THEME-BASED WRITING

TOPIC: EMPLOYMENT
A/ Importance of having a job
For individuals and families:
- Provide income for sustenance of life:
o Without a job, one cannot be financially independent, nor can he or she support the family
- Bring satisfaction and a sense of purpose:
o Utilize skills and expertise
o Contribute to society => achieve status and recognition
- Widen the personal network of relationships => improve social well-being

For society:
- High employment rates mean economic and social stability and development
- Bring wealth and prosperity to each nation and the world as a whole

B/ Job satisfaction vs. Job security

05-03-2020:
Some people argue job satisfaction is more important than job security. Others believe a permanent job is
more important. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Job satisfaction:
- Boost productivity => better work results, which leads to recognition
- Ensure physical and mental well-being => allow workers to contribute even longer
- Encourage self-development as workers are eager to update themselves for the better
- Employers need to recognize that:
o Money does not always guarantee satisfaction
o Job satisfaction comes not only from the employees, but also from their peers and work
environment
Job security:
- Essential for career advancement within an organization
- Lead to better compensations, perks and benefits fringe benefits: lợi ích ngoài lương 1
= pension
- Establish credibility among colleagues
paid holiday
sự tin cậy co workers
insurance
peers
1/ Self-employment private healthcare
Reasons: thủ tục về mặt pháp lý
- The legal procedure to establish businesses has become straightforward and much less
complicated
- The internet provides a global open marketplace available to all
- Inspiration and motivation from role models and examples of start-ups
Benefits: tinh thần khởi nghiệp
- Promote entrepreneurship, encourage and foster independence
- Offer greater freedom than working for an employer
- Partly help to reduce unemployment
Risks and drawbacks:
- Business owner may face financial difficulties due to lack of experience
- Require hard work, long hours and total responsibility
- Less stability with no pension scheme and guaranteed benefits

02-03-2019:
The world of work is rapidly changing and employees cannot depend on having the same work or the same
work conditions for life. Discuss the possible causes and suggest ways to prepare for people to work in the
future.

2/ Freelancing or Doing multiple jobs

Reasons:
- The demand for temporary pools of talents that serve for a short term
- The desire to be independent from a certain employer
- Available and convenient technology or means of transports
Benefits:
- Provide the opportunity to increase income and further career
- Can be refreshing to see new people and cope with different responsibilities -> extend
professional network
- The possibility to learn an entirely new set of skills
Drawbacks:
- Require excellent time management skills and task delegation ability
- Can cause exhaustion and fatigue due to excessive workload
- May be unable to achieve work-life balance => cause mental problems

22-04-2017:
Some people think that people who choose a job early and keep doing it are more likely to get a satisfying
career life than those who frequently change jobs. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

3/ Job-hopping
Reasons:
- Employees wish to seek better compensation schemes or work environment
2
- Graduates are disoriented or misdirected in choosing a profession
- Employees wish to acquire new knowledge and skills before settling down

Benefits:
- Gain experience in various environment => form personal values and work ethics
- Rethink the career path => allows devotion and contribution of time and effort
- New skill sets allow job-seekers to compete in the ever-changing market

Drawbacks:
- To individuals: Less likely to get recognized in new workplaces
- To organizations: loss of time and financial resources to retrain new recruits
4/ Settling down for one job
Reasons:
- Employees seek a stable career that allows advancements and self-development
- Companies value loyalty and devotion

Benefits: được hưởng

- Employees are entitled to favorable policies (pension scheme, health insurance, salary
increment, promotion) chính sách hợp lý
- Veteran members can be trusted with more responsibility
- Organizations perform and function more efficiently

Drawbacks: khuyến khích

- To individuals: lack incentives and motivations for personal development and improvement
- To organizations: create an atmosphere of conservation which prevents innovation
bảo thủ

C/ The workplace
1/ Formal academic qualifications
24-02-2018:
Nowadays, some employers think that formal academic qualifications are more important than life
experience or personal qualities when they look for new employees. Why is in this case? Is a positive or
negative development.

Importance: Qualifications are a proof of expertise:

- Candidates have received formal and professional training
• possess understanding and in-depth knowledge of the disciplines
• equipped with skills essential in the workplace
- Companies and organizations have concrete criteria for their candidates
• Simplify the recruitment process
• Spot talents suitable for the companies
=> Qualifications still play an indispensable role in today’s workplace
Drawbacks: Most qualifications are unable to showcase candidates’ full potentials, including:
Experience Mindset Critical thinking
Teamwork Work ethics … 3

2/ Other important qualities

There are some qualities all workers should possess to be valued by employers:
- Experience: can be gained throughout life
- Honesty and work ethics: build trust and credibility
- Common sense: facilitate logical thinking tự nhận biết
- Flexibility: lead to adaptability, maintain relationships
- Resilience: overcome challenges and obstacles
bền bỉ
In the ever-changing world, a worker must constantly update themselves with:
- Technical understanding, along with social, political and scientific awareness
- Interpersonal and communication skills: negotiation, diplomacy, networking
- Leadership qualities: self-management, authority
=> These are favorable qualities when it comes to career advancement prospects
3/ Compensations and benefits
There are various ways for employers to show recognition towards staff:
- Financial rewards: The most common and practical means of compensation
o A bonus or salary increment can be a motivation for more effort and creativity
o However, this can also lead to jealousy or excessive competition among colleagues
- Insurance or pension scheme
o Insurances guarantee security and protection against misfortunes and accidents
o Pension schemes are a long-term investment that ensures livelihood in old ages
- Work-life balance policies: holidays, family events, birthdays, anniversaries, bonding nights…
o Ensure mental, physical and social well-being
o Can boost productivity while reinforcing team spirit
- Other forms of recognition:
o Public acknowledgement
o Career advancement
o Certificates or personal perks

4/ Teleworking
Reason and benefits:
- More flexibility with organization of daily tasks for both individuals and companies
- Save commuting expenses and office renting costs => less hour loss
- Reduce distraction from co-workers
- Improve employee retention while reducing absenteeism at a higher productivity
- Make use of the available talent pool

Problems and drawbacks:

- May cause isolation and lack of self-discipline
- Less awareness of change in company => less effective and innovative
- Difficulty in maintaining adequate communication between colleagues
- Potential for excessive workload beyond office hour

5/ Technology in the workplace

Benefits:
- Revolutionize communication, which facilitate business across vast distance
- Heighten human skills to an unimaginable level of accuracy and precision => improve productivity 4
at a relatively reasonable cost
- Increase competitiveness of an organization => foster a sense of competition and innovation in
order to retain an edge in the market

Drawbacks:
- May carry risks of information leakage and other cybercrimes
- People are becoming over reliant on technology even for trivial tasks
- Communication technology may actually reduce productivity as employees spend time on social
networks
- Can result in unemployment among unskilled workforce
D/ Problems in Employment:
1/ Work-life balance:
11-07-2020:
In many countries, people are spending more hours at their workplace. Why is that? Is that a negative and
positive development?

Causes and reasons:

- The modern workplace forces workers to exert extra effort
• Demanding and excessive workload from employers
• Hostile and competitive environments that require constant progress
• Authoritarian management styles that inspire fear
- Employees themselves may be the cause of the problem due to:
• Personal or family financial burden
• Personal ambitions or desires for recognition/promotion

Impacts:
- Health concerns:
• Workers suffer fatigue and exhaustion
• Mental health is severely affected due to stress
• Social or personal relationships are damaged due to negligence
- Social concerns:
• Suicide rates increase in certain countries such as Japan or Korea
• People live in isolation and solitude without sympathy for one another
• Create a dull and monotonous world where the materialistic lifestyle becomes
the norm
- Economic concerns:
• Decrease productivity
• Form a negative company culture that does not value people’s contribution and
well-being

2/ Unemployment
Reasons:
- Job seekers may not have the sufficient level of education or qualifications 5
- Poor performance and unfavorable economic situation force companies to lay off their staff
- Technological advancements replace manual workers in labor-intensive fields
- Lack of orientation for job seekers, leading to redundancy in some industries and shortage in others

Impacts:
- The unemployed may find themselves homeless and broke
- May cause stress and frustration which can lead to crimes as a means to get money
- May lead to an unstable economy due to poor buying power

Recommendations:
- There should be a clearer and more focused career orientation
- Governments and related agencies provide vocational courses and training
3/ Child labor
Reasons and benefits:
- Children can earn money while studying to help cover tuition fee
- Children understand the value of money => have a positive perception towards future jobs
- Serve as a means of career orientation and expose children to the real working life => more mature
and experienced compared to other peers
- Enhance certain personal skills, including time management, task delegation and communication

Problems and drawbacks:

- May negatively affect study, in certain cases, children are even deprived of education
- May have an adverse effect on their growing process, both mentally and physically
- In many countries, child labor is prohibited, which means children, parents and employers may face
legal charges

Recommendations:
- Education should be the priority for all children
- Working should be incorporated as an opportunity for practicing skills and applying knowledge
- Parents need to strictly monitor children’s working hours
- Children must be equipped with the essential skills and knowledge to protect themselves from
abuse and exploitation

4/ Dominance of the young

Reasons:
- Young workers have an energetic and vigorous personality which allows them to make quick judges
and prompt decisions
- The young generation have a tendency to be more open-minded and receptive to changes
- They have formal education and intensive training => abundant knowledge essential for their
development and that of the organizations

Advantages:
- The young are likely to gain status and power in society
- Foster a sense of innovation for an organization => shape the future of the global marketplace
- Create a dynamic working atmosphere that allows other workers to experiment and learn through
trials and errors
6
Disadvantages:
- Young people may lack adequate experience, skills and tactics to tackle sophisticated problems
- With their willingness to take risk, sometimes the organization may face difficulties
- The old may feel left out and cannot contribute to the organization
 OTHER TOPICS TO CONSIDER

- 21-01-2021: Some countries allow old people to work to any age that they want. Do the
advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
- 20-03-2021: Many people are working longer hours. Why is this happening? What problems can
this cause to people?
- 27-03-2021: People believe that individuals who make a lot of money are the most successful.
Others say that those who contribute to society like scientists, teacher are the most successful.
Discuss both views and give your opinion?

- 25-06-2020: Some people believe governments should support care and finance for retired people,
while others think they should save money when they get older. Discuss both views and give
opinion?
- 27-06-2020: Some people think the qualities a person needs to become successful in today's world
cannot be learned at a university or similar academic institution. To what extent do you agree or
disagree?
- 09-07-2020: Employers nowadays put more emphasis on social skills. Some people believe that
social skills are important in addition to good qualifications for job success. To what extent do you
agree or disagree?
- 11-07-2020: In many countries, people are spending more hours at their workplace. Why is that? Is
that a negative and positive development?
- 29-08-2020: The most essential component of a person's life is his or her time at working place,
and life turns meaningless once no job satisfaction is obtained. To what extent do you agree or
disagree?
- 12-09-2020: In many workplaces, online communication is becoming more common than face to
face interaction. Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?
- 09-02-2019: In most successful organisations, some people believe that communications between
managers and workers is important, other people said that other factors are more important. What
is your opinion?
- 11-05-2019: Some businesses find that their new employees lack basic interpersonal skills such as
cooperative skill. What are the causes and suggest possible solutions.
- 03-11-2018: There are more workers who work from home and more students who study from
home. This is because computer technology is more and more easily accessible and cheaper. Do
you think it is a positive or negative development?
- 08-12-2018: Most people try to balance between their work and other parts of their lives.
Unfortunately, not many achieve this balance. What are the reasons for this and what can be done
to solve this?
- 20-05-2017: Some people think a job not only provides income but also social life. Others think it is
better to develop social life with people you do not work with. Discuss both views and give your
opinion.
- 20-07-2017: Some people are born to be leaders; others believe leadership can be learnt. Discuss
and give opinion.
- 21-09-2017: As life expectancy is increasing, people work after retirement with pay. Alternatively,
7
some people start to work at a young age. Are these positive or negative impacts?
 FOR THE NEXT LESSON
THE NATURAL WORLD
TOPIC-RELATED VOCABULARY
a/ Rephrasing of some common topic words
- Environment: the natural world, nature, the surrounding, the ecosystem
- Energy: energy sources, energy forms
- Animals and plants: fauna and flora, creatures, wildlife
- Pollution: contamination, presence of pollutants
- Waste: Rubbish, garbage, litter
- Problem: issue
- Disaster: catastrophe, calamity

b/ Useful nouns
- Biodiversity: the variety of plants and animals
- Deforestation: logging, cutting down of trees
- Extinction: dying out, disappearance, loss of biodiversity
- Desolation: destruction, damage
- Emission: smoke, fumes, smog
- Habitat: natural home, shelter
- Battery farming: mass industrial production of agriculture products

c/ Useful verbs
- Inhabit: live, dwell, reside
- Conserve: save, use economically
- Fall prey to: suffer from, suffer the consequence of, become vulnerable to
- Adapt: adjust, modify
- Cultivate: practice agriculture
- Irrigate: use water for agriculture

d/ Useful adjectives
- Sustainable: should be kept, can be maintained
- Biodegradable: can decay quickly
- Pristine: intact, untouched, natural
- Prone: vulnerable, may suffer damage 8
- Environmentally-friendly: eco-friendly

e/ Other definitions
- Environmental problems: climate change, natural disaster, global warming, greenhouse effect,
erosion, melting polar ice cap, sea level rise, depletion of resources, ozone layer depletion
- Types of energy: fossil fuels = conventional energy sources (coal, oil, natural gas), alternative
energy = clean energy = renewable energy = green energy (solar power, tidal energy, hydropower,
hydroelectricity, thermal energy, geothermal energy), nuclear energy, biogas, biofuel
- Types of creatures: terrestrial, aquatic = underwater, airborne, wild = untamed, domesticated =
tamed