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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Profile picture for user El Cuy Mágico

Submitted by El Cuy Mágico on Mon, 25/01/2021 - 21:18

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I used to use two apps for learning English. First I used Spotify, I know its specially for listening music but I found a podcast where the host read a short story slowly, this podcast offered a text as well. Then I could read as I listened. I also used to use Anki in my phone, it helped me to remember some words.

Submitted by ceryan41 on Tue, 19/01/2021 - 10:04

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Predicament is very insteresting word which means If you are in a predicament, you are in an unpleasant situation that is difficult to get out of.

Submitted by Blue Sky 2021 on Fri, 08/01/2021 - 17:35

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I love any app full of useful exercises and tests, which can help to improve my bits of knowledge and skills.
Profile picture for user Zhasulan

Submitted by Zhasulan on Tue, 05/01/2021 - 15:24

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Hello everyone. My favourite educational app is lecturio for medical students.Because I am a student of Medical University from Kazakhstan and I study in the Kazakh.The lecturio app there are famous of profession with a lot of experience and a lot ofthings to learn.

Submitted by Layria on Sat, 02/01/2021 - 21:03

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At this moment my favourite app for learning is Busuu. I´m studying french and it is really easy to use and helps me to improve vocabulary because some colleagues from all over the world can correct your mistakes.

Submitted by sonlenfq on Sat, 02/01/2021 - 01:09

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I'm a big fan of the English conversion app. It's helping me learn English everday.

Submitted by Diogo1606 on Sat, 02/01/2021 - 00:52

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Well, I can say my favorite app for learning English is Duolingo. It helps you starting from the very basics 'til the most complex activities. Every activity you complete grant you some xp, that puts you in a rank with another students, so it's almost like a game. The app still has short stories for you to train your listening.

Submitted by Saad786 on Fri, 01/01/2021 - 12:44

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My favorite app or website for learning is ilmkidunya , it is very helpful for me. I can understand all my subjects on it. The teachers give understandable lectures which not only makes us memories our topic but also improves our human intellect.

Submitted by Saad786 on Wed, 30/12/2020 - 15:44

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The most successful app or website I founded for learning English is British council. I am really improving my English.