Volunteer + Learn Chinese in China!

Overall, it was a great experience. Yangshuo has a pleasant environment and atmosphere for foreigners to come and study for a while, especially for those who like nature. The staff was also very welcoming, and the small class system, allowed us as a student to engage more in the class and have lots of opportunities to ask questions. They also have many activities every weekend and a Chinese culture class every once a week, which was enjoyable. Overall, the eight weeks I had during this summer holiday were memorable and useful for me.

Great times in yangshuo, when in omeida, time flew, and the 6weeks i had went by in a flash. I think yangshuo is a great place for learning chinese, chinese culture, and about oneself.
The support i received since the beginning was great, and it really made me feel safe.
The learning is effective because you learn in class, and practice in the street or talking with chinese students, which makes it stay in your brain.
The activities were all fun, and the other events, such as the language partner or volunteering, made me always busy, which I appreciate.
My experience is very good.

Omeida is one of the few full immersion programs in Mainland China that intertwines those wanting to learn English and students wanting to learn Mandarin. My classes were private one on one from 9:25am to 4:35pm with breaks during the class time and a good lunch break where we could eat delicious local food provided by the program. After class, other Mandarin students and myself would mix with the English learners where we'd practice our skills in real settings, cementing what we learned in class.

I was originally drawn to Omeida based on the glowing reviews posted on TripAdvisor, Workaway and GoOverseas. Unfortunately, the first two sites have since deleted Omeida, based on general policy decisions. It's a shame, as this is a wonderful school in a lovely small city.
I was at Omeida for six weeks. I took Chinese lessons half the day and spent two hours a day providing English conversation for students from China. The Academy has a brilliant set-up. There is a Chinese School, where you will find bright and imaginative students from all over the globe. Then a block away is the English School, populated by hard-working and very friendly students, many of whom have left their home, spouse and children in different parts of China. They have come to Omeida for three months, six months, twelve months, in the hopes of learning English so they can get better jobs.
Most students at both of the schools fall in the 25-35 year old range, although there are students as young as 18 and as old as 68. Students form both schools fraternize at lunch and dinner, which is held in the canteen area of the Chinese School.
Our accommodations were very comfortable. A single room with a private bathroom and space for a desk for two. It was air-conditioned, which was a real plus during the months I was there. Potable water was available from a dispenser on the staircase. It's just a two minute walk from your room to the school.
Yangshuo is a charming small city with scenes from old China - vendors setting out produce on mats on the sidewalk, pickup trucks randomly pulling into town carrying walnuts, pomelos and other edibles, traffic lazily moving through the streets. Everywhere you look there are towering karats, shaped like upside down ice cream cones.
The school has fun Chinese cultural events on Wednesday afternoons and wonderful Saturday trips, which are a great opportunity to bond with your fellow students. The Administration is responsive and does an excellent job running the school.
After our stay at Omeida, we did your standard tour of China. It paled in comparison to our time at Omeida.

For my first time volunteering solo abroad, Omeida sets the bar high. Yangshuo, China is an absolutely gorgeous place surrounded by mountains, combined with both modern amenities and rural lifestyles. I had the absolute pleasure of spending a month volunteering in their marketing department. The work isn't difficult at all, as the marketing manager works with your skillset and is adept at showing you the ropes. After your shift, you're free to do whatever you'd like. Whether it be bike rides along the river, hiking through caves, board game nights, or dancing in Chinese discos, there's always something to do here. There's an eclectic mix of students and volunteers from all over the world, and there's always new friends to make each week.

The staff here is incredibly welcoming, quick to accommodate any requests or take you to their favorite local BBQ spot. Their positive attitudes are incredibly contagious and will always plan fun group activities that make it easy to break the ice. This was incredibly valuable to me as a solo traveler, because I definitely left a family behind in Omeida. The dorms are basic, but there's plenty of storage and space. The food is delicious and family-style, so meals are a different experience each time.

I left Omeida wishing I could stay longer, which is probably the best feeling I could have gotten from this whole experience. One thing I do have to say is that because there's a lot of freedom here, your time is here is what you personally make of it. For me, I had the time of my life.

Hello, totally I spent more than half a year at Omeida being a volonteer and learning Chinese. For me it turned to be the most exceptional place for learning Chinese as the education there is very well organised, groups are small (on my level there were just 1-2 students in the class), teachers are very nice, patient, ready to explain and give examples.

I loved the place where the school is located as it's just 10 minutes cycling to the countryside, and 20 minutes to the famous Yulong River. You can explore the place by bicycle or scooter as there are many paths leading to different mountains, and lots of climbing spots.

Volonteering at Omeida is great as well, nice opportunity to teach English and make more friends among Chinese students. They come from different places of China and having conversation class with them can help you to discover China better. And it helps to save you money as well, if you have one volonteering class a day (Monday-Friday) you get free food or free accomodation, if you do two classes you get both.

So I definitely recommend the school for learning or for volonteering, you will love and come back! As I did ;)