Unit 10
Activity Book, Page 51
An interview about Stepping into the business world
Stepping into the business world Business Studies is a popular choice for students who are choosing a degree course in the UK. After graduating, some go on for further study, but most of them take up employment. Many large companies offer graduate training schemes, which are a kind of apprenticeship. We went to meet twenty-two-year-old Ricky Miles, who is about to graduate in the subject. How long have you been studying Business Studies, Ricky? It's a four-year course, including two periods of work experience. Each one lasted six months, but they weren't in the same year. What exactly have you studied over those four years? Quite a lot! Maths, of course, Accounting, Finance and Economics. Oh yes, Marketing and Sales, too. I also did a course in Management, which is about recruiting and managing staff, and how to deal with conflict, and a course in Advertising. We all had to do IT, too, because computer skills are essential. What did you most enjoy about the degree? The work experience, definitely. I learnt so much, both times, and of course, it looks great on my curriculum vitae. One of the companies offered me paid work last summer, so I managed to get even more experience that way. Also, I wouldn't have had much money last year if I hadn't had that job! What kind of company was that, and what did you do there? It was a company that provides financial products – savings and pensions, mostly. At first, I just "shadowed" different people, watching what they were doing. Then I did quite a lot of checking for them – you know, checking their calculations. When I went back in the summer, I was in the sales department. My job was to follow up web enquiries and send out further information to possible clients. I enjoyed it, and I wouldn't have had that opportunity if I hadn't done the work experience first. What are you planning to do next? I've just applied for a job with a bank. I have the right qualifications, but I know there will be a lot of other applicants. I'll just have to wait and see if I get an interview. If I do, I'll have to prepare really carefully. |
Explanation
pensions |
money you save over your lifetime to pay for your old age |
web enquiries |
online questions |
calculations |
Maths, work with numbers |
recruiting |
finding suitable employees |
marketing |
promoting your product, finding customers |
Curriculum vitae |
a short, written description of a person's qualifications |
work experience |
a period of time that someone spends working in a particular place. |
qualification |
official records of achievement awarded upon the successful completion of a course. |
Business management |
an area of study which involves learning about running company |
Stepping into the business world
Business Studies is a popular choice for students who are choosing a degree course in the UK. After graduating, some go on for further study, but most of them take up employment. Many large companies offer graduate training schemes, which are a kind of apprenticeship. We went to meet twenty-two-year-old Ricky Miles, who is about to graduate in the subject. |
- The popular choice for students who are choosing a degree course in the UK is Business Studies.
- There are two choices for students after graduating:
1. going on for further study
2. taking up employment
- Companies offer graduate training schemes.
- The graduate training schemes are a kind of apprenticeship.
- The twenty-two-year-old Ricky Miles is about to graduate in Business Studies.
- The underlined word 'which' in the text above refers to graduate training schemes.
- The underlined word 'who' in the text above refers to Ricky Miles.
How long have you been studying Business Studies, Ricky? It's a four-year course, including two periods of work experience. Each one lasted six months, but they weren't in the same year. What exactly have you studied over those four years? Quite a lot! Maths, of course, Accounting, Finance and Economics. Oh yes, Marketing and Sales, too. I also did a course in Management, which is about recruiting and managing staff, and how to deal with conflict, and a course in Advertising. We all had to do IT, too, because computer skills are essential. |
- Business Studies is a four-year course.
- Business Studies includes two periods of work experience.
- Each work experience lasted six months.
- The two periods of work experience weren't in the same year.
- Ricky Miles has studied many courses over those four years, such as Maths, Accounting, Finance, Economics, Marketing, Sales, Management, Advertising and IT.
- The Management course, is about recruiting, managing staff, and how to deal with conflict.
- IT is a very important course because computer skills are essential.
- The underlined word 'they' in the text above refers to two periods of work experience.
- The underlined word recruiting means finding suitable employees.
- The underlined word marketing means promoting your product, and finding customers.
What did you most enjoy about the degree? The work experience, definitely. I learnt so much, both times, and of course, it looks great on my curriculum vitae. One of the companies offered me paid work last summer, so I managed to get even more experience that way. Also, I wouldn't have had much money last year if I hadn't had that job! |
- Ricky Miles enjoyed the work experience most of all.
- The work experience looks great on his curriculum vitae.
- A company offered Ricky Miles paid work last summer
- Ricky Miles had a lot of money because he had a job at a company.
- The underlined phrase work experience means a period of time that someone spends working in a particular place.
- The underlined word 'it' in the text above refers to The work experience.
- The underlined word 'I' in the text above refers to Ricky Miles.
What kind of company was that, and what did you do there? It was a company that provides financial products – savings and pensions, mostly. At first, I just "shadowed" different people, watching what they were doing. Then I did quite a lot of checking for them – you know, checking their calculations. When I went back in the summer, I was in the sales department. My job was to follow up web enquiries, and send out further information to possible clients. I enjoyed it, and I wouldn't have had that opportunity if I hadn't done the work experience first. |
- Ricky Miles worked in a company that provides financial products.
- The financial products are savings and pensions.
- Pensions are money you save over your lifetime to pay for your old age.
- Ricky Miles shadowed(kept his eye on) different people, because he wanted to know what they were doing.
- Ricky Miles did quite a lot of checking for them(checking their calculations).
- Ricky Miles worked in the sales department.
- Ricky Miles's job was to follow up web enquiries and send out further information to possible clients.
- Web enquiries are online questions.
- " Ricky Miles wouldn't have had that opportunity if he hadn't done the work experience first" this sentence means that Ricky Miles did the work experience first so he had that opportunity.
- The underlined word 'calculations' means Maths, work with numbers.
- The underlined word 'they' in the text above refers to people.
- The underlined word 'them' in the text above refers to people.
- The underlined word 'it' in the text above refers to the job.
- The underlined word 'I' in the text above refers to Ricky Miles.
What are you planning to do next? I've just applied for a job with a bank. I have the right qualifications, but I know there will be a lot of other applicants. I'll just have to wait and see if I get an interview. If I do, I'll have to prepare really carefully. |
- Ricky Miles has applied for a job with a bank.
- Ricky Miles said that he had the right qualifications.
- Not only Ricky Miles applied for a job with a bank but there were a lot of other applicants.
- Ricky Miles is waiting to find out whether or not he will get an interview.
- If Ricky Miles got an interview, he will have to prepare really carefully.
- The underlined word 'qualifications' means official records of achievement awarded upon the successful completion of a course.
- The underlined word 'you' in the text above refers to Ricky Miles.
- The underlined word 'I' in the text above refers to Ricky Miles.