Sophie, a British data engineer and interview English coach

Where are you from?

I am from Berkshire, in south-east England, and I speak neutral British English (RP), the accent used on the BBC. Students say it is clear and easy to understand.

Where did you study?

I studied mathematics at Cardiff University and graduated with first-class honours, which is the top grade in the UK. I believe that was down to a small percentage of natural talent combined with a lot of hard work!

In my final year, data science was just starting to take off, and I took a module on Data Mining. We learnt about things like Netflix’s recommendation algorithms, and I became really interested in this application of mathematics.

How did you start teaching English?

Between university and starting my proper career, I took a gap year (which actually turned into 2 years) - this is very common in the UK and usually used to go backpacking or work abroad.

I got a job as an English teacher in Vietnam, teaching children in public schools. I was not actually interested in teaching at first, but it was a good way to get paid to live abroad and travel at 21 years old.

I then moved to a language centre in Malaysia, where I taught adults and business English. The temporary work I had done in the UK at companies like IQVIA really helped here, and it set me apart from other teachers who did not have corporate experience.

Later I discovered I could teach online, which meant I could do it alongside my full-time job as a data analyst in England. That is when I found my real niche: business English for tech professionals, combining my experience in tech teams with my knowledge of teaching English.

I hold a GA Level 3 Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language: 120 hours, awarded by Gatehouse Awards on 16 November 2017, and Ofqual-regulated.

As an English teacher, I've taught more than 8000 hours of lessons to over 1000 students - a great proportion of these are to learners from Russia, China, Poland, Brazil and Spain.

How did you start your data career?

After graduating, I decided to spend a few months self-studying the topics I needed to fill in the gaps, like Python, SQL and some computer science fundamentals. I also dipped into Tableau, but quickly realised I did not enjoy that type of work (too creative).

I did some temporary data entry and admin roles at big companies in my hometown, like IQVIA and Lloyds Register. This was mostly to save up money to go travelling, but it gave me a good introduction to corporate life and made me think more about the type of role I wanted.

I applied for a range of roles: data analytics, data science, investment banking, risk analyst and more. I actually really liked the risk analyst roles and was offered a position in London with a starting salary of £50k, which was very good for a graduate back in 2017. After some thought, I decided London life was not for me.

I then got my first job as a Data & Product Analyst at a financial services company, and that is where my serious data career began. I have since grown from data analyst to data engineer, and I have always worked in large multinational corporations, mostly in financial services.

What have you learnt about interviews?

In my corporate roles, I was often on the hiring side of interviews, usually the technical side, making sure candidates had the right technical skills and team fit. A few of the people I recommended were hired, and I also had the chance to mentor them, so it was great to see them go from candidate to valuable member of the team.

For junior candidates, attitude is so important. You could be missing skills, experience or a perfect language level, but if the interviewer likes your attitude, it can take you far.

For more senior candidates, soft skills and cultural understanding matter. When you interview in English, you need to understand the cultural nuances to show you would fit into the team. There are huge differences in communication styles. Software engineers often think technical skills are the most important thing, but they are not.

How can you help?

My sessions are flexible and focused on your goals, but here are some examples of how I help my students:

What have your students reported?

“I got an offer after taking only one class from her. Your instruction helped ease my nerves, allowing me to face the interview with confidence and ultimately succeed!” — Student

“I had an onsite interview today and they offered me the job afterwards. Thanks for helping with the preparation.” — Student

“My behavioural interview went really well! At the end, the interviewer told me he would be moving me forward to the next stage. Your feedback on my answers and delivery made a real difference.” — Student

“I have passed the first interview and was invited to the second round! Thank you for helping me to speak better.” — Student

“Thanks again for the mock interview. I got the job.” — Student, business analyst role

What are you doing now?