Talking About Work and Jobs
Here are some useful sentences for talking about work and jobs.
Do you work? (or Do you have a job?)
“Yes, I do. I’m a teacher.”
“No, I don’t.”
“No, I’m retired.” (not working anymore)
Types of work
What type of work do you do? (or What type of job do you have?)
“I work in the medical field.”
“I’m in sales.”
“I’m an accountant at a shipping company”
“I run my own business.”
Q. Where do you work?
A. “I work at a hospital.”
A. “I work from home.”
A. “My office is in Shinjuku.”
Talking about money
Professional jobs pay a yearly or monthly salary. Most other jobs are paid by the hour. (wages)
“I’d like to ask my boss for a higher salary.”
“The hourly wage at a convenience store is about 850 yen.”
Talking about clothing
“I don’t like the uniform at this hospital, it’s not comfortable.”
“Male office workers in Tokyo usually wear a suit and tie.”
“When I worked at a theme park I had to wear a heavy costume.”
“Firefighters must wear protective clothing.”
“Some Western businesses have Casual Friday when the staff often come to work wearing casual clothes or Hawaiian shirts.”
Talking about time
“In England most people work nine to five, Monday to Friday.”
Q. “How long have you been working there?”
A. “I started two years ago.”
“I’m a nurse at a busy hospital so I often have to do night-shifts.” (work at night)
Q. “What hours do you work?”
A. “I work from 10am to 7pm, Tuesday to Saturday.
Q. “Is your job part-time?”
A. “No, it’s a full-time job.”