A09 – Jobs and Employment
Vlastnosti
| predmet | Anglický jazyk |
| typ | maturitná téma |
| okruh | anglický jazyk |
| číslo | 9 |
| stav | vypracované |
Talk about jobs and professions, choosing a career, applying for a job, working conditions and unemployment, and your own plans for the future.
1. Osnova témy
- Different kinds of jobs — physical and intellectual work.
- Why people work, and why they change jobs.
- How to look for a job — advertisements, agencies, contacts.
- Applying for a job — the CV, the cover letter and the interview.
- Working conditions, salary, benefits and the contract of employment.
- Unemployment — its causes and consequences.
- Young people and their careers, including your own plans.
- Workaholics, dangerous jobs and the balance between career and family.
2. Kľúčová slovná zásoba
- manual jobs: hairdresser, barber, carpenter (stolár), bricklayer / builder (murár), butcher (mäsiar), baker, mechanic, plumber (inštalatér), electrician, miner (baník), cleaner, shop assistant, farmer
- intellectual jobs: banker, clerk (úradník), teacher, university lecturer, scientist, doctor, surgeon, architect, journalist, interpreter (tlmočník), translator, lawyer, accountant (účtovník), politician, engineer
- employment: employer (zamestnávateľ), employee (zamestnanec), self-employed (živnostník), unemployed / jobless, volunteer, permanent contract, temporary contract, part-time job, full-time job, freelance, seasonal job
- schedules: a forty-hour working week, an eight-hour working day, to work from nine to five, overtime (nadčas), flexitime (pružný čas), shift work (práca na zmeny), night shift, telework
- looking for a job: job advertisement, job vacancy (voľné miesto), jobcentre, employment agency, job hunting, to apply for a job
- applying: curriculum vitae (CV), cover letter (motivačný list), references, job interview (pohovor), recruiter, probation period (skúšobná doba), to be overqualified
- pay and benefits: salary (mesačný plat), wages (mzda za hodinu), income (príjem), pay rise (zvýšenie platu), bonus, sick pay, health insurance, annual leave (dovolenka), parental leave, maternity leave, pension (dôchodok)
- losing a job: dismissal (prepustenie), to be made redundant (byť nadbytočný), to be fired / sacked, layoff, letter of resignation (výpoveď), to quit, to resign, retirement, unemployment benefit (podpora v nezamestnanosti)
- qualities and skills: reliability (spoľahlivosť), flexibility, responsibility, motivation, experience, communication skills, problem solving, creativity, team-building, patience, speaking a foreign language, a driving licence
- duties: to be responsible for, to be in charge of (mať na starosti), to deal with, to supervise (dohliadať), to manage, to run your own business, to set up a company
- problems: workaholic, to be under pressure, stress, burnout (vyhorenie), discrimination, the glass ceiling
3. Užitočné frázy a väzby
- Jobs can be divided into physical and intellectual work.
- People work mainly because they need money to cover their living costs.
- If you are lucky, your job is also your hobby.
- The most common way of looking for a job today is on the internet.
- First you send your CV together with a cover letter, and then you are invited to an interview.
- At the interview you should ask about the working hours, the salary and your duties.
- If the interview is successful, you sign a contract of employment.
- People often change jobs because of bad working conditions or a low salary.
- Unemployment is a serious problem, especially in regions where a big factory has closed down.
- Young people often find it hard to get a job because they lack experience.
- As for me, after the maturita I would like to…
4. Modelová odpoveď
There are hundreds of different jobs and professions, and we usually divide them into physical and intellectual work. Physical or manual jobs include a carpenter, a bricklayer, a plumber, an electrician, a mechanic or a shop assistant. Intellectual jobs include a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher, an engineer, an accountant or a journalist. Some professions, such as a nurse or a firefighter, need both physical strength and a lot of knowledge.
People work for several reasons. The most obvious one is money — we need it to cover our living costs, to buy food, to pay the bills and the rent. But work also gives people the chance to use their talent, to meet other people and to feel useful. If somebody is really lucky, their job is at the same time their hobby.
There are several ways of looking for a job. You can read job advertisements in newspapers or, far more often nowadays, on the internet. You can ask your family, friends and acquaintances whether they know about a vacancy, or you can go to a jobcentre or an employment agency. When you find a suitable advertisement, you have to apply. You write a CV, which contains your personal data, education, qualifications, work experience and special skills such as computer skills or a driving licence. You send it together with a cover letter, in which you explain why you want the job and why they should choose you.
The next step is the job interview. You should arrive on time, dress neatly and be polite. It is normal to ask about the working hours, the salary, your duties and when they would need you to start. If the interview is successful, you sign a contract of employment, which may be permanent or temporary, full-time or part-time.
People often change their jobs. The most common reasons are bad working conditions, a low salary, long working hours, an unpleasant boss or intolerant colleagues. Sometimes people move to another town after they get married, sometimes they simply get a better offer, and sometimes they are made redundant because the company is losing money.
Unemployment is a serious social problem. It is highest among young people without experience, older people close to retirement, and people with a low level of education. Unemployed people receive unemployment benefit for a limited period, but long-term unemployment brings poverty, loss of self-confidence and often family problems as well.
Young people usually decide between the ages of sixteen and twenty whether they will do a manual job or study further. Many of them want to become lawyers, economists, managers or IT specialists, because these jobs are interesting and well paid, but they all require a university degree. Their biggest problem at the start is exactly that they lack experience — and to get experience you first need a job.
As for me, when I was a child I wanted to be a firefighter. Today my plans are more realistic: after the maturita I would like to study information technology and later work as a network administrator or a programmer. I know it is a field where you have to keep learning all the time, but that is exactly what I like about it.
5. Otázky na diskusiu
- What kinds of jobs do you know, and how would you divide them?
- Why do people work? Is money the only reason?
- How would you look for a job today?
- What should a good CV contain?
- How should you behave at a job interview?
- What questions would you ask your future employer?
- What are the most common reasons for changing a job?
- Who is most at risk of unemployment, and why?
- What did you want to be when you were a child, and has it changed?
- Is it better to have a well-paid job you dislike, or a poorly paid job you enjoy?
6. Zhrnutie na ústnu odpoveď
- Druhy práce: physical / manual vs. intellectual — give three or four examples of each.
- Prečo pracujeme: money for living costs · using your talent · meeting people · sometimes work = hobby.
- Hľadanie práce: advertisements (internet), friends and acquaintances, jobcentre, agency.
- Uchádzanie sa: CV → cover letter → interview → contract of employment.
- Na pohovore sa pýtaj: working hours, salary, duties, starting date.
- Zmena práce: bad conditions, low pay, bad boss, long hours, moving house, redundancy, better offer.
- Nezamestnanosť: young without experience, older people, low education; benefits, poverty, loss of confidence.
- Moje plány: childhood dream → today's realistic plan → one reason why.
Nepomýľ si salary a wages — salary je mesačný plat úradníka či inžiniera, wages sa vypláca za hodiny alebo týždenne, typicky v manuálnych profesiách. A pozor: to be made redundant znamená prepustenie pre nadbytočnosť, kým to be fired alebo sacked znamená vyhodenie za previnenie. Rozdiel je citeľný a komisia si ho všimne.
Súvisiace poznámky
- A08 – Education — vzdelanie ako cesta k povolaniu
- A17 – Young People — mladí a ich štart do života
- A15 – People and Society — nezamestnanosť ako sociálny problém
- A06 – Shopping and Services — práca v obchode a v službách
- Anglické ekvivalenty — slovná zásoba a termíny po anglicky
Kontrolné otázky
What kinds of jobs do you know, and how would you divide them?
Manual and intellectual jobs, jobs in services, industry and agriculture, full-time and part-time jobs, employed and self-employed.
Why do people work? Is money the only reason?
Money is important, but people also work for self-realisation, contact with others, a feeling of being useful and career growth.
How would you look for a job today?
On job portals like Profesia.sk, through LinkedIn, recommendations from friends or by contacting companies directly.
What should a good CV contain?
Personal details, education, work experience, skills such as languages and IT, and interests. It should be short, clear and without mistakes.
How should you behave at a job interview?
Be on time, dress appropriately, be polite and confident, listen carefully, answer honestly and show you know something about the company.
What questions would you ask your future employer?
What my tasks would be, what training they offer, what the working hours are and what the possibilities for promotion are.
What are the most common reasons for changing a job?
A low salary, bad relationships at work, no chance of promotion, stress or moving to a different place.
Who is most at risk of unemployment, and why?
People without qualifications, school leavers without experience, older people and people in regions with few employers.
What did you want to be when you were a child, and has it changed?
I wanted to be a pilot. Now I want to work in IT because I enjoy computers and networks.
Is it better to have a well-paid job you dislike, or a poorly paid job you enjoy?
I would choose a job I enjoy if the money is enough to live on, because you spend a large part of your life at work.