E7 E - Jobs in an English-speaking context

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E7 E - Jobs in an English-speaking context

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E7 E - Jobs in an English-speaking context

Datei:Mechanic at work seattle.jpg

Look first. Do not translate every word. What jobs can you see? What tools, people and workplace objects can you name?

Mini description: Discover selected jobs through short fictional English profiles and real workplace media from the UK, the USA and Australia. Learn useful job and workplace vocabulary, listen to different speakers, talk about tasks and working conditions, and create your own short job profile.

Level: English as a first foreign language, Year 7, E level, Baden-Württemberg.

Important: All learner profiles in this course are fictional. The photos and videos are used as learning media; they do not show the fictional people described in the texts.

I can ...

1. Listening: I can understand the main idea and useful details in short clips about jobs and workplaces.
2. Reading: I can understand short job profiles and find information about tasks, places, tools and working times.
3. Speaking: I can talk about a job, ask follow-up questions and give a simple reason for my opinion.
4. Writing: I can write a short, clear job profile.
5. Mediation: I can pass on the important points from a short German note in simple English.
6. Vocabulary: I can use common workplace words in context.

Before you start: What do you already know?

30-second challenge: Name five jobs in English. Then name three places where people work.

Try first. If a word is missing, describe it: It is a place where ... or This person works with ...

Hint: Think of places such as hospital, café, garage, office, shop.

Deutsch nur bei Bedarf: Du musst nicht jedes Wort übersetzen. Nutze Bild, Situation und bekannte Wörter, um Bedeutung zu erschließen.

Notice: Jobs in action

Watch the first video once without stopping. Which jobs do you already know?

Video laden

YouTube

YouTube sammelt möglicherweise persönliche Daten. Datenschutzrichtlinie

Fortfahren Ausblenden

First viewing: Write down four job words.

Second viewing: Add one typical workplace to each word.

Mini-transfer: Choose one job from the video and complete: A ... works in/at ... and usually ...

Understand: Three fictional job profiles

Profile 1: Maya – barista in Nashville, USA

Maya is 24 and works in a busy café. She starts at 7 a.m. on three days a week. She prepares drinks, takes orders and talks to customers. During the morning rush, she has to work quickly and carefully. She likes teamwork because her colleagues help each other. A difficult part of the job is staying friendly when the café is very busy.

Key words: customer – order – counter – shift – colleague – rush

Check: Why does Maya like teamwork?

Hint: Find the sentence with because.

Profile 2: Malik – bike mechanic in Seattle, USA

Datei:Mechanic at work seattle.jpg

Malik is 31 and works in a repair workshop. He checks bikes, changes parts and explains repairs to customers. He uses tools every day and often works with his hands. Some problems are easy to find; others take longer. Malik enjoys solving practical problems. He also has to keep the workplace safe and tidy.

Key words: workshop – repair – tools – parts – safe – tidy

Check: Which two parts of Malik's work involve communication or responsibility?

Hint: Look for explains and safe.

Profile 3: Zoe – hospital receptionist in Brisbane, Australia

Zoe is 28 and works at a hospital reception desk. She welcomes visitors, answers phone calls, checks appointments and gives directions. She often speaks to different people in a short time. She needs to listen carefully and stay calm. She does not give medical advice; that is the job of trained medical staff.

Key words: reception desk – appointment – visitor – directions – calm – medical staff

Check: What does Zoe do, and what does she not do?

German help if needed: appointment = Termin; directions = Wegbeschreibung.

Context and media: A workplace is more than a job title

A workplace includes people, spaces, objects, routines and rules. The same job can also look different in different companies or countries.

Useful workplace vocabulary: shift, schedule, break, uniform, tools, equipment, colleague, customer, manager, counter, desk, workshop, kitchen, waiting area.

Think: Which words describe a place? Which describe people? Which describe objects or organisation?

Culture note: Do not use one photo or one profile to make general statements about a whole country. Workplaces are diverse.

Listening and viewing: Office equipment

Video laden

YouTube

YouTube sammelt möglicherweise persönliche Daten. Datenschutzrichtlinie

Fortfahren Ausblenden

Before watching: Predict five things you may see in an office.

During watching: Tick the words you hear or see.

After watching: Choose three objects and say what people use them for.

Challenge: Compare an office with one other workplace: Both places have ... However, only the ... has ...

Try: Vocabulary in context

Complete these sentences orally before checking a dictionary.

1. A mechanic keeps important tools in the workshop.
2. A receptionist checks the daily schedule.
3. A barista speaks to many customers.
4. A nurse may work an early or late shift.
5. A colleague is a person who works with you.

Word-building notice: work → worker; teach → teacher; design → designer. But not every job word follows one simple rule: mechanic, nurse and chef are different patterns.

Pronunciation: Be easy to understand

Focus on clear word stress, not on copying one accent.

Say these words slowly, then in a natural sentence:

1. MEchanic
2. reCEPtionist
3. deSIGNer
4. eLECtrician
5. CUStomer
6. colLEAGUE

Try: The receptionist speaks to customers and colleagues.

Self-check: Can your partner understand the key words without seeing them? Verständlichkeit ist wichtiger als Akzentfreiheit.

Use: Functional grammar for jobs

Present simple and frequency

Use the present simple for routines and regular tasks.

Maya starts at 7 a.m. Malik repairs bikes. Zoe often answers phone calls.

Useful frequency words: usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never.

can and have to

Use can for ability or possibility.

Malik can explain a repair clearly.

Use have to for a rule or necessary task.

Maya has to work quickly during the morning rush.

Use doesn't have to when something is not necessary.

Zoe doesn't have to repair medical equipment.

E-lookout: Past perfect

This is only a controlled preview, not the main grammar target.

Before the café opened, Maya had prepared the counter.

The past perfect can show that one past action happened before another past action. For this course, notice the form; you do not need it for every task.

Communicate: Speaking

Task 1: Job interview pair work

Student A is a young person asking about a workplace. Student B takes one fictional profile.

Use at least four questions:

1. What do you usually do?
2. Where do you work?
3. What do you like about your job?
4. What is difficult?
5. Do you work alone or in a team?
6. What skills do you need?

Then switch roles.

Task 2: Informal discussion

Choose two jobs from the course.

Discuss: Which job needs more communication? Which needs more practical skills?

Give reasons with because, but, however or for example.

Helpful start: I think ... needs more ... because ...

Task 3: One-minute presentation

Present one job without reading a full text.

Include: workplace, two tasks, one useful skill, one challenge and one reason why somebody might enjoy it.

Listening and viewing: English at work

Watch only a short section first, for example the opening two minutes.

Video laden

YouTube

YouTube sammelt möglicherweise persönliche Daten. Datenschutzrichtlinie

Fortfahren Ausblenden

Notice: What makes the situation formal? Which phrases sound useful in a job interview?

Try: Choose one phrase and adapt it to a school context.

E-level challenge: Explain why giving an example can make an answer clearer.

Writing: A short job profile

Write about 80–110 words about a fictional person in an English-speaking context.

Include:

1. job and workplace
2. two or three regular tasks
3. useful workplace vocabulary
4. one skill
5. one challenge
6. one personal opinion or reason

Writing frame if needed: ... works as a ... in ... . They usually ... . They often have to ... . A useful skill is ... because ... . One challenge is ... .

Improve: Replace repeated words. Add one linking word. Check verb endings after he/she.

Mediation: Explain the important points

Your German-speaking school group receives this note:

„Für den Berufsinformationstag arbeitet ihr zu zweit. Wählt einen Beruf aus einem englischsprachigen Land. Erklärt Arbeitsplatz, typische Tätigkeiten und zwei wichtige Fähigkeiten. Verwendet keine privaten Social-Media-Daten. Eine Audioaufnahme ist freiwillig und bleibt privat.“

Explain the important information to an English-speaking exchange student in 3–4 simple English sentences.

Do not translate every word. Pass on the meaning.

Hint: Start with For our careers day, we have to ...

Feedback and improve

After a speaking or writing task, use this short feedback routine:

1. One thing that works: Your example is clear because ...
2. One question: Can you explain ...?
3. One improvement: You could add ...
4. Use again: Repeat or rewrite one part immediately.

AI note: If you use an AI tool with teacher permission, check whether its English really fits Year 7 E level. Use feedback to improve your own text; do not replace your own work with an AI-written answer. Do not send recordings, names or private data to external AI services without clear permission.

Mini-transfer: New workplace, same language

Imagine a new fictional profile: Sam works at a wildlife centre in New Zealand.

Without a full model text, create five sentences:

1. Where does Sam work?
2. What does Sam usually do?
3. What equipment could Sam use?
4. What does Sam have to do?
5. What could be challenging?

Then compare your profile with one profile from the course.

Self-check: Can do

Mark each statement: Yes – Almost – Not yet.

1. I can understand the main idea of a short job video.
2. I can find key facts in a job profile.
3. I can use at least eight workplace words in context.
4. I can ask and answer questions about a job.
5. I can give a simple reason and react to another idea.
6. I can write a short fictional job profile.
7. I can improve my work after feedback.

If you mark Not yet, return to one profile or video and try the related task again.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Where does a mechanic usually repair bikes or machines? (In a workshop) (!At a reception desk) (!In a classroom) (!At a swimming pool)

Which word means a person who buys or orders something from a business? (Customer) (!Colleague) (!Manager) (!Mechanic)

Which sentence describes a regular work routine correctly? (Maya starts work at seven) (!Maya starting work at seven) (!Maya start work at seven) (!Maya to start work at seven)

What does a receptionist often do? (Checks appointments) (!Repairs engines) (!Cooks restaurant meals) (!Builds bicycles)

Which word is connected with working time? (Shift) (!Counter) (!Tool) (!Visitor)

Which sentence expresses a necessary task? (Malik has to keep the workshop safe) (!Malik can keeping the workshop safe) (!Malik have keep the workshop safe) (!Malik is safe workshop)

Which phrase gives a reason? (Because teamwork helps during busy times) (!However the workshop) (!Usually at seven) (!A colleague and a counter)

What is a colleague? (A person you work with) (!A place where you work) (!A machine you repair) (!A list of appointments)

What should you do in a mediation task? (Explain the important meaning) (!Translate every single word) (!Add information that is not in the source) (!Copy the German text unchanged)

What is the best first step when a listening text contains an unknown word? (Use context and keep listening for the main idea) (!Stop and translate every sentence) (!Guess without listening to the rest) (!Ignore all familiar words)

Memory

shift	working period
colleague	person you work with
workshop	place for repairs
appointment	planned meeting time
customer	person using a business
equipment	things needed for a task

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Barista	café
Mechanic	workshop
Receptionist	reception desk
Chef	kitchen
Nurse	hospital

Kreuzworträtsel

workshop	Where can a mechanic repair things?
customer	Who buys or orders something from a business?
colleague	Who works with you?
uniform	What special work clothing can some employees wear?
schedule	What shows planned times and tasks?
hospital	Where can nurses and reception staff work?

Lückentext

Vervollständige den Text.

A person who works with you is a . A planned period of work is a . A mechanic often works in a . A receptionist may check an . A barista often speaks to a . People use tools and other to complete tasks. We use the present simple to describe work . We can use to give a reason.

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

1. Job picture talk: Choose one image from the course and say five English words or phrases that fit the workplace.
2. Workplace word map: Create a small word map with people, places, objects and actions for one job.
3. Question cards: Write six simple interview questions about a fictional job and practise them with a partner.
4. Pronunciation check: Choose six job words, mark the stressed syllable and practise them in short sentences.

Standard

1. Fictional job profile: Write an 80–110 word profile for a fictional worker in the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or another English-speaking context.
2. Two-job comparison: Compare two jobs from the course and explain two similarities and two differences.
3. Workplace dialogue: Create and perform a short dialogue between a worker and a customer, visitor or colleague.
4. Mini poster: Design an English job poster with workplace, tasks, equipment, skills and one challenge.

Schwer

1. Audio guide: Create a voluntary private 60–90 second audio guide to one fictional workplace and evaluate whether your speech is easy to understand.
2. Perspective change: Describe one busy work situation first from the worker's perspective and then from a customer or visitor's perspective.
3. Career-day mediation: Turn a short German careers-day notice supplied by your teacher into a clear English spoken summary without translating word for word.
4. Mini research project: Compare how one job is presented on two trustworthy public information pages from English-speaking contexts and explain similarities, differences and possible limits of the sources.

Lernkontrolle

1. Job profile analysis: Read a new fictional job profile and explain which details show communication skills, practical skills and responsibility.
2. Workplace transfer: You know the words shift, colleague, customer, equipment from this course. Use all four meaningfully in a new workplace situation.
3. Listening strategy: Explain what you would do if you understand only about two thirds of a short workplace video.
4. Compare perspectives: Explain how the same busy café situation could feel different to a barista and to a customer.
5. Language choice: Decide whether can, have to or a present-simple verb best fits three new workplace situations and justify each choice.
6. Feedback revision: Improve a short job description after two pieces of peer feedback and explain what you changed.
7. Mediation transfer: Summarise the key points of a short German workplace notice in English for a fictional exchange student without translating it sentence by sentence.

Lernnachweis

For a successful learning record, you should be able to:

1. understand the main idea and key details of short job-related media
2. use workplace vocabulary accurately in context
3. describe routines with the present simple
4. use can and have to meaningfully
5. ask and answer questions about jobs
6. give simple reasons and compare viewpoints
7. write a coherent short fictional job profile
8. mediate important information rather than translate word for word
9. respond to feedback and improve part of your own work
10. use media, recordings and AI tools responsibly and protect private data

Media and safety note

The Wikimedia Commons images in this course are used as openly available learning media from their respective file pages. The embedded BBC Learning English videos are used for listening and viewing practice.

Recordings are voluntary and should remain private unless your teacher gives clear instructions and everyone involved agrees. Do not upload classmates' voices, images or personal information without permission. Do not use private social-media profiles as job sources.

Follow-up course

Next step: E7 E - Applying for a job in English

Use what you already know: job vocabulary, workplace language, questions, short reasons and clear examples.

Verknüpfte Lernbereiche

Jobs and workplaces Beruf Arbeitsplatz Englischer Wortschatz Listening Speaking Writing Mediation Simple Present Modalverben Berufsorientierung