Work and Careers

Sometimes we say that someone we know is “a square peg in a round hole.” This simply means that the person we are talking about is not suited for the job he is doing. He may be a book-keeper who really wants to be an actor, or a mechanic who likes cooking. Unfortunately, many people in the world are “square pegs”; they are not doing the kind of work they should be doing, for one reason or another. As a result they are probably not doing a very good job and certainly they are not happy.

Choosing the right career is very important. Most of us spend a great part of our lives at our jobs. For that reason we should try to find out what our talents are and how we can use them. We can do this through aptitude tests, interviews with specialists, and consulting reference books on the subjects that interest us.

There are many careers open to each of us. Perhaps we like science. Then we might prepare ourselves to be chemists, physicists, or biologists. Perhaps our interests take us into the business world and into such work as accounting, personnel management or public relations. Many people find their place in government service. Many other fields – teaching, newspaper work, medicine, engineering – offer fascinating areas to those with talent and training.

Task 7. Complete the following sentences from the text:

1. He may be a book-keeper who really wants to be an actor, ___________________.

2. _________________________________ good job and certainly they are not happy.

3. We can do this through aptitude tests, _____________________reference books on the subjects that interest us.

4. ________________many careers open to each of us.

5. Many people find ___________________________.

Task 8. Name all the professions and job fields from the text.

Task 9. Read and translate the following text.

Text 2

Customs officer in the UK

Part I

Officers working for Her Majesty’s Revenue Customs (HMRC) collect a range of taxes and duties, control imported and exported goods, and prevent banned items from entering or leaving the country.

As a detection officer or customs officer with HMRC’s border protection division, you would work in airports and ports to collect customs duty and prevent smuggling and illegal trade. You might:

· search luggage, vehicles and travellers;

· check customs documents;

· question people who have been found with illegal items or excess goods;

· arrest and charge people;

· prepare reports and witness statements;

· take on specialist roles such as dog handling or undercover and surveillance work.

When necessary, you would attend court as a witness, and work closely with other agencies like the police and the Home Office.

You would normally join HMRC as an administrative assistant or assistant officer and earn promotion to customs officer or detection officer, although HMRC sometimes recruits directly into officer grade.

To join an officer grade you are likely to need five exams (A-C) including English and maths, plus A levels or equivalent qualifications.

However, if you do not have these qualifications, you could instead take a selection test to prove your skills and abilities in areas like teamwork and communication.

You would be trained on the job through a mixture of classroom-based in-house training and learning from experienced staff. Training usually lasts around nine months, and may include some residential training courses.

You will also receive ongoing training throughout your career. You would be encouraged to identify your own training needs, as part of HMRC’s appraisal and staff development programme.

Task 10. Find the English equivalents from Text 2:

- контролировать ввозимый и вывозимый товар;

- предотвращать контрабанду;

- незаконная торговля;

- проверять багаж;

- готовить отчеты;

- посещать суд в качестве свидетеля;

- соответствующие квалификации;

- работа в команде;

- обучающие курсы.