Lesson goal: Students can discuss career development, workplace relationships and redundancy, and describe workplace situations using participle clauses.
Add the lesson to get your own copies of the word set and exercises; the lesson opens in the builder, where you can adjust the steps and teach it.
Lesson plan
- 1
Warm-up
Questions to get the student talking and lead into the topic.
- What did you want to be when you were a child?
- Is a high salary the most important thing in a job?
- What makes someone a good boss?
- Would you rather work for a big company or a small start-up?
- 2
New words
Meet the words and practise them in games.
FlashcardsRoll the dicepromotion · redundant · qualification · workload · deadline · networking · probation period · appraisal · perk · micromanage · delegate · burn the midnight oil · climb the career ladder · severance package · work ethic
All words in the set - 3
Exercises
The lesson's words in context. Only you see the answers.
- Fill the gap
When the factory closed, three hundred staff were made ___.
Answer: redundant - Fill the gap
My manager checks every email I send. I hate being ___.
Answer: micromanaged - Fill the gap
___ been promoted twice in a year, she was the obvious choice for head of department.
Answer: Having - Fill the gap
___ by the size of her workload, the new manager started delegating more.
Answer: Overwhelmed - Multiple choice
The company gave him six months' pay when he lost his job. This was his ...
severance packageappraisalprobation periodperk - Multiple choice
We had to ___ to finish the report on time: we were still working at 2 a.m.
burn the midnight oilclimb the career laddercall the shotscut corners - Multiple choice
Which sentence uses a participle clause correctly?
Walking into the interview, my phone started ringing.Walking into the interview, I heard my phone start ringing.Walked into the interview, I heard my phone ringing. - True / false
Read: "Having spent ten years at the same firm, Lena was passed over for promotion again. Rather than complain, she invested in networking, gained a new qualification and was headhunted by a competitor within a year." Lena got the promotion she wanted at her original firm.
Answer: False - True / false
Read the text again. Networking helped Lena change her career.
Answer: True - Discussion question
Is it better to stay with one employer and climb the career ladder, or change jobs every few years? Argue your position.
Sample answer: Having worked for three companies, I'd argue that moving every few years pays off. Each move brought a promotion and a pay rise that I'd never have got by waiting for an annual appraisal. Staying put does build loyalty and a reputation for a strong work ethic, though, so it depends on the industry.
- Fill the gap
- 4
Speaking
The student answers using the new words.
- Which matters more for career success: qualifications or networking?
- How should a manager tell staff that some of them will be made redundant?
- What perks would make you accept a lower salary?
- Is a strong work ethic the same as working long hours?
- Where would you like to be in your career in ten years?
- 5
Review
A quiz on the lesson's words. With a student, it's homework on their link.
Quiz