Expat Success Coaching: Work & Live in the USA

Posted On: February 12, 2019

Expat Success Coaching For Successful Career Growth in the US or With Americans

Our goal is to help you be successful in your new home and new country, especially if you are:

An expat from another country
A highly skilled immigrant, New American, international business visitor or immigrant entrepreneur looking for support in success in the USA
A trailing spouse setting up your home and family here in Utah and the USA
An educated professional who is looking for help understanding American culture and being successful at work
A foreigner who knows English, but needs help with American English, making conversation with American business colleagues and how to make friends in the U.S.
An international student, expat or adult looking for individualized advanced English as Second Language (ESL) coaching and help with setting up your new life in the United States
On any of the following visas: J1, J2, H1B, H4, F1, F2, B1, etc.

Chinese Heritage Gate, West Valley City

To be eligible for our coaching you:

May be new to the U.S.
Planning to move to the U.S. (international assignee, expat preparation, going onsite for client relations, etc.).
May have lived in the U.S. for a few years or a few decades, but still need help understanding the culture because you may not have much chances to interact with locals or American citizens who were born here.
Have a good grasp in English. You may have even studied in English medium schools or colleges in your home country or native place. You may even have studied in English in a school or college in the US, as an international student, but still need to grasp finer aspects of American culture or American English to be successful in your career and job in the U.S.
Should be able to speak English enough to make simple conversation (I do not teach English from scratch).
Want to build your confidence in speaking and understanding (listening comprehension) in English with Americans at work, in the community, at church or other normal daily life settings.
Want to learn how to communicate effectively at work with Americans. This includes spoken English and written English; such as writing effective emails and how to create and conduct presentations and meetings that leave a good and long-lasting impression.

View of Salt Lake Valley looking south from Ensign Peak at sunset.

Jennifer Kumar, your coach, standing from Ensign Peak

with a view of Salt Lake valley below.

We do not:

Focus on grammar. If you want to improve your English for an IELTS test, TOEFL test or want detailed English language and grammar classes, I’d suggest other resources.
Teach English from scratch.
Focus on accent or speech patterns, though we can work on it on a small scale.

Our Coaching Process:
Let’s see how the process goes. Below the graphic, I will describe the process starting from the Intake & Goal Setting step, circling down, to the right.

Intake and SMART Goal Setting (Two or Three Short Meetings)

Intake Meeting (about 30-60 minutes)
I meet with you to discuss about your current situation, what kind of topics you want to work on, and we will set your goals.

In general, we specialize in career coaching with international professionals, international students, expats and skilled immigrants in the US on communicating and managing effectively in business and work environments in the US. Much of the coaching focuses around cultural adaptation of language, culture, mannerisms and dos and don’ts in America.

Some common topics we coach on include: e-mail and business writing, small talk, meeting management, and more as identified on need.

In this call, I also review with you the over all flow of a coaching session and how they are conducted (which I outline below).

As this intake session wraps up, we speak about all the identified goals. In many cases, we may need to work on making the goals more specific by breaking them down into specific skills or process steps. I ask you to consider all the goals discussed until the next session as we will discuss prioritizing them.

Check out an alternative goal setting method – the HARD goal setting framework.

First Coaching Session (30-60 minutes)
The first coaching session is often an extension of an intake session. In this session, we look at all the goals, complete a gap analysis of the goals and prioritize them and break them down into actionable steps.

3-5 Subsequent Coaching Sessions (30-60 minutes)
Typically, we meet every other week or every three weeks for 30 to 60 minutes. Ideally, it’d be better to meet once a week, but, in many cases, I end up meeting with most clients once or twice a month.

How Each Session is Structured:
First 10 minutes
We make a little small talk and review what we discussed last time and also talk about any tips, skills or awareness exercises they have implemented.

Middle of the session (if an hour, 10-50 minutes, if 30 minutes, 10-25 minutes)
We talk about one or two of the goals and assess them against actual real life work scenarios.

And, since I am a cross-cultural coach, we attempt to analyze the culture differences faced and how to overcome the culture gaps (while remaining true to your values). (This is the mission of Authentic Journeys.)

Last 5-10 minutes
Based on what we have discussed, you will identify 2 or 3 things you want to work on until our next meeting.

Thoughts on Measuring Coaching Effectiveness

Application of Coaching
The whole goal of these sessions is to give you actionable and practical steps that you can apply in your daily life and work situation. You own your own learning and development plan which leads to more successful outcomes. I provide an outlet for brainstorming, prioritizing, advising, coaching and accountability.

1 Month Follow Ups: Status Update
I will share with you updates on a regular basis depending on how often we meet- could be once a month if we meet 3 or more times a month, or maybe once every other month.

Evaluation: After 2 to 3 months

After about 4-6 sessions we meet to evaluate the process, achievements, and continued areas of focus. We can also decide if you would like to continue coaching or not.

*We respect your privacy and confidentiality. A confidentiality form will be discussed and signed.

Cherry Blossom Festival at Capitol Hill, Salt Lake City

Where do we meet:

We can meet in person downtown in Salt Lake City at a library, coffee shop or other location (we do not have an office)
Online or on the phone (so, I can meet with you even if you are not in Salt Lake City)
In real life settings. For instance, I have coached people (through role plays) to get a library card, bank accounts and other real life situations, then taken them to the library to help them set up their library card, bank accounts, etc. Or, how to order food or coffee in a restaurant and coffee shop. The possibilities are endless.

View of the Wasatch Mountains from Salt Lake City library.

Intake forms are found at this link.

Payments accepted:

Paypal, Venmo or other payment in person or online in US Dollars
Indian Rupees (INR) by bank transfer within India, plus GST (for those in India)

Hindu Temple – Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple – South Jordan, Utah

Cultural Nativities and Creche Displays: Christmas at Temple Square

About your coach:

Jennifer Kumar is a PCC (mid level) certified ICF (International Coach Federation) coach who has provided over 800 hours of corporate coaching to global professionals from over 20 countries. Jennifer, an American citizen, has lived in India for over 10 years, where she started her own business. She is currently a transplant from New York to Salt Lake City. In Salt Lake City she has volunteered for English Skills Language Center, the Refugee & Immigrant Center and the University of Utah English Language Institute. She has been working for inlingua Utah since 2019 as well as for the website Preply since 2020. Some of the corporate clients she has worked for include Microsoft, UST Global, Allianz, EY, and Lexmark.

See more of her profile here.

Take a look at her program that has been delivered to over 2,000 prospective expat assignees – Work and Live in the USA.

More Photos of Salt Lake City and Surrounding Areas

Public Transport: Trax at Fort Douglas, University of Utah

Pioneer Day (July 24) Parade Float, 2018

Temple Square and Capitol Hill as seen from Zions Bank Building

View of Salt Lake Valley looking west from Rattlesnake Gulch Trail, Millcreek.

Our Email Writing course, The Ultimate Guide to Email Writing for Ease and Professionalism, is designed to teach effective Email Communication, covering aspects like structure, tone, grammar, and etiquette. It helps participants write clear and concise emails tailored to different audiences and purposes. The course includes practical exercises and feedback to improve writing skills and build confidence in professional communication through email.

Our Small Talk course, Building Trust and Good Relations With US Americans, teaches individuals how to engage in casual conversations with others. It covers topics like initiating conversations, asking open-ended questions, active listening, and body language. The course helps participants build rapport and establish connections with people they encounter in social settings. Overall, a Small Talk course is a valuable investment for anyone who wants to improve their social skills and feel more comfortable in various social situations.