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

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Discussion

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Average: 4.5 (270 votes)

Submitted by dianacaparicio on Tue, 19/05/2020 - 19:32

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Although learning may seem complicated through an app, I believe my favorite, for educational purposes, is Quizlet. Here, I’ve found flashcards that have helped me study for all the subjects. Not only have I been able to shed light on topics I didn’t understand, but also, I’ve practiced for exams. It has helped me with memorizing, understanding and homework itself. Quizlet has given me access to thousands of study plans so that I could have everything I need to know before a test.

Submitted by Madeline on Tue, 19/05/2020 - 19:31

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My favorite app for learning languages is Duolingo. It is very easy to use, it motivates you to continue. It also has every type of exercises from listening and writing up to speaking and translating. It is actually very effective and you can spend just 5 minutes if you don´t have time, or maybe a whole day if you want. You can also learn several languages at the time and still learn correctly the languages.

Submitted by jsanchezv on Mon, 18/05/2020 - 16:57

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Hi dear all, with respect to the question, my favorite app for learning (Languages) is maybe Duolingo, but, sometimes it is stressful since you can't interact with other people by the cellphone (I mean, I know that exist the app in the computer, but, it is easier to use the phone instead PC) In the case to learn other subjects such biology, maths among other, I don't have an app, since when I learnt these subjects I didn't have access to internet and for this reason my way for learning was only by reading books and by personal classes. Greetings to all!

Submitted by Janiere on Mon, 11/05/2020 - 20:56

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Well. I already used one APP to communicate me with other people. When I need more information about some subject, I search on internet or Youtube.

Submitted by Ahmadbassam on Sat, 09/05/2020 - 13:49

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There are many apps I ussually use to learn english. Cram and Zamarican English are the most favorite apps for me. Cram is the best way to study new words. You can write the words and review them by Flash Card Tichnic. Z amarican is good to study Grammer and improve communication skills.

Submitted by rscardua on Thu, 07/05/2020 - 13:09

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To practice my speaking skills I like to use Cambly. There I have aces to many English tutors who are online to start a conversation. I use it three times a week. To practice my reading and listening skills I like to use Learn English or TED ED. And finally, to practice my writing skills I like to give comments after all my exercises here at Learn English, besides writing emails for my job.

Submitted by Marly on Wed, 06/05/2020 - 21:27

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Hi, I think this app useful now at this time ,after Covid19 ,in my country we were studying online and as i am work online i cant have time to teach my son so i need someone to help me .

Submitted by begumoz on Sat, 02/05/2020 - 20:48

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I really love to use British Council app which helps improve English daily day.

Submitted by Roberta75 on Fri, 01/05/2020 - 16:03

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I'm trying the British Council tools for free and I'm enjoying them!

Submitted by yoyoraw on Thu, 30/04/2020 - 21:39

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I prefer using an app called The Way, which is very similar to the app homeworkx that is mentioned in the podcast. It offers tutors for all kind of subjects in a very convenient price, and also if you sign up it gives you a free month to try it so i really recommend it .