Episode 04

Carolina is having some problems with money. What can she do to solve them? Adam and Rob talk about all the different types of weather you have in your countries.

Transcript

Adam and Rob

Both: Hello!

Adam: Welcome back, listeners – and welcome back, Rob! How was your holiday?

Rob: It was really nice, Adam, thanks. I went to Slovenia and the weather was fantastic.

Adam: Sounds great. And the comments you sent about the weather in your countries were great too! Many of you have very hot weather. Abuhekmat in Oman told us about weather that reaches 49 degrees! I can’t imagine being that hot. Fazliddin12 in Uzbekistan sees temperatures of 45 degrees and Saandari in Mongolia told us about weather that was hot, but not quite as hot as Oman, 35 degrees. The big difference in Mongolia is that in winter it reaches -35 degrees! That’s a huge difference between summer and winter.

Rob: That’s very cold. Many of you also wrote to us about cold weather in your countries. Kosovac in Serbia says it can be -20 degrees. ValiantSpirit in Pakistan says it can be -15 degrees. But what is cold? In other countries, maybe it’s a bit different. In El Salvador, Daxrosales says 15 degrees is a cold day, while in Malaysia, Shokmin says 24 degrees is a cold day. You also told us about other weather conditions in your countries. For example, in China Diqiudashi told us about the typhoons that come to the mainland and bring heavy storms.

Adam: Tkazerooni in Iran told us about weather called ‘Wolf & Ewe’. (A ewe is a female sheep.) ‘Wolf & Ewe’ weather is when dark clouds and white clouds are in the sky at the same time. The ‘wolf’ (the dark clouds) chases the ‘ewe’ (the white clouds) and Iranians say that this is very changeable weather, with a very high chance of rain. Remember, you can write to us at www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish or via Facebook – look for ‘Elementary Podcasts’.

Rob: Now, do you remember what happened last time with Carolina, the student from Venezuela at Newcastle University? She returned from her summer holiday and talked with Emily about her new clothes, about missing English and, of course, about her boyfriend Jamie. Let’s see what’s happening this time!

Carolina

Carolina: Let me see. Oh dear. No, that's not right. Emily, what's seventy times twelve?

Emily: What?

Carolina: What's seventy times twelve?

Emily: Err, ten times seventy is seven hundred and two times seventy is a hundred and forty, so that makes erm, eight hundred and forty.

Carolina: What's seventy divided by fifty-two?

Emily: I don't know! I'm trying to read my book! Haven't you got a calculator on your phone?

Carolina: Oh, yes. Oooh. Oh dear!

Emily: What's the matter, Carolina?

Carolina: Nothing.

Emily: It doesn't sound like nothing. I can't read my book with your {big sigh} and {big sigh}. What's the problem?

Carolina: Well, I'm trying to work out my money. My money for the year.

Emily: Your money for the year. Mmm…

Carolina: And it's not very good.

Emily: It's not very good?

Carolina: Well, I haven't got enough.

Emily: You haven't got enough?

Carolina: Stop repeating everything I say!

Emily: Sorry.

Carolina: I don't know what I'm going to do.

Emily: Well, you did spend a lot of money in the summer, didn't you? You bought a lot of clothes and things.

Carolina: Yes. I did. And presents for my family and friends in Venezuela.

Emily: Oh dear. So, how bad is it?

Carolina: A disaster. After I've paid my rent for this room and the electricity and water, and my phone, and my travel card, well - there isn't very much left.

Emily: How much?

Carolina: About 20 pounds a week.

Emily: Twenty pounds a week!

Carolina: You're doing it again.

Emily: Sorry. But twenty pounds a week - you can't live on that. You have to buy food and books…

Carolina: And go out sometimes.

Emily: Can you ask your parents for some money?

Carolina: Oh, no. They've already given me a lot. I can't do that.

Emily: What about…

{doorbell}

Carolina: I'll go. It's probably Jamie.

Carolina: It’s so good to see you.

Jamie: It’s good to see you too. You been OK? Oh, hi Emily!

Emily: Hi Jamie. How's it going?

Jamie: Good, thanks. And you?

Emily: Yep.

Carolina: I'm going to get a job.

Emily and Jamie: Get a job?

Carolina: Now you're both doing it. I have to do something, Jamie. I can't live on the money that I've got for this year.

Jamie: Are you allowed to work here? Don't you need a special visa?

Carolina: No, I can work on my student visa - part-time. I'll check but I think I can work up to 20 hours a week.

Jamie: I'm not sure about this. You need time to study. And to go out and enjoy yourself - with me.

Carolina: I can't go out and enjoy myself if I haven't got any money, can I?

Jamie: I’ve got some money, I can pay.

Carolina: That's it. I've decided. Tomorrow morning I'm going to start looking for a job.

Adam and Rob

Adam: Oh dear. I hope Carolina manages to find a job or some other way to get more money.

Rob: It will be a lot easier for her if she has some experience, if she has done a job before. What was your first job, Adam?

Adam: I worked as a paperboy. That means I delivered newspapers to people’s houses early in the morning. It was quite interesting, although I didn’t have time to read anything more than the headlines. The real problem came when it was raining. What about you?

Rob: I worked as a waiter in a restaurant. It was quite hard work, but I didn’t earn a lot of money, unfortunately. Tell us about your first job. What did you do? Remember, you can write to us at www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish or via Facebook – look for ‘Elementary Podcasts’.

Adam: Now, do you notice anything about these sentences? Have a listen:

Emily: How much?

Carolina: About twenty pounds a week.

Emily: Twenty pounds a week!

Carolina: You’re doing it again!

Jamie: Are you allowed to work here? Don't you need a special visa?

Carolina: No, I can work on my student visa - part-time. I'll check but I think I can work up to 20 hours a week.

Rob: Carolina says she has about twenty pounds a week. She also says she thinks she can work up to twenty hours a week. ‘A week’ means ‘every week’. We use ‘a’ and ‘an’ with other words, too. For example, ‘hour’. I earned three pounds an hour when I was a waiter.

Adam: And I see my family three or four times a year. There will be some exercises about this and other language areas on LearnEnglish. That’s all we’ve got time for today – remember to write to us and tell us about your first job at LearnEnglish or on Facebook.

Rob: We’ll be back next time with Tess & Ravi. So, until then…

Adam and Rob: Bye!

Check your understanding

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Task 1: Matching_NzI4OA==
Task 2: GapFillDragAndDrop_NzI4OQ==
Task 3: GapFillDragAndDrop_NzI5MQ==

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Discussion

Tell us about your first job. What did you do? How much did you earn and what did you spend your pay on? Was it difficult or enjoyable? How did you get it?

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Language level

Intermediate (B1)

Hello Muhammad Erad,

Most people use the words interchangeably, but I think cemetery is a more general term and can be associated with a religious building or be part of the town (a municipal cemetery). Graveyard is more specifically associated with the part of a church's land which is used as a cemetery.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

After I have graduated from university ,i've got a training year in a health ministry, and they was paying me 250 pound a month

Hello Sir! 'Punishment for speaking about worldly matters at mosque'. Is it grammatically correct?

Hello Muhammad Erad

That looks correct to me, though it really depends on the context it's used in.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

When I was about twelve years old, I started to work as an assistant painter, helping my father with his building jobs.So, the money wasn't the most important thing for me, of course, but at that time, I started to realise the value of job, the difficulties my father had to pass through in order to support our poor family and provide our livelihood,and at the same time, the social injustice and exploitation of ordinary workers, like my dad...Later, during my university years, I started to work as a musicin playing the piano and singing at nights. I earned enough money to support my studies, and so I manage to relieve my family.That was my first musical step and they followed others until I finally became a professional musician...

"The teacher is to teach" Is it correct?

Hello Muhammad Erad

Yes, that is a grammatically correct phrase, though, depending on what you mean, it might be best to avoid wording it this way.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

My first job was a technical support (IT) to users. At least it was what I thought :) I was excited because I liked very much to resolve issues with computers but given that my knowledge was limted, my team leader began to make me write just computer' serial numbers to create a local database. So, It was very boring but in the meantime I tried to steal with eyes everything I can from other technicians' experience. I got it after my accountant diploma...yes, I know, it's totally different but I had a big passion for computers. I was a self-taught. I worked in different cities of Italy and my salary wasn't very high but I was 22, so it was enough to be able to go out sometimes with friends, buy something, etc.

1) May God bless him! 2) May! God bless him! 3) God bless him! 4) May he be blessed by God! 'Exclamation mark' is common in all four sentences but I am confused with usage. Which one is correct and is there any better way to write same sentence. Kindly guide me.

Hello Muhammad Erad,

The exclamation mark should come at the end of the sentence, so (2) is not correct.

I think the most common form for this would be (3). This is something that religious people often say. (1) is also fine, but (4) sounds very formal and old-fashioned to me. It might be appropriate in certain contexts (a poem, a prayer or a literary work, for example), however.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello Sir, I want to ask what are 'gerents'

Hello Muhammad Erad

It's difficult to say without knowing the context, but I suppose 'gerent' is another way of saying 'manager'. I don't see the word on this page; does that make sense for the context you saw it in? Please note that this word appears to no longer be in common use.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

My first job was a workman of food processing industry in my fifteen’s summer vocation.The factory’s products are many types of fried shredded squids.The smell of the factory’s around was very terrible. I worked eight hours one day from monday to friday. When I came home, what I want to do most was go to take a shower and lying in me bed as soon as I could. That makes me get about fifteen thousand a month. I think it was a little hard work for a junior high school student, but it was a precious experience for me to know making money by self is not simple.

When I earned first money my job was a mason. And I worked through only two weeks.

My first job was a waitress in the restaurant when I was a student. It was so hard and tired work, I had to stand and move all time (from 4 PM to 11 PM). The salary was small. And I spent it on my studying. Now I have a better job but I can't forget that time.

Hi everyone! Firstly, I'd like to thank British council and all its members for such a wonderful site! I've got my first job when I was also a student. It was a sausage company and I was a merchandiser. My colleagues and I organised degustations in supermarkets. Of course the salary was very small, but we tasted a lot of sausages...)) P.S. Carolina's voice is so pleasant!!!

My first job was in a deparment store at the grocery section. I got this job when I was at the University. I had to lie because they didn't wanted to give me the job due to I was studying, so I had to said that I was quit the university. At the begining it was boring, but I learned about follow a schedul, and work at night shifts. The payment wasn't good, but I saved that money and I spend in the next year of the university.

My the first job was a streat cleaner. I sweeped foliadge, cleaned snow,planted flowers. We hade a friendly team and had a fan there so i liked this job. My salary was about 1$an hour and we worked 2 hours a day. I was 13 and despite my age i was saysfied tsese salary.

Hello everyone, My first job was selling gas tanks. In my country, people use gas tanks (about 25kg of total weight) for their cooking. My job was bringing these gas tanks to client's of houses. Because of my family situation, I worked that job since I was in grade 8. And that work gives me good experiences up to now.

Hello my first work was be a teacher in a High School. I study System Analyst Degree and I was teaching computing. Also the students at this high school had a specialization in business and commerce so I teach them things regarding use of spread for bussiness analysis and metrics. Also we participate with some groups of Computer Olympic and we got the 2nd place at the national level !!! I was really happy!

My firts job was a help hand in a clay target shooting field, it was great because the salary was good the tips were very nice. the problem was the workday was large, 12 o 14 hours by seasons o championships, mainly weekends, I´was studying in the high school so it was no problem, my pay was to help to my famili mainly and a little for me, I don´t remember what i bought with it, i think was clothes.

Well, if I were Carolina, I'd save more, for example, I'd spend less on electricity (turn off the lights, fridge, maybe), gas, and water, and ask the landowner to put off her rents for a little... Carolina is still a student, so she shouldn't work for money but study more!

Now I have study at university but in the future I want psychology doctor or some job about it

My first job was a worker at the construction site it was not so easy and not so hard I earned enough money from this, which I had spent on different things.

My first job - which I am still working now - is a medical analysis specialist. The salary is not satisfied compared with the effort and the stress of working in the medical field, so I am working on improving my English in order to have a job by teaching it to adults. I spend my money for food, clothes, travelling and save some for sudden circumstances. I am also searching for ideas to invest my savings.

Hello I have typed texts and taken money. It was my first job and I found it when I was a undergraduate student. Of course in my country people don't work under 18 years old unless they have to.Plus children life with their parent until their marriage. I think that's why children don't get a job when they are teen! Thanks for your great courses

There is a word 'Houri' and it means 'woman of paradise' but it does not exist in British English Dictionary. Is it correct word or is there any other word? Regards

Hello Muhammad,

I couldn't find 'houri' in the Cambridge Dictionary, but it was in the Oxford Dictionary. There's also an entry for it in the Wikipedia. My guess is that many native speakers wouldn't be familiar with it, so it would probably be a good idea to define it.

All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team

Hello Series 3 number 4 task 5 My first job I worked at durodont which was a company that produced beauty products (cosmetics). Several decades have passed since I worked there but I guess the wage was perhaps 9 DM. That would be 4.50 € now. I got the job because my father worked there as a worker. One job I did was to make cartons and stick a label on them. A worker wanted that I work more slowly so that they don't have to work faster too. I've made more boxes than they later needed. It wasn't difficult at all. It wasn't loud or dirty. There was a canteen with cold drinks. The food was disgusting. Bye

Hi i am french i worked when i was teenager To pay my driving licence i looked after children string the summer and others holidays That was great inspite of few children was ont really Nice That is a big responsability for a young people of 17 or 18 years old

Hello My first job was part-time job at MacDonald when I was a high school student. I became to be allowed to work on part-time when I went on to high school. so I decided to work at MacDonald where is near my house and my brother worked at the same place before. So I started working there after school. but the payment was so very bad like almost the lowest price in my town. and it was quite hard work and too busy during rush time. so I quit MacDonald pretty quickly. I think I worked there for about three or four months only. but good thing was I could eat a lot of burgers and chips after work.

My first nob was in a shoe-store when I was 14.

Hello there! My first job was as a room attendant in a big hotel. I was an intern from school - that's how I get the job. At first it was very hard because the working hours were a lot and there was a lot of work, but after a couple of months it started to get easier and I had a lot of fun because I could see a lot of interesting things such as people's customs.

What is the difference between stroll and walk? Please guide me.

Hello Muhammad Erad,

Strolling is a specific kind of walking -- if you follow the link you can see a definition for it. Most people walk much more often than they stroll.

All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team

My first job has been when I was 15 years old. I worked in a supermarket as a cashier. A cashier is a person handling payments and receipts in a store, bank, or other business. I found the job by myself.

Hello! My first job I was waiter. Was it enjoyable and today I am teacher of Tecnologies. In that time I don't have problem with my payment because i lived with my parents and of course they help me in my studies and payed my books. Today I live with my family and i have two son and is a pleasure same happen that my parents did for me. Thank team!

My first job was to take care off mentally handicapped people. The money was okay, but that was less important. I really liked this job. My mother worked at the same company. So it was really easy to get the job. Most of the money i spent partying with friends.

Hello everyone, My first job was when I was fifteen. I started working as an assistant in a store selling fabrics, especially curtains. We cut the fabric and prepared the curtain, then we installed it in the client's house. I was lucky to have a legal salary for my working life and retirement pension. Regards

Good morning everyone, My first job with pay, was in Fuerteventura, Canary Islands in Spain, I worked as machine washe in kichen of a hotel, and after four months I began a water in a restaurant. I have a good experience with this job because I haven't contract but the company payed me regularly and correctly,

I was waiting my conclusion of universty exam. I found a job while I was waiting. I worked at a stationary shop. I was working eleven houes a day. It was horrible and owners of stationary shop were very rude. I couldn't bear more and I quited job. There was two days for getting my salary. I don't know what I did with the salary. Then, I promised myself that I never work like these jobs and with these people.

Hey everyone, my first job was horrible, I worked in a supermarket. I met many people, such as bad people, such as good people, that experience was really traumatic because I didn't know how to behave in that environment, I tought that people they would be nice with me, I was deep mistaken, they was really fake and stupid with me. But now, I'm studying in the best university of the city and that people who wanted my bad, well, they suffering the consequences of their actions. Peace!

My first job wasn't really exciting, I was a valet parking, but not a normal one. I had only to say to people: "You can park here for no more than 1 hour". I was 15 and I gained 5€/hour, not much but enough for that age

Hello before studying business trade. I worked with my step-father as his delivering-fish assistance, we used to a place where the fish arrives in barranquilla, the we had to delivery them to all the store into the city, we used to started at 6:00 am and ended around 10-11 am, the payment was quit good, I was taught of many good maner which are made good thing in me like a be responsable, get early when I must work next day and how to spend my money. greeting from Colombia.

Hi, After I had finished the university, I worked in a private hospital's laboratory as a biologist. This was my first job. I initially was getting tired very much because I'm unexperience in using laboratory instruments and trying to learn everything which was related to laboratory. Although I didn't earn a lot of money and working hours were very long, I gained much experience so I was happy.

Hi everyone. My first work had been when I was twenty four years old. I have just finished university in Poland. It was my first work and it was horrible. I worked only three months. I worked as debt collector in private company. My chief wanted only money. I worked from eight a.m to four p.m. All day I only called to clients and talked "When you will give back money to my company; When you will pay for something". Once I went by car to my client and I crashed this car and that I just finished this work. Now I was thirty seven years and since ten years working for polish government as office worker.

Hi, When i was 12 year old in my 7th std, i wanted to buy a video gamer so i decided to go to work on my annual holidays, then i used to work for a shop as helping boy where cloths are sold. I worked there for about 15 days as i didn't want to continue working and i was paid 10 rs a day , that is fun when i think about it and a good memorable event that it was my first job.

When I was younger, I used to work on holidays with my grandfather in his farm, I wasn't paid for it and was really difficult because it's a hard work to do, you need strength and you have to deal with animals (oxen, horses), be patient and persistent. We farmed corn, wheat and barley. Those were lovely days where I really learned the value of working.

When I was 13 year old,I liked to do craft work of wool,bamboo sticks etc.which also I was sold to my neighbors.they were given me money for that and I was enjoyed it a lot. In collage days I was taking home tuition as a part time job. Home tuition means goes to little students home and teach them.The money earned from tuition was helped me to purchase books for my collage study and other things also. I was enjoyed all these experience a lot. British council ,what do you think about my experiences and about my English also ?

Hello diazykiran,

Thank you for your comment. It's great to read about people's lives and experiences. We have users from all over the world and I'm sure many of them are interested to know how people in other countries live.

We don't correct comments here on LearnEnglish as we simply have too many to even attempt. If I can make a suggestion then I think you might take a look at active and passive voice and then take another look at your comment above to see which verbs should be passive and which active.

Best wishes,

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team