Body :

What's your job?

Student Handout

Pre-class Reading


Dialogue 1

A: What do you do?
B: I'm a waiter.
A: Oh yeah? Do you like it?
B: Not really. I just do it to pay the bills.
A: Oh. Well, have you thought about doing something else?
B: Yeah. But I'm not really qualified for a good job.
A: Did you go to college?
B: Yeah. But I didn't finish.
A: How long did you go?
B: Two years.
A: You ever think of going back?
B: Sure. But I've got responsibilities now. I can't just quit working and go to school full time.
A: What about night school? If you can work it out so that you only have to work during the day, you can go to school at night.
B: That's true.
A: And night school is usually cheaper than regular classes.
B: Yeah. I'll think about it.
A: You should.


Dialogue 2

A: What kind of work do you do?
B: I'm a jazz musician.
A: Wow! That sounds cool.
B: Yeah.
A: What do you play?
B: Trumpet, mostly.
A: Where do you play?
B: Lot's of places. I don't play full time for anybody. I've just got gigs here and there.
A: Hmm. So you don't have a steady schedule then?
B: Not really. It's always changing. But I pretty much only work at night.
A: I see. So what time do you usually get to bed?
B: Eight or nine in the morning, usually.
A: Man, that's so crazy.
B: Yeah. I like it though.


Dialogue 3

A: What do you do?
B: I work at a coffee shop downtown.
A: Really? So you make coffee?
B: Sure.
A: How do you like it?
B: I like it ok. Not too much stress, usually. And the people I work with are pretty cool.
A: They pay you well?
B: Well, I wouldn't say that, but it's enough for me right now.
A: How long have you worked there?
B: Almost a year now. I did a little construction work before this.
A: Construction? Like building buildings and stuff?
B: Well, I worked on houses. It was tough work.
A: I'll bet. Is that why you quit?
B: No. I didn't mind the hard work. I just wanted a change. I don't like to do the same thing for too long. I like to try different things.


Dialogue 4

A: What line of work are you in?
B: I do import/export.
A: Wow! There's good money in that, eh?
B: Can be, if you can find the right product.
A: What kind of things do you usually import or export?
B: Um... I tend to focus on textiles. Some company in the US, for instance, may sell clothes, or quilts, or curtains, and I'll find a factory in China to make it and send it over to the States.
A: Sounds difficult.
B: Well, it's not really hard work, but it takes a lot of time, effort and attention to detail. The main problem is making sure the factories maintain quality. They tend to try to cut corners, so you have to constantly stay on them to make sure they do things right.
A: So you lose a lot of sleep then?
B: Sleep? What's that?


Dialogue 5

A: What's your job?
B: I'm a fireman.
A: A fireman! That's a great job!
B: Yeah. It can be fun. And it's rewarding, and all. But it's not all fun and games. It's serious work.
A: I'm sure. It's pretty dangerous, eh?
B: Yeah. It can be very dangerous. But we're trained really well, so we know what we're doing.
A: Have you ever saved anyone's life?
B: Yeah, lots of people. I've been a fireman for more than ten years.
A: Have you ever been seriously hurt?
B: Yes. There have been a couple of times. I spent a couple of days in the hospital once from a head injury.
A: How did that happen?
B: I was inside a burning building looking for people, and part of the roof broke off and fell on my head.
A: Ouch.
B: Yeah. Knocked me right out, and my fireman buddies had to drag me out of the building.


Dialogue 6

A: What kind of work do you do?
B: I run my own advertising company.
A: Really? What's it called?
B: Success Strategies.
A: I've never heard of it.
B: Yeah, it's a small company. I started it two years ago, but it's growing pretty steadily. We have a couple big name clients.
A: What were you doing before you started your own company?
B: Well, I've been in advertising for years. Before I went out on my own, I worked for a couple of the big advertising firms.
A: What made you decide to go out on your own?
B: I wanted more freedom, and the chance to make more money.
A: That's great. I wish I had the courage to work for myself.
B: It's not for everyone. It's definitely not as stable. You really have to get out and hustle. Especially in the beginning, you're not sure sometimes if you'll be able to eat the next month.



In-class Activities

1) Group-work - What do they do?

Describe what the following jobs/people do:

-Carpenter
-Plumber
-Butcher
-Waiter
-Model
-Journalist

Example: A dentist is a doctor for your teeth. Dentists fix your teeth if you have problems. They can also teach you how to take care of your teeth.


2) Pair-work - The good and the bad.

Say some good things and bad things about the following jobs:

-Vet
-Policeman
-Teacher
-Cook

Example: Something good about being a zookeeper is that you get to spend lots of time with animals. That must be fun. But it can also be bad. For instance, you have to clean up after the animals, and that probably isn't a very nice experience.

3) Individual work - Put them in order.

Put the following jobs in order. Number them from 1 to 7 according to:

1. how much you like them
2. how important you think they are
3. how much money they make

-Secretary
-Professor
-Hairdresser
-Pilot
- Architect
-Scientist
-Truck driver


4) Group-work - No way!

Choose a job you definitely wouldn't like to do. Why wouldn't you like to do it? Why do you think it would be so bad?

Example: I would hate to be a janitor. You just walk around all day picking up everyone else's trash and cleaning up the messes they make. That must make you feel bad about yourself.


5) Pair-work - Education/preparation

Look back at the job list in exercise 3. How much education do you think they need?

Example: I think a construction worker doesn't need a college education, but they probably need quite a bit of training. I'm sure they get a lot of on-the-job training.