Tips for Language Exchange seekers

I always see LE ads and there is ABSOLUTELY no personal information about the poster.
It is like “Hi. I am Taiwanese. And I want to learn English. I can speak Chinese. Let’s LE”

I find this to be highly unfruitful. I mean, I talk to 100 Taiwanese people a day (okay, at LEAST 10) so why would any of these LE seekers be any more special than the 10 I meet a day?
I think if you want an LE, you need to post something about yourself. Maybe someone who sees that you think alike or have similar interests will be interested in an LE with you…
Gives you a whole lot more chance than when you just post your name, age, and email address.

For example I will make one up. But I have NO INTEREST AT ALL in a language exchange, so don’t take it as a reason to PM me.

See, I posted Interests so that a person could see if they have similar interested

see, now the person can say “Wow, My job too. I should call him/her up!!”

see, hobbies give you something to talk about

Why doesn’t anyone ever put where they live

Ect.
See. It isn’t that hard.
If you want someone to LE with you, let them know who you are.
Any other tips from the 'mosans???

[quote=“SuchAFob”]

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

I think you’re on to something girlly!!! :bravo: :bravo:

It doesn’t seem to matter to the Taiwanese. The last time I advertised for LE I said I lived in Chiayi, but I got flooded with replies from people in Taipei. :loco:

I think something about the level of your language ability and if you have any language teaching experience is important. Language exchanges are usually lopsided if there is a large gap in the ability of the partners in their second languages. e.g. A Taiwanese person with intermediate level English and a foreigner with little or no knowledge of Chinese. Unless the Taiwanese person has some idea about how to teach Chinese then the language exchange won’t be of much benefit to the foreigner.

I think SuchAFob’s idea of having common interests is also a very good one.

It doesn’t seem to matter to the Taiwanese. The last time I advertised for LE I said I lived in Chiayi (Jiayi), but I got flooded with replies from people in Taipei. :loco:[/quote]

True. I live in Tainan and the few times I’ve advertised for LE on Forumosa and tealit I’ve always had, almost exclusively, replies from folks in Taipei.

Usual MO.

E-mail 1: Brief intro and questions.
E-mail 2: Do you have a photo? (For a LE?? Pray tell why? :loco: )
E-mail 3: Where in Taipei do you live? ( :fume: My ad pertinently stated I live in TAINAN you @#%&#$%$!!! :fume: )
E-mail 4: Oh. Sorry to bother you. Nice to meet you. PS - Do you have a photo?

Aaaaaarrrrgggghhhhhh!!! :fume:

Best LE advice have had. Hang out at talking bars. Sure the booze is more expensive, but the sages tell me to accept that as “tuition fees” as the girls have to speak to you anyway. I’ve done that once or twice. Not a bad way to go about it.

[quote=“bismarck”]
Best LE advice have had. Hang out at talking bars. Sure the booze is more expensive, but the sages tell me to accept that as “tuition fees” as the girls have to speak to you anyway. I’ve done that once or twice. Not a bad way to go about it.[/quote]

That works for the GUYS but what about us gals. I’m not into hanging at the bars here. As that it’s a bit loopsided.

[quote=“Namahottie”][quote=“bismarck”]
Best LE advice have had. Hang out at talking bars. Sure the booze is more expensive, but the sages tell me to accept that as “tuition fees” as the girls have to speak to you anyway. I’ve done that once or twice. Not a bad way to go about it.[/quote]

That works for the GUYS but what about us gals. I’m not into hanging at the bars here. As that it’s a bit loopsided.[/quote]

My grandmother used to say, “You can please some of the people some of the time, but never all of the people all of the time.”

I guess LE in Taiwan is one of those things where this rings true.