Why do you want this job?

Objective & content

This functional language sheet teaches pupils to answer the usual questions of a job interview (Tell me about yourself. Why do you want this job? Have you worked with children before? What are you good at? When can you start?), talk about their experience and skills (I enjoy working with children. I've worked as a volunteer at my club for two years. I'm good at explaining things.) and ask a question at the end (What do I need to bring? Thank you for your time.). Pupils read a dialogue in which Valentina has an interview for a summer job, find the missing words and read the useful phrases, given in a box. By the end, they can introduce themselves, give a reason, talk about what they have done and what they are good at, and end an interview politely.

Pedagogical guide

Page 1 is the dialogue, with a picture of the interviewer and of Valentina: she has an interview for a summer job at a sports camp. Valentina is fifteen, goes to Hillside School and loves basketball and swimming. She enjoys working with young children and wants some experience; she has worked as a volunteer at her swimming club for two years, helping the coach with the little ones. She is good at explaining things, she is patient, and she did a first aid course last year. The camp is for children aged six to ten, from nine o'clock to one o'clock, Monday to Friday, for four weeks in July and August, and she can start on the first day. At the end she asks what to bring (trainers, a water bottle and a sun hat), and the interviewer will phone her on Friday. Pupils find eight missing words in lines from the dialogue. Page 2 has the useful phrases in a box, with the key words in bold and I'm good at + -ing, five situations to match to a phrase (your reason, your first free day, helping at a club for no money, the interviewer's last question, the end of the interview) and six interview questions with three replies each, where pupils tick the best one. Page 3 has Kieran's interview for a weekend job washing up at a café, to number from 1 to 8, and Aditi's interview for a job at a holiday club, to complete with six words in a box. The last task is a role-play: Student A wants a job as a helper at Sunnyside Holiday Club, with the facts about A on the card (age, hobbies, experience, skills); Student B is the interviewer, with the questions and the facts about the job (the children's ages, days, times, what to bring, the start date). Then they swap the cards. Every exercise opens with a worked example.

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Say "Tell me about yourself."; pupils answer "I'm ... and I love ..."
2. (10 min) Read the dialogue aloud; pupils find the missing words.
3. (5 min) Read the useful phrases in the box with the class; pupils find them in the dialogue.
4. (10 min) Page 2: pupils match the situations to the phrases, then tick the best replies.
5. (10 min) Page 3: pupils number the lines of Kieran's interview, then complete Aditi's interview.
6. (10 min) Role-play: pupils read their cards, then do the interview. Then they swap the cards.
7. (5 min) Check with the answer key on page 4.

Adaptations

[S] Pupils read the dialogue aloud in pairs, one as the interviewer and one as Valentina, before the tasks.

[A] Pupils write their own answers to "Tell me about yourself" and "What are you good at?" before the role-play.

Materials & prerequisites

One copy of pages 1 to 3 per pupil, and scissors for the role-play cards. Page 4 is the answer key and teacher notes: keep it. The role-play is free speaking: the answers to A's questions are on card B. Pupils need the present perfect with for (I've worked as a volunteer for two years), enjoy and good at + -ing, the past simple and will. To take it further, pupils write a short advert for a summer job for teenagers in their town.