Notes on Talking About Your Job in English

Introduction

• Purpose: Learn how to discuss your job in English.
• Key questions to answer:
  • Where do you work?
  • What do you have to do in your job?
  • What kind of company do you work for?

Part One: Introducing Your Job

• Sentence structures:
  • "I’m a ________"
  • "I work in ________"
  • "I work for _________"
• Example completions:
  • "I’m a writer. I work in online education. I work for a publishing company."
• Usage of "work in":
  • Refers to a field of work (e.g., "I work in finance")
  • Can refer to a place or department (e.g., "I work in the HR department of a financial firm")
• Note on articles:
  • No article before field type (e.g., "I work in finance")
  • Use "a" or "the" for places/departments (e.g., "I work in a school")
• Usage of "work for":
  • Refers to a specific company (e.g., "I work for a law firm based in Frankfurt")
• Alternative phrases if not employed:
  • "I’m a freelancer."
  • "I’m self-employed."
  • "I’m a business owner."
  • "I’m between jobs."
  • "I’m taking some time out to…"
  • "I’m retired."

Part Two: Describing Your Company

• Sentence structure to describe your company:
  • "I work for a _________ company which __________"
• Considerations:
  • Size: big or small?
  • Type: local or multinational?
  • Function: what does the company do? (e.g., sells products, provides services)
• Example sentences:
  • "I work for an international electronics company which makes tablet computers."
  • "I work for a German company which does market research for other companies."

Part Three: Describing Your Job in More Detail

• Sentence structures:
  • "I have to _________"
  • "I’m responsible for _________"
  • "Most of my time is spent _________"
• Example for a nurse:
  • "I have to look after patients, give them medicine..."
• Example for a designer:
  • "I have to design websites to the client’s specifications..."

Part Four: How You Feel About Your Job

• Questions to consider: Do you like your job? Why or why not?
• Positive adjectives to describe a job you like:
  • Stimulating: Exciting and energizing
  • Satisfying: Gives a sense of achievement
  • Creative: Allows for imagination
  • Rewarding: Positive feelings from helping others
  • Challenging: Difficult but interesting
• Negative adjectives for a job you dislike:
  • Exhausting: Very tiring
  • Thankless: Not appreciated
  • Mind-numbing: Extremely boring
  • Dead-end: No prospects for advancement
  • Soul-destroying: Extremely unpleasant and boring

Part Five: Making a Longer Answer

• Combine elements to form a longer response:
  • Example 1:
    • "I’m a pharmacist. I started my own small pharmacy..."
  • Example 2:
    • "I’m a writer. I work in online education..."
• Encourage making personal answers using vocabulary from the lesson.

Conclusion

• Challenge: Create your own sentences based on the lesson.
• Option to share answers for feedback.
• Thank you for participating!