General English Lower Intermediate Level
Lesson 13

My work and my job

work

1. Watch the video to see the difference between the words job and work

Explanations
Job  = earning money
Work  = earning money

Job - countable noun, describes your position inside the company:

  • Receptionist
  • Designer
  • Director
  • Nurse

Work - describes an activity (ies) that you do in your job

Doctor - his work is- see patients, help people get better, prescribe medicines, talk to patients

Architect - his work is to design buildings, learn about the construction techniques

2. Watch the video attentively

Expression to work on

I work for the BBC as a researcher in London

I’ve learnt a lot of skills in my job and I’ve made a lot of friends at my work

Sometimes my job gets too busy and I don’t get enough time to relax or even to tidy my flat

What do you do?

I Am a Spanish writer at economic department at the University

I am an accountant

I work in advertising

I am a frame maker

I am a mechanic engineer for a mechanic company in Australia

I work in an office

Activity 1

Professional advice

Why do you want this job…?

Great news! Sunny's application was successful and she has got a job interview. And even better, you’re going to help her answer the interview questions in the next activity.

Listen to the audio and complete the activity

Transcript

Finn
What advice would you give to someone who is preparing for an interview?

Craig
Prep is absolutely key. I've always said ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’. Make sure that you’re researching the company, by looking on their website and getting any information that you can, make sure that you research the job description and the person specification, and think about real-life examples of where you've done things in the past, and how you can apply those to the potential questions that might come up.

Also, if you can practise with a family member or friend that'll give you a real head start as well, because you can get their feedback on how you're doing.

Finn
What advice would you give for people during the interview, especially if English is not their first language?

Craig
Yeah, so I think, first and foremost, the interview process is a nerve-wracking experience for absolutely everybody, whether English is your first language or not.

So, when you go into the interview you can always use your body language and non-verbal communication. Whether or not English is your first language, you can smile, you can give eye contact, you can nod when the – you know, when the interviewer is asking you the question.

Finn
What about if someone asks you a question you don't understand: what's your advice?

Craig
Ok, so if someone asks a question that you don't understand, always have the confidence to ask them to repeat the question. It doesn't make you look like you're unsure, it just shows that you're assertive and that you've got confidence.

Finn
And what about if you're in the middle of an answer that you're giving, and you think 'hmmm, this isn't very good.' What should you do then?

Craig
Ok, so if you're in the middle of an answer as well, and you're not happy with the way that you're answering the question, always have the confidence to go back to the top and rephrase that answer. Again, this shows confidence and assertiveness.

Also make sure that you take time with your answer. The nerves can make you give a speedy, a speedy response, and what you want to do is be aware of that and just slow your answer down.

I would say one final tip is just to have a couple of questions prepared for the panel, which you can ask at the end of the interview. Because that just really shows that you've, you’ve thought about the position.

Session Vocabulary
  • prep
    short for 'preparation' – getting things ready in advance
  • job description 
    an official description of a job used by employers
  • person specification
    a list of skills and experience someone needs to do a job
  • potential 
    (here) possible, probable
  • head start 
    advantage; something that increases the possibility of success
  • feedback 
    statements about how well someone is doing something, to help them do it better next time
  • first and foremost
    most importantly
  • nerve-wracking 
    very scary
  • body language 
    movements of your body that show what you are thinking and feeling
  • non-verbal communication
    communication without words
  • eye contact
    looking at someone in their eyes
  • nod 
    moving your head up and down to show you agree or understand
  • assertive 
    describes confident behaviour that shows someone's opinions
  • go back to the top 
    go back to the beginning
  • rephrase 
    say something in another way
  • speedy response
    quick answer
  • panel
    the people at an interview who ask questions and decide who to give the job to
  • position
    a formal or official word for ‘job’
Craig's advice

What was Craig's advice? Try these questions after listening to the interview

Your big chance!

Finally, it's time for Sunny's interview… With your help, we're sure she'll get the job.

Don't be nervous, just sit down, relax, and help her through a few interview questions.

Read the text and complete the activity

Your big chance
To do

Craig said that preparation is very important, so before you do the interview, take some time to read this information about the company and the job:

Company: Big Fun Tours

Big Fun Tours was founded in 2001. We organise travel experiences across Europe and Asia. We believe that the most important part of travel is meeting new people. We want to give you the most authentic experience possible: you won't stay in a hotel; you will stay in the home of one of our network of host families. We hope to see you on one of our tours very soon.

Job description: UK tour manager
  • Organising every detail of clients' tours
  • Welcoming clients to the UK and taking them to their host families
  • Dealing with problems
  • Writing reports and maintaining records
Person specification
  • Educated to degree level
  • Experience in the tourism industry preferred
  • Excellent speaker of English and at least one other language (preferably Chinese, Spanish or Russian)
  • Experience in leading groups
To do

Imagine you are Sunny. Try to write her answers to the questions in the next activity. You can find the information to put in her answers in these places:

  1. Sunny's video blog
  2. Sunny's covering letter
  3. Craig's interview advice
  4. Information about the company, the job description and person specification (all on this page)
The interview

Can you answer these questions to help Sunny get the job

Activity 3

News Report

Girl power in Ghana's schools

In this News Report, we hear about a project that is helping them with English, maths - and confidence.

While you listen to the report, you'll hear examples of this lesson’s grammar. If you need extra help, there's a transcript to read while you listen - or if you're feeling brave, listen without the transcript.

After you've listened, why not try being a newsreader yourself? Read the transcript out loud, record yourself and play it back. Try to copy the newsreader's pronunciation - you can do it!

Listen to the audio

Transcript

For young people in Ghana, in West Africa, it's not easy to learn the necessary skills for work and life. The school system has many problems: the quality of teaching is variable, and sometimes teachers don’t come to work at all.

It's particularly difficult for Ghanaian girls to get a good education. Normally, they're expected to leave school when they are young, and get married.  

A new education project, called Making Ghanaian Girls Great, is trying to improve girls' education, by offering extra lessons in English and maths.

The project provides lessons on television, from a studio in Accra. Teachers in the studio can talk to pupils in their classrooms, and the project also offers after-school lessons - called Wonder Women lessons - designed to increase girls' confidence. In these lessons, girls can ask questions about health, education or careers - and they can also talk to role models.

The project was launched by Nana Ogyedon Tsetsewah, a local leader in central Ghana. Nana says that young people in Ghana are frustrated, and they don't want to work as farmers any more.

Head teacher Vanderwell Augustt Gordor welcomes the extra lessons. It's a much more active style of learning, he says, and the pupils like joining in.

Ghana has invested in education, in order to increase national income. "Education is the key to development," said Anthony Klopka, a local politician. But until now, he says, girls' education has not received enough attention.

Because of projects like Making Ghanaian Girls Great, perhaps this situation is starting to change.

Vocabulary
  • quality
    how good or bad something is
  • variable
    not always the same; sometimes high, sometimes low
  • studio
    (here) a special room where TV programmes are made and broadcast
  • wonder
    (here) something extraordinary, or amazingly good
  • confidence
    belief that you can succeed
  • role model
    someone who you admire, and who you would like to copy
  • launch
    start something officially
  • local
    from this area
  • frustrated
    annoyed or angry because you cannot do something
  • active
    doing things; influencing a situation
  • join in
    take part; become involved
  • the key to
    (here) the only way or the best way to achieve a goal
  • politician
    a person who works in politics or government
Grammar Exercises
Choose the correct answer.
  1. We tried  the 9 o'clock train, but we arrived too late.
  2. The doctor told Henry to stop  .
  3. Do you expect  your maths exam?
  4. All the beach hotels were full, so they ended up  in the town centre.
  5. I love this city. I can't imagine  here.
  6. Jerry promised  my computer for me.
  7. I meant  some stamps yesterday, but I forgot.
  8. Do your children enjoy  computer games?
  1. Julia wants  it with an English boy. 
  2. he enjoys  on exotic holidays 
  3. I wouldn't like  outside the Angola 
  4. they managed  .
  5. let's go  .
  6. My teachers made me  hard 
  7. I decided  at weekends with my husband.
  8. let's go  .
Homework

1. Learn the topic vocabulary

2. Repeat the grammar of the lesson

Activity 1

Drama

Phil's audio diary

Phil and his friends were sailing through the Caribbean sea when a huge wave hit the yacht. Have they survived? And if they have… will they get back to London in time to complete their round the world challenge? Time is running out.

Phil and his friends were sailing through the Caribbean sea when a huge wave hit the yacht. Have they survived? And if they have… will they get back to London in time to complete their round the world challenge? Time is running out.

Transcript

Dear Diary, our last few days were very difficult. A big wave hit us, but we survived and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. Then we sailed into some fog and crashed into some rocks.

The yacht, The Mermaid, sank – but we were rescued and we got back to London to meet our friends. We thought it was day 81 but Passe-partout said we gained an extra day when we crossed the International Date Line. So we did it - we sailed around the world in 80 days!

Unfortunately, my prize was to keep the yacht and that had sunk - but it didn't matter. I asked Sophia to marry me. She said yes! It's good to be home - and life is good.

Activity 2

Phil's video diary

So the crew have made it home and have completed the challenge they were set. But Phil has one more task to do. Let's find out what it is.

Watch the video

Phil

Hello. Look where I am. I'm in London, I'm in the pub. I'm home! We had a lot of fun, didn't we? I just wanted to thank you for sticking with me through the trip.

I know we didn't make it in 80 days, and yes, I sank the yacht, but hey, we brought home Sophia who I fell in love with. I'm going to go across over there and ask her to marry me. What do you think? Do you think she'll say yes? I know, I need some courage. See you later.

Session Vocabulary
  • courageous
    being brave in a difficult or scary situation
  • brave
    able to deal with a difficult situation without showing fear
  • determination
    not allowing anything to stop you doing what you are trying to do
  • impressive
    describes someone or something that is special, large or shows great skill
  • hero
    someone who you love or admire because they have done something brave or impressive