Work & careers.
Half the class has never had a job and the other half has had too many. Both have plenty to say.
Warm-up · ask three
- What was your first ever job, paid or not?
- What job did you want to do when you were ten?
- Would you rather be well paid or genuinely interested?
07
B2 course unit 7
Work and Careers
These prompts reuse the work and careers vocabulary from Unit 7, so students meet the same ten items in the reading, the workbook and here.
Let’s talk
Discussion questions
Project the generator and let it cold-call a question. Filter by level, then give a student 60 seconds to answer without stopping. Browse the full decks below.
Random question generator
Press “New question” to put one on the board.
Deck 1
Getting the job
- What makes a résumé stand out in thirty seconds?B2
- Have you ever written a cover letter? What did you put in it?B2
- What is the hardest question in an interview?B2
- Is it fair that who you know matters as much as what you know?C1
- Should companies hire without seeing names or photos?C1
Deck 2
The work itself
- What kind of work would suit your personality?B2
- Would you rather work alone or with a team of colleagues?B2
- How do you handle a deadline you know you will miss?B2
- What skillset will matter most in ten years?B2
- Is there any job you would refuse on principle?C1
Deck 3
Money and progress
- How important is climbing the career ladder to you?B2
- Would you take a pay cut for a job you loved?B2
- What does a promotion actually change?B2
- Should salaries inside a company be public?C1
- Is ambition a virtue or just a habit?C1
Deck 4
Work and life
- What does good work-life balance look like in practice?B2
- Would a four-day week work in your field?B2
- Is working from home better for everyone, or only for some?B2
- Should employers be able to contact you in the evening?B2
- Has work become an identity rather than a job?C1
Deck 5
The future of work
- Will you have one career or several?B2
- Which jobs will machines take first?B2
- Should everyone be guaranteed a job, or a basic income?C1
- Is it realistic to expect work to be meaningful?C1
- What advice would you give someone starting out today?B2
Talk for longer
Useful language
The words students need to talk about careers and sound employable doing it. Pre-teach a handful, then challenge them to slip three into the discussion or the debate.
Sentence starters
Scaffolding for B2 — finish the sentence about you.
Talking about experience
Talking about ambition
Weighing up a job
In an interview
Words & phrases
The unit’s target vocabulary — the same ten items as the workbook.
a document listing your experience and skills
“I updated my résumé before applying.”
a letter sent with a CV to explain your interest
“Her cover letter was excellent.”
to formally ask for a job
“I applied for three jobs this week.”
to succeed in getting a job
“She landed her dream job.”
the series of steps upward in a career
“He’s climbing the career ladder fast.”
a move to a higher, better job
“She got a promotion last year.”
the range of skills a person has
“The job needs a broad skillset.”
a person you work with
“My colleagues are very friendly.”
the balance between work and personal life
“A four-day week improves work-life balance.”
the time by which work must be finished
“The deadline is Friday.”
Work word bank
Quick words for the debate and the discussion.
Classroom debate
Career Showdown
Two jobs go head-to-head. Vote, watch the split — then make one student defend the winner and another argue the case for the loser.
Which job would you take?
Round 1
How to play: Read both jobs, take a vote and tap the totals in. Then one student defends the more popular choice, and another argues why the loser is the better life. Every argument needs a target phrase.
Model dialogue
Milan & Eva talk about an offer
Read it together, notice the underlined phrases, then act it out — and finally take on the roles below.
A kitchen table on a Sunday. One of them has an offer to accept or refuse by Tuesday.
So they called. I got it.
You landed a job! That is fantastic. Which one?
The bigger firm. Better money, faster route up the career ladder.
And the hours?
That is the problem. There goes any work-life balance.
You spent a month on that cover letter. You clearly wanted it.
I wanted to be chosen. That is not quite the same thing.
What would the other job give you?
Nice colleagues, a broader skillset, and a deadline I could survive.
And in three years?
Probably a promotion anyway, just more slowly.
Then update your résumé with either one. The slow route is still a route.
Now run the interview
Student A - the candidate
You want this job
You are ambitious, you learn quickly, and you have one weak area you would rather not discuss. Be honest, but sell yourself properly.
Student B - the interviewer
You need the right person
You have interviewed four people already. Ask about experience, teamwork and one difficult situation — and push politely when an answer is vague.
Your mission
- Run a four-minute interview, then swap roles.
- As interviewer, ask one question the candidate did not prepare for.
- As candidate, use at least three phrases from the Useful language section.
- Give each other one piece of honest feedback before you report back.
Wind down & write
Choose your writing task
Pick one task to finish in class or as homework. Every option pushes the unit vocabulary into writing.
01
Write a cover letter for a job you would genuinely like to do.
02
Describe the job you want in ten years and explain what it would cost you.
03
Would a four-day week work in your country? Write an opinion piece.
04
Write an email advising a younger student on choosing a career.
05
Is it realistic to expect work to be meaningful? Write an essay giving your view.
Exit ticket · 60 seconds
Before you leave
Quick round-the-room close: each student answers in one sentence. A fast way to check the target language landed.
“Name one thing you would need from a job before you accepted it.”