Hello Sunshine, I'm Maria.
And my name is Rory, and we are the host of the IELTS Speaking for Success podcast.
The podcast contains to help you improve your speaking skills, as well as your listening
skills along the way.
We started this podcast to give you super vocabulary and perfect grammar for your witch
score, Rory.
Is it your bad 9th score?
Bad 9th score!
Oh, it's amazing being a podcaster, isn't it?
I really love my job.
Should we talk about work?
Dear listener, in IELTS Speaking Test, the first question, the first topic that the examiner
will ask you about is work or studies?
Or accommodation?
And we know it for sure, okay?
So take notes, choose nice vocabulary and nice grammar from this episode, because this
is the first topic you'll get in your speaking test.
Work, studies or accommodation.
And we'll talk about studies in our next episode, okay?
No, not everyone is a podcaster, so we picked a common job to talk about instead, which
is great because I get to pretend to be something else for a change.
Yes, Rory, well, is a teacher and is a podcaster.
He's also an influencer and a castle owner, a school, a free person.
But anyway, so Rory has picked another job.
Rory is pretending, kind of like making it up.
We wanted to describe a common job for you to take out nice vocabulary and grammar,
okay?
But don't worry if you don't do this job because there's still things that you can apply
to talk about work in general.
Work, work, work, work, work, work, work, that's my soundtrack for this episode,
okay?
Do you work or are you a student?
I'd be working as a sales assistant for about a year now.
Oh, and why did you choose this kind of work?
To be honest, it shows me I just needed a job that would pay the bills, I don't plan
on doing it forever.
And do you like your job?
Oh, alright, I get unreasonably well with my colleagues and it's pretty straightforward.
Although it can be boring at times if I'm stuck on the tils or stacking shells for hours
on end.
What's the most interesting part in your work?
Well, I know it's frowned on, I like to gossip with my colleagues, but it's mostly like
hearted so it's not so, but it's also fun to see what other people are buying and
chat with them as you scan everything through.
And what's the difficult?
Nothing particularly, it's a pretty low level job so it's not very complex.
His customers can be a pain, but that's a rarity.
What would you like to do in the future?
Well, ideally, I'd really like to work in marketing or something else related to business,
so hopefully, when I do now, has prepared me well for that sort of environment since I've
seen it from the inside out.
Rory, before we get back into the episode, can I ask you something?
When it comes to learning a language, what's the difference between passive and active
learning?
Passive language learning happens when you learn by only listening or reading, so listening
to this podcast would be a far-re-passive learning, remember, think about it.
Active learning is when you're actively using the language, like speaking, and in fact,
the biggest challenge for many language learners is the absence of regular speaking practice.
Taking lessons with eye-talkie would be a form of active learning, for example, and
it's not a coincidence we're talking about eye-talkie.
In case you didn't know, eye-talkie is a platform where you can book one-on-one IELTS preparation
classes with native English teachers.
Some of them are actually former IELTS examiners.
You can also take mock-IELTS speaking tests and get personal feedback on how to perform
better during the actual exam.
All lessons are personalized to your goals and needs.
You can pay per class, book lessons around your busy schedules, and learn from anyway
in the world.
Click the link in the description of this episode to sign up for eye-talkie.
Use our promo code, success IELTS, and get five extra dollars for free when you spend
your first ten dollars.
The discount is only available for the first fifty people.
Make sure to sign up before the offer runs out.
No, let's get back to the episode.
Dealist now, we have our super premium episodes for you, where Rory and I are discussing
speaking part two and three.
We use recent speaking topics and give you super grammar, more vocabulary.
Okay, so do check them out.
The link is in the description.
Yay, nice and easy dealistener, huh, you see?
So here we can give shorter answers.
Like maybe one or two sentences, like from one to three sentences.
So it's kind of absolutely okay.
But if you want to give more to give longer answers, that's okay.
The examiner could stop you and move to a new question, which is absolutely fine, because
the examiner controls the time.
So when the examiner asks you, do you work or are you a student, you should choose one
topic.
So I work or I am a student.
And then the examiner will proceed to ask you questions about studies in our next episode
or about work.
So here we are choosing one thing, like work.
You can say that both I'm a student and I work, but it's kind of, it's more difficult
to talk about both of them.
So it's much easier to choose just one.
And worry what grammar structure have you used?
What grammar structure did I use?
Yes, is it present perfect continuous?
Oh, yes, I've been working as.
So I have been working, I've been working as a teacher.
I've been working as a dentist.
So work as a doctor, as a manager.
So you started working, you are working and you will be working.
So I've been working.
And another thing to point out, you might be asked how long you've done your job for
or you might want to include it in your answer to this question.
But please do not feel that you must give the exact time that you have been working
there, because in real life nobody does this.
So for me, I said I've been working as a sales assistant for about a year now.
Maybe it's 11 months, maybe it's 13, I don't know.
And really I don't care.
And neither does the examiner.
Yeah, Roy, can you ask me this question?
Yes, do you work or are you a student?
I've been working as a food blogger for about two years now.
I'll be.
No, that's not true.
So this is a good answer to this question, right?
Then you can say to be honest, to be honest with you, like a nice start, like what's the
intonation here, Roy?
What is the intonation actually?
Take its rising, because you want to be polite and nice.
So to be honest, this job chose me.
So I didn't choose it, like the job chose me, it's just a job, you know?
Like I don't really like it particularly.
So you know, like the job chose me.
So to be honest, it chose me.
I haven't said it.
To be honest, it chose me.
An important thing to highlight here will be the use of it instead of repeating the words
this job, because or this kind of work, because we don't want to repeat questions in our
answers.
Here you can say, like I needed a job.
So I need some job to pay the bills.
So we pay the bills, or you can say I have to pay the bills.
So I just have to do it.
It's just a job.
It's just to pay the bills.
It's not about principles or anything like this.
I don't think you can afford to have principles if you're a sales assistant.
Yeah, we've kind of worked, I don't know, in a restaurant, I'm a waiter, I might
know, like a manager, I don't plan on doing it forever, for example.
Or even if you do plan to do it forever, you can just say.
And then an interesting answer to the question, like do you like it?
Do you like your job?
Yeah, and so it's all right.
It just means it's okay.
I don't love the job and I don't hate it.
Yeah, I get on reasonably well with my colleagues, a phrase of up.
I get on well with my colleagues.
I get on well with my boss.
I get on well with everybody in the company.
So I have good relationship with them.
And you can also say I work for this company and I've been working for Google, for example.
I've been working for blah, blah, blah company.
It can be a little boring, sometimes it can be a little dull monotonous.
And then Rory, you use very specific words.
I'm stuck on the till.
The tills.
Yeah, the till is the thing that you show the price with and scan the items with.
But you could be stuck on the tills or if you do another job like being an English teacher,
you could be stuck on online work or stuck doing online work.
The idea is that you cannot move from this position.
You cannot do anything else.
Yeah, so until register in the United States is this the drawer in the cash register.
So when you go to shop and this machine goes, and then this drawer opens up and you
see cash there.
I'm loving the sound effects for a year works.
It doesn't just imagine the cash register.
Oh, and then to change them.
Yeah, so they got this the till opens.
Yeah.
So I'm stuck on the tills or I'm stuck.
Can you say like I'm stuck on the paperwork?
I're stuck doing paperwork.
I'm stuck doing paperwork or I'm stuck working with children.
Or if you work, I don't know, as a doctor, for example.
So you are a doctor.
I'm stuck on the words.
What are words?
A ward is a place that a doctor works.
Working on the ward.
W-A-R-D.
Ah, okay.
It's kind of rooms, the hospital rooms.
Yes.
Okay, and like a stacking shelf.
So what you have in a shop.
So where the clothes are.
Can you say like I'm stuck on this job?
It could be just meaning you cannot move from it.
That would be a bit different though.
If you're stuck on a job, it could mean that you cannot do anything else because it's
too difficult or because you've been ordered to be there and nothing will change.
Ehh.
Ehh.
A cool answer.
The most interesting part in my work is gossiping with my colleagues.
Yes.
I think that's true for most jobs though.
Like everybody likes to like do or engage in office gossip.
And when we gossip, what do we say usually?
Oh, you mean for the details of gossip, I don't know.
It depends on what you're talking about or who you're talking about but probably personal
details of other people's lives that should not be shaped, at least in the open public.
Yeah, do you listen to this?
You're just like, oh, office gossip.
Yeah, when we talk about other people's private lives, okay, usually like in an unkind
way, disapproving.
But it's not something that we should do openly because it is friar and dawn and that
just means people do not approve of this.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, so if you have a novice job, it's a very good idea, answer, to show off your vocabulary.
So I work in an office and you say, yeah, I know it's frowned on so people don't like
it.
But I like to gossip with my colleagues doing my lunch break.
Awesome, and then the examiner looks at you like, ah, and I enjoy chatting with my colleagues.
I enjoy like good relationship with my colleagues, you can say.
I enjoy hanging out with my colleagues.
So you can say that like, uh, your colleagues, like the atmosphere is the most interesting
part.
And then the next question is usually about something difficult.
And Rory goes like, no, nothing in particular.
Nothing particularly is difficult, you know.
Nothing particularly.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, nothing.
And you see, again, you don't repeat like, uh, nothing is difficult.
You say nothing particularly like a normal conversation.
Yeah, like a question and answer.
And then details, it's a pretty low level job.
So what's a low level job?
A low level job is just something that doesn't require a great deal of complexity or work
or, um, understanding.
So being a sales assistant in comparison to being a lawyer doesn't require that much complexity.
So it's pretty low level.
The same way as what's another job that's pretty low level, I would imagine being a sales
rep in a shop is also relatively low level, um, especially if you're just starting out.
The pay in low level jobs is usually low as well.
What about, um, other jobs like a lawyer, a doctor, head of the department?
That's a high level job.
Yeah.
It's a high level job, so it's demanding, it's difficult.
And then you can say, sometimes customers or sometimes my boss can be a pain.
And here the, it's a geometric expression is a pain in the neck or a pain in the, mm-hmm,
somewhere else.
A pain in the behind.
Yes.
Are the for hookie if you're Scottish.
So you can say like sometimes customers can be a pain in the neck or sometimes customers
can be a pain, right?
Or sometimes meeting deadlines can be a pain or a pain in the neck.
But that's a rarity, a rarity, something that's, um, doesn't happen very often.
Yeah, like almost never happens.
That's a rarity.
Give us a sentence with this rarity.
Well, this one was, the customer is going to be a pain, but that's a rarity in my real
job sometimes.
You're trying to think about things that really happen in my job.
Oh, yes.
Sometimes I'm asked to do teacher training, but that's a rarity.
Well, the final question is usually what would you like to do in the future?
And he like, would you like, so I'd really like to work in marketing or I'd really like
to work as a president of the world.
I'd really like to be, or I'd really like to work for Google, for example.
Would you like to work for Google?
No, no.
I feel like that might be a little bit difficult.
Um, demanding.
Yeah, very demanding.
Well, I think like, um, they have like, uh, interesting people and their offices, uh,
fun.
But I would like Google to be partners with us, you know, so we can partner up Google and
I'll speak in for success podcast.
That would be a nice part.
It would be nice.
Yeah.
But also Nike, McDonald's, you know, Apple, if you're listening in, we're, you know, open
for your suggestions.
Any other company, frankly?
No, not any other company.
We're picky.
We're choosy, Rory.
Yeah, sorry, we just listed a whole bunch of companies.
Uh, Gucci and a Dolce Gabbana would be nice, you know, if you want us to advertise
your bags Dolce Gabbana bags.
Yeah.
Louis Vuitton, you know.
Gucci again.
Cartier, Cartier.
Would you say Cartier?
I don't.
I love how you talk to me about these brands.
Is there, I know anything about watches that are worth thousands of pounds?
Work, work, work, work, work, work, thank you very much for listening to us and the
next episode we're going to be talking about.
That is, alright, so if you're a student, do a snap.
I will see you next time.
Bye.
I needed a job that would pay the bills, I don't plan on doing it forever.
And do you like your job?
Oh, alright, I get unreasonably well with my colleagues and it's pretty straightforward.
Although it can be boring at times if I'm stuck on the tils or stacking shells for hours
on end.
What's the most interesting part in your work?
Well, I know it's frowned on, I like to gossip with my colleagues, but it's mostly like
hearted so it's not so, but it's also fun to see what other people are buying and
chat with them as you scan everything through.
And what's the difficult?
Nothing particularly, it's a pretty low level job so it's not very complex.
Sometimes customers can be a pain, but that's a rarity.
What would you like to do in the future?
Well, ideally I'd really like to work in marketing or something else related to business,
so hopefully what I do now has prepared me well for that sort of environment since I've
seen it from the inside out.
