The questions families
ask us most.

Harland is a 1-on-1 tutoring academy in Taipei's Da'an District, founded in 2019. We work with students from kindergarten through grade 12, and with adults. Every student is matched with a subject-specialist teacher who teaches them individually, in-person at our Taipei premises or online from wherever they are. Our pedagogy is content-based learning: real academic subject matter is the vehicle for English instruction, and the curriculum is mapped to United States Common Core State Standards.

From kindergarten through grade 12, and adults. Our K-8 work runs through a leveled program built around grade-level expectations. Our high school work runs as course-discrete subjects (Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, English Language Arts, AP and IB courses, and so on). Our adult learners study with us across academic English, professional English, and test preparation.

Harland is in Taipei's Da'an District. Lessons happen at our premises or online; many families do a mix, and many of our students started with us in Taipei and continued online after relocating abroad. Distance isn't a constraint once your child is matched with a teacher.

Three things set Harland apart. First, every student is matched with a subject-specialist primary teacher, not a generalist: a science teacher teaches science, a math teacher teaches math. Second, our pedagogy is content-based learning, meaning students engage with real subject matter (history, literature, biology) rather than studying vocabulary and grammar in isolation. Third, progress is measurable and transparent: each unit closes in a deliverable that contributes to the student's annual grade, and every lesson generates a written record parents can review. This combination is why families stay with us for years.

Content-based learning is our pedagogy. Rather than teaching vocabulary, grammar, and reading skills in isolation, we teach them through real subject content. A student at Level 6, for example, studies ancient history. They acquire the language by reading, writing, and discussing the material, the way students in a strong school curriculum acquire it. The curriculum spine is the United States Common Core State Standards, mapped to grade-level expectations.

Our curriculum spine is the United States Common Core State Standards, the framework used across most American school systems. We map each level of our K-8 program to grade-level expectations within that framework. For high school courses (AP, IB, course-discrete subjects like Pre-Calculus or Biology), the curriculum follows the awarding body's syllabus or American high school grade-level expectations, depending on the program.

Each level of our K-8 program contains 44 lessons, divided into 4 units of 11 lessons each. A unit must complete within 15 weeks. Levels are calibrated to bring students up to the grade-level expectations for their school's curriculum; once they reach that level, cadence typically steps down. The exact pacing math depends on attendance frequency, which the cadence question in Scheduling covers below.

High school courses (Algebra I and II, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, AP and IB subjects, and so on) are course-discrete: each is built around the natural progression of that subject's curriculum rather than a fixed lesson count. Most run across roughly five units, with each unit closing in a deliverable and assessment. Cadence is calibrated to your child's school timeline.

Yes, and many do. Some students work with us across two or three subjects simultaneously (math plus English, for example, or AP Chemistry plus AP Calculus). Each subject is taught by the specialist for that subject, so a student studying math and English will work with two different teachers. Multi-family enrollment is also common: parents often enroll alongside their children, or enroll siblings together.

Admissions runs in four steps. (1) Application: you complete a short form telling us about your child or yourself. (2) Contact: our Student Coordinator speaks with you to understand what you're looking for and arranges the next step. (3) Assessment: your child meets one of our teachers for a complimentary working session, alongside a brief conversation with a head of department. There's nothing to prepare. (4) Admission: we let you know our decision within a few business days. Start the conversation when you're ready.

Yes. The assessment session is complimentary. Your child works with one of our teachers for a full lesson while a head of department observes and speaks with them briefly. We use the session to understand your child's current level, learning style, and what kind of teacher will fit them best. There's nothing to prepare.

From the assessment session to a decision is typically a few business days. The full process, from application to first lesson, depends on how quickly we can find a time that works for the assessment and how soon you'd like to begin. Most families complete the four steps within a week or two.

Yes. Harland declines applicants whose attitude, respectfulness, or maturity aren't where they need to be for 1-on-1 work to be productive, regardless of academic level. The reverse is also true: a student doesn't need to be academically advanced to be admitted. What matters is whether the student is ready to engage with a teacher seriously. We make this decision after the assessment session, weighing academic readiness, attitude, maturity, and fit together.

Yes. Summer enrollment is available across most Harland programs. The summer block is a 4 to 8 week 1-on-1 program scheduled between late June and early August, typically two to three sessions per week, calibrated to what your child's school will be teaching later in the school year. Many families use summer to get ahead, catch up, or trial Harland before committing to the full school year. See Summer Enrollment for details.

Each student is matched with a subject-specialist primary teacher who is responsible for your child's level of content. We aim for continuity, so wherever possible the same teacher works with your child from lesson to lesson. The match is made during admissions based on what we learn in the assessment about your child's level, subject focus, learning style, and personality. Your child's primary teacher stays in place unless you ask for a change or there's an operational reason to switch; either way, we let you know in advance.

Tell us, and we'll swap teachers at no cost. The match we make in admissions is our best read on fit, but personality and chemistry don't always show until students have worked together for a few sessions. If you or your child feels the fit isn't right, we'll move your child to a different teacher within Harland. We handle these requests promptly and in good faith, though finding the right new match isn't always immediate. The transition is handled by your Student Coordinator and the teaching team.

Substitutes come from within Harland's own teaching team, always; we don't bring in external teachers as substitutes. If your child's primary teacher is unavailable for a session, another Harland specialist in the same subject covers the lesson, and we let you know in advance. Continuity of instruction matters more than a same-day fill, so occasionally we'll reschedule rather than substitute. Either way, you're told in advance.

Specialists. A science teacher teaches science. A math teacher teaches math. An English teacher teaches English. We never put a generalist English teacher in charge of teaching biology or calculus, which is the common pattern at language-focused tutoring centers. Specialist teaching is the foundation of our pedagogy: real subject content taught by people whose academic background is in that subject.

Every lesson generates a written record. The record covers what was taught, what your child produced in class, what was set for homework, and notes on your child's performance and engagement. The records live in shared Google Docs that parents can access; edit history is visible, so you can see in detail what happened in any given session. Your Student Coordinator can also walk you through the records on request.

Yes. Online lessons are recorded in full, and our classrooms have continuous video and audio recording during operating hours, with CCTV in common areas. Recordings support quality assurance, teacher development, and student safety. They are stored securely with our service providers, are never used in marketing or shared publicly, and are kept for 30 days for online lessons and 60 days for in-person lessons. Parents can request access to a recording featuring their child through their Student Coordinator.

Real learning comes from the work a student does themselves, and our approach reflects that. Written work is done in class, on Harland computers, often in shared documents whose editing history is visible, so families have a transparent record of their child's own progress. AI tools can help with brainstorming and developing ideas, but not as a substitute for a student's own thinking and writing. Copying work from AI tools, or passing off AI-generated text as a student's own, is not permitted.

Both. We work with students who are excelling in their school's curriculum and want to push further, and with students who are behind and need a different kind of teaching to get back on track. What defines our students isn't their academic level. It's their attitude: a willingness to engage, take feedback, and do the work. Strong students at the wrong attitude don't last with us; struggling students at the right attitude often surprise everyone, themselves included.

Selectively. Only a small fraction of applicants reach our second interview, and only a select few are hired. Candidates submit credentials and references, sit for a screening interview, and teach a full observed lesson to actual curriculum in front of the same leaders who interviewed them. We hire for both academic depth and the disposition to work with young people seriously and patiently. Our teachers stay with Harland for years, which is the test of whether the hiring is working.

Your Student Coordinator is your ongoing point of contact. They can answer questions about scheduling, your child's progress, billing, or anything else, and they liaise between your family and the teaching team when something needs attention. Between coordinators and the lesson records, parents tend to know more about what's happening in their child's Harland lessons than in their child's school classroom.

Lesson length depends on subject and student age. Most subjects offer a range of session lengths, with 1.5 hours per class as the standard. Cadence depends on what your child needs and how quickly you'd like them to progress. In our K-8 leveled program, one session per week works out to roughly a year per level, two sessions per week to about six months, and three sessions per week to about 14 weeks. Once a student is on pace with their school's curriculum, cadence often steps down. Your Student Coordinator helps you choose the right length and cadence.

Once a unit has started, it should be completed within a defined window: the number of lessons in the unit, plus four weeks. For a typical 11-lesson K-8 unit, that means finishing within 15 weeks of the start date. There's no cap on how often you can reschedule sessions within the window, but the window itself is fixed. Most families work with their Student Coordinator to schedule make-up sessions if cancellations stack up.

24 hours' notice. If you let us know at least 24 hours before a scheduled session, we'll reschedule with no charge. Inside the 24-hour window, the session counts. This policy exists because each session represents teacher time blocked out for your child specifically, and it's enforced consistently across all families.

Reach out to your Student Coordinator. As long as you give at least 24 hours' notice, they'll find a new slot that works for you and your child's teacher. Rescheduling is built into how our families use Harland: a single fixed slot every week doesn't always fit busy family calendars, and we accommodate within the 24-hour cancellation policy.

Either, and the same digital platforms support both. Students at our Taipei premises log in to the same lesson tools their online classmates use, which makes the two formats interchangeable session by session: a student can be in-person on Monday and online on Wednesday, or switch wholesale if family travel comes up. Your Student Coordinator handles the rescheduling.

Harland provides teaching materials across most of our programs. For senior academic subjects, AP and IB courses in particular, families typically purchase the prescribed textbook directly: these are subject-specific resources that students need to own. Your Student Coordinator will tell you exactly what's needed for your child's program before lessons begin.

Tuition depends on the subject, the course level, and how often your child attends. Your Student Coordinator walks you through pricing during the admissions process, once we understand which program and cadence make sense for your child. Harland sits above buxiban-style language centers and below private elite providers on price; we're not for families who are optimizing on lowest cost, and we're not for families who measure quality by what's most expensive.

Every enrollment is covered by the Harland Shield. Within 14 days of your first lesson, you can request a refund for any lessons your child hasn't yet attended, with no reason needed. After that window, refunds follow the statutory schedule for registered Taipei tutoring establishments, which your Student Coordinator can walk you through. We want the first lesson to be where Harland earns your family's trust.

Yes, across the AP and IB syllabi. Harland supports AP and IB students in three modes: alongside a student's school programme (we deepen and supplement what their school teaches), as intensive exam preparation in the run-up to AP exams or IB assessments, and as primary instruction for homeschoolers or students otherwise outside a school AP or IB programme. The mode depends on your family's situation, and we'll work it out together in admissions.

No. Harland is not an authorised AP or IB delivery school, and we are not a registered exam centre. AP and IB authorisation is held by schools, not tutoring providers. Our role is to prepare and support students who are doing AP or IB at their school, or to teach the curriculum to students outside the school system. Students sit their AP exams or IB assessments through their school or through an external testing arrangement we can advise on. See our AP Program and IB Program overviews for how we structure support across each.

AP and IB are different curricula with different philosophies. AP courses are subject-by-subject and let students pick what to study and how many to take. The IB Diploma Programme is a full curriculum framework with six subject groups, the Theory of Knowledge course, the Extended Essay, and CAS (creativity, activity, service). Which suits your child depends on their school, their university plans, and how they prefer to work. Our editorial AP and IB Explained goes into the comparison in depth.

The SAT (including the Digital SAT), the ACT, the SSAT (for boarding school admission), and the IELTS and TOEFL for English-language certification. Each test has its own preparation arc, and we run preparation programs calibrated to your child's current score and target. Test preparation can also fit alongside other Harland programs your child is doing. See Test Preparation for the full set of programs.

Yes. Our adult programs cover academic English, professional English, and test preparation. Adult learners include parents enrolling alongside their children, professionals working on English for their careers, and adults preparing for graduate study or certification tests. The 1-on-1 model and content-based learning pedagogy work the same way for adults as for students. See Adult Learners for the full set of programs.

Yes. Our programs are calibrated to where a student or adult learner actually starts, not to where we'd prefer them to start. We work with absolute beginners alongside advanced learners. What we need from any new learner, regardless of level, is the willingness to engage and do the work. The pace gets set with you in admissions, after the assessment session.

Instruction is in English. The whole point of Harland's pedagogy is that students learn academic content through English, and the lessons happen in English from the first session. Communication with parents is bilingual: our Student Coordinators and admin team speak both English and Mandarin, and parents can correspond in whichever they prefer.

Yes. The parent-Harland relationship is handled in your language; the student-teacher relationship is the English instruction. Our Student Coordinators and admin team speak both English and Mandarin, and many of our families have one or both parents who prefer to communicate in Mandarin. You can ask questions, schedule lessons, review your child's records, and discuss progress in whichever language fits.

Across three layers. (1) Per-lesson records track what each student covered and how they performed, lesson by lesson. (2) Unit-level deliverables (typically a major writing project per unit) show whether the student has internalized what they studied. (3) An annual report card consolidates the year. Together these give parents a granular and a structural view of how their child is progressing, and they give teachers the data to adjust pacing when needed.

Yes. Each student receives an annual report card, distributed at our graduation event in late December. The report card consolidates the year's writing projects, the student's performance against the five core attributes we evaluate, and the teacher's overall observations. Graduation is a real event with families present, held at the Shangri-La in Taipei.

Two components. 20% of the grade comes from five core attributes scored each lesson: Adaptability, Attitude, Diligence, Respectfulness, and Resilience. The other 80% comes from the major writing project each student produces per unit. We weight character attributes deliberately: a student's habits of mind matter more in the long run than any single piece of work, and we want our evaluation to reflect that.