Common Phrases And Idioms For IELTS Speaking-Topic: Work

1. To be called for an interview: to be invited to attend an interview

Example: Although he has been called for an interview, he hasn’t got a job yet.

2. To be your own boss/run your own business/be self-employed: to have your own business

Example: It has been my dream is to be my own boss, because I can do everything in my way If I run my own business.

3. A nine-to-five job: a normal job that consists of an 8 hour a day

Example: The idea of doing a nine-to-five job is quite arduous for few people.

4. To be stuck behind a desk: to be unhappy in office job

Example: Working full-time in an office can lead to being stuck behind a desk.

5. One of the perks of the job: an extra benefit you get from a job

Example: Extra meal is one of the perks of the job, which make employees more satisfied

6. Job satisfaction: the feeling of enjoying a job

Example: Job satisfaction is the most important factor when a person chooses a job.

7. Manual work: work that requires physical activities

Example: Many people have manual work that requires them to work in dangerous environment.

8. Temporary work: work done for a limited time only

Example: Taxi drivers is just my temporary work, I am applying for better job.

9. Voluntary work: to work without pay

Example: In my free time, I join in voluntary work to help the society.

10. To be well paid: to earn a good salary

Example: Working in auditing area will be well paid.

11. Working conditions: the hours, salary and other entitlements that comes with the job

Example: Employer should spend more money on improving the working conditions.

12. To meet a deadline: to finish a job on time

Example: Last week she was really stress, because she had to work too hard to meet the deadlines.

13. To take early retirement: to retire early

Example: Recently, a large number of older worker tend to take early retirement, then they will have more time to travel.

14. A heavy workload: to have a lot of work to do

Example: Many worker are complaining the heavy workload, and they asking for higher salary.

15. Shift work:a system in which different groups of workers work somewhere at different times of the day and night

Morning/Night shift

Example: Many industries rely heavily on shift work, and millions of people work in jobs that require shift schedules.

16. Tempting offer

Example: After graduating in economics, I got a very tempting offer from an investment bank and accepted it.

17. Land a new job: get a new (and usually a good) job

Example: After graduating, I did the usual things of putting together my CV & applying for jobs. Luckily, I landed a fantastic new job at a tourism company.

18. Living wage: enough money to live on

Example: After doing a job swap, I just got a living wage which didn’t commensurate with my experience & ability.

19. Take up the post: start work

Example: After being laid off, I went back to my old job and took up the post of editor of a leading fashion journal.

20. Carve a niche for myself: make a special position for myself

Example: After graduating, I practiced medicine for a number of years in London. I managed to carve a niche for myself as a specialist in dermatology.

21. Job swap:

Example: I want to take up some fresh challenges so I did a job swap for a year.

22. Do a job-share: situation where 2 people share equal parts of the same job

Example: I decided to go part-time and do a job-share with my friend after returning from maternity leave.

23. Lay off staff: dismiss staff because there is no work for them to do

Example: My start-up went through a difficult period and had to lay off staff

24. Volume of work:workload

Earn a good living

Example: I had a substantial volume of work – private students and marking exams – and was able to earn a good living

26. Fast-track scheme: system for rapid training and promotion of talented staff

27. Move up the ladder: being promoted

Example: I was put on a fast-track scheme and was moving up the ladder fast

28. Throw a sickie: take a day off work pretending to be sick

Example: I don’t like my job so I throw a sickie from time to time

29. Get the sack: be dismissed

Example: I want to take one weeks off from work but I’m afraid of getting the sack

Work Vocabulary

Employee	Someone who is paid to work for someone else.
The company has several hundred employees.
Employer	A person or organization that employs people.
Employers monitor their employees very carefully these days.
Employment	When someone is paid to work for a company or organization
Due to the recession, there are thousands of people looking for employment. I was employed in the company for several years
Unemployment	Not working.
Levels of unemployment in the economy have been rapidly increasing. He has been unemployed for 6 months now.
Commute	To make the same journey regularly between work and home
It is taking longer for people to commute to work because of traffic problems. Commuting to work everyday by bus is tiring.
Occupation	Formal way to say 'job'.
What is your occupation?
Career	Working life or a particular job during one's working life that gets better in terms of salary and position.
He is retired now but he had an amazing career ( = succesful working life). He hopes to have a career in the army
Profession	Any type of work which needs special training or a particular skill, often one which is respected because it involves a high level of education.
The teaching profession is not as good as it used to be because salaries have decreased.
Salary / Wages	Money paid each month to an employee for their work.
Public sector salaries are not keeping up with inflation. He receives a goodwage because he works for a prestigious company.
Public Sector	Businesses and industries that are owned or controlled by the government.
You get a good pension if you work for the public sector, but the salary is not always so good.
Private Sector	Businesses and industries that are privately owned.
Most graduates hope to work in theprivate sectorwhen they finish university as there are more opportunities and the pay is better than the public sector.

Retire	To stop working because of old age or ill health.
The retirement agein most countries is 65. He had to retire early due to ill health.
Flexitime	Working a fixed number of hours but having flexibility with start and finish times.
They have introduced flexitime at my work place so I usually start at 10am now and finish at 6pm.
Resign / Quit	To leave a job.
Heresigned from his job yesterday. Don'tquit your job unless you have another one to start.

Fire / Sack / Dismiss	To remove someone from their job, especially because they have done something wrong
He was fired / sacked / dismissed because he was late for work every day.
Vacancy	A job position that is not filled and so is available.
I spoke to the company and they said they had several vacancies.

Overtime	Working more than your contracted hours.
The employees often work overtime but they are not given extra money so it is not fair.

Shift	The time worked in a job that is not normal hours.
She is a nurse so she has to work in shifts. One week she does the morning shift, and then the next week she will do the night shift. Shift work can be very tiring.

Definitions

• to be called for an interview: to be invited to attend an interview
• to be your own boss: to have your own business
• a dead-end job: a job with no promotional opportunities
• to do a job-share: to share the weekly hours of work with another person
• a good team player: somebody who can work well with other people
• full-time: the number of hours that people usually work in a complete week
• a heavy workload: to have a lot of work to do
• a high-powered job: an important or powerful job
• holiday entitlement: the number of days holiday allowed
• job satisfaction: the feeling of enjoying a job
• manual work: work that requires physical activity
• maternity leave: time off work given to a woman about to have a baby
• to meet a deadline: to finish a job by an agreed time
• a nine-to-five job: a normal job that consists of an 8 hour day (approximately)
• one of the perks of the job: an extra benefit you get from a job
• part-time: working less than full-time
• to run your own business: see ‘to be your own boss’
• to be self-employed: see ‘to be your own boss’
• sick leave: time allowed off work when sick
• to be stuck behind a desk: to be unhappy in an office job
• to be/get stuck in a rut: to be in a boring job that is hard to leave
• to take early retirement: to retire early (retire: to reach an age when you are allowed to stop working for a living)
• temporary work: work done for a limited time only
• voluntary work: to work without pay
• to be well paid: to earn a good salary
• working conditions: the hours, salary and other entitlements that comes with the job
• to work with your hands: to do manual work
• pay increments
• to motivate people
• work/life balance
• to subsidise
• output
• perks (free lunches, a car)
• financial rewards
• bonuses
• incentives-other rewards
• job satisfaction
• target-related
• on the job training=while working
• ongoing training=throughout your time in a job
• productivity
• day release programs –employees spend entire days out of work
• career progression
• to advance your career
• job prospects
• to measure- to assess
• superficial
• performance reviews/ appraisals
• redundancy
• Being made redundant
• To restructure
• To downsize-to make organization smaller and employ fewer people
• To outsource their IT companies to Asian countries
• The workforce
• Human Resources

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