How To Talk About Your Job in English

For extra practice, make a sentence using one or more of the vocabulary words below.

Vocab Words:

1) Employ – a business employs their workers, to give work to someone

2) Self-employed – this term is used to refer to someone that works for themselves independently or is their own boss or an owner of a business

3) Unemployed – this is used for someone that does not have a job

4) Coworkers – a person with whom one works, typically someone that works alongside you

5) Rewarding – something that provides satisfaction and is gratifying

6) Challenging – testing your ability, difficult, demanding

7) To get off work – a phrase to finish your time at work for the day, when you leave work

8) Shift – the time someone is at work, a scheduled period of work

9) Salary – the amount of money one makes, usually refers to the amount of money made in a year

10) Wage – the amount of money one makes, usually refers to an hourly or daily rate

Shadowing Exercise:

Listen to each statement from an American English speaker. Then try to repeat each phrase to practice talking like a native English speaker.

Shadowing Exercise Transcript:

A: What do you do for a living?

B: I work in the tourism sector.

A: Oh, great. Where do you work?

B: I work for Hilton Hotels.

A: I’ve heard good things about that hotel chain. What do you do for them?

B: I’m the Public Relations Director.

A: Nice. Do you enjoy it?

B: Yes, very much. At times I find my job challenging because I deal with angry customers sometimes. But I also find my job rewarding because I get to see many people experience a relaxing vacation.

Response / Challenge Question:

Type out a pretend conversation between you and someone you just met. The other person is asking you about your job and you should use some of the phrases from the lesson.