My interview with Jonathan Ralph!
I have know Jonathan for over a year and a half now.
As we streamlined through his onboarding process together, I knew from the start, that Jonathan was going to be a proficient, systematic, dynamic, member of our team in Spain!
So... I reached out to him for a few interview Q & A's --- as you know how I like to reveal to you readers, the authentic, raw and real, characteristics behind the Holborn Assets biography face that we all know.
?? Jonathan Ralph's Holborn Assets Bio :
Question 1 : Jonathan, your Holborn biography reads that you have lived in 4 countries now… which country do you most “feel like home in", and why…?
Jonathan's reply :
"That’s an easy one, but I’m not going to give you a country. I don’t feel any particular affinity with Spain per se, but Mallorca has felt like home from the minute I first touched down there over ten years ago. Beijing was an adventure, and Paris showed me a new side to life, but Mallorca has a perfect mix of sea, sunshine, mountains and community. I live on this island because I choose to, not because I need to, and I love my lifestyle here."
Question 2 : I know that you also love the great outdoors, so looking back on all of your adventures, which nature-trail / national park really stood out to you, and please share a memory of this location?
领英推荐
Jonathan's reply :
"There are so many to choose from. As expats, I’m sure everyone at Holborn has an adventure story or two to share, but I’m going with one from my teenage years (before I knew any better). I’d taken a bus to Lake Qinghai in a part of Western China that used to belong to Tibet. It was the middle of winter however, and the crystalline turquoise waters I’d been promised by a dodgy guide book turned out to be completely frozen over. And the same grey as a Manchester sky, as it turned out.
To cut a much longer story short, I wound up sharing a bottle of homemade moonshine with a 90-year-old yak farmer, before realising that there were no buses back to the city – or anywhere at all – until the next day. To avoid ending up like Jack Nicholson at the end of The Shining, I essentially threw myself in front of a passing truck and demanded that the two drivers take me with them. It was a bold move, and thankfully they didn’t murder me. In fact, they turned out to be a very generous Han Chinese and a Hui Muslim, and they taught me a great deal about Chinese culture and ethnic identities on our 6-hour drive back to Xining. I’ve had a great many adventures since (and you can tell how young I was from the photo!), but this is still one of my favourites."
Question 3 : With all of your qualifications under your belt, please share with us your best “study tips” for those who are currently studying for their next exams.
Jonathan's reply :
"Don’t be afraid of the exams. Particularly if you’re going down the CII route, as I did. If you read the free textbooks cover to cover, making notes as you go, and take 4-5 practice papers (easy to find and download online), you can blitz through them in no time. They can only test what’s in the books… so if you know the books, you know the test.
The best tip I have? Take two weeks off to study for each exam (if you’re able), focus exclusively on that until you’re ready, and have your exam date set for the end of those two weeks. Pass it, then move onto the next one when your diary allows. Stretching out the timeline or mixing it in with the day job can only slow you down. If that’s not possible, I’d suggest setting aside at least 2 hours a day for study – and stick to it!
If you commit to the goal and put in the time, you’ll be done before you know it."
Jonathan, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy days, to reply to my questions. Your adventures so far sound exciting, and at times nerve-racking ?? --- but it is stories like yours, that keeps a traveller's dream alive!
I have a feeling that your travels are far from over too! ??
For any of you readers out there who are based in Mallorca, or Spain, (or you are soon to be relocating there), if you are looking for a financial expert in the area, please feel free to reach out and contact our Jonathan Ralph through his email address here : [email protected]