TOPIC 01: WORK AND STUDIES (ALWAYS IN USE)

Do you work or are you a student?

What work do you do?

What subjects are you studying?

Why did you choose that job?

Why did you choose to study that subject?

Do you like your job?

Is there anything you dislike about your job?

What was your dream job when you were young?

Have you changed your mind on your dream job?

What do you like about your studies?

What do you dislike about your studies?

IDIOMS ABOUT WORK:

1. to be between jobs (to be unemployed)

2. to work one's fingers to the bone (to work very hard)

3. to go the extra mile (to go beyond what is necessary)

4. to learn the ropes (to learn how to do a particular job or task)

5. to be a change of pace (to be a variation in routine)

IDIOMS THAT CAN BE USED TALKING ABOUT STUDIES:

to miss the boat (to lose an opportunity to do something by being slow to act)

l've missed the boat for the fall semester, so. . . .

golden opportunity (top-tier university)

1/ Do you work or are you a student?

STUDY
attendance to sound nerdy= passing grades
didactic
compulsory subjects subject options
tutorials
optional subjects the school curriculum
lectures
an assignment

WORK
a salary-boosting factor

to excel at

IDEA

CATEGORY 1: neither work nor study

sentence starters:

At the moment I neither work nor study as. . .

I'm currently unemployed as. . .

I'm looking for a job now

I have been looking for a job for X months

why unemployed:

I'm on maternity leave/ I'm a housewife

I have recently finished school/ I have just graduated from university

My salary expectations are in line with my qualifications and education, but

there are few companies that can offer adequate remuneration
l expect my experience to reflect on my remuneration package

I decided to quit as:

1. I want to start a career in the X industry

2.l decided to upskill and pursue a career in Z, having worked for many
years in X

CATEGORY 2: work

I'm self-employed

I'm an entrepreneur

I work for myself= I am my own boss.

I run a business

CATEGORY 3: study

I'm a high school student

I'm a final-year student= senior

I'm a postgraduate student

I enrolled for a Bachelor's degree in 2003

I enrolled for a Master's degree

I'm doing an MBA degree

I'm doing a PhD

popular subjects and majors:

Economics, Accounting, Financial Planning

Sales, Marketing, Advertising

Biotechnology, Physics, Maths, Biology, Chemistry

Human Resources Management, Supply Management, Hospitality

Operations Management, Computer Programming, Graphic Design,
Psychology, Sociology, Business, Entrepreneurship

ANSWER

Do you work or are you a student?

I've been working as an English teacher for about 15 years now, and for the
last 10 years l've specialized exclusively in teaching IELTS. And I absolutely
love what I do. Of course, sometimes I feel tired and emotionally drained,
especially when I have to mark my students' essays until midnight. . . but I
just don't see myself being happier doing anything else.

2/ Why did you choose that job?

3/ Why did you choose to study that subject?

IDEA

good sentence starters:

it was the obvious choice, but not the easy one

it was a bit of a dilemma for me

it was a tough decision

I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do with my life

when l left school, I had no intention of studying for a degree, I just wanted
to start working
reasons to choose that job or subject:

it was a good match for my talents and skills

I was good at/ adept at / a whiz at some subjects

it was in line with my qualifications

I knew I would enjoy doing for the rest of my life

ANSWER

Why did you choose that job?

Well, I guess the primary reason why I decided to pursue a career in

Finance was that |really loved Maths at school as I was always good at
numbers. And because of this, I thought it was the only possible choice I
could make. So it wasn't a tough decision. And, thank God, I have never
regretted it.

Describing people's work situation

Clare's babysitting job is such a cushy number*. All she has to do is take
the children to the beach and watch them play. ' [a very easy job]

'Lily's really at the top of the ladder now. She finally has the success she
deserves.' [in the highest position in an organization]

'I took the job at Linderhof’s to get a foot in the door, even though it wasn't
well paid. ' [take a job at a low level in an organization, because you want a
better job in the same organization in the future]

'I slogged my guts out* for years in the water company and never got a
pay rise. ' [worked very hard or used a lot of effort]

'Harry doesn't do very much, even though he owns half the company. He's
just a sleeping partner. ' [a partner in a company who does not take an
active part in its management, but often provides some of the money; you
can also say 'silent partner']＇

'Erica has a good track record as a sales person. She deserves to be

promoted?' [all the achievements or failures that someone or something has
had in the past]

'Did Charlie get a golden handshake when he left the company? ' [a large
payment made to someone when they leave their job, either because their
employer has asked them to leave, or as are ward for good service when
they retire]

'She got a very generous golden hello when she started her first job after
university' [a large payment made to someone when they accept a new job]