In this lesson, we are going to focus on eight phrasal verbs and some collocations you can use to talk about work. 

WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN A JOB? 

New technologies change the way we work. Employers want to know that you are able to pick up new tasks and that you don't get frustrated when something goes wrong. You need to have sufficient knowledge and background to do your job. You should know how much work you can take on and how much time you need in order to complete a task. 

Teamwork is one of the main requirements when applying for a job. In other words, are you able to work effectively with others? You need to be able to collaborate with your colleagues and support each other. You and your team need to remember that you have a common goal to achieve, which means that you should be able to split up work. 

​Employees also need to be able to work alone and resolve problems when they come up. Problem-solving is an essential skill in the workplace and this can make a huge difference to your career. The problems you face at work can be simple or more complex. So, being able to come up with effective solutions is really important. While robots can take over more repetitive tasks, people have to deal with the real problem and what causes it. 

Regardless of what your job is, you can always pick up new skills. It might take a while to figure out whether you actually enjoy your current job or not. You can experience multiple work environments and learn a lot of practical skills that will help you in the future when thinking about a career change. 

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VOCABULARY

• pick something <-> up (phrasal verb) - to have an idea or a skill without effort  
• take something <-> on (phrasal verb) - to accept work or responsibility 
• complete a task | finish a task (collocations) 
• in other words (phrase) - used when saying the same thing in a different way or explaining it 
• achieve your goal (collocation) 
• split something <-> up (phrasal verb) - to divide something into smaller parts
• solve a problem | resolve a problem (collocations) also fix a problem (informal) 
• come up (phrasal verb) - if a problem comes up, it needs to be dealt with immediately 
• come up with something (phrasal verb) - to think of something such as an idea or a plan 
• take something <-> over (phrasal verb) - to gain control of something 
• deal with something (phrasal verb) - to take action to do something to solve a problem 
• figure something <-> out (phrasal verb) - to think about something until you understand it 
• a career change (collocation) 

Exercise 

Complete the sentences with a phrasal verb from the list below. Use the correct form of the verb: 
pick up (x2), take on (x2), split up, come up, come up with, take over, deal with, figure out  

1. You can look for creative designs to ......................... new ideas. 
2. Is this the best idea you can .........................?  
3. I can't ......................... any more work at the moment.  
4. If you want to ......................... new skills, you can take some specialised courses.  
5. When you ......................... difficult customers, it's important to listen intently and give them your full attention. Don't interrupt them and show empathy.  
6. You might get requests from other departments to help them by ......................... extra tasks outside of your traditional role. You can set clear expectations, so you can focus on your actual priorities at work.  
7. Some people find it difficult to ......................... their dream job.  
8. When we have a large project, we ......................... into teams to get more done.  
9. I declined the job offer because a better opportunity .........................  
10. I ......................... the job after he left. 

Answers: 
1. pick up; 2. come up with; 3. take on; 4. pick up; 5. deal with; 6. taking on (-ing after a preposition); 
7. figure out; 8. split up; 9. came up; 10. took over; 
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Other Business English lessons: 
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
​Collocations with Job (Part 2) 
English Lesson: Jobs and Skills 
Business English: Working in an office 
Business English: Prepositions with WORK 
Business English: How to Talk about Money 
Business English: Collocations with Business 
Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities 


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If you have any questions, please leave a comment below this lesson. 

In this lesson, we are going to focus on collocations to talk about having your own business. 

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT GOING INTO BUSINESS? 

Let's consider some major aspects of starting a business and what it takes to run it. 
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One of the reasons why some people decide to go into business for themselves is because they want to have a job that fits into their lifestyle. They can have a more flexible schedule without having to worry about their working hours or sick leave.

Before thinking of setting up a business, you need to brainstorm a good business idea. Remember that you also need to be passionate about it, so that you can stay motivated in the long term. There are different kinds of businesses, so those who want to start a business need to figure out their area of expertise and skills they have.

During the early stages of your business, you will have to work long hours to set everything up as well as learn new skills in order to build and grow your business. Whether it is a product or a service that you want to offer, you need to consider all the different ways to finance your business. In the beginning, it makes more sense to start your business on the side and keep your full-time job, so that you have a source of income to rely on. 

If you want to do business, you need to be aware that this involves considerable risks. Of course, some businesses are riskier than others and there are different factors you should definitely take into account such as money and labour. 

Be optimistic and think about the money you will need to run your business. Often times you will spend more than you can actually make, especially early on. Even though you may have a good idea, bear in mind that there are no guarantees in business. You need to have a point of view about the future. It is also important to keep in mind that in a recession smaller firms often go out of business. 

Running your own business requires hard work and patience. You have to start getting sales and revenue in order to stay in business. 

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VOCABULARY 

• go into business (collocation) - start working in business 
• start a business | set up a business (collocations) 
• figure something <-> out (phrasal verb) - to think about a problem or situation until you find the answer
• set something <-> up (phrasal verb) - (SYN: establish) - to start a company 
• have a business | own a business (collocations)
• build a business | develop a business (collocations) 
• grow a business (collocation) - make it larger 
• finance a business (SYN: fund) - to provide money for it 
• a source of income (phrase) 
• do business (collocation) 
• considerable risk(s) (collocation) - fairly large 
• take something into account - to consider facts or details when making a decision 
• bear in mind that | keep in mind that 
• go out of business (collocation) - stop doing business because of financial problems 
• run a business (collocation) - manage it 
• stay in business (collocation) - continue operating and not go bankrupt 

Other Business English lessons: 
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
Collocations with Job (Part 2) 
English Lesson: Jobs and Skills 
Business English: Working in an office 
Business English: Prepositions with WORK 
Business English: How to Talk about Money 
Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities 

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If you have any questions, please leave a comment below this lesson. 

In this lesson, we are going to focus on the difference between earnings, income, salary, wage(s), pay and allowance. 


EARNINGS [plural noun] = net income

You can use the word 'earnings' to talk about the total amount of money you earn from any job that you do. The amount of money is usually different each month or year. 

Examples: 

• Her net earnings last year were $16,800. (= after tax has been paid) 
• Apple reported earnings of $53.3 billion in the third quarter of 2018. 
• Apple's earnings per share are now $2.34. (EPS = net income / average outstanding common shares) 
• According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the average weekly earnings for men in November 2017 were $1,753.50, and $1,429.80 for women. 
• The average weekly earnings of 16- to 19-year-olds in the U.S. in 2016 were around $400. 

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INCOME 

This is the money you receive regularly for doing your job or from a business or investments. 

Examples: 

• What's your weekly/monthly/annual income? 
• My parents' annual income is over $30,000. 
• People living in rural areas rely on farming for income. 
• These families have no source of income when the harvest is over. (source of income = way of earning money) 
• You can always take on extra work to increase your income. (to take something on = to decide to do something) 
• The company's net income for the third quarter of 2018 was $11.52 billion compared to $8.72 billion a year ago. 

SALARY 

This is the money that you receive regularly for doing your job. It's usually paid to you every month. 
We use the word 'salary' when we talk about professional jobs such as managers, teachers, doctors, etc. 

Examples: 

• I get a basic salary and other benefits on top. 
• My dad earns a good salary as a software developer. 
• I joined the company in 2016 on a salary of €58,000 a year. (be on a salary) 
• Employee salaries are paid directly into their bank account. 
• The starting salary for an architect in the U.S. is around $50,000. (= the salary someone gets when they start a job) 
• The average salary for a Team Leader in the UK is around £24,000 per year.  

WAGES [often plural] (also WAGE) 

The money that someone is paid every week by their employer. We often use this word when we talk about working in a shop or factory. 

Examples: 

• Some companies pay lower wages to female workers. (pay a wage) 
• Workers in the UK paid per task or piece of work they do should be paid at least the minimum wage for every hour worked. (= It's the lowest amount of money that an employer can pay someone according to the law.) 
• Many states in the U.S. have different minimum wages. 

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PAY [noun] 

You can use this word to refer to the money you receive for doing your job. 

Examples: 

• Some people work extremely hard and get no pay. (get/receive pay) 
• Even though I work long hours, the pay is pretty good. 
• The average pay for a Travel Agent is around $36,000 a year. 
• The hourly pay for baristas at Starbucks is $9, and $12 for shift supervisors. 
• When you start working for a company, you are entitled to sick pay. This is a basic right you have as an employee. (= pay that you get when you are ill and cannot work) 
• Employees in the UK are entitled to redundancy pay if they've been working for their current employer for 2 years or more. (= pay when there is no longer a job for you) 
• Women in the UK and Ireland get some of the worst maternity pay in Europe. (= pay while a woman takes time off to have a baby)
• All the employees are out on strike because they have been working without pay for the last month. 

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ALLOWANCE 

This word is used to talk about money that someone receives regularly for a special reason without having to work to earn it. 

Examples: 

• Many companies provide clothing allowances to their employees. 
• Employers should provide their employees with a uniform allowance to purchase the uniform, so that they don't have to pay for it. 
• Many companies offer 24/7 services and employees sometimes have to work overtime. They get an overtime allowance for working long hours. 

Exercise 

Complete the sentences with earnings, income, salary, wages, pay and allowance. 

1. The hourly .................... went up by $2.  
2. His pension is his only source of ....................  
3. The company announced its quarterly .................... at the end of July.  
4. "What's the ....................?" "About $12 an hour."  
5. His annual .................... are over $100,000. 
6. The tax is taken from your monthly .................... 
7. Retail and fast food chains in the U.S. tend to pay the lowest ...................  
8. The amount of tax you have to pay depends on your ................... 
9. My average weekly ................... are around $600. 
10. She has to use her car in her new job but she gets a good mileage ...................... 

Answers: 
1. pay; 2. income; 3. earnings; 4. pay; 5. earnings (the verb form is 'are'); 6. salary; 7. wages; 8. income;
9. earnings (the verb form is 'are'); allowance; 

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Other Business English lessons: 
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
Collocations with Job (Part 2) 
English Lesson: Jobs and Skills 
Business English: Working in an office 
Business English: Prepositions with WORK 
Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities 


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If you have any questions, please leave a comment below this lesson. 

In this lesson, you are going to learn six prepositions that can be used with the verb 'work' and the difference between each one of them and how to use them correctly. 

Do the exercise and the end to practise. 


AS

Formula: work as + occupation 
Questions: What do you do? | What do you work? | What is your job? 

Examples: 

• I work as a sales assistant. 
• What do you do as a product designer? 
• I work as a public relations manager. I'm in charge of creating content for press releases and coordinating all public relations activities. 

Note: You can also say 'I'm a photographer', 'I'm an architect', etc. 


IN 

Formula: work in + place or field (industry or type of job) 
Questions: Which industry do you work in? | Which department do you work in? 

Examples: 

• She works part-time in a library. 
• My mother has always worked in education. 
• Most of my friends work in customer service. 
• I worked in a Chinese restaurant a few years ago. 
• I prefer working in a professional environment. 
• I work in the sales department of a small software company. 
• If you want to pursue a career in interior design, you need to have a creative mind as well as academic training and networking skills. 

Note: Use 'work in' with words like 'school', 'bank', 'hospital', 'hotel', 'factory', 'shop', etc. to talk about the place where someone works. 

Remember: Don't use 'work in' with the name of a company or organisation. 


FOR 

Formula: work for + person, company or organisation 
Question: Who do you work for? | How long have you been working for this company? 

Examples: 

• I work for a small Danish company. 
• He works for an IT company. 
• I worked for Microsoft for five years and then moved to another company. 
• I've been working for a state-owned company in Beijing. 

AT 

Formula: work at + a particular place or organisation  
Questions: Which ... do you work at? 

Examples: 

• I worked at Microsoft for five years and then moved to another company. 
• I've been working at Ontario Ministry of Education for less than a year now. My colleagues are really friendly and I'm glad that I get a good work-life balance although my job can be a bit boring sometimes. 
• I'm working at the bookstore in my area this summer. 
• He's working at his desk. 

Note: You can use 'work at' when you are talking about a well-known company or organisation or when they person you are talking to knows it already. 


ON 

Formula: work on + project or task 
Question: What are you working on? 

Example: 

• Our team has been working on this project for two years. 
• I often go on business trips and work on projects in the company's offices overseas. 
• Many employees become unmotivated when they work on repetitive tasks. 
• I'm working on financial budgets at the moment. 
• I work on car design. 

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WITH 

Formula: work with + someone  
Questions: Do you like working with ...? | What do you like about working with ...? 


Examples: 

• I work with both local colleagues and foreign ones, who are mostly from Denmark. 
• In my job, I work closely with the design team to create attractive designs for our partners. 
• Some people love the idea of working with children but don't have the skills or personality for it. 

Exercise

Complete the sentences with the prepositions as, in, for, at, on and with. Sometimes more than one is possible. 

1. Kevin works ............... the finance department of a Japanese company. 
2. Most parents in China want their children to work ............... the public sector because of job security. 
3. She works ............... a model agency.  
4. I work ............... a publishing company.  
5. I work ............... a photographer ............... a family-owned studio in Melbourne.  
6. I worked ............... a software engineer ............... Microsoft. 
7. At the moment, I'm working ............... a research project ............... a multinational company. 
8. My best friend and I work ............... the same company.  
9. I spent the evening working ............... my office.  
10. My sister has been working ............... advertising after college.  
11. I'm working ............... the monthly report.  
12. There are 15 employees who work ............... the HR department.  
13. Would you consider working ............... Starbucks? 
14. He works ............... the hospital. 
15. I work closely ............... our foreign partners and I travel a lot.  

Answers: 
1. in; 2. in; 3. for; 4. for; 5. as, in; 6. as, at/for ('at' because it's a well known company); 7. on, for; 8. for; 9. in; 10. in; 11. on; 12. in; 13. at/for ('at' is more common); 14. in/at ('at' when it is a particular hospital); 15. with; 


Other Business English lessons: 
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
Collocations with Job (Part 2) 
English Lesson: Jobs and Skills 
Business English: Working in an office 
Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities 


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