Lessons speak our language

The demand by Bunbury business professionals to learn Chinese is "beyond expectation", according to the organisers of a language class.

Bunbury-Jiaxing Business Office liaison officer Edwin Zhuang said student numbers had grown after several years offering the Mandarin course.

"Students are from our regional business communities, government departments and some individual enthusiasts," he said.

"We are in the fourth week of the 10-week course and already a number of students are putting their hands up for term two."

Mr Zhuang said three teachers were sent to regional Western Australia as part of the Confucius Institute at University of WA program.

As one of the two teachers based at Dalyellup College, Li Na said the business students were different to normal school students.

"We have our challenges and it's hard but the students work hard and they're all really good students," she said.

"I enjoy the older students - our younger ones tend to lose a little concentration and are sometimes naughty."

Miss Na, 24, said the business students' interest to learn the language varied.

"Some do it because they want to do business in China or travel and others just because they're keen to learn," she said.

Miss Na and the other teacher based at the college, Zhang Liang, have specialised qualifications in teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages.

She said both teachers learnt English at primary school in China with the hope of travelling to Australia.

The teachers are in Bunbury on a 12-month program and each holds classes for business professionals once a week.

The classes at Edith Cowan University in Bunbury include level one or level five courses.