Should I Cancel?

Flexi Classes
1

OK… the title is click bait, but the question is real :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

My current subscription is for 15 Flexi Class credits per month. I schedule classes pretty far in advance – usually two or three group classes per week – so this has worked for me so far.

But I’ve now scheduled all the classes I can fit into my otherwise busy life, almost all the way through August 2022. I’m not confident I can accurately predict my availability beyond that.

So, I’m thinking that perhaps I should cancel my subscription for now, then resubscribe later when I have a better idea of what my fall schedule will look like.

Does that sound sensible?

What happens when I’ve cancelled my subscription, but still have classes on the calendar? Do I get to stay in the forum and Discord?

Any better ideas? I plan to continue taking lessons with LTL for quite a while.

Thanks in advance for any answers or advice!

2 Likes
2

Of course everyone’s situation is different, but I took a three-week break when I was into HSK2 and it turned into a half year because I gave myself more excuses. I hugely regret that now — since then I’ve kept up my current rhythm no matter what, already for +500 hours. I do 4 hours per week, but I basically cut time on other things like less going to bars or watching Netflix series. My 2 cents!

3 Likes
3

Thanks! This is a good reminder of the threat that “just taking a little break” can pose! I don’t think that’ll be my problem, though I doubt anyone expects an intended small break will go long. My bigger worry is about scheduling classes in September before I know what my life will be like then. I’d hate to have to cancel a bunch of September classes in July when schedule conflicts arose but the credits are beyond their period of validity, so officially non-refundable.

BTW, this is not a complaint about the system… more a query about how to best use it. Maybe I just need to buy fewer credits each month. Or buy a big one-off pack with a longer period of validity.

2 Likes
4

Thanks a lot for the question @Michael-Mandarin-HSK_2ish and for the great reply @Jaap-Mandarin-HSK_4

  1. From a technical perspective canceling your subscription is no problem at all. After you can cancel it all that will happen is that you will not be charged again and will not receive new credits (until you re-activate it). You will still have full access to Flexi Classes, can study the classes you already booked, check your past classes, rate classes and even book further classes if you still have credits.

  2. From a study discipline perspective I agree with Jaap. The advantage of a subscription is that it keeps you studying and keeps you on track with your study goals. There are usually many other things competing with studying Mandarin in our lives and if we can keep delaying classes, then we often just do that and as a result dont progress. So being “forced” by a subscription to keep discipline is great for study progress.
    If however you dont see that as a problem - everyone is different, I need fixed times and discipline or I will loose my rythm and end up cancelling and taking too many breaks, but thats just me - you can just cancel your subscription now and re-subscribe later. The Flexi subscriptions are super flexible. You can cancel or change it at any time and still keep full access to Flexi Classes.

2 Likes
5

As a fellow student, I can identify with the dilemma. As Max and Andreas said, it’s easy to then not renew and have a longer break than you want, but there is a solution. You can cancel your subscription and then put a calendar reminder in your phone to plan future classes one or two weeks before your currently scheduled classes end. Or - said in a hushed tone - even plan in a one or two week break but put the break in your calendar with a reminder to restart.

2 Likes
6

As for myself, I have the lowest subscription of 5 credits per month to keep the ball rolling, no matter how slow it is. When I have more time, I just buy some additional credits and it has been working well for me for the last half year or so. :slight_smile: Since you’ve scheduled classes way in advance, I’d probably fully cancel for one or two months and then continue with the 5 credits per month one.

4 Likes
7

Thanks for the great advice and info everyone! I really appreciate it.

I think I’ll cancel for now and, as @Vicki-Mandarin-HSK_2 suggested, calendar a reminder to resubscribe in a couple months. How else am I going to finally reach 100 classes rated for my free week in China?! :sweat_smile:

4 Likes
8

When I was working from home and the world had cancelled any form of social contact I was going through a ridiculous number of credits per month to pass time with some human contact - LTL was a lifesaver - but that has reduced now with other time demands coming back into play. But I feel loyal to Andreas and my teachers :star_struck: as well as wanting to communicate successfully in this amazing language, so that acts as motivation to keep reactivating a subscription when needed. No subscription doesn’t necessarily mean the end :smile:

4 Likes
9

Agree with the comments here :slight_smile: I have a 5 credits per month base subscription, I’d say I regularly use 10-15, at one time (during quarantine for a work trip :smiley:) I think I did 35!

I think having a base smaller number of lessons subscription is usually best, then buying more packs as you need.

4 Likes
10

Great that works for you @Chloe-Mandarin-HSK_5 . :+1: I go the opposite way and buy larger packets then schedule lots of classes over some weeks and deactivate the subscription until I get close to the end. For me it takes away part of the brain strain as I only need to sit down once with my calendar rather than do so every week. Once it’s in, it’s in. :smiley:

3 Likes