Section B

What, in your opinion, is the most reasonable retirement age for women? men? What makes you think so? Do you think people over 65 should be made to retire?

Do you have a part-time job? Is it difficult to combine work with studying?

Do you think women and men should be paid the same for the same job?

If you had to choose between a satisfying job and a well-paid one, which would you choose?

2. Discuss the notions given in the box in a group. Which of them should be of primary importance for an em­ployer while choosing a job applicant? Explain your point of view:

age; sex; clothes; friendliness; marital status; physical appearance; manner of speaking; ethnic or racial background; dedication to work; education and training.

3. Your younger brother or sister asks your advice about what he/she should major in. Interview him/her on his/her likes and dislikes and give your advice. Explain your point of view. Useful vocabulary: to be one's line; to be in one's line; to choose a career; to make a choice; to be out of one's line; to be a challenge to one's character.

4. There are various reasons for people being temporar­ily out of work. Describe someone (your friend, relative, neighbour etc.) who is jobless now and tell what the rea­son(s) are. Use the model below.

Model. My uncle resigned from his job last week. Even though he did not want to, he was required to give two weeks notice to please his somewhat angry boss. They had never got along during his time there, so this was an expected parting. It's hard to find work as a mechanic these days, especially in a rural area. My uncle does not have a certificate in his field, so he will probably stay jobless for a while. We are hoping that an­other position will open up here or in the nearby town so that he can put his skills to use in a more positive working environment.

5. B. C. Forbes, the founder of Forbes Magazine wrote that, "Opportunity rarely knocks on your door. Knock rather on op­portunity's door if you wish to enter." What do you think the quote has to do with finding a job? Make up a story to prove it.

6. Interview your parent(s) about his/her job. Learn what made them take the job, if they are satisfied with it, with the sal­ary they get. Also learn who or what determined their choice in choosing a career.

7. Read the following dialogues. Say who the partici­pants are and what topic they are discussing. Act out the dialogues with your partner.

I

A You know, McDonalds is really starting to get boring.

B Well, what do you do there anyway?

A Well, I take people's orders and cook for my entire six hour shift – it seems to last forever!

B I think you should check out my work at the Tourism Bu­reau. I get to choose my hours and each shift is only three hours long, plus I get to meet all sorts of interesting travelers, all at a relaxed pace.

A Wow, that sounds much better. What is your supervisor's name? Do you think they are hiring right now?

B It's Adam Spencer and yeah, I think one of the girls just quit because she moved away for school, so her job is open. You should go for it!

II

A I think biology is the worst subject in the world! All I do is study about useless things. The only thing I'm interested in is people! I don't know what to study at the university next year.

B Well, I'm in occupational therapy (to rehabilitate after a job-related injury) and it's so neat because we get to interact with people and study the biology side of human systems.

A So it's more applied?

B Yeah, and the professors are really nice and interesting.

A I just might look into it.

III

A Oh, my goodness, you have got to help me calm down.

B Just take a deep breath. Everything will go much better than you expect, I'm sure.

A I don't know what they are going to ask me or how to act.

B All you can do is be yourself. If they don't want to hire you for who you really are, than you don't want to work there anyway.

A You're right. But I should leave soon so that I can arrive at the office on time and I'd better spit out this gum first!

IV

A I am working for the most amazing computer company. My boss is so encouraging and always open to questions.

B Really? I sure hope that I can get a job like that next year.

A Yeah, I guess the key is having a learner's attitude and being able to apply all this knowledge we have to real-life situa­tions.

B It really helps if you know someone in the company though, right?

A I suppose I can't hurt, but I did not know anyone and they still hired me –1 guess it's my natural charm!

V

A I like teaching but the problem is that I get nervous speaking in front of large groups.

B But you are a great teacher one-to-one!

A Well, I am more comfortable then. But where can you get a job in that setting?

B One of my friends took his teacher's training and ended up working with a small group of recent immigrants from Japan who wanted to learn English. He absolutely loved the work. Be­sides, he was also shy at first, but became much more outgoing as a result of his university education.

A I suppose I should not judge the situation too early!

8. Discuss the situations in groups and try to figure out a possible solution to the problems.

1) Gene is accustomed to wearing a turtleneck and sandals, and this attire is frowned upon by his boss, Mabel, who feels that a suit would be more appropriate.

Useful vocabulary: to be appropriate, to be ready for the beach, to be disrespectful, to be formal, to be too laid back, to make a fool of him­self, to comply (with the rules).

2) Ted and Mike have worked together on a research pro­ject and have written a paper reporting their results. They are ready to submit a paper to a journal. They have both worked about equally in conceiving, designing and working on the pro­ject. When they submit the paper, one will be the first author and the other will be the second author. Each would prefer to be first.

Useful vocabulary: to be jealous, to be conniving, to backstab/to be a back-stabber, to scam, to take credit.

3) Marcus, who is Peter's boss, watches very closely over what Peter does. He supervises every step and wants very fre­quent reports. Peter feels uncomfortable at being under such close surveillance.

Useful vocabulary: to be on somebody's tail, to crowd, to invade somebody's personal space, to feel like somebody is being watched, to be unreasonable, to have lofty expectations.