Learning Mandarin With BGA: Health and Safety

The comfort, health and safety of students is of paramount importance to the academy support team. A network is always in place, including during holidays, to attend the various needs of BGA students.

24 hour support

365 days a year BGA has a 24 hour hotline available in the event of accidents and emergencies.

The support staff is native and bilingual and is able to respond to any on and off-site problems that students may face.

Hospital/Health Provision

There is a major difference between Chinese public provision of health care and that of most western hospitals. In terms of sanitary conditions, methods and communication difficulties, a Chinese hospital experience can often be a daunting experience, especially if one is feeling a bit under the weather.

Because of this, BGA recommends that all students have medical insurance for the duration of their stay that grants them access to one of the private international hospitals in Beijing, all of which are fully equipped and staffed to western standards.

If a student needs to visit a hospital, a member of the support staff will accompany the student, help with the registration there and even stay with the student until she or he is ready to leave. The support staff officer assigned to the student is also available as a contact person for friends and family at home.

Safe Accommodation

This should be prefaced by saying that Beijing is a very safe city and that expatriates experience little crime.

However, it is still a source of comfort for BGA students coming to a new county, that all BGA apartments, both private and public, have a guard service stationed outside at all times and are located centrally and in a safe neighborhood.