Work & Careers
A complete two-session B1 lesson built around modal verbs for obligation and advice — the grammar of job requirements and career guidance — using authentic job ads and career profiles as the theme. Includes a featured interactive reading, audio scripts, answer keys, and a self-grading workbook.
Can-Do Statements
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Talk about different jobs and career aspirations using vocabulary for the workplace.
- Use must, have to, should, and need to to describe job requirements and give career advice.
- Read and understand real job advertisements and career profiles.
- Listen and extract key information from a career interview.
- Describe a dream job in writing, including responsibilities, requirements, and motivation.
- Conduct a job interview in pairs using appropriate questions and answers.
Vocabulary & Phrases
This set is shared across the lesson plan, reading page, and student workbook flashcards.
Workplace Words
- salary · wage · benefits · bonus
- responsibilities · duties · tasks
- qualifications · experience · skills
- career path · promotion · career ladder
- job application · interview · employer / employee
- full-time · part-time · remote · shift work
Talking About Work
- You must / have to have a degree in…
- Applicants should be able to…
- You don't need to have experience.
- I'd like to work in… / I'm hoping to…
- My dream job is… because…
- The main responsibilities include…
The Engine of the Lesson
Modal verbs of obligation and advice — for talking about job requirements and career guidance.
1. Must vs. Have To — Strong Obligation
Must comes from the speaker; have to comes from an external rule or requirement.
| Modal | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| must | You must bring your ID to the interview. | personal rule |
| have to | Nurses have to pass the NCLEX exam. | external requirement |
| mustn't | You mustn't be late for an interview. | prohibition |
| don't have to | You don't have to have 5 years' experience. | no obligation |
2. Should / Ought To — Advice
Use should to give career advice or describe what is recommended in a job ad.
Negative: You shouldn't lie on your CV — it can damage your career.
3. Need To — Necessity
Need to is softer than must. Use it for practical necessities.
Negative: You don't need to speak French — English is enough.
Common trap: "He doesn't must" is wrong — use doesn't have to or needn't / doesn't need to.
4. Quick Comparison Table
| Situation | Modal to Use |
|---|---|
| Compulsory requirement (external) | have to |
| Strong personal rule or recommendation | must |
| Advice or suggestion | should / ought to |
| Practical necessity | need to |
| No obligation | don't have to / don't need to |
| Prohibition | mustn't |
Job Advertisements & Career Profiles
A fresh, interactive, self-grading reading page built for this unit. It presents two real-style job ads and two career profiles, and is loaded with the unit's vocabulary and modal language.
What's inside
- Two authentic-style job ads (Software Developer, Marketing Manager) with responsibilities and requirements.
- Two career profiles (Registered Nurse, Civil Engineer) with educational pathways and skills needed.
- Self-grading comprehension questions with instant feedback and a total score.
- A vocabulary glossary and career discussion prompts to extend into speaking.
How to use it: Assign for homework before the lesson, or project it for shared guided reading in Session 2. Students bring their score to class and discuss which career they found most interesting.
Open the Reading →Timed Lesson Stages
Each stage lists timing, teacher instructions, and the interaction pattern.
1. Warm-Up — Dream Job
Write three jobs on the board (doctor, game designer, professional athlete). Ask: "Which job would you most like to do? Why? Which would you hate? Why?"
Students discuss in pairs for 2 minutes, then share one surprising answer with the class. Accept any vocabulary they know and note any useful words to return to.
Interaction: Pairs → whole class.
2. Vocabulary — Jobs & the Workplace
Present the key vocabulary set (salary, qualifications, responsibilities, skills, career path, promotion, employer, employee). Drill pronunciation for longer words: qualifications, responsibilities, employer.
Quick matching activity: write 6 definitions on the board; students call out the word.
Interaction: Teacher → class, then open pairs.
3. Grammar — Modals for Obligation & Advice
Elicit the rules from a real-life context. Write on the board: "In the Czech Republic, doctors _____ pass a state exam. You _____ apply before the deadline. You _____ be rude to your colleagues!"
Ask students to fill the gaps with: have to / should / mustn't. Then explain the system using the table from the grammar section above.
Focus on the key mistake: students often say "He doesn't must go" — drill: "He doesn't have to go / He needn't go."
Interaction: Teacher-led, whole class.
4. Controlled Practice — Job Ad Gap-Fill
Write (or project) this short job ad on the board. Students fill in the blanks with the correct modal:
Key: 1 — must/have to | 2 — don't have to | 3 — should | 4 — mustn't
Interaction: Individual → peer check → class feedback.
5. Speaking — Career Advice Hot Seat
One student sits in the "hot seat" as a professional (doctor, architect, pilot, teacher, software developer — they choose). The class asks questions using modals:
- "Do you have to work on weekends?"
- "Should applicants have a degree?"
- "What skills must you have?"
Run 3 rounds (3 different students). The class votes on which career description was most persuasive.
Interaction: Whole class.
6. Reading — Job Ads & Career Profiles
Direct students to the interactive reading page (or distribute printed copies). Students read the two job ads and two career profiles. Then work in pairs to answer:
- What are the main responsibilities of a Software Developer?
- What degree does a Registered Nurse need?
- What modal verbs can you find in the texts? (Point to: "must have", "should be able to")
Review answers as a class. Highlight any modal verbs in the original texts.
Interaction: Individual reading, then pairs, then class feedback.
7. Listening — Career Interview
Play (or read aloud) the career interview audio script below twice. Students note down:
- The job the person does
- One thing they have to do
- One thing they don't have to do
- One piece of advice they give (should / mustn't)
After listening, students compare notes with a partner before whole-class feedback.
Interaction: Individual listening → pairs → class.
Audio Script — Career Interview (Maria, Software Developer)+
Interviewer: Maria, can you tell us about your job as a software developer?
Maria: Sure. I work for a tech company — fully remote. I design and build software applications.
Interviewer: What do you have to do every day?
Maria: I have to write code, obviously, and I have to attend a team meeting every morning at nine. That's non-negotiable.
Interviewer: And what about things you don't have to do?
Maria: Well, I don't have to come to the office — I can work from home. And I don't have to wear formal clothes, which is a big plus!
Interviewer: What advice would you give someone who wants to do this job?
Maria: You should start learning to code now — there are great free resources online. And you mustn't give up when it gets hard, because it will get hard. The learning curve is steep, but it's worth it.
Interviewer: Do you need to have a computer science degree?
Maria: Honestly, not always. Some companies require it, but many just want to see your portfolio. You don't need to have a traditional degree if you can show what you can build.
Listening Answer Key
- Job: Software Developer (works remotely)
- Have to: write code / attend a daily team meeting at 9am
- Don't have to: go to the office / wear formal clothes
- Advice (should): start learning to code now / use free online resources
- Advice (mustn't): give up when it gets hard
- Degree: Don't need to have one — a portfolio can be enough
8. Speaking — Mock Job Interview
In pairs, Student A is an interviewer; Student B is applying for one of the jobs from the reading (they choose). The interviewer asks at least five questions using the vocabulary and modals from the lesson.
After 5 minutes, swap roles. Then groups of four give brief feedback: "Would you hire them? Why?"
Interaction: Pairs → groups of four.
9. Writing — Dream Job Paragraph
Students write a paragraph (80–100 words) describing their dream job. They must include:
- The job title and main responsibilities
- Two or more modal verbs (must / have to / should / don't need to)
- Why the job appeals to them
Collect or share with a partner for quick peer feedback using the workbook checklist.
Interaction: Individual → peer review.
Error Correction Table
Anticipated errors based on Czech L1 interference and B1-level patterns.
| Wrong | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| He doesn't must work Sundays. | He doesn't have to work Sundays. | No negative of "must" for lack of obligation — use don't have to. |
| You should to apply now. | You should apply now. | Modal verbs are followed by the base infinitive, never to. |
| Nurses must to pass the exam. | Nurses must pass the exam. | Same rule — no to after a modal verb. |
| I have work tomorrow. | I have to work tomorrow. | Obligation requires have to, not just have. |
| You mustn't have experience. | You don't have to have experience. | Mustn't = prohibition; don't have to = no obligation. |
Audio & Transcripts
Tap a transcript to open it. Both recordings still need to be made. Record these two scripts, upload them to the WordPress Media Library, and the players below and in the student workbook will start working — the file paths are already set and need no further editing.
Audio 1My First Job (model)+
Daniel: My first real job was in a hotel kitchen. I was nineteen and I knew nothing. The first thing I learned is that in a kitchen you have to be on time — if you're five minutes late, somebody else has to do your work.
Daniel: There were a lot of rules. We had to wear a clean uniform every day, and we mustn't touch anything without washing our hands first. That one was serious.
Daniel: Some things I didn't have to do, though. I didn't have to work Sundays, and I didn't need to have any qualifications — they trained me.
Daniel: If you want a job like that, my advice is simple. You should ask questions when you don't understand, and you shouldn't pretend you know something you don't. And you mustn't be afraid of hard work, because there is a lot of it.
Daniel: I only stayed a year, but I still use what I learned there every day.
Recording note: one male voice, relaxed and conversational, roughly 60–70 seconds. How to use: play once as a model before the Career Hot Seat speaking activity. Ask students to catch one have to, one don't have to, and one should, then copy the pattern with their own job.
Audio 2A Career Interview (listening task)+
Interviewer: Maria, can you tell us about your job?
Maria: Sure. I'm a software developer — I work fully remote. I design and build software applications.
Interviewer: What do you have to do every day?
Maria: I have to write code, and I have to attend a team meeting every morning at nine. That's non-negotiable.
Interviewer: And what about things you don't have to do?
Maria: I don't have to come to the office — I can work from home. I also don't have to wear formal clothes, which I love!
Interviewer: What advice would you give someone who wants to do this job?
Maria: You should start learning to code now — there are great free resources online. And you mustn't give up when it gets hard, because it will get hard. But it's worth it.
Interviewer: Do you need to have a computer science degree?
Maria: Not always. Many companies just want to see your portfolio. You don't need to have a traditional degree if you can show what you can build.
Recording note: two voices — one interviewer, one female speaker — roughly 70–80 seconds. This is the exact transcript printed in the student workbook, so the audio must match it word for word. How to use: play for gist first ("What's her job?"), then for detail against the five workbook questions.
Fast Finisher & Extension Games
Use these if a group finishes early or needs a more competitive activity.
Job Description Taboo
Each card has a job title plus three banned words. Students describe the job without using the banned words while their group guesses. Example — Nurse (banned: hospital, patient, doctor). First team to guess 10 jobs wins.
Perfect Job Pitch
Students invent a new job that doesn't exist yet (e.g., "Professional Dream Tester"). They write a 3-sentence job ad using must / should / don't have to, then read it to the class. The class votes on which invented job they'd most like to do.
Salary Negotiation Roleplay
Student A is the interviewer offering a salary; Student B negotiates using polite language: "I think the salary should be higher because…" / "Do I have to be in the office every day?" Great for functional language and real-world confidence.
Workbook — Self-Grading Tasks
The student workbook for this unit contains 7 graded tasks (reading, listening, grammar, word order, error correction, writing) plus 10 vocabulary flashcards. Assign for homework, use in class, or let early finishers complete extra tasks for bonus points.
Unit 9 Student Resources
The interactive reading and self-grading workbook are available online for students to access on their phones or computers — in class or at home. No login required.