From business consulting to personal intercultural mentoring: case of Natalie

We first began cooperating to prepare for an international assessment at a large company, at which my client worked at the time. Since English was not her native language, she was anxious about this assessment. As we continued working, some areas of personal life affected by intercultural communication began to surface. How to choose a country to relocate, taking all the cultural peculiarities into account? How to find a job in a new country and make an international resume? How to get your children into a school? Or even into the best international kindergarten in the country, in which the parents have to go through an interview? And how to make sure you understand the teacher’s feedback correctly?

We started working by having private online consultations: 1 hour and a half meetings on Zoom twice a week. Before every meeting, we set the agenda and the key issues we would like to solve during this specific meeting, ranging from studying a particular cultural aspect in a chosen country to recognizing language issues. After several meetings I gave her homework, designed to help her to reinforce her newly-acquired skills.

As we prepared for the assessment, the client requested that I assist her during difficult negotiations with top-managers and key stakeholders. I provided help in the form of language advice and interpretation. I also helped to structure her presentations clearly and concisely. Moreover, we practiced giving feedback and disagreeing in a polite manner.

By the time we finished working on business tasks, I had helped my client resolve all her issues in terms of private written communication. Together we wrote proper, polite, but assertive letters to Israeli banks, Spanish real estate agents and British teachers. While preparing for her relocation, I helped her make an international CV, taking into account all the requirements of the largest corporations and business etiquette.

The client had dozens of successful business negotiations in English, laid the groundwork for emigration abroad and relocated successfully. Not only did she have to simply make a resume, but she also ended her career at the previous job in an ethical manner, chose a country to relocate to, moved her assets abroad, found a place for her children to study, and bought real estate in a foreign country. In all these situations, we faced cultural barriers and successfully overcame them together. According to her review, during our sessions she didn’t just train her language and intercultural skills, but she had a chance to broaden her outlook on a multitude of life and business situations. We have been working together for two years already!