I really, really need to improve my Mandarin; since I came back from Beijing, I haven’t been using it much, and it’s getting worse. I have tried attending classes on Saturdays, but they didn’t really help – too much of the time is spent faffing around with administration, or waiting for other students, and so I never make progress.
As a result, I’m looking for a private tutor – but how to find a good one? And, ideally, one who speaks with a Beijing accent!
So, I’m putting the social networks to the test. I’ve posted the same question in Xing’s Singapore forum, in LinkedIn Answers, and in the Mandarin conversation group in Meetup.com.
Now, to wait, and see if any of them turn up anything interesting…
How big is your network in these three services? I thought LinkedIn wasn’t so popular in Asia? Did you think of craigslist? I know it isn’t Web 2.0 but you can find things and people on craigslist especially in certain cities… Is there even a Singapore craigslist?
Hi, Preetam here. Try http://www.sgchinese.com. Its a message board for mainland Chinese living in Singapore. The site is in Chinese, you might have to get a friend who reads Chinese post up the message for you.
Muskie: hehehe, well you already know, cos you’re in them both, right? They are quite different: I have many more Asia-based people in my Xing network. So far, I’ve had 3 responsesto my request:
- one directly through Xing
- one that was seen on LinkedIn, but actually answered on Xing
- Preetam’s comment above.
The LinkedIn request will remain visible for 6 more days, and will be seen by everyone in my network as soon as they log in. The Xing version may not be quite so visible immediately, but will remain in the forum indefinitely.
Preetam: wow, interesting site. You’re right, I would need someone to help me with that one
See you Tuesday?