Talking about work and study
B1 · 40–50 min · Apex English
"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."— Confucius
Work / study check-in
Tick anything true for you this week. Compare with a partner.
- I'm swamped.
- I'm bored.
- I'm learning a lot.
- I want to quit.
- I love it.
- I'm burnt out.
- I'm looking for a new job.
- I'm studying for something.
Ask the teacher: Write down anything you want to remember from this section. Your notes are saved automatically.
Three people, three careers
Show transcript
Speaker 1 (A, Portuguese, 20s): I'm doing an MBA at night. So I work nine-to-five in marketing, then two nights a week I'm in class till ten. Weekends? Study 24/7, honestly. I'm exhausted. But I know why I'm doing it — I want to work my way up into a management role.
Speaker 2 (B, English, 30s): Before this I had a really dead-end job. Data entry. Five years, no promotion. So I quit. I sent forty applications, got two interviews — and honestly, I landed my dream job. Small publisher, amazing colleagues. First time I actually enjoy Mondays.
Speaker 3 (C, Italian, 40s): I'm a doctor. Twelve-hour shifts, night calls, and we're short-staffed. I'm completely burnt out. I love the work, I really do — but I'm thinking of taking three months off. I'm not sure I'm cut out for this pace anymore.
A. Listen for gist
- Which speaker landed their dream job?
- Which speaker is burnt out?
- Which speaker is studying while working?
B. Listen for detail
- Speaker 1: how does she manage work AND study?
- Speaker 2: how did she land her job?
- Speaker 3: why is he burnt out?
- Which speaker had a 'dead-end job' before?
Ask the teacher: Write down anything you want to remember from this section. Your notes are saved automatically.
Work & study idioms
- I'm swamped / snowed under
- to land a job
- my dream job
- a dead-end job
- burnt out
- work my way up
- I'm cut out for it
- study 24/7
Ask the teacher: Write down anything you want to remember from this section. Your notes are saved automatically.
'How's work?'
In pairs. A meets B for coffee after not seeing them for a year. A asks how work is going. B answers using at least 4 idioms from Section 3.
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Interactive game
End-of-lesson quiz · Work & study
6 questions · 70% to pass · instant feedback after you submit.
Q1.'I'm swamped this week' means you have…
Q2.'She finally landed a job at the BBC.' Means she…
Q3.'It's a dead-end job.' There is…
Q4.'I'm burnt out.' You feel…
Q5.'I'm not really cut out for sales.' You are saying…
Q6.Most natural answer to 'How's work?'
0/6 answered