Chinese Teacher Interviews 14 | Upper-Intermediate & Advanced Chinese Podcas

🎙 Episode 14｜Persistence, Excellence, and Choosing the Professional Path

🎧 About This Episode

In Episode 14, I interview Zhao Laoshi, a Chinese teacher-in-training with an exceptionally strong academic background and a clear professional direction.

He studied Chinese Language and Literature as an undergraduate and succeeded in entering a 985 university for a Master’s degree in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Language after three attempts at the graduate entrance exam. He achieved an outstanding 400+ score in the entrance examination, won the National Scholarship for two consecutive years, and received multiple awards in professional competitions such as the Chinese Teaching Heroes Competition.

During his graduate studies, he volunteered at the Confucius Institute in Laos, gaining valuable frontline teaching experience and a broader international perspective. As graduation approaches, he is preparing to return to Laos to continue teaching Chinese at the Confucius Institute and plans to pursue a PhD in the future, further deepening his commitment to this field.

This episode focuses on persistence, self-discipline, long-term planning, and how to keep professional options open while staying true to one’s strengths.

The conversation is conducted in **natural, unscripted Mandarin**, suitable for upper-intermediate and advanced learners.

👉 In this in-depth conversation, we talk about:

00:07 Introduction
00:47 Experiences and reflections on three attempts at the graduate exam
02:50 Preparing for the TCSOL major courses
05:15 Preparing for public courses
09:33 How he won the National Scholarship two years in a row
18:34 Where his motivation comes from
19:36 Career plans after graduation
20:25 Advice for students considering civil service exams
22:48 Why he chose a professional path over civil service routes
24:59 How to create more career options before graduation
28:48 Dealing with employment pressure
31:56 Plans for pursuing a PhD
35:37 Messages for junior students


✨ Who Is This Video For?

• Upper-intermediate & advanced Chinese learners
• TCSOL and International Chinese Education students
• Learners interested in Confucius Institute teaching
• Viewers preparing for graduate school or academic careers
• Anyone interested in discipline, persistence, and long-term planning

📌 Why This Episode Helps Your Chinese

• Natural-speed Mandarin used in academic and career contexts
• Vocabulary related to education, exams, and career planning
• Authentic sentence patterns for discussion and reflection
• Long-form listening for immersive practice
• Ideal for repeated listening and shadowing


🎧 How to Use This Episode

• Turn on Chinese subtitles
• Listen once for overall meaning
• Listen again for key sentence structures
• Repeat expressions you find useful
• Let the language sink in naturally


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If you are looking for 1-on-1 Mandarin lessons, I can help match you with a suitable teacher.

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👉 If you’d like to study with *the teacher featured in this video* or another teacher from our community, feel free to contact me.I’ll help match you with the most suitable teacher based on your goals and budget.

🔔 Subscribe for More

Subscribe to explore Chinese through:
• real teacher stories
• independent teaching paths
• career reflections
• natural Mandarin conversations


🔔 Subscribe for More

Subscribe to explore Chinese through:
• real teacher stories
• independent teaching paths
• career reflections
• natural Mandarin conversations

New interviews coming soon.

🌍 For more Chinese-learning content
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