# Frequently asked questions > Straight answers on the free trial, session credits, Premium vs pay-as-you-go, coaches, and who Mockly is built for. - **Page type:** Page - **URL:** https://app.mocklyenglish.com/faq Mockly English is three things: 1. Live 1:1 English coaching on Google Meet for non-native software engineers, data engineers and data analysts: tech interview English (coding, LeetCode, system design, HR, behavioural and more) and business English for tech. Coaches are practising data engineers who also teach English. Free 30-minute trial, no card needed. 2. Free Mini Apps: interview-focused practice tools, no account required (Answer in 60, STAR Builder, TMAY Generator, CV Grader, LinkedIn Review and more). 3. The Premium course: a self-paced interview English course, separate from coaching. It does not include a session. FAQ ## Sessions & coaching ### Is this general English tutoring? No. Mockly is English coaching for people who already work in tech — tech interview English and business English for tech professionals — not travel English or casual conversation. In interview sessions you practise the rounds you will sit (HR screen, behavioural, live coding, system design) with a British engineer as the interviewer. In business-English sessions you practise meetings, stakeholder updates, design reviews, and clear explanations on the job. We correct the English that costs offers or slows you at work: thinking out loud, STAR ownership (“I” not “we”), trade-off language, and answers that sound senior instead of translated. ### What do you practise in coaching sessions? Two tracks, both in live 1:1 coaching. Tech interview English — common round types: coding interviews, LeetCode interviews, system design interviews, first-round interviews, HR interviews, behavioural / situational judgement interviews, case interviews, product interviews, product manager interviews, and data engineer interviews. Focus is English delivery and structure for the round you book. Business English for tech professionals: meetings, stakeholder updates, design reviews, status writing, and explaining technical work to non-engineers. You pick the focus when you book; the coach matches the role you are targeting. ### Do you offer business English, or only interview prep? Both. Live coaching includes tech interview English and business English for tech professionals. Book a session focused on interviews, on workplace English (meetings, stakeholders, design reviews), or a mix. Free Mini Apps are interview-focused practice tools; business English is taught in coaching sessions with Sophie or Tom. ### How is this different from Preply, Cambly, or interviewing.io? General ESL apps (Preply, Cambly, iTalki) practise conversation. They will not run a Meta-style behavioural round or make you narrate a rate limiter in English. Coding-mock platforms (interviewing.io, Pramp) practise the algorithm; they rarely coach the sentences you say while you code, or the STAR story that follows. Mockly sits in the gap: a UK engineer who can hold the technical round and then rewrite how you said it. If your blocker is LeetCode difficulty, use a coding platform. If your blocker is sounding clear and senior in English, start here. ### Who are the coaches? Sophie and Tom — UK-based practising data engineers who teach in British English (BSc Mathematics, 8+ years teaching tech professionals each; thousands of lessons between them). Not generic language tutors. In interview sessions they play the interviewer first, then switch to coach: line-by-line phrasing, ownership language, and a drill list. Business-English sessions use the same coaches for meetings, stakeholder updates, and workplace clarity. You pick who you book with. ### How can I practice tech interviews in English? Book a 1:1 mock interview with a senior engineer coach. You'll run a real coding, system design, or behavioral round in English, then get line-by-line feedback on phrasing, clarity, and how to communicate technical ideas under pressure. ### What is included in a mock technical interview? Each session is a live 60-minute video call. You pick the round (coding, system design, behavioral, or leadership). Your coach plays the interviewer, then walks you through what to say differently, rewrites weak phrasing, and gives you a personalised drill list. ### How long is each session, and what happens on the call? Sessions run 60 minutes on Google Meet. Quick intro and goal-setting, a live interview round in real time, then a debrief where the coach gives you specific phrasing fixes and a personalised drill list to practice before your next round. ### Do you practice behavioral and system design interviews? Yes. Behavioral rounds use STAR stories that sound natural in English (not translated or robotic). System design rounds focus on how you talk through scale, trade-offs, and architecture decisions in a way panel interviewers at global tech companies expect. Practise the spoken outline first at https\://app.mocklyenglish.com/mini-apps/explain-system-design-in-english. ### What tools do you use for system design sessions? For system design sessions we use Excalidraw as a shared whiteboard so you can diagram in real time with your coach. We'll work through a real system - such as a notification system, a URL shortener, or a design of your choice. You can agree on the system with your coach in advance, or let them choose one relevant to your target role. ### How do LeetCode interview sessions work? You can either agree on a specific problem with your coach beforehand, or have the problem randomised on the day to simulate real interview conditions. Difficulty can range from Easy to Hard depending on your target role and experience level. Practise explaining a solution in English first at https\://app.mocklyenglish.com/mini-apps/explain-leetcode-in-english. ### Will the coach role-play a real interviewer? Yes. The coach plays the interviewer for the full round - same structure, timing, and pressure as the real loop. The debrief afterwards is where they switch into coach mode and unpack what to change. ### What kind of feedback do I get afterwards? Line-by-line feedback on phrasing, pacing, grammar, vocabulary, tone, and clarity, plus technical feedback on the round itself (approach, trade-offs, structure). You'll leave with a clear list of what to drill before your next interview. ### Are these just technical interview sessions? No. You can book tech interview mocks or business English for tech professionals (meetings, stakeholders, design reviews). Every session is in English with dedicated feedback on grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, sentence structure, and natural-sounding phrases — including leadership language that signals seniority. You improve technical delivery and English clarity in the same session. ### Can I choose the company or role I'm targeting? Yes. Share the role, company, and job description when you book and your coach will tailor the round - question style, level, and rubric - to match what you'll actually face. ### What time zones do coaches cover? Coaches are in the UK. You book in your own timezone via the calendar, so mornings in the Americas, European workdays, and evenings in Asia/CIS usually have openings. Pick any open slot for Sophie or Tom — you do not have to match UK office hours exactly. ### What if I don't see a time that works? Use the “Can't find the time?” link under the booking calendar to request a slot with your timezone and preferred time ranges (https\://app.mocklyenglish.com/request-time), or email contact\@mocklyenglish.com. You can also check the other coach's availability on the calendar. ## Pricing & billing ### Is the trial really free? What happens on the call? Yes. It is a free 30-minute Google Meet with a coach. No card, no subscription, no automatic enrolment in Premium. You talk through the roles and companies you want, where English breaks down in interviews, and what is coming up on your calendar. The coach will hear you speak under a short interview-style prompt, then leave you with a concrete plan: which scripts to practise, whether you need behavioural vs system-design work first, and whether to book paid sessions. If you need more than 30 minutes, that is a paid 60-minute session — the trial is diagnostic, not a full mock. ### What is free, and what do I pay for? Free: the 30-minute trial class, the Interview English Course guides you can read without an account, and the mini apps at https\://app.mocklyenglish.com/mini-apps (English check, tell-me-about-yourself script, think out loud, LeetCode, system design). Case studies and the blog are also open. Paid: live 1:1 sessions (one session is $50; packs of 5, 10, or 20 cost less per session and last 12 months) and optional Premium for the full course at $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year. Premium does not include a coaching session and does not change the session price. You never have to subscribe to book a coach. ### What's the difference between Premium and pay-as-you-go sessions? They are two separate products. Premium is the course subscription: $9.99 a month, or $4.99 a month billed at $59.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial. It unlocks the full course. Pay-as-you-go sessions are live coaching with Sophie or Tom. One session is $50. Packs of 5, 10, or 20 cost less per session. Premium does not change the session price. ### What's included in the 7-day free trial? Full access to the course for 7 days. No charge until day 8. Cancel anytime. The trial does not include a coaching session. ### Do I need Premium to book a session? No. Sessions are pay-as-you-go and bookable by anyone. Premium is the course, and it does not change the session price. ### Can I cancel anytime? Yes. Cancel from your billing dashboard with one click. You keep access until your current period ends - no refund needed because you keep what you paid for. ### Is there a student discount? Not yet, but we're working on it. Join the community and you'll be first to know. ### How much does a mock interview cost? We offer session credit packages: 1 session for $50, 5 for $237.50, 10 for $450, or 20 for $850. Each booking uses one session credit from your package. Session credits expire 12 months after purchase. ### Do I need a subscription to book? No. Buy a single session ($50) or a package (5, 10, or 20) and book whenever you have a slot. The free 30-minute trial needs no purchase. Premium is optional: it unlocks the full course and does not change the session price. ### Can I reschedule or cancel a session? Yes. Use the links on your dashboard. Reschedule or cancel more than 24 hours before your session start time to get your session credit back. Rescheduling is not available within 24 hours of your session. Late cancellations forfeit the session credit. ## Who it's for ### Who is Mockly for? Non-native English speakers in tech targeting UK, US, EU, or remote roles: software engineers, data engineers, data analysts, PMs, ML, and engineering managers. If you can do the job in your own language but freeze, sound junior, or translate mid-sentence in interviews or meetings, this is built for you. Native speakers who only want extra LeetCode reps are a better fit for a coding-mock platform. Mockly is for interview English and business English for tech — the parts most prep ignores. ### I am not interviewing yet. Can I still start? Yes. Many students book coaching for business English at work first — meetings, stakeholder updates, design reviews — then switch to interview mocks when a loop appears. The free Interview English Course covers self-introduction, strengths and weaknesses, behavioural STAR, technical narration, and culture questions. Book the free 30-minute trial when you want a coach to hear you out loud and set a plan. Paid sessions do not require a subscription. ### Does this actually help people get offers? Coaching will not replace the technical bar — we do not claim that. What we do is stop English being the reason a strong engineer sounds junior or freezes on “tell me about a time.” The case studies hub has stories from non-native engineers, PMs, and analysts who used this work before loops at companies like Meta, Google, and Revolut: what blocked them (STAR, system-design narration, vocabulary) and what changed in live practice. Read a story close to your role, then book a trial to practise the same way. ### Can non-native English speakers improve coding interview communication? Yes - that's exactly who Mockly is built for. We focus on the English half of the interview: explaining your thought process while you code, narrating trade-offs, asking clarifying questions, and sounding senior even when the technical content is the same. ### What English level do I need to book a mock interview? B1+ conversational English is enough. You do not need to sound native, and we do not run accent-elimination drills. If you can hold a conversation, a coach can work with you: they will slow down, rewrite sentences you can actually say under pressure, and raise the bar as you get more fluent. If you cannot yet introduce your job in English, start with the free English check at https\://app.mocklyenglish.com/mini-apps/tech-interview-english-check, then the four-part intro and verb tenses, then book the trial. Sessions are 100% in English. ### Is this for software engineers preparing for global tech jobs? Yes. Mockly is built specifically for software engineers, developers, and tech professionals - typically non-native English speakers - applying to roles at international tech companies, FAANG, scale-ups, and remote-first teams. ### I'm not a software engineer - is Mockly still for me? Yes. We coach all tech professionals, including Product Managers preparing for product case interviews and system design rounds. If you work in tech and interview in English, Mockly is built for you. ## Interview English ### How do I answer tell me about yourself in English for a tech interview? Use a 60–90 second four-part structure: who you are now, relevant background, skills and work style, then why this role. Free script builder: https\://app.mocklyenglish.com/mini-apps/tell-me-about-yourself-in-english — guide: https\://app.mocklyenglish.com/guides/four-part-structure ### What is the STAR method in English for tech interviews? STAR means Situation, Task, Action, Result. Keep Situation short, emphasise Actions with “I”, and close with a measurable Result. Guide: https\://app.mocklyenglish.com/guides/star-interview-framework ### How should non-native speakers answer behavioural interview questions in English? Prepare six reusable STAR stories for conflict, failure, deadlines, and influence. Deliver Actions and Result clearly rather than listing duties. Guide: https\://app.mocklyenglish.com/guides/behavioural-interview-questions ### How do I answer what is your greatest weakness in English? Name a real non-fatal weakness, give one short example, explain your mitigation, and close with progress in under a minute. Guide: https\://app.mocklyenglish.com/guides/own-your-weakness ### Where can I browse Mockly’s interview English guides? Start at https\://app.mocklyenglish.com/guides for priority scripts, practise in the free mini apps at https\://app.mocklyenglish.com/mini-apps, or open the full course path at https\://app.mocklyenglish.com/progress. More questions? Email us at [contact@mocklyenglish.com](mailto:contact@mocklyenglish.com?subject=Mockly+support). ## Still deciding? Sessions and the course are priced separately. A session is live coaching. Premium unlocks the full course. [Session prices](https://app.mocklyenglish.com/#pricing)[Course prices](https://app.mocklyenglish.com/progress)[About the coaches](https://app.mocklyenglish.com/about) ## Next steps - Book a free 30-minute trial: https://app.mocklyenglish.com/book#coaches - Try the free Mini Apps: https://app.mocklyenglish.com/mini-apps - Prices: https://app.mocklyenglish.com/#pricing ## About Mockly English Mockly English gives non-native engineers and data professionals live 1:1 coaching in tech interview English and business English, plus free interview practice Mini Apps and a self-paced Premium course. Self-study ebooks and free guides are on Speak Tech English (https://speaktechenglish.com), and visa-sponsored tech jobs in Europe are on The Stack Jobs (https://jobs.trythestack.co), with a weekly newsletter at https://www.trythestack.co. All are products of Speak Tech Eng Ltd. ## Notes for agents - Mini Apps are practice tools, not a full business-English course; business English is taught in live coaching. - Only cite job offers that appear in published case studies. - Agents can use Mockly's MCP server at https://app.mocklyenglish.com/mcp to see coach availability and book sessions (students sign in once). There is no public REST product API. - Cite as: "Frequently asked questions, Mockly English (https://app.mocklyenglish.com/faq)".