IELTS Speaking : Job

IELTS Tip

For the IELTS Speaking exam, learn the words for the job you do, the job you would most like to do, the job you would least like to do, the job you think is the most difficult, the most rewarding, the most prestigious, etc. Make sure you can pronounce them correctly.

Practise talking about the jobs and explaining something about them (why the job appeals to you, or why it does not, and so on). Remember to use an article before a job.

Examples:

- I'm a primary school teacher.
- I'd like to be a flight attendant.

Have a look at the phrases and sentences below and practice with a partner. Then with the help of your partner answer the follow-up questions to test yourself. Remember that these questions are only sample questions designed to promote your spoken English ability in those areas and facilitate the task and may not be necessarily the questions being asked in the actual test.

What you do


1I'm a / an (+ job). e.g. a nurse / an accountant / a builder

2I work in (+ place or general area). e.g. a hospital / an office marketing / social

3I work for (+ name / place of the company). e.g. Union Bank / IBM / Fiat / an international bank

What your job involves


4I'm in charge of e.g. a big company

5I'm responsible fore.g. some workers in that department

6I have to deal with e.g. any complaints / overseas clients, mainly

7I run e.g. the company / a restaurant

8I manage e.g. a shop in downtown

Daily duties / routines


9I have to go / attend (formal) e.g. (to) a lot of meetings / conferences

10I visit / see / meet e.g. patients / clients

11I advise e.g. people / clients and give them help...

12It involves e.g. writing letters / filling in forms / doing a lot of paperwork / using computers a lot of the time

Getting a job


13It's not easy to get / find work e.g. in big cities / round these parts

14I'd love to do e.g. marketing / this kind of work

15It's difficult to make a living as a / an e.g. freelance writer

16I've been offered a job e.g. in that company / in London

17I've applied for a job e.g. in a local company / in the accounts department

Working hours


18I have a nine-to-five job / I work nine-to-five (regular working hours in Britain)

19I do / work shift work. (nights one week, days next)

20I am on flexi time. (flexible working hours)

21I have to do / work overtime. (work extra hours)

22I only work part-time / take a part-time job. (part of a day or a few days a week)

23I am a workaholic. I work full-time. (work too much)

24I took early retirement. (retire at 55 in Britain)

25I am on / take sick leave. (a period spent away from work, etc. because of illness)

26I am on / take maternity leave. (expecting a baby)

27I gave up work e.g. in order to study

28I was laid off (informal) e.g. when the factory went bust

29I was made redundant. (no longer needed and therefore out of work)

30I was dismissed (formal) e.g. for refusing to obey orders

31I was fired (informal) e.g. for always being late

32I am on / off duty. (to be working / not working)

Other useful phrases


33We usually take a break e.g. for lunch / for ten minutes

34We normally knock off work (informal) e.g. about 5:30 p.m. and go off to a restaurant nearby

35I get some rest. (a period of time when you relax after working)

36I was rather inexperienced e.g. for that kind of work

37I have a lot of experience e.g. in this area / of this kind of problem

38I am sufficiently qualified e.g. for this position

39This is a job requiring (a period of time when you relax after working)

40I try to be hardworking. (work hard)

41I'm quite competent e.g. at my job

42I try to work efficiently. (work quickly without making mistakes and wasting time)

43 Efficiency is very important e.g. in my job

44A lot of people do voluntary work. (you want to do it and you're not paid)

45I was promoted. (get a higher position)

46It is a demanding job. (needing a lot of effort, care, skill)

47I fill in for / stand in for / cover for e.g. her while she is off sick

48I am acting e.g. as a manager for the next couple of months

49I will take the place of e.g. our manager when he leaves

50The morning shift takes over from e.g. the night shift at 9 a.m.

51It is great teamwork e.g. that helps get the job done on time

52We teamed up e.g. with another group to finish our project

53We cooperate e.g. with a German firm on this project

54I was employed e.g. as a secretary for a couple of months

55I do casual work. (not regular, usually paid hourly)

56I've got a temporary job e.g. working in a newspaper office

57This factory has 200 employees. (a person who is employed)

58The staff e.g. are so polite and friendly

59They promoted e.g. me to office manager

60I'm on leave e.g. at the moment because...

61The post has been vacant e.g. for some time

62I turned it down. (to refuse one's offer)

Payment


63I am paid e.g. every months and this pay goes directly into my bank account monthly

64My salary e.g. is 20.000$ a year

65I earn e.g. 200$ a week as a hairdresser

66With many jobs you get holiday pay and sick pay. (when you're off duty or ill)

67I'm going to a pay rise. (my pay goes up)

68My average income e.g. has risen 2% this year

69I'm poorly paid / badly paid / don't earn much. (I'm paid very little money)

70I have a high income / earn a lot / am well-paid. (I'm paid a lot of money)

71My take-home pay / net income is 150$. (money left after deductions)

72My gross income is more than that. (before deductions)


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