Solidifying a new role
A global team, a new title, meetings that now expect you to speak up. You want to own it, not just survive the calls.
For Japanese engineers on English-speaking teams
Practise the English you use at work — live, with a native speaker.
Built around the standups, design reviews and meetings you actually have to speak in — your real work, rehearsed out loud.
Native Australian English speaker · One-to-one · In your timezone
Who it's for
Does one of these sound like you?
For engineers who already read and write English well, and want to speak it with confidence at work.
Removing the ceiling
You're good at your job; your English is what holds you back. You stay quiet where you have something to add, and you sense it's limiting the roles open to you.
Either way, the practice is pitched at your technical context — and conducted entirely in English.
The method
What we work on — and the order we fix it in.
You bring the real situations from your work and we practise them out loud. What I listen for is a set of patterns in how Japanese engineers speak English — worked fastest wins first.
None of these are careless mistakes. Each is a predictable result of Japanese and English being built differently — your first language doing its job where its rules don't apply. That is exactly why focused practice moves them.
The nine challenges we target
Fluency
Trained firstWhy first: these move fastest. You will feel the difference within weeks.
Filler words
"Um", "uh", "like", "basically" — sounds that fill the gap but carry no meaning.
"So, basically, the issue is in the database layer.""The issue is in the database layer."
Mid-sentence pauses
Silence in the middle of a thought, not at a natural break.
"We need to update the… authentication module.""We need to update the authentication module."
Repetitions & false starts
Repeating a word, or abandoning a sentence and restarting it.
"The the server crashed after the deploy.""The server crashed after the deploy."
Grammar
Trained nextWhy next: knowing the rule doesn't change live speech. These need repetition, once fluency is steady.
Missing articles
Dropping "a", "an" or "the" where English requires one.
"We found bug in authentication flow.""We found a bug in the authentication flow."
Missing plural endings
Leaving off the "-s" where a noun should be plural.
"We have three server running in production.""We have three servers running in production."
Missing subjects
Starting with the verb, leaving out "it", "I", "we" or "they".
"Is already merged into main.""It is already merged into main."
Phonology
Trained lastWhy last: the deepest layer. We train your ear before your mouth — and I'll be honest, it's the long game.
The l / r distinction
Swapping the English /l/ and /r/ sounds, in either direction.
"We need to deproy the update.""We need to deploy the update."
Extra vowels in clusters
Slipping a vowel into an English consonant cluster, adding a syllable.
"The su-cript runs every night.""The script runs every night."
Word stress
Putting the emphasis on the wrong syllable of a word.
"We need to DE-velop a new API.""We need to de-VEL-op a new API."
About
I'm Sam.
Twelve years in software — helpdesk to infrastructure to security to leading multinational teams — so the conversation stays real no matter what you bring.
- 12 years in software
- Led multinational teams
- Native Australian English speaker
- I've been on the other side of your meetings. Whatever you bring, I've probably sat across from it — so I can play it like a real colleague would.
The program
Thrive — your 90 days, mapped out.
Every session is prepared in advance and reviewed afterwards.
- 12 weekly one-hour sessions — around 12 hours of live, one-to-one practice, in English, in your timezone
- Every session recorded — full audio and video, yours to keep. I'll confirm you're happy to be recorded before we start.
- Preparation before each session and a short written read after the key ones
- Hear your own progress — in weeks 2, 6 and 11 you record a 90-second answer to the same question, about the same project. Three recordings of one task, twelve weeks apart, in your own voice.
- Role plays from your real work — standups, design reviews, presentations, meetings — set with you at kickoff and adjusted as you go
- A private member portal — launch each session in one click, read your coach's notes, and download every recording
- A written review from your coach at the end — what changed, what didn't, and what to work on next. Written by the person who sat with you for twelve weeks, not generated.
Your 90 days, week by week
A representative path — tailored to your role and goals.
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1
Your work, your English
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2
Where you're starting — your first recording
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3
The daily standup
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4
Explaining what you built
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5
Disagreeing, in English
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6
Mid-point — your second recording
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7
The five minutes before the meeting starts
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8
When it doesn't go to plan
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9
Presenting your work
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10
The conversation you've been avoiding
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11
Final run-through — your third recording
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12
Your coach's written review
AUD 2,100
in 3 monthly instalments of AUD 700
If your company has a self-development budget, this may qualify. Tell me what your finance team needs — invoice, receipt, program description — and I'll send it.
Backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee — see below.
Guarantee
A simple promise.
Try it for 30 days. If it's not right for you, tell me and I'll refund you in full — no awkward questions. And because you pay monthly, stopping is simply a matter of not paying again: your real commitment on day one is one month, not ninety days. The risk should be mine, not yours.
FAQ
Common questions.
How do the sessions work?
We meet one-to-one over video for live English conversation, in your timezone. You bring the real situations from your work and we practise them out loud.
What level of English do I need?
It's aimed at engineers who already read and write English well and want to improve their speaking. Not a beginner course, not grammar drills.
What if it isn't the right fit?
You start with a free intro call, and you're covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee — so you can decide before you pay, and change your mind after you start. See the guarantee above.
How much time does it take?
One hour a week for twelve weeks, plus light preparation before each session — designed to fit around a full-time job.
Get started
Start practising the English you use at work.
Book a free 20-minute intro call to see whether it's a fit.
Not ready to book? Just email me — I answer every one myself.