English with Jo

Occupations

This is the preparation material for an English conversation lesson about jobs, occupations and professions. Learn a large range of vocabulary we use when talking about jobs and professions and learn how to answer common conversation questions about this topic.

Job Collocations

• Working environment – I have quite a stressful working environment.
• Hours of work – I don’t think I would like to be a doctor because the hours of work would be very tiring.
• Work-life balance – A sensible work-life balance can help employees work more efficiently.
• Job security – There are many advantages to being self-employed but one disadvantage is the lack of job security.
• Job satisfaction – It is hard to underestimate the value of job satisfaction.

Career Words

• Interview – The company needs to change the interview process so that it hires the right candidates.
• Qualification – It is not always the case that a university degree is the best qualification for the job.
• Experience – Some graduates have difficulty finding a job because they do not have the relevant work experience.
• Training – Employers need to provide training to ensure that their staff are able to adapt to new technologies.
• Promotion – He received a promotion as a result of the big efforts he had been making.
• Resignation – There is a danger that employees will hand in their resignation and look for another job.

Money Words

• Salary – Not everyone is primarily interested in the salary on offer when they choose a job.
• Pay – Some people prefer to work part time even though the pay is less than full-time work.
• Bonus – One solution is to offer employees a bonus as an incentive to make them work more efficiently.
• Perk – Nowadays, it is much less common for companies to offer a company car as a perk.

Adjectives to Describe Jobs

• Rewarding – One of the most rewarding aspects of the work is the chance to work with children.
• Challenging – While this can be challenging, there is no doubt that it can be equally rewarding.
• Repetitive – A great deal of office work is in fact quite repetitive and not especially challenging.
• Stressful – One of the most stressful aspects of the modern workplace is the constant threat of redundancy.

Conversation Questions

• At what age do people usually begin to work in your country?
• At what age do people usually retire in your country?
• How have working conditions changed in recent years?
• How old were you when you got your first job?
• If you could own your own business, what would it be?
• If you had to choose between a satisfying job and a well-paid one, which would you choose?
• Is it common for men and women to have the same jobs in your country?
• Is it easy to find a job in your country?
• Name three occupations that you could do.
• Name three occupations that you could never do
• What are some common jobs for men in your country?
• What are some common jobs for women in your country?
• What are some jobs that children do?
• Which do you think are some of the more demanding jobs?
• Which are the least demanding jobs?
• Which jobs are badly paid?
• Which jobs are over-paid?
• Which job are more popular than others, and why?
• Would you like to be self-employed?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of self-employment?
• What are some common occupations in your country?
• What are some jobs that you think would be boring?
• What are some jobs that you think would be fun?
• What do you think is the best job? What do you think is the worst?
• What do you think would be the most interesting job? The most boring?
• What does your father do? (What does your father do for a living?)
• What does your mother do?
• What influenced your choice of job? (Why did you choose your job?)
• What jobs in your country are considered to be good jobs? Why?
• When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
• Which jobs do you think are the most prestigious?
• Who among the people you know has the most interesting job? What is it?
• If money weren't a problem for you, which job would you prefer to have?
• Is it common for people from your country to have one job for life?
• Do you see any unfair labour practices in your country's workforce?
• Would you like to have a management position?
• What are the pros and cons of being a manager?
• What are the qualities a good boss should have?