In this first episode of the new Learn Chinese Insights Podcast, I interview Joe Westerhof.
Joe came to Taiwan 17+ years ago from Michigan, US. He initially began teaching English but now works in a trading company in Taichung, doing import / exports.
In this episode, you will find out:
- What brought Joe to Taiwan in the first place.
- His background learning Chinese – what worked and what didn’t.
- His initial impressions of Taiwan.
- The benefits of living in a small town.
- How he transitioned from teaching to working in trade.
- Issues that westerners have, when working in Taiwanese companies
- Why Taiwanese companies don’t hire western employees
- What to focus on, when trying to get a job with a Taiwanese company
- What it’s like to be married with kids to a Taiwanese
- On dealing with the Taiwanese language versus Mandarin
- Joe’s theories on westerners who are fluent in Chinese
- Joe’s advice on learning Chinese (or any language)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (12.5MB) | Embed
