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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Average: 4.5 (182 votes)
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Submitted by SimonVan on Sat, 16/09/2023 - 04:29

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hi guys, my favourite apps and website for learning is Doulingo and British Council. These apps helps me a lot about my listening skills , my pronunciation and vocabulary.

Submitted by Mararaboni on Thu, 14/09/2023 - 13:42

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I loved my first exercise here! Great method!

Submitted by Anamyszka on Tue, 05/09/2023 - 07:57

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I'm using the British Council to help me polish my English for my IELTS certificate to study abroad. Then I'm using various Youtube channels, f.e. Kurzgesagt (In a Nutshell) to learn about various topics ranging from biology to astronomy. And last but not least I'm using Duolingo to learn French and Spanish.

Submitted by Qendrese Morina on Sun, 03/09/2023 - 16:06

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This is the best learning English website so far.

Submitted by Haroon1679616 on Sat, 02/09/2023 - 08:40

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My favourite apps, especially for learning English, are:
1} British Council
2} BBC Learning English
3} Lingbe
I love these apps and as it has been said, their popularity and usefulness speak for themselves!

Submitted by marcialopes on Wed, 30/08/2023 - 13:58

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My favourite app for language learning is "Busuu", which stands out for its interactive approach. You can write or record your answers, and they will be evaluated by a native speaker of the respective language. Additionally, you will be invited to correct exercises submitted by those learning your mother tongue. This feature is particularly appealing to me as it creates a dynamic where you both receive and offer help.

Submitted by MAYGUE82 on Tue, 29/08/2023 - 20:09

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Hello, my favorite app to study English is the British Council website and Instagram which has a lot of accounts that give tips for learning English and the most important for me at the moment is to improve my pronuntiation. Thanks

Submitted by esranabawy97 on Sun, 27/08/2023 - 15:27

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My favourite apps for learning are British Council and Zamerican English .
They are introducing real materials of English in a simple way . Also, they can introduce free courses to help who want to learn .

Submitted by SANDRINE 46 on Thu, 17/08/2023 - 01:32

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my favorite apps for learning are Youtube and British Council app because in Youtube I can watch videos about French grammar, vocabulary, every-day-life situations. For learning English Britsh council app with many execices for improving my speaking, listening, writing and reading skills

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Submitted by Ramiro Solana on Tue, 08/08/2023 - 22:04

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My favorite is DataCamp. It offers a wide variety of courses for different topics and skills, all related to data science and engineering. It has theoretical and practical lessons so you can learn about data strategies and practices and also how to code in python and sql, as an example. It is also useful for different levels of experience and has many exercises and projects to practice the topics you have learned.