Content is user-generated and unverified.

A2 English Lesson: Jobs and Work

Warm-Up Speaking Questions (5 minutes)

Instructions: Discuss these questions with a partner or in small groups.

  1. What job do you have now? / What job do you want to have?
  2. What does your mother/father do for work?
  3. What is your dream job? Why?
  4. Do you prefer to work inside or outside?
  5. What time do you usually start work or school?

Vocabulary List: Jobs and Work

Common Jobs

JobDefinitionExample Sentence
teachersomeone who teaches studentsMy sister is a teacher at a primary school.
doctorsomeone who helps sick peopleThe doctor examined the patient.
nursesomeone who takes care of sick peopleThe nurse works in a hospital.
police officersomeone who keeps people safeThe police officer stopped the car.
firefightersomeone who puts out firesThe firefighter saved the cat from the tree.
chefsomeone who cooks food in a restaurantThe chef makes delicious pasta.
waiter/waitresssomeone who serves food in a restaurantThe waiter brought us the menu.
shop assistantsomeone who helps customers in a storeThe shop assistant helped me find shoes.
mechanicsomeone who repairs carsThe mechanic fixed my car engine.
electriciansomeone who works with electricityWe called an electrician to fix the lights.
plumbersomeone who repairs water pipesThe plumber fixed the broken toilet.
hairdressersomeone who cuts and styles hairI'm going to the hairdresser tomorrow.
dentistsomeone who takes care of teethI visit the dentist twice a year.
farmersomeone who grows food and raises animalsThe farmer grows vegetables and fruits.
driversomeone who drives a vehicle for workThe bus driver was very friendly.
cleanersomeone who cleans buildings or housesThe cleaner comes every Tuesday.
secretarysomeone who does office workThe secretary answered the phone.
managersomeone who leads a team or departmentThe manager had a meeting with the staff.
cashiersomeone who takes money from customersThe cashier scanned all my items.
pilotsomeone who flies an airplaneThe pilot announced we were landing.

Work Places

PlaceDefinitionExample Sentence
officea place where people work at desksI work in an office downtown.
hospitala place where doctors and nurses workShe works at the city hospital.
schoola place where teachers workHe teaches at a local school.
restauranta place where chefs and waiters workThe restaurant is always busy.
shop/storea place where shop assistants workI bought this at a small shop.
factorya place where things are madeThe factory produces cars.
farma place where farmers workThey live on a farm outside the city.
garagea place where mechanics workI took my car to the garage.
police stationa place where police officers workThe police station is on Main Street.
fire stationa place where firefighters workThe fire station is near the hospital.

Work Actions and Activities

Verb/PhraseMeaningExample
workto do a jobI work from 9 to 5.
have a jobto be employedDo you have a job?
get a jobto find employmentI need to get a job.
lose a jobto become unemployedHe lost his job last month.
start workto begin workingI start work at 8 AM.
finish workto stop workingWhat time do you finish work?
work full-timeto work about 40 hours per weekShe works full-time at the bank.
work part-timeto work fewer than 40 hours per weekI work part-time on weekends.
be unemployedto not have a jobHe's been unemployed for six months.
be retiredto have stopped working (usually older people)My grandfather is retired.
earn moneyto get paid for workI earn money by teaching English.
get paidto receive money for workI get paid every two weeks.

Useful Phrases

  • What do you do? = What is your job?
  • Where do you work? = What is your workplace?
  • What are your working hours? = What time do you start and finish?
  • How much do you earn? = How much money do you make? (This is a personal question!)
  • I'm looking for a job. = I want to find work.
  • I love my job. = I really like my work.
  • My job is boring/interesting/difficult/easy. = Describing your job.

Exercise 1: Vocabulary Matching (10 minutes)

Instructions: Match the job with the correct workplace.

JobWorkplace
1. Teachera) Hospital
2. Chefb) Garage
3. Nursec) Restaurant
4. Mechanicd) School
5. Police Officere) Office
6. Farmerf) Fire Station
7. Secretaryg) Police Station
8. Firefighterh) Farm
9. Shop Assistanti) Store
10. Pilotj) Airport

Exercise 2: Complete the Sentences (10 minutes)

Instructions: Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.

  1. My brother is a _______ at the local hospital. a) teacher b) doctor c) farmer
  2. The _______ served us delicious food at the restaurant. a) waiter b) mechanic c) pilot
  3. I need to take my car to the _______ because it's broken. a) hospital b) school c) garage
  4. She works _______ from Monday to Friday, 8 hours a day. a) part-time b) full-time c) retired
  5. What time do you _______ work in the morning? a) finish b) lose c) start
  6. The _______ cut my hair beautifully yesterday. a) dentist b) hairdresser c) cleaner
  7. He's been _______ for three months and is looking for a new job. a) retired b) unemployed c) full-time
  8. The _______ grows vegetables and raises chickens on his farm. a) farmer b) cashier c) secretary

Exercise 3: Question Formation (10 minutes)

Instructions: Put the words in the correct order to make questions.

  1. do / what / you / do / ?
  2. work / where / you / do / ?
  3. start / time / what / work / you / do / ?
  4. job / like / your / you / do / ?
  5. much / earn / how / you / do / ?
  6. work / you / full-time / do / ?
  7. working / long / been / how / you / have / ?
  8. job / dream / what / your / is / ?

Exercise 4: Reading Comprehension (15 minutes)

Instructions: Read about three people and answer the questions.

Person 1: Sarah

Hi! I'm Sarah and I'm 28 years old. I work as a nurse at City Hospital. I love my job because I help people feel better. I work full-time, Monday to Friday, from 7 AM to 3 PM. Sometimes I work on weekends too. The work is difficult but very rewarding. I earn enough money to live comfortably. Before this job, I worked part-time at a small clinic.

Person 2: Mike

My name is Mike and I'm 35. I'm a chef at an Italian restaurant downtown. I've been working there for five years. I start work at 4 PM and finish at midnight. I work six days a week. I love cooking and creating new dishes. The job can be stressful, especially on busy nights, but I enjoy it. I want to open my own restaurant someday.

Person 3: Emma

I'm Emma, 42 years old. I work as a manager at a large office. I manage a team of 15 people. I work full-time, usually from 9 AM to 6 PM, but sometimes I work late. I've been in this job for three years. Before this, I was a secretary for ten years. I like my job because it's interesting and I earn good money, but sometimes it's very stressful.

Questions:

  1. What does Sarah do for work?
  2. Where does Mike work?
  3. What time does Sarah start work?
  4. How many days a week does Mike work?
  5. What was Emma's job before her current one?
  6. Who works the longest hours?
  7. Who has been in their current job the longest?
  8. Which person mentions that their job is stressful?

Exercise 5: Fill in the Dialogue (10 minutes)

Instructions: Complete the conversation with the missing words.

Words to use: work, job, earn, hours, full-time, unemployed, looking, start

A: Hi Tom! Do you have a _______ now?

B: No, I'm _______ at the moment. I'm _______ for something new.

A: What kind of work do you want to do?

B: I want to _______ in an office. Maybe as a secretary or assistant.

A: Do you want to work _______ or part-time?

B: Full-time. I need to _______ enough money to pay rent.

A: What _______ do you prefer?

B: I'd like to _______ at 9 AM and finish at 5 PM.

A: Good luck! I hope you find something soon.


Grammar Focus: Present Simple for Jobs (10 minutes)

Positive Statements

  • I work at a hospital.
  • She teaches English.
  • They drive buses.

Negative Statements

  • I don't work on weekends.
  • He doesn't like his job.
  • We don't earn much money.

Questions

  • Do you work full-time?
  • Does she enjoy her job?
  • Where do they work?

Practice: Make sentences about these people

  1. Maria / teacher / school
  2. John / not work / Sundays
  3. Where / your father / work?
  4. They / not like / their boss
  5. What time / you / start work?

Speaking Activities (20 minutes)

Activity 1: Job Interview Role Play (10 minutes)

Instructions: Work in pairs. One person is the interviewer, the other is applying for a job.

Interviewer Questions:

  • What's your name?
  • What job are you applying for?
  • Do you have experience?
  • Why do you want this job?
  • What are your working hours?
  • When can you start?

Job Options:

  • Shop assistant
  • Waiter/waitress
  • Office worker
  • Teacher
  • Nurse

Activity 2: Guess the Job (10 minutes)

Instructions: One student describes a job without saying the job name. Others guess the job.

Example: "This person works in a hospital. They help doctors. They take care of sick people. They wear white clothes. What job is this?" (Answer: Nurse)


Final Speaking Questions (10 minutes)

Instructions: Discuss these questions with your partner. Try to use the new vocabulary!

  1. What's the most interesting job in your opinion? Why?
  2. What's the most difficult job? Why?
  3. Would you like to be a teacher? Why or why not?
  4. Do you prefer to work with people or alone?
  5. What job would you never want to do?
  6. In your country, what jobs earn the most money?
  7. What's more important: a job you love or a job with good money?
  8. Do you think it's better to work full-time or part-time?
  9. What skills do you need for your dream job?
  10. How many hours a week do you think people should work?

Homework

  1. Vocabulary: Learn all the new job words. Write each word in a sentence.
  2. Research: Find information about one job that interests you. Write 5 sentences about it.
  3. Interview: Ask a family member or friend about their job. Use the questions from today's lesson.
  4. Writing: Write a short paragraph (50-70 words) about your dream job.

Answer Key

Exercise 1:

1-d, 2-c, 3-a, 4-b, 5-g, 6-h, 7-e, 8-f, 9-i, 10-j

Exercise 2:

1-b, 2-a, 3-c, 4-b, 5-c, 6-b, 7-b, 8-a

Exercise 3:

  1. What do you do?
  2. Where do you work?
  3. What time do you start work?
  4. Do you like your job?
  5. How much do you earn?
  6. Do you work full-time?
  7. How long have you been working?
  8. What is your dream job?

Exercise 4:

  1. She's a nurse
  2. At an Italian restaurant
  3. 7 AM
  4. Six days a week
  5. Secretary
  6. Emma (sometimes works late)
  7. Mike (five years)
  8. Mike and Emma

Exercise 5:

job, unemployed, looking, work, full-time, earn, hours, start

Grammar Practice:

  1. Maria is a teacher at a school.
  2. John doesn't work on Sundays.
  3. Where does your father work?
  4. They don't like their boss.
  5. What time do you start work?
Content is user-generated and unverified.
    A2 English Lesson: Jobs and Work | Claude