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 German on Fri, 26/03/2021 - 01:24

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I used to have apps on my phone for learning languages like Busuu, British Council, English Listening and others. Now actually I don´t use those apps and I prefer to learn with another ways. There are manyapps in the market but I think that each one must think and check what is it want to learn and search and choose the better option
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Submitted by cassiamattos2013 on Mon, 22/03/2021 - 10:35

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Well, I have some difficulty to learn on line. But I'm trying to user the LearnEnglish plataform.

Submitted by angeloptrp on Sat, 13/03/2021 - 06:19

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Great idea to come up with this kind of website. It's really helpful. Thank you. Cheers!

Submitted by ABRAHAM EMMANUEL on Thu, 25/02/2021 - 21:41

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I like to use "meet up" it is an great app which help you to meet people form everywhere and discuss different topics... I really recomend it to you
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Submitted by Ulbester on Wed, 24/02/2021 - 05:43

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This page is helping me to improve a lot my English level thank you

Hello Ulbester,

We're very happy to hear this -- thanks very much for letting us know!

All the best,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by cittàutopica on Sun, 14/02/2021 - 18:09

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I like learning foreign languages; I've studied French at school, I've learnt English since some years and I'm learning German now, but I don't use any app, because I prefer grammar books and sites as learninglish.

Submitted by marlio96 on Sun, 31/01/2021 - 18:46

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Currently, I am studying for taking the IELTS test, so I use the Prep IELTS app and IELTS 9 BAND to prepare myself for the exam. I like these apps but I think that there must be more apps especially free due to all these have to be paid for.

Submitted by Karen Aguilar on Mon, 25/01/2021 - 23:10

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my favorite app for improving my listening skill is lyrics training, I can practice this skill but also getting new vocabulary.
Hi!, I agree, i think it's the best app to learn new vocabulary with your favorite music... and of course, you also practice listening and speaking... i love it!