The German Way is a website for expatriates in Germany. It provides a series of useful checklists, which are valuable for all expats, and not only those who are moving to Germany.
A + B
04 March 2009
19 November 2008
What are the next steps if you want to be coached by me?
I spend a lot of time answering inquiries about my coaching services, usually with more or less the same questions. Therefore I attempt here to summarize the most usual answers that I provide to these questions.
Where have you been trained as a coach?
What is your academic and professional background?
You'll find (almost) everything on my Linkedin profile.
What kinds of clients do you coach, and in which format?
I coach specifically these target groups:
You can find information about my coaching groups and teleclass programs on every specific blog. The list of all my blogs can be found at the bottom of every blog, like this one.
Can you send names and contact information of clients and explain on which projects or in which areas you are coaching them, or which results they achieved thanks to the coaching?
Absolutely not!
First of all, I take the ethics in my profession extremely seriously. Therefore I never provide the names and contact information of my clients to anybody for whatever reason. This applies to current and past clients alike. I never talk to anybody either about the individual projects or issues that my clients deal with through my coaching, as they are alsmost always very personal or business sensitive ones. I never do any exception with these ethical principles - otherwise it wouldn't deserve to be called ethics.
Coaching is a very individual process and a coach can be a good fit for one person and not for another one, or for a person dealing with an issue in which the coach is not specialized or knowledgeable enough. On the other hand, I also choose my clients. For example, I don't accept clients whom I consider as not coachable, who deal with issues that are of a therapeutic kind, or who have unrealistic expectations. That is why I request that potentiel clients have 3 individual coaching sessions with me before we sign a coaching contract together (see below). These 3 sessions gives also the potential client the opportunity to test if they like my coaching.
In order to be "coachable", you must be able to set up your own mind as a self-sufficient human being, recognize and accept your own feelings fully, and deal accordingly. This is also another reason why I don't provide the names of my clients. I want to work only with people who don't need external advice to act and move forward.
Coaching is about finding your own solutions, not copying what other people do.
Anyway, as I only want to work with satisfied clients, any client who wants to cancel a coaching or teleclass subscription can do this anytime (see below).
In which languages does the coaching take place?
I totally trilingual French / English / German. I coach my clients mostly in English or French, but I am glad about any new client in German!
Do you provide free coaching sessions or free interviews?
Absolutely not, for many reasons:
It is normal for potential clients to want to test my coaching and if they feel that I am a good fit for them.
At the same time, I select my clients and choose to work only with those who are extremely competent and highly motivated, as I want to work only with people who have the potential to achieve outstanding and long-lasting results quickly.
For all these reasons, I ask the interested persons to subscribe to one invidual coaching session, using the "Buy Now" button on the right of each blog. If both parties, the client and I, are interested in continuing to work together after this initial session, I ask the potential client to subscribe to 2 further individual sessions. At the end of the 3rd session, I'll propose a contract to the person or not, and this person will be free to sign up or not. It is a bidirectional testing process.
Another way to get acquainted with me as a coach, and as an expert in expatriation, intercultural communication and the various aspects of entrepreneurship and marketing, you have the possibility to participate in my teleclasses (for free or for a fee) and coaching groups first.
In the future, as the number of my teleclasses, coaching groups and e-learning programs will grow, I intend not to accept individual clients any more who haven't taken at least one of my group programs first.
How does the coaching take place?
The individual coaching takes place through the telephone, the Internet and an exchange of emails and electronic documents (assessments, questionnaires, ebooks, articles, and various other resources).
The client can choose between the coaching with a webcam, which is particularly useful for people who are very visual or kinesthesic (feelings oriented), and the coaching through a teleconference bridge, which allows to record all the sessions. The clients receives the recordings in MP3 quality a few hours after the session, without any additional cost. This is particularly useful for auditory people, or for clients with very challenging issues (for ex. entrepreneurs), who want to hear the sessions again in order to get all the "juice" out of the sessions.
Coaching is not about quick fixes, but a way to achieve deep and long-lasting results, even if the first positive results usually appear within the first weeks. Therefore I can accept only clients who, from the beginning, are willing to invest in at least 6 to 12 months of coaching. The coaching contract is on a subscription basis and not limited in time. The client and the coach can cancel any time though (see below).
What does the coaching cost?
I provide a few 1-hour teleclasses or "Ask the Expat Coach" teleconferences for free. They are announced on my blogs.
Group coaching and teleclass programs are usually paid on a monthly subscription basis. The fees are always announced together with the program.
The fees for the initial individual sessions can be checked by clicking on the "Buy Now" button on the right side of the relevant blog. They are higher for entrepreneur (see my Expat Entrepreneurs blog).
Individual coaching above the 3 initial sessions is paid on a subcription basis. The monthly fees can be seen by clicking once on the "Payment Plan" button on the right side of each blog.
The fees for the coaching of entrepreneurs are higher than my fees for expatriates and diplomats. It can be found on my Expat Entrepreneurs blog.
Please don't subscribe to a payment plan for individual long-term coaching before the end of the 3rd initial session and before we have agreed upon a contract together!!!
All the coaching fees are paid exclusively per credit card on Paypal, which is a totally secured, international payment system. Paypal also manages the monthly payments on a subscription basis.
Please note that different conditions apply to the coaching for corporations (coaching of expatriates and multicultural virtual teams).
Can I cancel before the end once I signed up a coaching contract, or subscribed to a group coaching or teleclass program?
Absolutely, because I want to work exclusively with extremely motivated and highly satisfied clients anyway. You can cancel your coaching subscription on PayPal anytime. Please note that if you recently paid for a month in advance, I'll provide the remaining paid sessions if you want them. Otherwise, they cannot be reimbursed.
This cancelling policy applies not only to invididual coaching subscriptions, but also to teleclass or group coaching programs.
I am eager to start individual coaching with you as soon as possible. I have read everything above. Now, what are the next steps?
If you belong to the target categories of clients that I mentioned, the next step is to subscribe to your first initial test session using the 'Buy Now" button on the relevant blog.
I also ask test clients to send, prior to the initial session, an email to me answering these questions:
Please note that this article applies to invididual clients, not to organizations or corporations who want to hire me as a coach.
Where have you been trained as a coach?
What is your academic and professional background?
You'll find (almost) everything on my Linkedin profile.
What kinds of clients do you coach, and in which format?
I coach specifically these target groups:
- Expatriate executives or diplomats (individual coaching / group coaching / teleclass programs).
- The accompanying spouses of expats or diplomats (group coaching / teleclass programs). Please note that I provide individual coaching to a trailing spouse only if he/she is an expat executive or an entrepreneur.
- Multicultural teams, who can also be virtual teams at the same time.
- International entrepreneurs / solopreneurs / infopreneurs - mostly in the various areas of information and knowledge transfer: coaches, trainers, writers, speakers, therapists, etc. The coaching takes place in the form of individual coaching. Teleclass programs and coaching groups will be launched in 2009.
You can find information about my coaching groups and teleclass programs on every specific blog. The list of all my blogs can be found at the bottom of every blog, like this one.
Can you send names and contact information of clients and explain on which projects or in which areas you are coaching them, or which results they achieved thanks to the coaching?
Absolutely not!
First of all, I take the ethics in my profession extremely seriously. Therefore I never provide the names and contact information of my clients to anybody for whatever reason. This applies to current and past clients alike. I never talk to anybody either about the individual projects or issues that my clients deal with through my coaching, as they are alsmost always very personal or business sensitive ones. I never do any exception with these ethical principles - otherwise it wouldn't deserve to be called ethics.
Coaching is a very individual process and a coach can be a good fit for one person and not for another one, or for a person dealing with an issue in which the coach is not specialized or knowledgeable enough. On the other hand, I also choose my clients. For example, I don't accept clients whom I consider as not coachable, who deal with issues that are of a therapeutic kind, or who have unrealistic expectations. That is why I request that potentiel clients have 3 individual coaching sessions with me before we sign a coaching contract together (see below). These 3 sessions gives also the potential client the opportunity to test if they like my coaching.
In order to be "coachable", you must be able to set up your own mind as a self-sufficient human being, recognize and accept your own feelings fully, and deal accordingly. This is also another reason why I don't provide the names of my clients. I want to work only with people who don't need external advice to act and move forward.
Coaching is about finding your own solutions, not copying what other people do.
Anyway, as I only want to work with satisfied clients, any client who wants to cancel a coaching or teleclass subscription can do this anytime (see below).
In which languages does the coaching take place?
I totally trilingual French / English / German. I coach my clients mostly in English or French, but I am glad about any new client in German!
Do you provide free coaching sessions or free interviews?
Absolutely not, for many reasons:
- I don't need to prove that I am a good coach, as my clients and partners confirm this everyday.
- My time is very valuable and I am not interested in spending it with people who cannot afford individual coaching (they can participate in my group programs anyway) or who are not motivated enough to pay for 1, 2 or 3 individual sessions first.
- I provide a lot of added value already in the first individual coaching sessions.
- I am not desperate to find new individual clients. I want only very few individual clients - but only extremely motivated and competent ones. The rest of my business is focussed on the creation of group programs, e-learning and ebooks.
- People who want to get acquainted with me as a coach can read all my 18 blogs and websites and subscribe to my newsletters.
- If, after that, they want to experience my coaching "live", they can participate in my free teleconferences, my coaching groups or my teleclass programs.
It is normal for potential clients to want to test my coaching and if they feel that I am a good fit for them.
At the same time, I select my clients and choose to work only with those who are extremely competent and highly motivated, as I want to work only with people who have the potential to achieve outstanding and long-lasting results quickly.
For all these reasons, I ask the interested persons to subscribe to one invidual coaching session, using the "Buy Now" button on the right of each blog. If both parties, the client and I, are interested in continuing to work together after this initial session, I ask the potential client to subscribe to 2 further individual sessions. At the end of the 3rd session, I'll propose a contract to the person or not, and this person will be free to sign up or not. It is a bidirectional testing process.
Another way to get acquainted with me as a coach, and as an expert in expatriation, intercultural communication and the various aspects of entrepreneurship and marketing, you have the possibility to participate in my teleclasses (for free or for a fee) and coaching groups first.
In the future, as the number of my teleclasses, coaching groups and e-learning programs will grow, I intend not to accept individual clients any more who haven't taken at least one of my group programs first.
How does the coaching take place?
The individual coaching takes place through the telephone, the Internet and an exchange of emails and electronic documents (assessments, questionnaires, ebooks, articles, and various other resources).
The client can choose between the coaching with a webcam, which is particularly useful for people who are very visual or kinesthesic (feelings oriented), and the coaching through a teleconference bridge, which allows to record all the sessions. The clients receives the recordings in MP3 quality a few hours after the session, without any additional cost. This is particularly useful for auditory people, or for clients with very challenging issues (for ex. entrepreneurs), who want to hear the sessions again in order to get all the "juice" out of the sessions.
Coaching is not about quick fixes, but a way to achieve deep and long-lasting results, even if the first positive results usually appear within the first weeks. Therefore I can accept only clients who, from the beginning, are willing to invest in at least 6 to 12 months of coaching. The coaching contract is on a subscription basis and not limited in time. The client and the coach can cancel any time though (see below).
What does the coaching cost?
I provide a few 1-hour teleclasses or "Ask the Expat Coach" teleconferences for free. They are announced on my blogs.
Group coaching and teleclass programs are usually paid on a monthly subscription basis. The fees are always announced together with the program.
The fees for the initial individual sessions can be checked by clicking on the "Buy Now" button on the right side of the relevant blog. They are higher for entrepreneur (see my Expat Entrepreneurs blog).
Individual coaching above the 3 initial sessions is paid on a subcription basis. The monthly fees can be seen by clicking once on the "Payment Plan" button on the right side of each blog.
The fees for the coaching of entrepreneurs are higher than my fees for expatriates and diplomats. It can be found on my Expat Entrepreneurs blog.
Please don't subscribe to a payment plan for individual long-term coaching before the end of the 3rd initial session and before we have agreed upon a contract together!!!
All the coaching fees are paid exclusively per credit card on Paypal, which is a totally secured, international payment system. Paypal also manages the monthly payments on a subscription basis.
Please note that different conditions apply to the coaching for corporations (coaching of expatriates and multicultural virtual teams).
Can I cancel before the end once I signed up a coaching contract, or subscribed to a group coaching or teleclass program?
Absolutely, because I want to work exclusively with extremely motivated and highly satisfied clients anyway. You can cancel your coaching subscription on PayPal anytime. Please note that if you recently paid for a month in advance, I'll provide the remaining paid sessions if you want them. Otherwise, they cannot be reimbursed.
This cancelling policy applies not only to invididual coaching subscriptions, but also to teleclass or group coaching programs.
I am eager to start individual coaching with you as soon as possible. I have read everything above. Now, what are the next steps?
If you belong to the target categories of clients that I mentioned, the next step is to subscribe to your first initial test session using the 'Buy Now" button on the relevant blog.
I also ask test clients to send, prior to the initial session, an email to me answering these questions:
- What are the 3 main goals that you want to reach within the next 1 or 2 years, or the 3 key areas of your life that you are currently trying to develop or improve? If you have more than 3, please choose the 3 that would make the most difference in your life or in your business once you have reached a positive outcome.
- Which steps or actions are you already undertaking in order to achieve these results?
- In which areas or for which specific steps (among the above) are you stuck or do you think you need my coaching most urgently?
- Once you have reached these 3 main goals or objectives, or improved these 3 areas, which difference will it make in your life or business? What will you see, how will you feel, what will you do?
Please note that this article applies to invididual clients, not to organizations or corporations who want to hire me as a coach.
24 July 2008
What kinds of results do my clients achieve thanks to my coaching?
I have different types of clients:
I help them
Last but not least, having an excellent work/life balance and sound personal foundations is also crucial for success as an entrepreneur. I also help my entrepreneur clients achieve this through my coaching.
Generally speaking, my clients also report a number of untangible and not measurable benefits as the result of the coaching: balance and fitness, concentration and focus on their goals, self-esteem, physical and mental dynamics, replacement of limiting beliefs by supporting ones, improvement of personal and business relationships and communication, just to name a few.
- expatriates, diplomats and their trailing spouse
- international or mobile entrepreneurs (who are often expats wanting to become self-employed in their new country, or expat spouses).
- prepare for and manage the physical and psychological aspects of the relocation, the transition into a new culture (culture shock) and the integration process - together with their family
- become immediately efficient at work in the crucial but stressful first 100 days
- master the challenges of intercultural communication and leadership
- lead multicultural and remote (virtual) teams successfully
- learn the new language quickly and efficiently by using their own learning styles and NLP techniques
- master the hurdles of intercultural communication at work (colleagues and team) and in private
- create and develop new professional and social networks, make friends quickly with local people & maintain long-distance relationships (private and professional ones)
- maintain a solid personal foundation despite the stress of coping with new environments, a new lifestyle, new relationships and a foreign culture
- develop a good work/life balance an, in particular, find the time to discover the new country and culture
- master the different phases of culture shock and integration
- plan the next steps of their international career
- find a new job abroad or at home
- manage the often ignored difficulties of impatriation.
I help them
- make the shift from being self-employed and trading their time for money, to being successful business owners
- develop their business around their own values, their vision and their mission
- identify their unique expertise and specialities
- define 1 or 2 specific niches in which they become the absolute experts and which bring high revenues
- create and develop programs and info-products, for ex. ebooks, teleclasses or teleconferences, audio and video recordings, seminars and events, etc.
- identify and apply systematically the marketing methods that are the most appropriate to sell their products and services, and fit their personality
- leverage everything they do in order to develop multiple streams of income
- multiply their revenues through residual (recurring) income and even through passive income
- develop their business as a "portable business" that can be run from anywhere in the world
- automate, delegate or delete, in order to bring their business to the next level - so that it can ultimately be run and provide revenues even without them
- use strategic partnerships to develop their business
- develop an international strategy in order to leverage what they do in different languages.
- skills and expertise of the business owner
- management (even a home-business requires strong management skills)
- technique (Internet, organization of virtual trainings and events, use of software, etc.)
- marketing (including all the new methods of marketing that are constantly being created, like social networks).
Last but not least, having an excellent work/life balance and sound personal foundations is also crucial for success as an entrepreneur. I also help my entrepreneur clients achieve this through my coaching.
Generally speaking, my clients also report a number of untangible and not measurable benefits as the result of the coaching: balance and fitness, concentration and focus on their goals, self-esteem, physical and mental dynamics, replacement of limiting beliefs by supporting ones, improvement of personal and business relationships and communication, just to name a few.
16 May 2008
Interactive dialogue with the readers
For the last few months, I have been spending quite a lot of time creating this blog and writing articles. But a blog is also an interactive too. Therefore, all my readers are kindly invited to use the "comment" function on this blog, below this article, in order to express their impressions, wishes, etc. Are there in particular any specific subjects that you would like to be covered or developed?
Thanks a lot and "see" you soon on this blog!
Thanks a lot and "see" you soon on this blog!
05 May 2008
What is a "portable business"?
I published recently an article about "What is a "portable business"?" on my blog Expat & Mobile Entrepreneurs. You can read the article here...
19 April 2008
Other blog and newsletter for expats in Paris
If you read this blog or its newsletter, you are probably an expat in France. Then you might be interested in the other blog that I run and that is called Expats in Paris. You can also subscribe to its free newsletter.
19 March 2008
For expats in Lyon
The "Café du Bout du Monde" (what a name!) is said to be the meeting point of the expats in Lyon. If you are in Lyon, please try it out and then post a comment at the bottom of this article here.
13 March 2008
The Top 10 Expat Tips
The German Way publishes a list of tips for expats, "The Top 10 Expat Tips". Although they are originally written for expats moving to Germany, they are rather universal and, therefore, they can be very useful to expats moving to or arriving in France. Here they are...
01 March 2008
New & original expat survey
I invite all my expatriate readers to participate in the survey that is mentioned below. The article is written by Kate Goggin, writer and editor, whose website is here.
Participate in our survey: At Home Abroad: How Design and Architecture Influence Overseas Living in association with the Interchange Institute.
Do you live overseas currently? Does your international home measure up to your expectations? Whether you live in a castle, a cottage, a hut or a hovel, I am interested in your story - how you made a home in a faraway land and how it affects your work, your family and your life.
Take part in this exciting new survey by The Interchange Institute.
The results will help us:
Document the importance of home environments to overseas living.
Examine the relationship between housing choices and expat assignment success.
Desired participants:
Anyone who is currently living outside his/her passport country for either his/her work or education, or for a spouse's/partner's work/education is eligible.
We encourage both spouses/partners to complete the survey if possible. They will need different computers to do so, however.
Help us understand:
How you chose and settled into your home.
Whether and how your home affects your overall expatriate experience.
How the layout, design, and/or furnishings of your home affect your family’s interaction.
The survey takes about 20 minutes. To show our appreciation, we will award a $100 Amazon.com gift certificate to one participant for every 50 people who complete the entire survey.
Questions? Contact: Dr. Anne Copeland, The Interchange Institute, copeland@interchangeinstitute.org (617) 566-2227 (USA) or Kate Goggin, kate@kategoggin.com.
Photo submissions are encouraged. Please contact me for more details.
View home-related clips on international housing and antiquing in Europe.
20 February 2008
Survey about the relocation issues of expatriate families
Robin Pascoe, "the Expat Expert" who published several books about expatriates, created a survey about the relocation issues of expat families and the support that they received.
I can only encourage you to take the survey, as it will provide valuable insights from the perspective of the families.
I quote 2 paragraphs from the web page about the survey:
"There are numerous relocation surveys that examine the challenges of relocation in order to help companies and sponsoring organizations to better develop relocation policies. But, with very few exceptions, they neglect to go straight to the source—the family—for input.
Family Matters! will fill this gap by sampling only the accompanying spouse, the working partner in his/her capacity as spouse or parent, and any high school children in the family. The entire family can do this survey with lots of room provided to give us your opinions. As we are only offering one survey (instead of multiple surveys depending on where you fit in the family) do keep in mind that some questions may not apply to you. Just skip them.
In recognition of your contribution to this important exercise, after we have collected all the responses, we will be making a donation of $2.00 CDN for each survey to a very well-respected Canadian organization which helps families in Africa called The Stephen Lewis Foundation which can be found at www.stephenlewisfoundation.org."
at any time to do the survey
I can only encourage you to take the survey, as it will provide valuable insights from the perspective of the families.
I quote 2 paragraphs from the web page about the survey:
"There are numerous relocation surveys that examine the challenges of relocation in order to help companies and sponsoring organizations to better develop relocation policies. But, with very few exceptions, they neglect to go straight to the source—the family—for input.
Family Matters! will fill this gap by sampling only the accompanying spouse, the working partner in his/her capacity as spouse or parent, and any high school children in the family. The entire family can do this survey with lots of room provided to give us your opinions. As we are only offering one survey (instead of multiple surveys depending on where you fit in the family) do keep in mind that some questions may not apply to you. Just skip them.
In recognition of your contribution to this important exercise, after we have collected all the responses, we will be making a donation of $2.00 CDN for each survey to a very well-respected Canadian organization which helps families in Africa called The Stephen Lewis Foundation which can be found at www.stephenlewisfoundation.org."
at any time to do the survey
11 February 2008
How to apply for a job in France
If you want to apply for a job in France, you'll find valuable information about how to write and present your résumé and cover letter here.
28 January 2008
Better Understand France and the French
"Better Understand France and the French" is a nice portal with two main categories:
"A longtime American writer in Paris, Harriet Welty Rochefort is the author of "French Toast" and "French Fried". Visit her site,see the events she organizes on intercultural differences (Wine & Cheese Tastings,etc...). Invite her to give a talk !
- Paris and France
- The French.
"A longtime American writer in Paris, Harriet Welty Rochefort is the author of "French Toast" and "French Fried". Visit her site,see the events she organizes on intercultural differences (Wine & Cheese Tastings,etc...). Invite her to give a talk !
16 January 2008
Discussion groups for expats in France (Yahoogroups)
Here is a list of Yahoogroups that can be useful and interesting for expats in France. I didn't take into consideration those that are very small and those who, on the contrary, are not moderated and accept a lot of spam .
03 January 2008
Literary Expats in Paris
On my other blog "Expats in Paris", I published recently a long article "Literary Expats in Paris". You can read the 1st part, the 2nd part and the 3rd part by clicking on the relevant links.
If you are interested in the "Expat in Paris" blog, please note that you can subscribe for free to the new articles by entering your email in the special window.
If you are interested in the "Expat in Paris" blog, please note that you can subscribe for free to the new articles by entering your email in the special window.
29 November 2007
Useful books about living in France
Please note that I added pictures/ titles of interesting books about living in France in the column on the right of this blog. If you find these books interesting, you can order them directly from Amazon just by clicking on the link! Some of them might even be the perfect present for your expat friends.
20 November 2007
Making Friends in France
One of the biggest challenges of expatriates, especially newly arrived ones, is to make new friends in the new location. There is now a new resource: all the Meetup groups that are now organized in several cities in France through the Meetup website. There are Meetups for expats, and others around specific activitites, like entrepreneur Meetups, or Meetups around hobbies. If you want to see which Meetups already exist in your town, please click on the title of this article. Or you can also click on the Meetup button in the column on the right of this blog.
If you live in the "province" and there is not Meetup around yet, you can very easily organize one!
If you live in the "province" and there is not Meetup around yet, you can very easily organize one!
01 November 2007
New blog
This blog is being created. In order to be kept updated and to receive the latest articles, please subscribe using the subscription window on the right side.
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