Could you please record the script with your natural speed? Thanks! (The abbreviation "IELTS" (International English Language Testing System) is pronounced as /ˈaɪelts/.)
IELTS Work Vocabulary
If you’re employed, getting the necessary qualifications for a job, or still trying to decide what kind of career you’re interested in, you’ll need to be able to tell the examiner about this if you’re asked questions about work.
Part 1-style questions
1. What do you do?
I do a job-share with a friend in a boutique … I enjoy it … I like working with customers … unfortunately it’s only temporary work but one of the perks of the job is I get a discount on the clothes …
2. Do you have any career plans yet?
Yes … I’d like to be my own boss one day … I’m interested in programming and I’d like to create apps for myself or for other companies … I know being self employed would be a challenge but the idea of doing a nine-to-five job doesn’t appeal to me at all …
3. What do you see yourself doing in 10 years time?
I’d hope to be working … not a high-powered job … but I’m quite a creative person so something where I can work with my hands would be nice … as long as I’m not stuck behind a desk doing something boring in a dead-end job I’ll be happy …
Part 2-style task
Describe your ideal job. You should say:
• what this job is
• whether you would need any qualifications
• whether it would be easy to find work
and say why you would enjoy this job in particular.
I’ve always loved watching wildlife programmes on TV and often thought how much I’d enjoy working with animals … perhaps in a safari park … something like that … you’d probably need a degree to have any chance of being called for an interview and whether there are many full-time jobs I don’t know … I’m sure a lot of parks rely on voluntary work so it might not be easy … and it probably wouldn’t be well-paid either but money isn’t everything … I’d get so much job satisfaction … I can’t imagine it being the kind of job where you get stuck in a rut … and I think I’d be good at it as well … I’d love to work with animals I enjoy manual work and I’m a good team player … so even though the working conditions might not be the best I think that would be my ideal job …
Part 3-style questions
1. If there are a limited number of jobs available who should be given priority, young people or older people with more experience?
Things are so different these days … a few years ago older employees would often take early retirement or go onto part-time contracts and there were always opportunities for younger people but now jobs are so scarce … I think younger people need to be given the chance whenever possible …
2. What are some of the important things a candidate should find out before accepting a job?
Well … you’d need to know about your area of responsibility … and your salary of course and then there are things like holiday entitlement … maternity or paternity leave … if you’re thinking of having children … and what the situation is regarding sick leave … that kind of thing …
3. What are the advantages of having your own business rather than working for someone else?
Well … unfortunately being an employee at the moment is very stressful … people have very heavy workloads … they’re always under pressure to meet deadlines … running your own business isn’t easy … but I do think it would be far more satisfying …
