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Lesson 11
Review Lab 01
B1

Jobs &Careers

Collocations with work / job / career — and how to talk about what you do

60 min Careers

Your level · You are here

  1. A0/A1Beginner
  2. A1/A2Elementary
  3. A2/B1Pre-Intermediate
  4. B1/B1+Intermediate
  5. B2Upper-Intermediate
  6. C1Advanced
  7. C2Proficiency

Get Talking · Section 1

5 min

Start the conversation

activity
What do you do?

Answer in 3 sentences — not one. What's your job/study, who for, and what's a typical day?

reflection
Work vs job vs career

Which is the activity, which is the position, which is the long path? Give one example of each.

discussion
Dream job test

If money didn't matter, what would you do? Use 'I'd love to work AS… / IN… / FOR…'.

Grammar · Section 2

8–10 min

Prepositions of work: as / in / for / at

Open in Grammar Bank
How it works
  • Use AS + role ('I work as a designer'), IN + field or department ('in marketing', 'in finance'), FOR + company / boss ('for Google', 'for my dad'), AT + place ('at home', 'at the office', 'at a bank').
  • Mixing them up is one of the most common B1 errors.
In action

I work AS a graphic designer.

She works IN healthcare / IN the marketing team.

He's worked FOR the same company for ten years.

I'm currently working AT a small studio in Lisbon.

Question 1.Choose: 'She works ____ a nurse.'

Question 2.Choose: 'He works ____ a tech startup.'

Question 3.Choose: 'I work ____ finance.'

Question 4.Choose: 'My sister works ____ home now.'

Answer all items, then check — or reveal the answers if you're stuck.
Conversation Builder
Say it naturally

Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.

1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.

Step 1 · Build
Tap words below to build the sentence…

2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.

Step 1 · Build
Tap words below to build the sentence…

3.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.

Step 1 · Build
Tap words below to build the sentence…

4.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.

Step 1 · Build
Tap words below to build the sentence…

Quick check 1.Which is WRONG?

Answer all items, then check — or reveal the answers if you're stuck.

Vocabulary · Section 3

5–7 min

Words & phrases to learn

Open in Vocabulary Bank
1

do a job

perform a specific task or role (NOT 'make a job')

In context

"She does a great job managing the team."

Now try it yourself

Name one thing you 'do a good job' at — and one you don't.

2

have a job in / as

hold a position

In context

"I have a job in marketing."

Now try it yourself

Say: 'I have a job AS… / IN…' about yourself or a friend.

3

build a career

develop a long professional path

In context

"He's building a career in renewable energy."

Now try it yourself

Which field would you like to build a career in? Why?

4

apply for / get / land a job

the job-search verbs (land = informal: 'finally get')

In context

"I applied for five jobs and landed one."

Now try it yourself

Describe the last job you applied for using all three.

5

be self-employed / freelance

work for yourself

In context

"She's been freelance for three years."

Now try it yourself

Would you prefer a 9-to-5 or freelance life? Say why.

6

9-to-5 / shift work / hybrid

common work patterns

In context

"I do shift work — earlies one week, lates the next."

Now try it yourself

Describe a friend or family member's work pattern.

7

salary / wages / bonus

salary = monthly fixed; wages = hourly; bonus = extra

In context

"The salary is decent and there's a yearly bonus."

Now try it yourself

Explain the difference between salary and wages in one sentence.

8

demanding / rewarding / repetitive

common job adjectives

In context

"Teaching is demanding but really rewarding."

Now try it yourself

Choose two of these adjectives to describe your work or studies.

Make it yours
Use the new words

Pick at least three words from above and use each one in a sentence about your real life. Say each one aloud before you write.

Quick exchange

Ask your teacher (or a partner) a question that uses one of today's words. They reply using a different word.

Ranking

Rank today's words from most to least useful for you this week. Defend your top choice.

Opinion

Finish: "Honestly, I'd say…" using one of today's words.

Tip: aim to reuse at least two of these words later in the Speaking and Writing tasks.

Matching
Match the verb to the noun it normally goes with.

Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.

Answer all items, then check — or reveal the answers if you're stuck.
Categorise
Sort the collocations into JOB / WORK / CAREER. Each one has a gap where the noun should go.
Answer all items, then check — or reveal the answers if you're stuck.

Pronunciation · Section 4

3–4 min

Stress in compound nouns: JOB interview, CAREER change, WORK experience

In English compound nouns, the stress falls on the FIRST word: a JOB interview, a CAREER change, WORK experience, a SALARY review. Move the stress to the second word and it sounds like a contrast ('a job INTERview, not a job offer').

  • • I've got a JOB interview on Friday.
  • • She's thinking about a CAREER change.
  • • Do you have any WORK experience?
  • • He's due for a SALARY review.

Reading · Section 5

8–10 min

Job for life? Not anymore.

Forty years ago, most people in Europe had a single career: you trained for one job in your twenties and you did that job until you retired. Today, the picture is very different. The average professional in the UK now changes jobs every four to five years and often switches careers entirely two or three times in a lifetime.

There are a few reasons for this. For one thing, technology keeps creating new roles — and destroying old ones. For another, younger workers care more about meaning and flexibility than about job titles. Hybrid and remote work, almost unheard of in 2019, are now the norm in many industries. The main reason, though, is simpler: people no longer expect a single employer to look after them for forty years. They build careers, not jobs.

Question 1.How often does the average UK professional change jobs today?

Question 2.What does the writer say is the MAIN reason people change jobs more often?

Question 3.What does the phrase 'build careers, not jobs' imply about modern workers?

Question 4.Why does the writer mention that hybrid and remote work were 'almost unheard of in 2019'?

Answer all items, then check — or reveal the answers if you're stuck.
True / False
Decide if each statement is True or False

Q1.Most people today stay in one career their whole life.

Q2.Hybrid and remote work have become much more common since 2019.

Answer all items, then check — or reveal the answers if you're stuck.

Listening · Section 6

8–10 min

Catching up — 'So what do you do now?'

Listening audio

Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.

Show transcript

Olivia:Wow, it's been ages! So, what do you do now?

Tom:I work as a product designer for a small fintech company in Berlin. You?

Olivia:Nice! I'm still in marketing, but I changed jobs last year — I'm at a sustainability charity now.

Tom:Oh wow, that's a big career change. How's it going?

Olivia:Honestly, really rewarding. The salary's a bit lower, but the work actually means something.

Tom:I get that. Are you full-time?

Olivia:Four days a week. I do freelance copywriting on Fridays — I'm trying to build a second career in content, just in case.

Tom:Smart. Same here actually — I've been picking up freelance design projects on the side.

Question 1.Where does Tom work?

Question 2.What does Olivia do on Fridays?

Question 3.What does Olivia's comment about her lower salary suggest about her priorities?

Question 4.Why does Olivia say she is building 'a second career in content, just in case'?

Answer all items, then check — or reveal the answers if you're stuck.
Tick what you hear
Tick the work collocations you hear in the conversation.
Answer all items, then check — or reveal the answers if you're stuck.

Exam tip · Section 7

5 min

Speaking Part 1 — 'Tell me about your job/studies.'

Task

Give a 30-second answer that goes beyond 'I'm a student.' Include WHAT, WHERE, HOW LONG and ONE detail.

Strategy

STATE the role with the right preposition ('I work AS… / I study… AT…'). LOCATE it ('for a small company in Madrid'). TIME it ('I've been there for two years'). COLOUR it (one adjective: 'It's demanding but rewarding'). EXTEND it (a 'because' or a future plan).

Example

I work as a junior accountant for a small firm in Valencia. I've been there for about two years now. It's quite demanding, especially around tax season, but it's really rewarding because I get to work with small business owners directly. Long term, I'd like to build a career in sustainability finance.

Practice · Section 8

8–10 min

Fill in the blank

Question 1.She works ____ a nurse at the city hospital.

Question 2.He's worked ____ the same company for ten years.

Question 3.I'd love to ____ a career in renewable energy.

Question 4.I've ____ for six jobs this month.

Question 5.The salary is OK and there's a yearly ____.

Answer all items, then check — or reveal the answers if you're stuck.
Sentence transformation
Say it naturally

There isn't one "right" answer — write a natural version, then compare with the model.

Q1.Say what you do using AS + role.

Q2.Say WHERE you work using FOR + company.

Q3.Say the field using IN.

Q4.Describe your work with TWO adjectives.

Answer all items, then check — or reveal the answers if you're stuck.

Writing · Section 9

5 min

Put it in writing

Your task

Write a 70–90 word LinkedIn-style 'About me'. Include: current role (AS/FOR/IN), how long, one strength, and one career goal. Use at least 4 collocations from the lesson.

Your answer

Your work saves automatically

0 words

Show model answer

I work as a junior product designer for a fintech startup based in Berlin. I've been here for almost two years and I focus mainly on mobile interfaces. Before this, I had a part-time job in customer support, which taught me how users actually feel when something breaks. I'm currently building a career in design systems, and over the next year I'd like to lead my first end-to-end project and start mentoring junior designers.

Speaking · Section 10

10–15 min

Make it a real conversation

Open in Useful Expressions

Pairs: 'So what do you do?' speed-dating. Two-minute rounds. Each student must use AS, FOR, IN, AT correctly at least once, plus one adjective from VOCAB (demanding / rewarding / repetitive). Swap partner every two minutes for four rounds.

Useful phrases

  • • I work as… / I'm a…
  • • I work for… / at… / in…
  • • I've been there for…
  • • It's quite demanding / rewarding / repetitive.
  • • Long term, I'd like to build a career in…

Speaking reflection & notes

Your work saves automatically

0 words

Dialogue completion
Choose the most natural, B1-level answer.
  • ASo what do you do?
  • B_______________
  • AHow long have you been there?
  • B_______________
  • AAny plans for the future?
  • B_______________
Answer all items, then check — or reveal the answers if you're stuck.

Homework · Section 11

Take-home

Take it home

speaking

Record a 45-second 'What do you do?' answer using AS, FOR, IN and one adjective.

writing

Write 6 sentences using: apply for / land / build / shift work / freelance / bonus.

listening

Find a 2-min job-interview clip online and note 5 job collocations you hear.

Homework notes

Your work saves automatically

0 words

Recap · Section 12

2–3 min

What you've learned

  • AS + role · IN + field · FOR + company · AT + place.
  • JOB = position (countable) · WORK = activity (uncountable) · CAREER = long path.
  • Verbs: apply for, land, build, change.
  • Patterns: 9-to-5, shift work, hybrid, freelance.
  • Always extend 'What do you do?' with WHERE, HOW LONG and ONE adjective.
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