Методический материал на тему "Work and occupation"

Work and occupation.

Why do people work?

What are the modern trends on the Russian labour market?

Is it easy to find a job being a teenager? What are job opportunities for teens?

Do you have any working experience? Describe your first working experience.

Is your dream to become an economist or a manager? Why?

What is your ideal job? Present your ideas of your future career.

Vocabulary

at the bottom of the career ladder - in a low position in a work organization or hierarchy

-              When Jacob started work, he was at the very bottom of the career ladder dead-end job - a job with no promotional opportunities

-              He had dead-end job

run-of-the-mill - ordinary and unexciting, boring, routine (task/ person/ job) - He always did run -of-the -mill tasks.

get out of a rut - escape from a monotonous, boring situation - He got out of a run and now he is happy.

pull out all the stops - to do everything you can to succeed; to do it enthusiastically

-              He pulled out all the stops and managed to persuade his manager that he should be given more responsibility. get the sack - to be fired

-              The deputy manager got the sack for incompetence. step into his shoes - to take someone's place, often by doing the job they have just left

-              He stepped into his hoes up-and-coming - likely to achieve success soon or in the near future - He was recognized as up-and-coming young businessman.

rush off your feet - to be very busy at work - For several months he was rushed off his feet.

put on hold – to delay, postpone

-              Plans for building the extension have been put on hold until our finances are in a better state.

to slave away - to work very hard -She was slaving away at his homework.

meet deadlines

-              So we think we can keep costs down and still meet deadlines holiday entitlement- the number of days holiday allowed

-              Holiday entitlement is dependent on salary level, the minimum being 19 days.

job satisfaction-the feeling of enjoying a job

maternity leave- time off work given to a woman about to have a baby one of the perks of the job- an extra benefit you get from a job - This is the only perk of the job. to be stuck behind a desk-to be unhappy in an office job

-              He didn’t want to be stuck behind a desk.

to be/get stuck in a rut-to be in a boring job that is hard to leave -I need to change jobs - after 15 years here I feel I'm (stuck) in a rut. to take early retirement-to retire early (retire: to reach an age when you are allowed to stop working for a living) -Teachers now, they take early retirement.

heavy workloads - the amount of work to be done

-              Teachers are always complaining about their heavy workloads.

Usefulphrases

•          I work as a/an …

•          I’m currently a/an ...

•          I’m responsible for … •     My main responsibility is to ...

•          I enjoy socializing with my colleagues

•          I’m interested in accounting.

•          I don’t want to be stuck behind a desk doing something dull.

•          I don’t want to end up in a dead-end job

•          I’d like to be my own boss one day

•          Run my own business

•          Work round the clock

•          Be a good team player

•          My dream is to be a successful…one day.

•          I feel dead tired when ...

•          Sit in front of a computer screen

•          I have to deal with overwhelming workload.

•          I have a very hectic schedule

•          I’m up to my ears in deadlines.

•          I’m in two minds about my future career.

•          Pursue my dream to become a/an …

Adjectives

•          flexible

•          well-paid

•          full-time

•          part-time

•          manual work

•          stressful

•          challenging

•          temporary (for a limited time only)

•          voluntary

•          prestigious

•          rewarding

•          exciting

•          demanding

•          hardworking

•          fascinating

•          boring

•          dull

•          tedious (=boring)

•          exhausting

Examples…

-   What do you do?

« I do a job-share with a friend in a boutique … I enjoy it … I like working with customers … unfortunately it’s only temporary work but one of the perks of the job is I get a discount on the clothes …» - Do you have any career plans yet?

«Yes … I’d like to be my own boss one day … I’m interested in programming and I’d like to create apps for myself or for other companies … I know being self employed would be a challenge but the idea of doing a nine-to-five job doesn’t appeal to me at all …»

-   What do you see yourself doing in 10 years time?

«I’d hope to be working … not a high-powered job … but I’m quite a creative person so something where I can work with my hands would be nice … as long as I’m not stuck behind a desk doing something boring in a dead-end job I’ll be happy …»

- Describe your ideal job

«I’ve always loved watching wildlife programmes on TV and often thought how much I’d enjoy working with  animals … perhaps in a safari park … something like that … you’d probably need a degree to have any chance of being called for an interview and whether there are many full-time jobs I don’t know … I’m sure a lot of parks rely on voluntary work so it might not be easy … and it probably wouldn’t be well-paid either but money isn’t everything … I’d get so much job satisfaction … I can’t imagine it being the kind of job where you get stuck in a rut … and I think I’d be good at it as well … I’d love to work with animals I enjoy manual work and I’m a good team player … so even though the working conditions might not be the best I think that would be my ideal job …»