Like a lot of us here, I'm trying to learn Mandarin Chinese. I've been casually doing apps for a while now (Duolingo sucks, HelloChinese seems better, language exchanges are fun but scary) but I recognize some serious limitations to my methods. My reading and typing is getting better, as is my listening, but I still suck at speaking and tones are still hard to remember sometimes. This seems directly related to my learning methods - lotsa reading and listening exercises mostly, not as much talking. If I want to actually be able to speak this language, I'm going to need some more varied education I think.
My first thought was to check the local community college - we have a large Chinese population here so the classes are probably good, but the scheduling doesn't work well with my boring adult 9-5. I do well in a classroom environment though. One-on-one tutoring might not be a bad option, but I'd prefer to go through the embarrassment of learning a new language as a group, you know?
Anyone else in the same boat? What do you use to learn?
There are plenty of one-to-one options online if you choose to go that route. Group lessons might not be ideal for you if your schedule isn't very flexible.
iTalki is quite popular where I live. I use Preply, and although I do have issues with how their system forces tutors to give an unpaid trial lesson where 100% of the fees go to the company, I've been happy with it so far.