Summer work

This is to introduce the topic of the lesson and raise interest in what is to come. Put the students into pairs or small groups. Give each a copy of the materials and ask them to add more ideas of their own to each column. When they have finished, ask the students for their ideas.

Questions

Ask the students who has had summer work before and who hasn't. If possible, try to give those who have worked questions B and those who haven't questions A. If the numbers aren't equal, students can use their imagination to talk about a job even if they haven't actually had one.

Hand out the materials, A or B, to each student. Elicit the first questions for A and B to make sure everyone is clear what they have to do (A: Have you ever had a part-time job? B: Would you like to work this summer?). Students then write full questions for the other cues. Elicit the questions to make sure the students have written them correctly. Put the students in pairs, A with B. Each student in turn asks the other their questions and notes the other student's answers. When they have finished, elicit what different students found out about their partner.

Answers: A: 1. Have you ever had a part-time job? 2. Where did you work? 3. What did you do there? 4. What were the other people like? 5. What was the boss like? 6. Would you work there again if you had the chance? (Will you work there again if you have the chance?) 7. What was (is) the best thing about working there? 8. What was (is) the worst thing about working there?

B: 1. Would you like to work this summer? 2. Why/Why not? 3. What is (would be) your dream summer job? 4. Why? 5. Is it easy to find summer work where you live? 6. What would you do with the money if you worked this summer? (What will you do with the money if you work this summer?) 7. What skills and (or) experience do you have (have you got)? 8. Are you a good worker?

Adverts

Put the students into groups of four and hand out the four adverts to each group. Tell the students to look at all four of the adverts and decide for themselves which one they would choose and why. The students then discuss their choices as a group of four.

Students now turn the four adverts upside down so that they don't know which is which and take one each. This is the job they are going to apply for. On their own, each student makes a list of reasons why he/she would like the job, why they would be good at it and any questions they would like to ask about the job.

Students now swap adverts with one of the other people in the group. They look at the new advert and have to imagine that they are the employer for this job. They have to think of questions to ask applicants at an interview. When ready, one student acts as interviewer and the other as interviewee. They then swap roles.

Possible follow up

Students work in pairs to write their own job advert similar to those in the previous exercise. They then swap adverts with a different pair. Students now have to write a letter of application for the job advert they have been given. They do this individually, saying why they think they would be good for the job. When finished, the students give their letters of application to the pair who wrote the job advert and they now have to decide which of the two letters of application is the best and why. The actual writing of the letters could be done for homework if necessary.

© Pearson Central Europe 1

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