UNIT 2

CHOSSING A JOB

COUNTDOWN

I. Read the profiles of people talking about their jobs. Match the profiles a - h with jobs 1 – 8.

a. I buy and sell shares on stock market in New York.

b. I advise companies about mergers, finance and raising money from investors.

c. I have to investigate company accounts to check if they are true and accurate.

d. I manage the daily cash flow of the company.

e. In my jobs I serve customers who come into the branch to withdraw cash or open accounts.

f. I analyze companies and sectors and I forecast trends in the trend of economy.

g. I help companies to prepare accounts and advise on tax.

h. I advise customers on the best place to find their insurance for their car or flat.

1. An equity trader a

2. A customer advisor in a bank

3. An insurance broker

4. An accountant

5. An investment banker

6. An auditor

7. A company treasure

8. An analyst

II. Work in pairs. Which of the job in I

 Appeals you the most

 Requires the longest training
 Is the most stressful
 Is the best paid

III. What are you looking for a job? Which four of these features are most important to you? Rank
the features 1-4 (1= most important)

 To work in a local company near my home

 To work in a large international company
 To work long hours but get a big salary
 To have evenings and weekends free
 To work directly with customers and public
 To work with statistics and tables
 To work with companies financial accounts
 To work on the financial markets
 To have a lot of responsibility early in my career
IV. Work in groups of three of four. Explain your choices to your partners and decide together
which of the jobs suit you the best.

VOCABULARY

Describing a Job

Complete the sentences with the best verb.

In my job I have to

a. advise

b. answer

c. serve

1. customers on their choice of financial products

2. customers who need cash or to make payments

3. telephone enquiries

d. analyse

e. forecast

f. set

4. what will happen to consumer demand for the next twelve months

5. the financial results for last year

6. a budget for spending in each department

READING SECTION

What Can You Expect From a Career in Banking?

You are going to read one report from a university magazine on career in banking. Helen works
in the corporate finance department of an investment bank. Discuss these questions in pairs:

a. What do you think about the job?

b. What skills do you think job needs?

HELEN MARSHALL (2003 -2006)

ANALYST, MORGAN STRAITS

If you join an investment bank as a graduate trainee, you can expect to work long hours. It’s part of
the culture. My day starts at about 8.00 am. When I check my email and voicemail to see who wants
information immediately. It can continue until about 1.00 in the morning if we are working on a big
merger. Fortunately, I live only twenty minutes from the bank. I usually get my main work from my
boss at the daily team meeting at 10 o’clock, which can be a comparative analysis of companies or
completing a review of a loan application for a big company.

As an analyst, you need to be good at statistic because you spend a lot of the day working at the
computer on tables or spreadsheets. It’s also important to be well organized and a good team player
because you depend on colleagues to meet deadlines.

It is a very exciting job because you learn very quickly and they are good at giving you training – I
have already done courses on how to value companies and on accountancy. But there is not much
chance of meeting with customers so you can feel isolated at times. After a year, I still love the
excitement of the job and the salary is great, USD 50.000, But if you are thinking of joining an
investment bank, make sure you are well motivated and good at computer skills before you start.

LANGUAGE FOCUS

Present Simple VS Present Continuous

A. Look at the sentences

I am well organized

I start work at 9.00 am

I work for an insurance company

This week, I am preparing a report for my manager

In my country, the markets close at 5.00 pm

We are not receiving any mail due to the current postal strike.

Complete the rules with present simple or present continuous

1. We use the to talk about our skills and abilities.

2. We use the to talk about daily routines.

3. We use the to talk about what we are doing “now” or what is happening “now”

4. We use the to talk about the facts

5. We use the to talk about temporary situations and arrangements

B. Jilly Atkins, the bond trader, receives a call from another broker. Complete the
dialogue using the correct from of the form of the verbs in brackets.

Ed : Hi, Jilly, are you having (you / have)a busy day?

Jilly : Of course, you know this job, Ed. There’s always something going on. This morning the
markets (go up), but I (lose) money on a dollar trade.

Ed : What do you normally do for lunch? (you / have) it in canteen?

Jilly : Oh, I usually (go) to a restaurant, but today I (not / do)

anything special.

Ed : (you/want) to meet up for lunch? I (have) a few ideas

I want to talk about. I’ve heard the Japanese government (think) about
changing its policy on currency reserves. Usually, they (begin) to
move into euros. It could be interesting.
 UNIT 1
GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

AGE

PERSONAL
INFORMATION HOBBY
ADDRESS

I. Introduce yourself and ask your friends’ personal information:

‘My name is

Seek permission for asking questions: ‘Would you like to tell me about yourself?’

Ask the following questions:

• What is your name?

• Where are you from?

• Tell me one interesting or funny thing about the people who live in your neighbourhood.

• How many members are there in your family?

• Where do you live?

• What is your favourite dish?

• Do you often listen to music?

• Is there any particular song that you love to listen to again and again?

• What is your zodiac sign?

• What are the alleged strengths and weaknesses of people born under your star sign?

II. Listen to the conversation below and practice it with your friends

Jeri: Hello. Can I sit here next to you?

Jessica: Of course, you can. You are the new student, aren’t you

Jeri: Yes, my name is Jeri. Jeri Hogarth.

Jessica: I’m Jessica Jones. Where are you from Jeri?

Jeri: I’m from New York. My family moved here because of my father’s job. How about
you?

Jessica: I am from California. Do you like it here?

Jeri: Well, so far it’s been nice. Going to a new school is nerve wrecking, but I’ve only
met nice people so far.

Jessica: You seem nice. You’ll make a lot of friends. You can sit next to me on the next
class.

III. Create a conversation in pairs and ask him / her about his/her personal information
and write it in a piece of paper