Solidifying a new role
You've moved into a role with English-speaking responsibilities — 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.
One-to-one English conversation practice for Japanese software engineers — built around the standups, design reviews and meetings you actually have to speak in. Live, in your timezone.
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. Two people in particular.
Removing the ceiling
You're good at your job, but your English is what holds you back. You stay quiet in discussions where you have something to add, and you sense it is quietly limiting the roles open to you.
Either way, the practice is pitched at your professional, 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 while you do isn't random: there are specific, well-understood patterns in how Japanese engineers speak English, and we work through them fastest wins first — so you can hear the difference as you go.
None of these are careless mistakes. Each one is a predictable result of Japanese and English being built differently — your first language doing its job in a place where its rules don't apply. Almost every Japanese engineer shares them, and that is exactly why focused practice moves them.
The nine challenges we target
The patterns we listen for and work on, session after session — in the order they respond fastest.
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 that lands 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 the fluency base 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, slowest-changing 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."
Why each of these happens — and why we train them in this order — is set out in full, with the published research behind it. Read the research appendix →
About
I'm Sam.
A native Australian English speaker who's spent a career in tech — helpdesk to infrastructure to security to leading teams — so the conversation stays real no matter what you bring.
- Former tech leader
- Native Australian English speaker
- I've been on the other side of your meetings. Whatever situation you bring from your job, I've probably sat on the other side of it — so I can play it like a real colleague would.
The program
Thrive — your 90 days, mapped out.
Twelve weekly one-hour sessions of one-to-one English conversation practice. Every session is prepared in advance and reviewed afterwards.
Here is exactly what you're signing up for.
- 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 download and keep
- Preparation before each session and a short written read after
- Hear your own progress — in weeks 2, 6 and 11 you record a 90-second answer to the same question. Play them back at the end. It's the same voice, and you will hear the difference.
- 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, track where you are across the 12, and download every note and 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 — every plan is tailored to your role and goals.
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1
Kickoff & goals
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2
Baseline — your first recording
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3
Standups & status updates
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4
Explaining technical work
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5
Speaking up in meetings
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6
Mid-point — your second recording
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7
Presentations
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8
Handling questions
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9
Difficult conversations
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10
Your highest-stakes situation
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11
Final recording & full rehearsal
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12
Your coach's written review
Included If it helps, I can turn on a live English–Japanese translation aid during a session — for a concept you can only reach in Japanese right now. Optional, and never required.
AUD 2,100
in 3 monthly instalments of AUD 700
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. It also starts with a free intro call, so you can decide it's a fit before you pay a cent, and still change your mind once you've started. 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. It isn't a beginner course or grammar drills.
Are sessions in Japanese or English?
English — that's the practice. The sessions are conducted entirely in English.
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 it's a fit before you pay, and still change your mind after you start. See the guarantee above.
How much time does it take?
One one-hour session a week for twelve weeks — around 12 hours of live practice — plus light preparation before each one. It's 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.