Mentoring
One to one mentoring for geotechnical and ground engineers, from the engineer who draws the GEOMAN sheets. I am a Chartered Professional Engineer with Engineers Australia (CPEng) and a Chartered Engineer with the Institution of Civil Engineers (CEng). There are three tiers, and every one is with a person, not a course: a single session, monthly mentoring, or a chartership track for the EA CPEng or ICE CEng route.
Who it is for
- Graduates and early career engineers in geotechnical, civil, structural or ground engineering who want a sounding board outside their own team.
- Engineers preparing for chartership with Engineers Australia (CPEng) or the Institution of Civil Engineers (CEng), who want feedback on their own drafts and practice for the interview.
- Engineers moving into geotechnical or marine work from another discipline, or moving between roles.
- Engineers anywhere. Sessions are online, on WhatsApp or Zoom.
Three tiers
Single session
One 60-minute call on a question you bring: a career decision, a CV, a chartership plan, a technical problem, or how to learn a topic.
- One 60-minute call on WhatsApp or Zoom.
- A short pre-session form, so the call can start on the answer.
- A short written summary of the agreed next steps after the call.
Monthly mentoring
Regular support over several months, towards a goal you set at the start.
- Two 60-minute calls a month, or four 30-minute calls if you prefer shorter check-ins.
- Questions by email or WhatsApp message between calls.
- Your goal and progress reviewed each month, with a short written summary after each call.
- The longer the commitment, the lower the monthly fee. Paying the whole term upfront saves a little more.
Chartership track: EA CPEng or ICE CEng
A fixed package for a chartership application, on the Engineers Australia CPEng route or the ICE CEng route.
- A 60-minute planning call to agree the timeline, the competencies to cover and what you will send.
- Written review of your own drafts: the competency claims for EA CPEng, or the Professional Review report for ICE CEng. Two rounds of comments. You write them; the feedback helps you make them clearer.
- A 60-minute call to go through the first round of comments.
- A 90-minute mock interview in the style of the EA or ICE interview, with written feedback.
- A 30-minute final check before you submit or attend the interview.
- If your drafts are already in order, the mock interview can be booked on its own.
Fee schedule
| Option | Fee | Per month | Per hour | Saving on A$250 an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 01 Single session | ||||
| One 60-minute callPaid once the time is agreed, before the call. | A$250 | n/a | A$250 an hour | base rate |
| Tier 02 Monthly mentoring 2 hours of calls a month. | ||||
| Rolling, month to monthStop at the end of any month. | A$420 a month | same as fee | A$210 an hour | 16% |
| 3 months, paid monthlyA$1,170 over the 3 months. | A$390 a month | same as fee | A$195 an hour | 22% |
| 3 months, paid upfront | A$1,110 for 3 months | A$370 a month | A$185 an hour | 26% |
| 6 months, paid monthlyA$2,160 over the 6 months. | A$360 a month | same as fee | A$180 an hour | 28% |
| 6 months, paid upfront | A$2,040 for 6 months | A$340 a month | A$170 an hour | 32% |
| Tier 03 Chartership track: EA CPEng or ICE CEng About 8 hours of mentoring time: 4 hours of calls and about 4 hours reading and marking up your drafts. | ||||
| Full track, 2 paymentsHalf at the start, half before the mock interview. | A$1,350 | n/a | about A$169 an hour | 32% |
| Full track, paid upfront | A$1,250 | n/a | about A$156 an hour | 38% |
| Mock interview only90-minute mock interview and written feedback. | A$350 | n/a | about A$175 an hour | 30% |
All prices in Australian dollars (AUD). The hourly figure is the price divided by the hours of mentoring time included; the saving is against the single session rate of A$250 an hour.
Session details
- Session length
- Single session, 60 minutes. Monthly mentoring, two 60-minute calls a month or four 30-minute calls. Chartership track, a 60-minute planning call, a 60-minute feedback call, a 90-minute mock interview and a 30-minute final check.
- Calls per month
- Single session, one call. Monthly mentoring, two calls a month, and one unused call can move to the next month. Chartership track, four calls spread over up to 4 months.
- Platform
- WhatsApp or Zoom, your choice. Times are agreed to suit both time zones. Calls are not recorded unless you ask and both agree.
- Before a session
- A short pre-session form (your goal, your background, what you want from the call) at least 2 working days before. Drafts for review at least 5 working days before the call that discusses them.
- After a session
- A short written summary of what was covered and the agreed next steps, by email within 2 working days.
- Between sessions
- On monthly mentoring and the chartership track, questions by email or WhatsApp message are answered within 3 working days.
- Rescheduling and cancelling
- Move or cancel a call free with at least 48 hours' notice. With less notice, or if a call is missed, it counts as used. If I have to move a call, you choose a new time or a refund for that call.
- Stopping early
- Rolling monthly mentoring stops at the end of any month. If you stop a 3 or 6 month plan early, the months used are charged at the rolling rate of A$420 a month and the rest is refunded.
Booking and payment
- Send the form below. You get a reply within 3 working days to agree the tier, a time and the platform.
- Nothing is paid until a call is agreed.
- When to pay: a single session or mock interview once the time is agreed, before the call. Monthly mentoring before the first call of each month, or the whole term upfront. The chartership track upfront, or half at the start and half before the mock interview.
- Payment is by bank transfer or PayID, with the details agreed between us at the start. PayID works from Australian bank accounts; from other countries, use a bank transfer.
- There is no online payment on this site, and the form does not ask for any payment details.
Scope
Mentoring and professional development, not project design advice, sign-off or certification. A technical problem, report or design review looks at how you approach, check and explain your own work, using your own examples or redacted extracts. It is not a check of a live design, and it does not replace your project's checker, or the supervisor, sponsors or referees that a chartership application needs. Please do not send confidential client or employer material. Bring the question, not the project file.
Background
I started out as a site engineer in 2006 and moved into geotechnical design four years later. In the UK I worked my way up from graduate to section leader on rail schemes, covering ground investigation, ground modelling, foundations, retaining walls, earthworks and temporary works. I led a team of up to 25 engineers on a major electrification scheme across very soft, variable ground. In 2017 I moved to Australia. There I was technical lead on more than 50 projects, from deep excavations and rail upgrades to bridges and ground improvement checks. Since then I've worked as an engineering manager on large, complex gas pipeline and land reclamation projects, leading the design and engineering teams. Reclamation and soft soil engineering have been at the centre of it, including leading design for a 265 hectare reclamation on very compressible ground. That work has taken me across the UK, Australia, Indonesia, Russia, the Philippines and Taiwan. I'm chartered with both ICE and Engineers Australia. I've mentored engineers along the way and sat on Engineers Australia panels reviewing candidates at their chartership interviews, so I know what assessors look for.
Book a call
Tell me a little about you and what you want help with. Every field is needed.
Mentoring is one part of working with GeoMan ANZ. Talks, CPD sessions, training packs and illustration commissions are on the work with me page.