Mine is rubbish.... any links to a good one?

I hired a really good Chinese teacher for pronunciation and speaking. My tones have improved so much. This guy learned his English from American teachers and so uses the techniques he got from taking their classes. Other than getting a gf or bf, paying some cash even for to practice the sounds of the language is worth it.

I take one or two classes with him a week. I study the characters and grammar by myself.

Its better to self study than use the public to practice.

How much do you pay, per hour?

I don't like a Chinese teacher to try and teach me too much. I prefer just asking and repeating questions. A conversational partner as it were

Depends on the Chinese teacher, but, yes I hired a tutor, well recommended, and it really improved my tones and 'accent'. Actually, I did not know how just plain awful my Chinese was before I hired a tutor. Try one. If it does not work out, try another.

Get a girlfriend who can only speak little English, enough to communicate on a basic level, but not enough for in depth chats, you will have the best motivation to learn Chinese, I'm not even joking, the first girl I dated in China was like that, I became near fluent in 6 months studying on my own and asking her the name of things around us for vocabulary purposes. Vocab and tones are the hard parts, Chinese grammar is probably the easiest of all languages, although Korean grammar might be easier. Conjugation is nonexistent.

No

www.chinesepod.com

No, i don't work for them. I am just a satisfied customer.