining things when I have questions. She's also been really flexible about scheduling lessons at times when I'm free. I'd happily recommend her to anyone looking to learn Chinese." - Nick G., Software Engineer, 2015
"I was a total beginner when I first took lessons with Kayee. I had never learnt a language before so although the thought of learning Mandarin was exciting, it was obviously also quite a daunting challenge at first. Kayee has been an excellent teacher and always willing to take lessons at a pace that I have felt comfortable with. I made a decision when commencing Mandarin lessons that I wanted to predominantly concentrate on speaking/listening as opposed to reading and writing, but I'm sure she'd be as equally good at teaching these skills. Kayee has always made lessons stimulating and I am now at a level where I am confident to talk about many subjects. I would highly recommend her as a Mandarin teacher to other students, in regards to both beginners and those at a more advanced stage, and look forward to furthering my Mandarin as a result of her teaching in the future." - Mark S., Businessman, 2015
"Ka Yee is a fantastic tutor with great knowledge, a fantastic temperament, and has an amazing grasp of both English and Mandarin. She taught me so much in a short space of time and was very flexible in her teaching approach to ensure I was in the best place to learn. She is well prepared, thorough and very fun to learn with. I would recommend her to anyone learning Chinese from a base level which I was, as well as anyone further developed as I'm sure she would excel in teaching people at this stage of their learning also." - Dane E., Theatre Stage Manager, 2015
“Kayee is a great Chinese teacher/tutor, she always gave me the warmest welcomes and brought a lot of positivism to our tutoring sessions. She really helped me with my Chinese assignments and presentations which I was having difficulty with, and made sure I understood everything clearly. Without her help I am not sure I would have passed my Chinese course with such a good grade and overall she helped me improve my Chinese level. It's rare to find such amazing tutors that are completely worth the money you pay them.” – Sharon, University Student, 2015
"After a summer in China, I had fallen in love with everything that was Chinese and was adamant about learning Mandarin. After finding Kayee's warm profile online I was willing to give her a go (especially at her prices). Prior to our first lesson she had asked questions to figure out which stage to start our lesson from. As my Mandarin was very limited, she recommend we started from scratch (which was best). Our first lesson was great! Her material was perfect as it included speaking, listening, reading and writing (both pinyin and characters). The lessons are well structured, consistent and Kayee even takes the liberty to refer back to the native way of speaking. At the end of each class homework is set which is throughly checked, edited by Kayee and also she tends to explain where it is you went wrong. As our lessons went on we'd end up having more and more conversations in mandarin off topic which was such a good laugh (mainly my fault, I love to talk). It didn't feel as if I was in lesson but chit chatting away with a peer. Since completing beginners book 1 at a steady pace, I am able to read, write and speak Mandarin. I even watch programmes in Mandarin and catch on to what's being said.
All in all I've truly enjoyed studying Mandarin with Kayee and was quite upset to have to end my lessons with her. It terms of recommending her I think my post says it all.” – Helen, Student, March 2016
The first time I met Julie I suddendly felt she could have helped me because her English and Chinese are perfect (of course) therefore she could have helped me to mediate considering the fact that I am an Italian native speaker. At the beginning of the class we started with the book for advanced students, but considering that my level was quite high she tailored a programme for me. We studied it together and was really stimulating. Everytime she asked me what I was interested to do and we programmed our classes according to my needs and wills. She has been a great teacher and I really hope to continue studying with her in the future. I would definitely recommend her :)
- Martina, Student (MA Translation and Interpreting), June 2016
Since starting lessons with Ka Yee, I have made significant progress in my Chinese development and have seen great improvement in all aspects of my studies. Ka Yee explains all subject matters in a very accessible manner.
She has highly effective teaching methods, which makes the learning interesting and progression very achievable. In addition to providing a comprehensive understanding of Chinese grammar, vocabulary and characters; she also provides a great insight into Chinese culture and customs. Ka Yee is always supportive, patient and has made learning Mandarin very enjoyable. I would fully recommend Ka Yee to anybody wanting to develop their Mandarin, whether as a complete beginner or at a more advanced level.
-Jody, Banker, September 2016