Coaching for Migrants and Refugees in Germany | Salah Abdeldayem
Coaching for your career, confidence and direction in Germany, in German, English or Arabic. Starts with a free 20-minute intro call.
Coaching for migrants, refugees and international professionals
Coaching for your path in Germany
For your career and your life. For people who came to Germany as refugees or migrants, whether you arrived last year or have lived here for decades. You don't need to have all the answers: in coaching you sort out your situation and work out a concrete next step.
Book an intro call
Free 20-minute intro call
In German, English or Arabic
Online or in person
What it costs
Perhaps one of these sounds familiar
I don't know where my career is going from here.
I have a degree, but I can't find work here that matches it.
I can get by in German, but in important conversations I lose my confidence.
I know what I want to change, but I never actually start.
My family expects something different from me than what I want.
I want to show what I can do, but nobody seems to see it.
I want to start my own business and don't know where to begin.
I want to find out what really suits me.
If you recognise yourself in one of these: there is nothing wrong with you. You are in a situation that asks a lot of you. And a situation is something you can understand, sort out and change, one step at a time.
Who this coaching is for
For people who came to Germany as refugees or immigrants, for international professionals and for graduates with a degree from abroad. And for everyone who grew up here in a family with a migration story.
Whether you arrived last year or have lived here for twenty years, whether you come from Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Turkey, Eritrea, Egypt, Poland or India: what matters are your questions. This is not only for people from Arabic-speaking countries.
You don't have to call yourself a "migrant" or a "refugee" either. Many people prefer to talk about a fresh start, a career change or simply their life in Germany. That works here too.
Where coaching can help
You have experience, maybe a degree, but your job doesn't match it. We make your skills visible and build an application strategy.
Career direction and fresh starts
Applications and job interviews
Presenting experience from abroad
Read more
Self-doubt, fear of mistakes, decisions you keep putting off. We clarify what you want and find the first step.
Seeing your own strengths
Making decisions
Getting started
Not a German course, but confidence in the conversations that matter.
Speaking up and giving your opinion
Difficult conversations, saying no
Presenting yourself at work
Between where you come from and your new life, between other people's expectations and your own goals.
Values and belonging
Family expectations
Conflict between generations
You have a business idea. We give it structure, look at what you bring and plan the first steps.
Structuring your idea
Customers and presenting yourself
Risk and decisions
Vocational training or university, which job, which path, and what your family thinks about it.
Choosing a career and planning ahead
Talking with your parents
You don't need to know where to start
We work that out together in the intro call. 20 minutes, free, no obligation.
How the coaching works
Free intro call, 20 minutes
You tell me briefly what it is about. We clarify whether coaching is the right route for your question, which format fits and what it costs. Then you decide in your own time.
Clarity
We sort out your situation: what is the real issue right now, what is secondary, and what is in your way?
Options
We look at the paths open to you, including ones you haven't seen yet, and what each of them asks of you.
Decision
You decide which way to go. I don't make the decision for you, but I help you make it deliberately.
Action
You leave with a concrete next step you can take in your everyday life. In the next session we look at what happened.
What I don't promise: a job, a residence permit or a new life in three sessions. What we work on together: clarity, deliberate decisions and next steps you can actually take.
Who you will work with
I'm Salah Abdeldayem, coach, author and founder of Mentonovo. For more than 20 years I have worked with people on decisions, career direction and personal development, in Europe and the Gulf. That includes professionals and managers as well as people looking for work or starting over in their careers.
I studied linguistics and learning pedagogy and trained in coaching, psychosocial counselling, communication psychology, competency analysis and systemic counselling. Arabic is my first language; I work fluently in German and English.
What matters to me: I don't treat anyone as a problem case. Where you come from is part of your story, not its title. I won't tell you how to live. I help you make your own decision more clearly. More about me
Feedback
Marketing Manager
I came into the coaching with a very specific professional problem, but I quickly realised that the real issue was the way I was approaching it. Salah did not give me ready made answers. Instead, he asked questions that made me look at the situation from a completely different angle. I left the sessions with much more clarity and a better understanding of what was actually holding me back. The biggest difference for me was feeling that I could make my own decisions with much more confidence.
English Teacher
This tests are eye opening and easy to follow. It helped me understand my strengths and patterns in a clear, practical way. Highly recommended for anyone wanting real insight into themselves. Thanks for your Erfforts
Digital Marketing Manger
Thanks to Salah Abdeldayem’s coaching, I overcame my fear of public speaking. Now I present confidently, with clarity and impact.
What coaching can do, and where other services are the right place
What we work on in coaching
Direction and personal goals
Career development and application strategy
Personal development
Getting things moving
Where other services are responsible
Asylum and residence: a lawyer specialising in migration law, migration counselling
Recognition of foreign qualifications: recognition counselling
Social benefits: Jobcenter, employment agency, social counselling
Health: a doctor
Mental illness: psychotherapy
Finding a flat: housing and social counselling in your city
Coaching does not replace legal advice, therapy or a public authority. If it turns out in our conversation that another service fits better, I will tell you openly. Free migration counselling for adults is available online at mbeon, and for young people up to 27 at the Youth Migration Services. Information on getting your qualifications recognised is on Recognition in Germany. In an acute emotional crisis, the TelefonSeelsorge helpline is free and open around the clock: 0800 111 0 111.
What coaching costs
€69
60 minutes
For one specific concern: a decision, a job interview, a difficult conversation or the question of where your career goes next. The aim of the hour is a next step you can really take.
Book now
€99
90 minutes
For situations where several issues are connected, for example a career change, a major life decision or a plan to become self-employed.
€189
3 × 60 minutes
My recommendation if you want to change something for real, because three sessions cover a whole process:
Booked separately, this would be €207.
Session 1: clarify the situation and the goal
Session 2: develop options and a strategy
Session 3: putting it into practice, obstacles, next steps
My recommendation
€295
5 × 60 minutes
Structured support over several steps, for example during a career change, while finding your feet in German working life, or if you want to work on confidence and communication over a longer period. €59 per session.
The intro call is free and takes 20 minutes. It is not yet coaching, but a way to decide: does coaching suit your question, and if so, in what form? Afterwards you decide whether and how to continue. You don't have to buy a package; a single session is fine.
All prices are final prices. As a small business under § 19 (1) of the German VAT Act (UStG), I do not charge VAT. There are separate formats for work and applications (JobStart and interview coaching) and for business ideas (Startklar).
If money is tight right now
A difficult financial situation does not make a conversation about your future worth less. If your budget is limited at the moment, tell me openly in the intro call. Together we will look at what kind of arrangement is possible.
Funding through an AVGS voucher
If you are looking for work or receive Bürgergeld, funding through an activation and placement voucher (AVGS) from the Jobcenter or the employment agency may be possible under certain conditions. Whether funding is granted is decided by the responsible office. I cannot promise any funding. The offers and prices on this page are for privately paid coaching and are not an AVGS measure. If you have a voucher, mention it in the intro call.
Is it worth it if I have little money?
Only you can decide that, and that is exactly what the free intro call is for. Afterwards you will know whether coaching is the right route for your question or whether a free counselling service fits better. Spending months sending applications in a direction that doesn't suit you costs more than money: it costs time and confidence. An hour that brings clarity can therefore be worth it. I can't promise that it will be.
Starting on your own first
Free on this website: Reading the Traces (find out what you are good at), Learning to say no and 80 topics that occupy young adults.
Frequently asked questions
Who is this coaching for?
For people with a refugee or migration background, international professionals, graduates with a degree from abroad and young people from 16 whose families have a migration story. The topics are work, confidence, communication, identity, family and self-employment.
Do I have to be a refugee?
No. The coaching is for refugees just as much as for people who came to Germany to work, study or join their family.
Do I need a migration background?
No. This page speaks to people with an international biography because they often face similar questions. If you don't have a migration story, my general coaching is just as open to you.
I have lived in Germany for many years. Can I still come?
Yes. Many questions only come up after years: when you notice you are working below your qualifications, that your career has stalled, or that after all this time you still don't quite feel at home.
Do I need perfect German?
No. Coaching can take place in German, English or Arabic. If you want to speak German to build confidence, that works too, and mistakes are no problem.
Which languages can the coaching be in?
German, English or Arabic. It is open to people of every background, not only from Arabic-speaking countries.
Can the coaching take place online?
Yes, coaching works online, and in person by arrangement.
How does the first conversation work?
It takes 20 minutes and is free. You briefly tell me what it is about. We clarify whether coaching suits you, which format makes sense and what it costs. It is not yet a coaching session, and you commit to nothing.
Do I have to book a package straight away?
No. You can start with a single session and decide afterwards whether to continue.
How much does coaching cost?
The intro call is free. A single session costs €69 (60 minutes), an intensive session €99 (90 minutes), three sessions €189 and five sessions €295. The topic pages have separate formats for careers and starting a business. All prices are final prices. As a small business under § 19 (1) of the German VAT Act (UStG), I do not charge VAT.
What can I do if my budget is limited?
Mention it openly in the intro call and we will look together at what kind of arrangement is possible. If you are looking for work or receive Bürgergeld, funding through an AVGS voucher may also be possible under certain conditions. Whether funding is granted is decided by the responsible office; I cannot promise it.
How many sessions will I need?
That depends on your question. For one specific matter, such as a job interview, one hour can be enough. People changing career direction or working on confidence over time usually plan three to five sessions. We discuss it in the intro call, and you decide again after every session.
Is the coaching confidential?
Yes, conversations are treated as confidential in principle. Without your consent I pass nothing on to authorities, employers or your family. The limits are those set by law, in particular if there is a serious danger to you or others. If coaching is funded, the funding body may receive information about your attendance. We go through exactly what beforehand.
Is coaching therapy?
No. Coaching looks forward: it is about goals, decisions and next steps. It does not treat mental illness and does not replace psychotherapy.
What if I actually need psychotherapeutic help?
Then I will tell you openly, even in the intro call. Your GP is a good first point of contact. The appointment service on 116117 can arrange an initial psychotherapy appointment. In an acute crisis, the TelefonSeelsorge helpline is free around the clock on 0800 111 0 111.
Can you help me with residence law?
No. For asylum and residence questions, the right place is a lawyer specialising in migration law or a migration counselling service. In coaching we can work on how you deal with the uncertainty and what you can shape yourself in the meantime.
Can you help me find a flat?
No. Searching for or arranging housing is not part of my coaching. Housing or social counselling services in your city can support you with that.
Can you help me with a job application?
Yes, with your application strategy: which jobs suit you, how to present your career and your experience from abroad, and how to come across in an interview. We can also look at your existing documents together and assess them. That is what JobStart and interview coaching are for. The coaching is not a writing service for application documents.
Can you help me change career direction?
Yes, that is one of the main areas. We clarify what you can do and want, which paths exist and which step comes first. More on the Career & work page.
A conversation is a good place to start
You don't need to have all the answers. In coaching you sort out your situation, see your options and work out a concrete next step.