Work Work one’s way through the college/university - to have a job when you are at college/university in order to help to pay for your studies I have to work my way through the university because my family cannot afford to pay my tuition fee. To be your own boss/run your business/be self-employed - to have your own business It has been my dream to be my own boss because | can do everything in my way it | run my own business. Take on work/job/a position — 1) to employ somebody; 2) accept or start smth No other organization was able or willing to take on the job. We're not taking on any new staff at the moment. Land a job - to find a job and be hired As soon as | land a job and start to bring in some money, I'm going to get a stereo. To embark on - to start something new or important She's embarking on a new career. To carve smth out (for yourself) - to successfully create or get something, especially a work position, by working for it He hopes to carve out a niche for himself as a leading researcher in his field of study. Take/Have priority over - it is regarded as being more important than them and is dealt with first. My work takes priority over my personal life. Get your priorities right/straight Daunting - difficult, intimidating They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house. Manual work - work that requires physical activities Many people have manual work that requires them to work in a dangerous environment. Run errands for smb - To go around town and do the necessary tasks that need tobe done I have been running errands all day today and | am so tired! Work unsocial hours - they work late at night, early in the morning, at weekends, or on public holidays In Britain, people are often paid extra for working unsocial hours. Drag on - to continue at tedious and unnecessary length I feel like my days are really dragging on doing administrative tasks, but | cannot do anything about it as its part of my job. a)Envision myself in the future — see myself in the future Commute - to make the same journey regularly between work and home Commuting to work every day by bus is tiring. Public sector - businesses and industries that are owned or controlled by the government. You get a good pension if you work for the public sector, but the salary is not always so good. Private sector businesses and industries that are privately owned. Most graduates hope to work in the private sector when they finish university as there are more opportunities and the pay is better than the public sector. Adead-end job - a job with no promotional opportunities Despite having a degree in journalism, he got stuck in a dead-end job at an insurance company. To be stuck behind a desk - to be unhappy in an office job I hate being stuck behind a desk - I'd rather work outside. 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 | feel I'm (stuck) in a rut. Slave away - to work strenuously and continuously (doing something). I refuse to slave away for minimum wage. Heavy workloads - you have a lot of work to do I'm up to my ears in deadlines - it is taking up all of your time, attention, or resources. Ihave avery hectic schedule = | have a very busy schedule Hands-on - obtained by doing something, not by reading about it or by watching it done Many employers consider hands-on experience to be as useful as academic qualifications. Lucrative - making a lot of money or profitable The merger proved to be very lucrative for both companies. To the best of my ability/abii I teach them to the best of my abilities. Awhite collar job = indoors, office job (banker) Ablue collar job = outdoors, manual job (mechanic) This job suits me down te the ground =it’s 100% match / perfect for me To pull my weight - to work hard, do what | am responsible for | like to pull my weight. He made light work of it = he did it easily a)Geta foot in the door - start working in a company with a view to getting a higher position there It’s not a great job, but at least | can get a foot in the door. Ihave hit a glass cei \g (=invisible barrier), | can’t go any further in this company. Headhunt - to persuade someone to leave their job by offering that person another job with more pay and a higher position She was headhunted by a rival firm. Tempting off After graduating in economics, | got a very tempting offer from an investment bank and accepted it. -makes you excited or interested To take early retirement - to retire early Recently, a large number of older worker tend to take early retirement, then they will have more time to travel. Aretirement package - the money or other benefits that you receive froma company or organization when you stop working there because of your age Companies who value their employees should offer a generous retirement package. Job swap - when two employees in different departments exchange jobs for a defined period of time I want to take up some fresh challenges so | did a job swap for a year. Do ajob-share - a situation where 2 people share equal parts of the same job I decided to go part-time and do a job-share with my friend atter returning from maternity leave. Lay off staff - dismiss staff because there is no work for them to do My start-up went through a difficult period and had to lay off staff. Throw a sickie - take a day off work pretending to be sick I don't like my job so | throw a sickie from time to time. To make ends meet - to have just enough money to pay for the things that you need It’s not easy to make ends meet with a big family, but somehow we manage. Built up a network of contacts I've spent years building up a network of contacts and specialists that are experts at advising small businesses. Labor productivity - the rate at which a worker, a company or a country produces goods, and the amount produced, compared with how much time, work and money is needed to produce them Wage rates depend on levels of labor productivity. a)Put knowledge gained into pra you have acquired - to put to practical use the knowledge that Vocational training courses enable students to put the knowledge gained during their studies into practice. Sick leave - permission to stay away from work because of illness or injury Important factors when choosing a job include holiday entitlement, sick leave and a company pension scheme. Annual leave - a period of time when you are allowed to be away from work for a holiday/vacation Parents often take their annual leave at the same time as the long school holidays. To move up the career ladder - a series of stages by which you can make progress in your career Ambitious employees look for a job in which there is a chance to move up the career ladder. To be a good team player - to be cooperative and work well as a member of a team In the modern working environment, it is important to be a good team player and communicate with colleagues. Labour-i tensive - (of work) needing a lot of people to do it New technology has replaced the need for workers to do many labour-intensive jobs, such as producing cars. To have a steady job - to have a job which you are unlikely to lose, but which is usually the same routine Although some people prefer to change jobs, others prefer to have a steady job and a set daily routine at work.