AUDIO SCRIPTS
166
3
Some people would say it’s an exciting job,
and I suppose it is sometimes, but actually
it’s very hard work as well. There’s also not
much job security. The pay’s good, but
sometimes I don’t work for a few weeks, so
that can be a worry. I suppose I enjoy the
travel – there’s a lot of that – but sometimes
there’s a lot of waiting around, which can be
really tedious.
4
Some parts of the job are not very
interesting, like filling shelves, you know,
very monotonous. Also, changing the
window displays gets a bit repetitive. Really,
it’s dealing with people I like, on the phone
and face to face. My boss is a lovely person,
but he’s so badly organised. He usually gets
me to deal with problem customers who
want refunds, that kind of thing. Some
people think I’m a workaholic, and it’s true I
do a lot of overtime, but I like to do a job
well and I’m proud of my work. It’s a big
chain so I hope I’ll become assistant
manager next year if I move to another
branch.
5
What I particularly like is that it’s a very
flexible job. I can work from home some of
the time. I find it stimulating, meeting and
interviewing different people. It’s also
satisfying when you finish a long article and
it’s published. I’ve got a book coming out
next year as well. One thing about working
on a monthly magazine is that I have a lot of
tight deadlines. That makes the job very
stressful.
LESSON 3.2 RECORDING 3.2
1
I’m a language graduate and I’ve been
translating from Italian to English for most of
my career. We’ve been living in Milan for
nearly five years and I’ve been working
from home for two years, since our first
child was born. I’ve found that my work–life
balance has been easier to manage since I
started working from home – and it needs to
be easy to manage when you’ve got children!
2
I:
How long have you been working from
home for?
S:
I’m a writer and I’ve been working from
home for the last 18 months, since I lost
my job. It’s been pretty tough. For one
thing, I’ve been paying a lot more for
heating. To be honest, it’s quite lonely
… and I’ve missed things like the office
gossip. I wish I could go back to my old
job. The only good thing is I can get up
late. I’ve never been a morning person.
3
It’s not for everybody, but I like working
from home. I do contract work in design.
The best thing is that I don’t have to
commute to work on crowded trains. I’ve
had lots more time and I’ve been learning a
new language since I started working at
home in January. I’ve always wanted to
learn Spanish. I’ve also bought myself a new
guitar and I’ve been taking lessons for the
last six months.
4
I:
So, you’ve been working from home for
eight years?
P:
No, actually I’ve been working from
home for six years. I’ve been running a
small business from home for a lock
manufacturer. It’s a Basque company
based near Bilbao.
I:
And I see your husband is at home. Does
he work from home as well?
P:
Yeah, about three days a week. He hasn’t
been working at home much recently as
he’s often needed in head office.
I:
Do you like working from home?
P:
Well, there are some disadvantages.
I miss all my office friends and working
in a team, and there’s not enough space
in the house. You also need to be good
at time management. But basically, I
love it. You have flexibility and you get
to spend more time with the family. Also
you save loads of money not commuting
to the office. And the internet and
social networking makes homeworking a
more rewarding experience. And with
my iPad and Skype I can now have
meetings from the comfort of my home.
LESSON 3.3 RECORDING 3.4
A = Anna, J = Joanna, Z = Zhang Li, H = Hessa
A:
Welcome back. This is Anna from 103.8
Oxford Lite FM and we’ve asked three
students who are at Russell University to
join us. Welcome guys. Can you introduce
yourselves?
J:
Hi. I’m Joanna and I’m Polish.
Z:
Hello, I’m Zhang Li from Beijing, China.
S:
And I’m Hessa from Riffa … erm … which
is in Bahrain.
A:
So what are you all studying?
Z:
International Hospitality Management.
S:
Yes. International Hospitality Management.
A:
And what’ve you been doing recently?
Z:
Well, we’ve all been doing our work
placements.
J:
Yeah, I’ve been working as a trainee
concierge at the Delmar Beach Resort in
Marbella in Spain.
Z:
I’ve been doing that as well, but I’ve been at
the Collard in London.
J:
Being a trainee concierge is great because
you have to know about all the parts of the
hotel.
Z:
And it’s really great training if you wanna be
a hotel manager.
J:
I agree and I’ve done so much. I’ve been on
three trips. I’ve been to Seville, to Tangiers
and Gibraltar.
Z:
I haven’t done any tours yet, but I’ve
worked in four different parts of the hotel.
I’ve booked trips, I’ve arranged transport
and I’ve answered lots of questions about
the local restaurants.
A:
Sounds great. And Hessa, let’s bring you in
here. What have you been doing?
H:
Well, for the last three months, I’ve been
working as a trainee chef at the Auric hotel
in London. I haven’t been on any trips yet,
but I’ve been working really hard learning
all the skills I need to be an assistant chef.
I’ve been in the kitchen or the restaurant
every day. Also my tutor at university has
given me lots of advice and encouragement
and support. I can phone her when I want.
J:
My concierge at the Delmar is fantastic. She
speaks lots of languages and is Polish like
me. She has treated me like a colleague
from the start. She really makes me feel my
input is valuable and has given me lots of
confidence. She talks to me and doesn’t talk
down to me. I see her as my mentor.
A:
Would you recommend your work
placement to others?
J:
Absolutely. The Delmar is famous for its
work placements and its training. And I get
paid, which is really good.
H:
Yeah, we all get paid. All the placements
organised through the university are paid
placements. And the Auric and the Collard
both have good training programmes.
A:
And finally … who’s the one who speaks all
the languages?
J:
That’s me … I speak Spanish, English,
German, and of course Polish. And I’ve
been learning Italian since January. I was
motivated by our concierge.
LESSON 3.4 RECORDING 3.5
H = Harry, M = Marta
H:
I think you’re right, Martin, educational
qualifications and experience are not really
so important as these are work placements
– we’ve got to find young people with the
right skills and personal qualities.
M:
Exactly. The people we choose will get
some initial training in New York, so that’ll
prepare them well for the placements. As
you say, it’s the personal qualities which are
so important. It’ll be pretty stressful,
building up the club here. They’ll have to
work long hours and be very flexible. OK,
we’re not offering a competitive salary, but
there are other benefits, and a nice working
environment – that should attract some
good candidates. There are great
opportunities, but there will be some less
glamorous parts of the work. We’ll need
someone who’s very motivated, erm …
enthusiastic, and has lots of energy.
H:
Absolutely. And I think the best candidates
will be very determined, people who have a
real determination to succeed, because it
won’t be easy. We need outgoing people,
I’d say, who can work with people from
different cultures. Don’t forget – a lot of our
customers won’t be English. All the
candidates must also have an interest in
health and fitness, don’t you think?
M:
Oh, definitely. And I agree – we need a
fairly extroverted person, with really good
communication skills. People skills are also
very important to the company – so we
want people who can adapt to different
situations. If possible, they’ll be fluent in
another language – French, German,
Japanese, whatever. Also, pretty good
computer skills are important.
H:
Yeah, I like the sound of those ideas. But
most of all, we want people who are
looking for a long-term career with us, and
who’ll stay with us afterwards.
M:
OK, I’ve made a note of the points we
mentioned. Now let’s write the advert.
LESSON 3.4 RECORDING 3.6
I = Interviewer, C = Candidate
1
I:
Now, looking at your CV. I’d like to
know what you feel you learnt in your
last placement?
C:
I’m glad you asked me that because
I feel I developed some important skills
while I was there.
2
I:
I’m also interested in knowing your
reasons for applying to our company.
C:
That’s a very good question. Basically,
because it is such a respected and
famous organisation.
3
I:
Now, a question we like to ask all our
candidates. What are your strong points?
C:
Well, without going into too much
detail, I have very good people skills.
