Thinking of trying to cook your favorite Sichuan dishes? Want to learn a song on the guitar for a friend’s surprise birthday? Interested in mastering the daily phrases of a foreign language but don’t feel like paying high tuition fees? We all have the desire to learn new abilities, but perhaps our desire isn’t strong enough to make us sign up for classes. Now, many in China have come up with a casual, fun way to learn: skills exchange.
Type ‘skills exchange’ or ‘技能交换’ (ji neng jiao huan) into Baidu and over several hundred results pop up. Douban, a popular Chinese social networking site, details skills exchange forums within each mainland city – altogether, the site lists 40 groups in China with about 500 members each. Categories include languages, cooking, computers, music and arts.
Here’s how the basic concept works: barterers will list their location and what expertise they can offer, as well as what accomplishments they hope to gain, on a skills exchange site. Then, they can look for someone to trade with, narrowing results by talent, city and district. For example: Photoshop, Shenzhen, Luohu.
Cost effective, social, great for networking – all these aspects make skills exchanges look like a win-win thing. That’s PRD interviewed three people to find out how effective these arrangements really are: Li Jialing, a customer service officer of a logistics company, Liu Xiaowei, an IT engineer, and Rosie Lu, a college student majoring in the keyboard.
Why did you start participating in skills exchanges?
Li: I like taking photographs, but I’m not a professional. My parents gave me a camera for my birthday. However, I didn’t want to pay over RMB1,000 for a photography course. I searched on a skills exchange website to see if someone could teach me about taking photos. In return, I offered to teach guitar playing and some simple cooking.
Liu: I’ve known about skills exchange since college. I liked learning different languages online, but it was difficult if I couldn’t practice with people in real life. I started to meet people who could teach me languages while [I taught them about] computers and sports.
Rosie: I have some friends at school who are dancers. They were interested in playing the piano. When we met, they always asked me to teach them how play some songs they liked. Later, we started a tradition of me teaching them to play songs while they taught me dance movements.
.jpg)
What are the attractive aspects of skills exchanges?
Li: You can always meet people with unexpected skills. I knew a girl my age who could read palms. Also, you can tap into more of your potential, since you’re getting new information all the time.
Liu: The relationships between people. Before it was difficult for me to start a conversation or make a conversation last longer than 10 minutes when meeting new people. When I’m doing a skills exchange, I find it’s easier for me to communicate with people. I don’t feel nervous and awkward. There is always something I can think of to discuss with them. This helps me at work, too.
Rosie: It’s cost effective. I can learn different stuff without paying a cent. Also, no responsibilities are attached, you can quit whenever you want.
What are the downsides?
Li: Sometimes you will meet people with ulterior motives. Once a guy contacted me and said he could teach me photography. I asked what I could teach him in return. He said he just needed some company. After that, I stopped doing skills exchanges with men.
Liu: We are not professional teachers. Sometimes I find it difficult for me to both explain some points and receive information from my partner.
Rosie: Even though it’s also a positive, it can be a challenge that no responsibilities are attached. You know you are friends, and you can quit any time. Your partner could do that as well – just quit on you anytime. If I were planning to learn something seriously, I would rather go take some courses.
What do you think makes a good tutor/learner?
Li: Honesty is important for both parties. You need to tell people what you are really good at and your level in order to not waste time. Always be responsible. Just because you are not a paid tutor doesn’t mean you don’t need to prepare beforehand.
Liu: Prepare before your session and don’t be late. I hate when I have to sit in a cafe waiting for someone for an hour. If you need to work overtime or something comes up and you can’t show up on time, inform your partner immediately.
Rosie: As a tutor you need to have great patience. Things you teach might be easy for you, but to others it’s a completely new thing.
.jpg)
Any suggestions for people who want to start exchanging skills?
Li: Take it seriously. Even though skills exchanges are less intense than taking a course, people still want to learn something useful. Figure out what skills you can offer and want to receive. Write down a list of what you want and show it to your partner. This makes clear to them what your needs are. Always be careful if you are doing a skills exchange with strangers.
Liu: Don’t try to learn too much information at one time. It’s better to learn step by step. When you feel there’s too much information to process, talk to your partner and work out another plan.
Rosie: For those transitioning to a new place, like moving to college or another city, it’s a great way to meet new friends and learn something.
// If you are interested in skills exchange in China, visit www.skillbank.cn. Please be aware that you will need to read Mandarin or have a friend who can help you translate in order to get started.
0 User Comments