MY JOB

Which of the following adjectives would you use to describe a dream job? Which of them can you apply to your job? Give reasons for your answers.

-          glamorous

-          demanding

-          varied

-          routine

-          dull

-          stressful

-          fun

-          depressing

-          worthwhile

-          rewarding

-          challenging

Put these in order of importance

-          Friendly co-workers/good atmosphere

-          A good schedule

-          enjoyable tasks

-          good management

-          training

-          good balance between your work life and personal life

-          variety of work

-          feeling that your work is worthwhile

-          feeling that your contribution truly makes a difference

-          being part of a successful team

-          recognition of your achievements

-          good pay

-          job satisfaction and professional development

-          job security

-          career opportunities and opportunities for promotion

Which of these things would make you unhappy about your job?

-          insufficient communication on the part of the management

-          wages too low

-          little or no recognition for achievements

-          poor management

-          not enough freedom for personal development

-          no attention paid to new ideas

-          too few opportunities for high performers

-          lack of fringe benefits

-          work is no fun

-         feeling that your contribution doesn’t really matter

Answer the following questions:

-          Would you prefer to work part-time or full-time?

-          Would you prefer to work flexitime or to have a standard 9 to 5 job?

-          Would you prefer to work remotely or to work in an office?

-          Describe the worst job you have ever had.

-          What is the one job you would never take?

-          If you were a boss, how would you make your employees happy?

-          Do you have enough time to do the things you really want to do?

-          Should a job be something to enjoy?

-          What are you looking for in a job?

       How happy are you with your current job?

-          Describe the perfect job.

Look at the photo. What is the man’s job? What do you think the advantages/ disadvantages of being a pilot are?

Watch the video

-          Is Daniel satisfied with his current job?

-          How long has he been with this airline?

-          Why did he decide to become an airline pilot?

-          Do pilots earn a lot of money and have a lot of free time?

-          What motivates him?

-          Does he find his job challenging?

Complete the transcript:

My name is Daniel Bailey, I work for a major airline in the United States and I fly Boeing 747-400. I'm very … to be in the position that I'm in. I've been with this particular airline for 12 years and have stepped up through the ranks basically flying domestically on the 737 prior to that I flew 727s for another airline. I didn't always want to be an airline pilot. I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do in aviation and I tried a lot of different things and … had the opportunity to fly for an airline and decided that I really liked it.  Now I   think there are some people that get into it because they say: “Oh,  I can have a lot of money and not work much.” That's a little bit of a misconception.  The money can be good and you can have a … sometimes which is really beneficial to you. You know, you have a lot of time off but to get to that point usually requires a lot of dedication and … . Many jobs in aviation, entry-level airline jobs don't pay that great and have a tough schedule but most of the airline industry is based on seniority and as you spend time in it you … better trips and more pay and so a lot of people are motivated by that.  I'm also motivated by just the enjoyment of it. The enjoyment of operating large aircraft and being … for 380 lives at a time and getting them from point A to point B. There's a lot of satisfaction in accomplishing that mission safely and … … the problems that you experience on the way because there's always going to be issues you have to address.  So I think some people also are attracted to that in addition to the opportunities for travel, the pay that you can get at a major airline and the other benefits like family travel benefits and time off.  I love my job as an airline pilot because it gives me the opportunity to travel doing something I love and taking other people with me every time I go. When I go to a new destination it's fun to explore.  I'm travelling with a crew of 16 people and 380 passengers and it's just very enjoyable to … that mission going from point A to point B, from San Francisco to Beijing or wherever it is and making everything work. It’s a … mission but with the whole teamwork element of the airline, dispatch share traffic control, maintenance, the flight crew the cabin crew, just bringing us all together to make it work and accomplish it, it's very … .

What does Daniel like about his job?

Do you find your job satisfying? What motivates you? What are the most rewarding and the most challenging aspects of your job?

Speak about your responsibilities

I deal with ...
I oversee ... 
I handle ... 
I'm in charge of (noun/ -ing) ...
I'm responsible for (noun/ -ing) ...
My job involves (noun/ -ing) ...