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 duduzalem on Fri, 19/01/2024 - 18:37

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My favorite app to learn english at the moment is duolingo.

Submitted by javy lopez on Tue, 16/01/2024 - 21:41

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I don't have a favorite app because i can't use this apps for my life style is am very bussy and i haven't time

Submitted by edgar Leyva on Fri, 12/01/2024 - 21:26

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I think this is the best english app for learning or my englishlab because you have all you need information of how to do it and if you do it wrong the app told you where you are wrong

Submitted by AhmetGoktepe on Sat, 06/01/2024 - 10:17

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Speak Pal is useful app to practise English speaking. I can match up with numerous people who use this app to talk about somethings. However, these people's native language are usually not English. Actually, it is not a predicement situation because their English level can be better or worse than mine so I can learn somethings new from them or teach them.

Submitted by iepenarandao96 on Sun, 24/12/2023 - 04:27

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I don´t have a favorite learning app at the moment. Some time ago I used Duolingo, but I did not like it, because the method that it uses to teach languages is just memorization, but Duolingo don´t try to explain some basic things. I would be glad if you could give me some recommendations.

Submitted by amroelwan.com on Sun, 03/12/2023 - 20:01

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My favourite app is the British council because it helps me learn and study for IELTS test and English generally and students can study and parents can rely on this app for learning

You’ve got a point there.for me British council platform helps a lot to learn and practice English .

Submitted by samtawil on Tue, 28/11/2023 - 10:36

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My favourite app for learning is Busuu .
Because it 's to clear , easy to use ,and I don't need to spend lots of time on it 5 minuets is enough every day .

Profile picture for user Jlengerke

Submitted by Jlengerke on Mon, 27/11/2023 - 22:44

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Recently, I've been immersed in using the IELTS practice app to enhance my English skills. This application has proven invaluable in helping me learn and memorize new, useful words, thus expanding my vocabulary. When it comes to honing my listening and speaking abilities, I turn to the HelloTalk App. This platform is exceptionally beneficial because it allows me to connect and socialize with other language learners, providing a valuable opportunity to learn from diverse perspectives.