A business interview

A business interview

Listen to the business interview to practise and improve your listening skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.

Preparation

Transcript

Presenter: Welcome to today's show. We're very happy to have Anna Oliveira as our guest today. Anna is the creator and founder of HomeworX – spelled with an 'x' we should note – an app which helps teenagers with their homework. Thanks for coming in, Anna.

Anna: Thanks for having me.

Presenter: So, tell us about your app. How does it work?

Anna: Well, teenagers and their parents have numerous challenges when it comes to homework these days. In many families both parents work and don't have much available time to help their kids with their homework. And even if they do have time to help, they may not be able to offer support with the content. What I mean is, they may not know, or at least remember, enough in any given subject to support.

Presenter: You mean they might not be able to remember complex maths or might have never studied certain subjects, such as biology or economics, themselves?

Anna: Exactly. So they might want to support their children with their homework, but have neither the time nor the knowledge to do so.

Presenter: I see. So the app helps solve this problem?

Anna: Yes, and more. The next issue is that tutors can be expensive, and there may be long waiting lists for specialist tutors in the town or region you live in. Our HomeworX app brings students and tutors together online. Students can search a database of pre-approved tutors and sign up for live online support. They don't need to be in the same town or city.

Presenter: That sounds really great.

Anna: It is. And this approach also enables us to offer the tutoring services at lower prices because there's no travelling time involved for the tutor to get to the student's home. And tutors who live in remote areas are happy to get access to more students, and be able to work from home, even at lower rates.

Presenter: This all sounds great. So, how did you come up with the idea?

Anna: Well, as you might guess, I was one of those parents I described earlier. I really wanted to help my son with his homework, but I was either too busy with work or I didn't actually know anything about the subjects he was having difficulty with. Also, we live in an area where there aren't many tutors and the ones that are there are either very expensive or have long waiting lists.

Presenter: Yes. I can understand your predicament. Well, it sounds like a very useful app that is clearly meeting a need. And its popularity obviously speaks for itself.

Anna: Thank you.

Presenter: So, do you have plans for the future?

Anna: We've just secured some funding and hope to expand the range of services we offer using the app.

Presenter: We wish you the best of luck. Thanks again for coming in. That was Anna Oliveira, founder of the tutoring app HomeworX (with an 'x', don't forget!), which is available for both Apple and Android devices. Join us again next week for another business interview. Have a great week, everyone. 

Task 1

Task 2

Discussion

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Submitted by Daniela2002 on Tue, 13/02/2024 - 16:01

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I can't listen to the audios :( they don't play :(. Has somebody the same problem?

Hello Daniela2002,

I've checked the page and the audio is playing correctly, so the problem must be a connection or compatibility issue. A good way to test this is to try accessing the page on a different device (ideally a computer rather than a tablet or phone). If it works then the problem is related to the device and/or its settings.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

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Submitted by JerryKhaing on Thu, 01/02/2024 - 04:32

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My favourite learning app is SFUx set up by Strategy First University. It has so many courses like business, economics, marketing and so on. The reason why I like this app is that the courses on this app that I mentioned before are very useful for my career path. and it is very affordable and easy to study.

Submitted by jprecreativo on Sun, 28/01/2024 - 16:12

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I got used to learn with Busuu. The lessons are shorts but they are useful enough for making progress.

Submitted by Imamczadvancee… on Wed, 24/01/2024 - 05:33

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My favourite platorm to improve my english skill is britis council website. i like studying in this website because there's a lot knowledge here with free of charge and can suitable with our level. Nice, keep it up!

Submitted by sandroger on Tue, 23/01/2024 - 15:34

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My favourite app for learning a new language is Duolingo. But I don't think it is a good app for a B2 level, then in that case, the British council app is much more efficient.

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Submitted by natinnatnat on Mon, 22/01/2024 - 01:53

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My favorite app is Duolingo. I find it very entertaining because of the cute and well-made animations.

Submitted by Eirinikós Dorie on Sun, 21/01/2024 - 18:00

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My favourite app for learning English is ELSA Speak, one of the best choices for self-studying learners. And the website I like best is British Council.

Thanks you for supporting me with free lessons. Great kindness!!