Work topic is ubiquitous these days, which means that you

not only face it in the IELTS test, but also in some daily life

conversations, especially when you have to attend an

interview at work, then it is suggested that preparing

yourself for vocabulary about work will be a wise decision. I

hope that these phrases and collocations below could help

you.

Common Phrases and Idioms for IELTS Speaking-Topic: Work

1. To be called for an interview: to be invited to attend an

interview

Example: Although he has been called for an interview, he hasn’t got

a job yet.

2. To be your own boss/run your own business/be self-

employed: to have your own business

Example: It has been my dream is to be my own boss, because I can

do everything in my way If I run my own business.

3. A nine-to-five job: a normal job that consists of an 8 hour a day

Example: The idea of doing a nine-to-five job is quite arduous for few
people.

4. To be stuck behind a desk: to be unhappy in office job

Example: Working full-time in an office can lead to being stuck

behind a desk.

5. One of the perks of the job: an extra benefit you get from a job
Example: Extra meal is one of the perks of the job, which make
employees more satisfied

6. Job satisfaction: the feeling of enjoying a job

Example: Job satisfaction is the most important factor when a person

chooses a job.

7. Manual work: work that requires physical activities

Example: Many people have manual work that requires them to work
in dangerous environment.

8. Temporary work: work done for a limited time only

Example: Taxi drivers is just my temporary work, I am applying for

better job.

9. Voluntary work: to work without pay

Example: In my free time, I join in voluntary work to help the society.

10. To be well paid: to earn a good salary

Example: Working in auditing area will be well paid.

11. Working conditions: the hours, salary and other entitlements

that comes with the job

Example: Employer should spend more money on improving the

working conditions.

12. To meet a deadline: to finish a job on time

Example: Last week she was really stress, because she had to work
too hard to meet the deadlines.

13. To take early retirement: to retire early

Example: Recently, a large number of older worker tend to take early
retirement, then they will have more time to travel.

14. A heavy workload: to have a lot of work to do

Example: Many worker are complaining the heavy workload, and

they asking for higher salary.

15. Shift work: a system in which different groups of workers work

somewhere at different times of the day and night

Morning/Night shift

Example: Many industries rely heavily on shift work, and millions of

people work in jobs that require shift schedules.

16. Tempting offer

Example: After graduating in economics, I got a very tempting offer

from an investment bank and accepted it.

17. Land a new job: get a new (and usually a good) job

Example: After graduating, I did the usual things of putting together

my CV & applying for jobs. Luckily, I landed a fantastic new job at a
tourism company.

18. Living wage: enough money to live on

Example: After doing a job swap, I just got a living wage which didn’t
commensurate with my experience & ability.

19. Take up the post: start work

Example: After being laid off, I went back to my old job and took up
the post of editor of a leading fashion journal.

20. Carve a niche for myself: make a special position for myself
Example: After graduating, I practiced medicine for a number of
years in London. I managed to carve a niche for myself as a specialist
in dermatology.

21. Job swap:

Example: I want to take up some fresh challenges so I did a job swap

for a year.

22. Do a job-share: situation where 2 people share equal parts of

the same job

Example: I decided to go part-time and do a job-share with my friend

after returning from maternity leave.

23. Lay off staff: dismiss staff because there is no work for them to
do

Example: My start-up went through a difficult period and had to lay

off staff

24. Volume of work: workload

25. Earn a good living

Example: I had a substantial volume of work – private students and

marking exams – and was able to earn a good living

26. Fast-track scheme: system for rapid training and promotion of

talented staff

27. Move up the ladder: being promoted

Example: I was put on a fast-track scheme and was moving up the

ladder fast

28. Throw a sickie: take a day off work pretending to be sick

 Example: I don’t like my job so I throw a sickie from time to time

29. Get the sack: be dismissed

Example: I want to take one weeks off from work but I’m afraid of
getting the sack

PRACTICE

IELTS Speaking Part 1:

What do you do?

At the moment, I am a student, but I also do some voluntary

work at my university, in which I can gain a lot of precious
experience.

Do you have any career plan yet?

Yes I have, I would like to be self-employed down the road because

I am not fond of a nine-to-five job. I hope that I can run that sales
clothes and accessories.

IELTS Speaking Part 2:

Describe your ideal job. You should say

 What this job is?

 Whether you would need any qualifications?
 Whether it would be easy to find work?

And say why you would enjoy this job in particular?

Band 8.0 sample answer:

Everyone has their dream job, and I am no exception. Since I was a

little boy, it has been my dream to work as human resources
management in a multinational company. What make me really want
to have the job because I am fond of interacting with other people,
then working in the work place will give me the chance to deal
with human relationships, not to mention that a teacher from my
university compliment on my leader skills and he said that I have
the ability to organize people to work together and lead them
to boost the productivity, which is one of the reason driving me to
the job.

Generally, working in human resources field is likely to be well

paid, besides it also challenging for me to find work in the area
because the position will require high level of qualification and large
amount of experience . Thus, to prepare for my career, I have gained
a bachelor in business administration, and I am about to do a
mater degree in the field, in which I will specialized in human
resources management. Apart from my studies, at that time I did my
bachelor, I also took part in several voluntary work. By doing that,
I have got a great deal of valuable experience such as social skills and
business knowledge as well. I hope that all of this can help me to take
my ideal job easier.

IELTS Speaking Part 3:

If there are a limited number of jobs available who should

be given priority, young people or older people with more
experience?

I believe that it should be young worker, Although you people

cannot possess a rich source of knowledge like the elderly does,
they are full of energy, then can motivate other coworkers to work
harder, which could have a good effect on the company. additionally,
recent years older workers tend to take early retirement, then
job vacancies is always available for young people.

What are the disadvantages of working for someone else?

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p style=”text-align: justify;”>The first things is people being an

employee will be put under a lot of pressure. For instance, the
workers will have heavy workloads and always have to work
tomeet the deadlines, which is really stressful. In addition,
working for someone means you will have less time to relax and be
with your family.