Unit 6. Seven Surprising Stay-Home Salaries

Task 1. Match the following English words and phrases with their Russian equivalents:

1) to telecommute	a) понимать
2) to be prone to something	b) пересекаться
3) bachelor’s degree	c) активы
4) to require	d) быть достаточным
5) to figure out	e) работать на дому
6) accounting	f) быть склонным к чему-либо
7) to lend itself to something	g) степень бакалавра
8) endowment	h) бухгалтерский учет
9) assets	i) окупиться
10) to intersect	j) подходить, годиться для чего-либо
11) to suffice	k) требовать
12) to pay off	l) вклад

Task 2. Read the text and say which jobs appeal to you most.

Seven Surprising Stay-Home Salaries

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that at last count, 13.7 million Americans were telecommuting. Only one in four had a formal agreement in place with their employers. The vast majority simply arrange with a supervisor to spend a day or two a week out of the office.

The BLS advises telecommuting hopefuls to seek out employers with established telework programs. Certain jobs and industries are more prone to this arrangement, and some of them pay really well. Here are seven stay-home jobs with standout salaries.

Sales Representatives

According to the BLS, one in five sales reps telecommutes. The highest paying sales jobs usually involve technical and scientific products. These sales jobs are more likely to require a bachelor's degree. Studying marketing, business, or communications can be excellent preparation for this line of work. Stay-home salary: $68,270.

Financial Analysts

Financial analysts help large companies and non-profit organizations figure out how, when, and where to invest their money. Often employed by investment banks, mutual funds, and insurance companies, the independent nature of the work lends itself to working from the home office. You'll need a bachelor's degree in finance, business administration, economics, or accounting to get in on the ground floor. Stay-home salary: $70,400.

Personal Financial Advisors

Instead of working with large endowments, personal financial advisors help individuals manage their money, protect their assets, and plan for retirement. Financial advisors work for financial services firms or investment and planning firms. A minimum of a bachelor's degree in finance, business administration, or accounting is required. Stay-home salary: $67,660.

Web Designers

Two career paths that are particularly well suited to telecommuting are graphic design and computing. These career paths intersect for the job of Web developers, also called Web designers. They craft a Web site's look and make sure it functions. Most employers are looking for a bachelor’s degree and many schools offer programs specifically in Web site design. Stay-home salary: $47,000 to $71,500.

Software Developers

These telecommuters design and develop computer applications. Therefore, they need to be well versed in programming languages as well as operating systems. A bachelor's degree in computer science or software engineering is required, but your education is likely to pay off. The BLS predicts 38 percent growth through 2016, making this one of the nation's fastest growing occupations. Stay-home salary: $83,130.

Accountant

Accounting is all about keeping the fiscal house in order--paying taxes, reporting earnings, analyzing budgets, and guiding investments. The individual nature of the work allows many accountants to routinely work from home. A degree in accounting is a typical job requirement. Stay-home salary: $57,060.

Marketing Manager

Managers (in any department) are more likely to regularly work from home. Marketing managers may find creativity blooms with the freedom of the home office. Increasingly, a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) is becoming the norm for marketing managers, though a good track record and a bachelor’s degree may suffice. Stay-home salary: $104,400.

Technically, to be considered a telecommuter you must regularly work eight or more paid hours at home each week. Telecommuting can carve out more time for the kids. It can help you find a better work-life balance.

Task 3. Read the following sentences. Which ones are true and which ones are false?

1) The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that at last count, 13.7 million Americans were telecommuting. All of them had a formal agreement in place with their employers.

2) According to the BLS, one in ten sales reps telecommutes.

3) Financial analysts help large companies figure out how, when, and where to invest their money.

4) Personal financial advisors work with large endowments.

5) Graphic design and computing are two career paths that are particularly well suited to telecommuting.

6) Software developers sell commuter applications. Therefore, they do not need to be well versed in programming languages.

7) The individual nature of the work allows many accountants and marketing managers to work from home.

Task 4. Find synonyms and antonyms for the following words in the text. The words are given in the same order as in the text:

SYNONYMS wide agreement to guard way experienced to forecast job

ANTONYMS employee majority to exclude to destroy decline expenditures to forbid

Task 5. Match the following words from the text with their definitions:

1) telecommuter	a) the branch of business concerned with advertising, publicity etc.
2) to supervise	b) to put money to a particular use, e. g. by buying shares in a business, in order to make a profit
3) accountant	c) someone who works at home instead of in an office, but uses the telephone and computer to communicate with the people she or he works with
4) mutual fund	d) the degree to which someone or something has performed well or badly up to now
5) MBA	e) to keep watch over (a job or activity, or the people doing it) as the person in charge
6) marketing	f) a university higher degree in which students learn the skills needed to be in charge of a business
7) track record	g) a company through which one can buy shares in many different businesses
8) to invest	h) a person whose job is to control and examine the financial accounts of businesses or people

Task 6. Complete the sentences using the words from the text in the correct form: to manage, retirement, insurance, salary, fiscal, budget, to arrange.

1. I’ve … that one of our representatives will meet you at the airport.

2. A … is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract.

3. Does your … cover damage by flooding?

4. He … the company while his father was away.

5. The President is seeking approval from Congress for his ….

6. We’ve had two … in our office this year.

7. A … year is a period used for calculating annual financial statements in businesses and other organizations.

Task 7. Put the verbs in brackets into Future Simple (active). See Appendix 1.

1. I … (apply) for the job today.

2. To carry out this plan … (require) increasing our staff by 50%.

3. I am sure she … (be) a quick efficient worker.

4. They … (face) a decline in manufacturing industry.