Our selective and trained team of Mandarin Tutors and Mandarin Teachers can't wait to help.
Book A Free Trial Lesson and we will pair you with the perfect Mandarin tutor or Mandarin class and develop the best curriculum for your Mandarin goals. We look forward to meeting you and supporting you at every step on your Mandarin journey.
Welcome to Manhattan Mandarin Austin
Our Mandarin Tutoring Team
Paul James Irizarry
Program Director / Mandarin Tutor
Paul is a Mandarin tutor based in Austin with over a decade of experience in education. He has enjoyed every second of his Mandarin learning journey, from coursework toward his degree in East Asian Studies at Middlebury College to living in Beijing for four years while working as an educational consultant supporting students and families from China applying to schools abroad. Paul has studied Mandarin extensively through the Middlebury Summer Intensive Language School and is also a proud alumnus of the CET Intensive Language Program in Beijing. Paul has also worked as a Mandarin language tutor with students in New York City, across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and remotely for over seven years. With his passion for teaching fostered by his M.S. in Educational Studies at Johns Hopkins University, Paul strives to create impactful moments by sharing the joy of Mandarin learning with his students.
Paul founded Manhattan Mandarin Austin in 2023 after five years of working closely with Manhattan Mandarin. With a mutual vision of providing authentic language and cultural experiences to learners of all ages and backgrounds, he is excited guide others along their Mandarin journeys.
Jamie Keyte
Founder / Mandarin Tutor
Jamie Keyte is a Mandarin tutor based in New York City. founded Manhattan Mandarin in 2012. A native New Yorker, Jamie attended The St. Bernard’s and Trinity Schools. He graduated from Kenyon College with a BA in Internationals Studies. In 2008, Jamie studied abroad where he completed an intensive Mandarin language program at CET in Shanghai. Upon graduating, Jamie ran high school educational tours in both China and the United States. In 2010, Jamie decided to further enhance his Mandarin skills and completed a second intensive language program in Beijing. This led him to a job at Thomson Reuters, where he became the China Project Manager for a Thomson Reuters’ subsidiary. During this time, Jamie developed the concept for Manhattan Mandarin and co-founded IvyGate, a Beijing-based SAT tutoring and high school/college application company. In 2019, Jamie returned to Trinity to run the Mandarin 1 program. He continues to run Manhattan Mandarin at its new New York headquarters at 153 E 70th. He has taught 10,000+ hours of private Mandarin lessons.
Margaret Wardrop
Business Development / Mandarin Tutor
Margaret has been a student of Mandarin for over 15 years and is a proud alumna of the Middlebury C.V. Starr study abroad program (Hangzhou / 2010). Following college graduation, she moved to China to develop a career in the hospitality industry. Among the companies for which she has worked in China are Starwood, Marriott, and the National Basketball Association. Now based in Austin, Margaret's pastime is to spread the joy and opportunity in studying Chinese! One of the ways she does this is by connecting Manhattan Mandarin to schools, tutoring programs, corporations, and organizations throughout the Austin area. In addition to offering 1:1 tutoring services, Margaret is a great resource for exploring career paths and travel adventures in China.
Anqi La
Mandarin Tutor
Anqi is a CTCSOL certified Mandarin Chinese tutor who has been providing private Mandarin lessons for nearly 3 years. She is a native speaker with a BA in Media and Communication from University of Toronto. Her students range from 2 to 72 year olds, coming from various cultural and professional backgrounds. She enjoys cooking, traveling, yoga, swimming, tennis, art, philosophy, and watching F1. Whether you are a 3-year-old whose favourite song is “We Will Rock You”, or a 72-year-old who loves poetry from the Tang dynasty, be prepared to share your interests and experiences in life with her during lessons as well, because what else is language for? She is experienced in HSK, GCSE, IGCSE, A-level exam preparation. She is also available for general Chinese lessons.
Dr. Shuang Wu
Mandarin Tutor
With a doctorate in Asian Studies, Dr. Wu is an experienced teacher with a demonstrated history of working in teaching Chinese language, literature, and culture both in China and the United States. She is a native speaker of Mandarin Chinese and skilled in Chinese language teaching, educational technology, tutoring, and curriculum development. She came to the States in 2018 and successfully completed her teaching training program at Washington University in St. Louis.
After that, she joined East Stroudsburg University as a Chinese Instructor and responsible for the all levels Chinese language courses. She is an active member of ACTFL, CLTA. Her recent interest is in developing proficiency based on ACTFL standards, integrating technology, Chinese poetry and film in Chinese as a foreign language classroom. Her passion in these areas could inspire the students to explore the world and be curious to meet many people.
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Dr. Bo Liu
Mandarin Tutor
Dr. Bo Liu, Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of Texas at Austin, specializes in teaching Chinese language and culture to diverse student groups. With a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, his expertise encompasses foreign language education, including motivation, teacher training, curriculum design, and teaching pedagogy. He has published in esteemed journals, such as Foreign Language Annual, CSL Journal, Chinese Literature Today, and Overview of Higher Education in the United States. In addition to his scholarly work, Dr. Liu actively contributes to the profession. He serves on the board of CLTA-TX and reviews conference proposals for ACTFL and research manuscripts for FLA and JNCOLCTL. He also leads the STARTALK Chinese program in Minnesota, promoting Chinese language education beyond academia.
With over five years of teaching experience in K-12 and college settings, Dr. Liu fosters a learner-centered approach in his classrooms. He prioritizes creating a supportive environment and utilizes multimedia resources and technology to enhance learning. Advocating for personalized learning content, he tailors instruction to meet individual student needs, making language learning enjoyable and engaging.
Carrie Liu
Mandarin Tutor
Carrie Liu is a Mandarin Chinese tutor with a background in education and extensive teaching experience. Carrie has completed the PGCE Secondary Languages Programme (Mandarin) with QTS, and holds an MA in Intercultural Communication and Education from Durham University. She has taught Mandarin to students ranging from 6 to 50+ years old at various proficiency levels. She is available for both in-person and remote Mandarin tutoring, specializing in GCSE Mandarin Chinese classes, A-level Mandarin test preparation, and general Chinese lessons (including HSK, YCT, and Jinbu). She strongly believes in the practical application of language learning, prioritizing conversation skills as part of lessons. She adapts her teaching methods to suit the diverse abilities of students and also organizes cultural activities while designing personalized learning plans. Carrie's ultimate goal is to help students overcome challenges in Mandarin while ensuring that the learning process is enjoyable. Additionally, she has achieved a Grade 9 level in piano and loves integrating music and Chinese songs into her teaching materials. Outside of teaching, she has a passion for swimming, frisbee, and various other sports. Building positive relationships with her students is of the utmost importance to Carrie, and she approaches teaching with patience, encouragement, and enthusiasm.
Tianyun Shi
Mandarin Tutor
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Tianyun is a CTCSOL trained Mandarin tutor. She is native Mandarin speaker born in China. She has extensive experience teaching mandarin to children and adults from schools, universities and society through the Confucius institute. In 2018, she received her qualified certificate as a mandarin teacher to speakers of other languages (CTCSOL). Targeted students in her classes can be given a variety of emphases. She encourages classroom interaction and enjoyment for children through games and competitions while business groups focus on communication skills. She frequently introduces Chinese history and culture in her classes to pique students’ interests. By learning Mandarin with her, you will make significant progress not only in language but also in terms of your capability for thought and scope of vision. Tianyun is available for both remote and in-person lessons in London. Her courses are designed for beginning, intermediate and advanced Chinese language students. She is also well-versed in HSK exam preparation.
Katarina Cao
Mandarin Tutor
Katarina is an IB/IGCSE/A Level/AP Mandarin Chinese Tutor based in Scotland. She is a native speaker born and grew up in Beijing. She graduated from Peking University with a Bachelor degree in English Language and Literature. She got her Mphil degree in Chinese Literature from the University of Hong Kong. Katarina used to work for an international school in Hong Kong and has been teaching IB/IGCSE Mandarin Chinese for more than 10 years . She used a variety of teaching methods in the classroom, such as grammar-translation, the communicative approach and task-based learning. She also worked as a full-time home school teacher for 3 years in the Peak residential district in Hong Kong. Katarina has a profound understanding of different curriculums, including Cambridge IGCSE, Pearson Edexcel, IB and AP. Her students were from Eton College (Windsor), English Schools Foundations (ESF), The Independent Schools Foundation (ISF) Chinese International (CIS) , German Swiss International, Victorian Shanghai Academy, St.Paul & Co-educational College, Diocesan Girls School, and the Diocesan Boys’ School.
Mei Chun Cho
Mandarin Tutor
Mei is a native speaker born and raised in Taiwan. She can teach in both traditional and simplified characters. She discovered her interest in Chinese from writing since she was still in school, which gave her chances to publish her own books. With her passion for Chinese, she started to teach Mandarin as a foreign language after graduation. She has been teaching in Taiwan and Hong Kong for the past 5+ years, and she has just recently moved to the UK. With over 5 years experience, she can teach Mandarin at all levels and always knows how to find the most suitable learning methods for students. Most important of all, her expertise is developing students' listening and speaking abilities. Under Mei's guidance, students will find having conversations with natives a goal they can achieve. She always teaches students with patience, and encourages them to develop their potential while she is learning with them.
Lei Zhang
Mandarin Tutor
Lei Zhang is an experienced Mandarin tutor. She has been offering Mandarin lessons in China and online for almost 7 years and has been an imperial teacher for Shell, Bosch and ITOCHU Japan. She is a native language teacher and holds a Master's degree in Education from the University of York, UK. Her students range from 4 years old to 70 years old and come from a variety of cultural and professional backgrounds. She is very sporty and loves Muay Thai, which she has been studying for 3 years, as well as surfing, rugby, etc. In her free time, she likes to make vlogs. She has filmed and posted nearly 50 Chinese learning videos and has over 1000 followers on her previous company Instagram. She has also organized various cultural events. Lei Zhang is available for remote and face-to-face Mandarin lessons in London. She is experienced in HSK, Business Chinese, AP and GCSE preparation. She is also available for daily Chinese learning courses.
Hoi Ting Tsang
Mandarin Tutor
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Hoi is a native speaker born and raised in Hong Kong. Her deep-rooted background in the arts is long-standing and is coupled with strong communication, research, analytical, leadership and teamwork skills. She studied at Central Saint Martins and Goldsmiths, University of London and has worked at institutions and galleries both in Hong Kong and London. She is patient and enjoys working with children across the age range. Previously, Hoi attended Epsom College and was awarded an Art Scholarship. She has first hand experience of going through the A-Level exams and passing for selective boarding schools. In addition, she also holds the Putonghua Proficiency Test (PSC) certificate and achieved Grade 3 Level A*.
Hoi is available for both remote Mandarin lessons and in-person Mandarin classes in London.
Ronnie Guo
Mandarin Tutor
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Jun Guo, aka Ronnie Guo, is a Mandarin tutor based in London. He has 8 years teaching experience as a Mandarin Chinese teacher and drama teacher. His Mandarin students have ranged in age from 7 months to 70 years old, including students from MIT, Cambridge University, and UCL. In addition to his experience as a Mandarin tutor, Ronnie has also taught at schools in Derby, Peterborough and London. His flexible and fun way of teaching is always a favourite with students. Ronnie is available for Mandarin Chinese lessons and private Mandarin tutoring.
Zhishang (Eve) Wang
Mandarin Tutor
Zhishang (Eve) Wang is a Mandarin Chinese tutor and a Mongolian ethnic minority raised in Beijing, China. With her bilingual background, she is fluent in Mongolian and Mandarin. She is also sensitive to language nuances and developed a great interest in literature. ​Zhishang earned a BA degree in English and International Studies from China Foreign Affairs University. She spent her junior year at Barnard College, Columbia University studying Chinese and English comparative literature. After four years of hard work, she is fluent in English and has reached intermediate level French. Growing up in a multicultural community kindled her interest in language teaching and culture communicating. She also did a summer internship at Tangshan No. 46 Middle School during her senior year.​ After graduating from college, Zhishang pursued her MA degree in Comparative Literature at King's College London. In London, she started her Mandarin teaching as a private tutor. As a language learner, she can put herself into students' shoes. She believes everyone has a unique learning style, so she tailors sessions according to students' individual interests and needs. Language learning can't be separated from its culture. As a history lover and literature student, her classes are culturally rich. ​In her spare time, Zhishang loves traveling, reading, and boxing. She is also passionate about exploring different cultures.
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