Question 1

How does the free Orientation Plan work?

Accepted Answer

You submit your CV and your target role. Within 48 hours you receive a written plan I review personally — not auto-generated. It includes gaps, a sequenced roadmap, and recommended next steps. The Orientation Plan is free; to execute the plan together week-by-week, you can pick a weekly mentoring plan after delivery.

Question 2

What roles do you mentor for?

Accepted Answer

Solutions Architecture, MLOps, Software, DevOps, Cloud Security, FinOps, AI and Cloud Engineering — for engineers and career transitioners becoming cloud & AI professionals, from your first cloud role to principal. The plan meets you where you are; the target is where you're going.

Question 3

How is this different from a bootcamp?

Accepted Answer

A bootcamp teaches a syllabus to a cohort on a fixed schedule, and everyone leaves with the same projects. This is the opposite in every respect: one person, one plan written from your CV and your target role, and a cadence set by your life rather than a timetable. There is no cohort, no group Slack, and nothing to keep up with. If you've already done a bootcamp, that isn't wasted — it usually means the gap is evidence and sequencing rather than knowledge, which is exactly what the plan addresses.

Question 4

I failed a certification twice — will this work for me?

Accepted Answer

Usually better than for someone who hasn't, because we can see what went wrong rather than guess. Two failed attempts is information: it tells us whether the gap is the material, the exam technique, or that the certification was the wrong target for the role you actually want. Plenty of people are studying for a certification nobody is asking them to hold. The Orientation Plan is free and says so plainly if that's the case.

Question 5

How many hours a week does this take?

Accepted Answer

As many as you genuinely have — the intake asks for that number, and the plan is sequenced around it rather than around an ideal week. Sessions themselves are 30 or 60 minutes depending on the kind; the work between them is yours to size. People in full-time work with family commitments do this on a few evenings a week. A plan you can't keep is worse than no plan, so an honest number at the start matters more than an ambitious one.

Question 6

Can my employer pay?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Company cards work at checkout and Stripe emails a receipt you can expense. If your employer needs an invoice made out to the company with their details and a purchase-order reference, ask before you pay and it will be arranged. Many employers have a training or development budget that goes unspent — mentoring is usually eligible for it.

Question 7

Is there a cohort or a group chat?

Accepted Answer

No. No cohort, no group Slack, no community to keep up with. The atelier is 1:1 by design — your messages reach your mentor, not a channel, and nothing you do is paced against anyone else's progress.

Question 8

Do you work in French?

Accepted Answer

Oui — sessions and messaging can happen in English or in French, whichever you think in. The guided intake and written plans are delivered in English, the working language of cloud; your mentor replies in yours. A French welcome page lives at /fr.

Question 9

Where are you based, and which time zones do you cover?

Accepted Answer

The atelier is UK-based and works with clients across the UK and Europe. Sessions are scheduled to suit UK and Central European hours.

Question 10

How often do we meet?

Accepted Answer

Weekly cadence by default. Bundles let you set the rhythm: quick check-ins, deep-dive sessions, or a full transition plan.

Question 11

Do I get a real portfolio project?

Accepted Answer

Yes — every plan includes at least one real, deployable portfolio project tailored to your target role.

Question 12

What currency do you charge in?

Accepted Answer

GBP. Stripe handles the conversion to your local currency at checkout.

Question 13

Can I get a refund?

Accepted Answer

The Orientation Plan is free, so there's nothing to refund. The Full Written Plan is non-refundable once it has been delivered, because by then the work is done. Unused, prepaid sessions in a bundle are refundable pro-rata, and you can end the engagement at any time — there is no window to miss. Section 12 of the Terms is the full position, and it governs if anything here reads differently.

Question 14

How are your prices decided, and do they change?

Accepted Answer

Everything here is produced by a person rather than reproduced at no cost — a plan is researched against your CV and your target role, then read and reworked individually, and tailored lessons are written for one client's gaps. Prices reflect the time that genuinely takes, and they're reviewed periodically against how long delivered work actually takes rather than against a guess. Two things follow, and both bind us rather than you: the price you're shown at checkout is the price you pay and never changes retrospectively, and any recurring arrangement gets at least 30 days' notice before a change affects you. Section 11 of the Terms sets this out in full.

Question 15

Is my data private?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your CV and notes are stored privately and never shared. See the Privacy policy for full details.

Questions, answered.

Mentoring

Payments & policies