Tag: c1

The pros and cons of some jobs

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Jobs for StudentsImagine you are a careers adviser and you are talking to a group of students about getting work during their free time.

First, talk about the advantages and disadvantages of these jobs. Then decide which two jobs would be the best for students.

Here are some ideas to help you:

  1. Salary: Badly paid, well paid
  2. Role: Opportunity to practise foreign languages, develop new skills and abilities
  3. Type of job – skills and knowledge required: Low skilled work, technical job, strong communication skills, great interpersonal skills,
  4. Working Conditions: temporary contract, flexible working hours, unsociable working hours, no sick pay, great holiday allowance,
  5. Type of person required: Ability to work under pressure, adaptable, creative, a people person,  flexible, ability to work as part of team, ability to work independently, inventive, physically fit, strong emotional intelligence
  6. Additional: Challenging, boring, interesting, rewarding, educational, stressful, physically demanding, monotonous, wide variety of daily tasks

If you are interested in the topic of work, jobs and employment, why not check out the Work and Jobs section of this website.

EOI English B2-1 Exam Success: Congratulations Inma

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Like most people Inma had butterflies in her stomach before taking her EOI exams.  She worked extremely hard to prepare for her exams and coped really well under a lot pressure.  She, intelligently, ignored my advice to take non-legal drugs before the exam, and passed with flying colours.  Inma took the bull by the horns, faced her fears, and truthfully, deserved to pass.

Achieving your goals is never easy, it takes a lot of hard work, discipline, self-study, dedication and determination.  Achieving things, however big or small, should always be celebrated and congratulated. Well done Inma – you are awesome! I am chuffed to bits for you!

So, what do Inglés Málaga clients say about us? Well, read a few testimonials and you´ll get a good idea.

For more information about English courses, email Janette

The plastic bank

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A good job stimulates the brain, challenges preconceptions, nurtures curiosity and encourages ambition and excellence.  Luckily for me, I have this.  Clients at Inglés Málaga are a talent bank; they come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and represent a broad variety of professions, trades and sectors.  However, they have two things in common, the first is that they are improving their English level; the second is that they teach me something every day.

Last week Paco, a high school maths teacher, (and an amazing illustrator) taught me the idea of monetising plastic waste.  He explained this complex idea really well, and I was over the moon with his use of advanced level English to persuade me of the merits to this idea. But after his class I thought: ‘’OK, but how would it work practically?’’ So, I started checking it out on the Internet and came across an organisation called The Plastic Bank which does this already. So, why not improve your English and stimulate your brain by listening to the CEO and founder of The Plastic Bank on his Ted Talks presentation: What if you could change plastic trash into cash?

The presentation is in English, and you can use the English transcript to improve word recognition and listening comprehension.   In addition, if you are a teacher, you could easily use this organisation in your classes to teach children mathematical concepts and economic theory.

You could also be inspired by two teenage girls who set up a campaign to ban plastic bags from the beautiful Indonesian island of Bali if you listen to their Ted Talks presentation: ”Our campaign to ban plastic bags from Bali”

So Paco, thank you; you have successfully challenged my preconceptions about recycling and plastic waste, and, demonstrated a level of English that many native English speakers would be envious of, well done! I´m also going to change the way I recycle, and ban plastic bags from my personal shopping.  You are a change maker!

And now my mind is on The Regional Government of Andalusia: I wonder, how can we encourage them to buy the cities´ plastic waste and convert it into credit for education, training and professional development? Come on La Junta, it´s time to put your tick box lists down the toilet, sack all the sycophantic bureaucrats, and start to really listen to the talent bank that you have walking on the streets of Málaga every day.  Furthermore, which one of you ego-centric government officials doesn´t want a legacy; go on, stand out from the crowd and do something inspirational.

What´s the job?

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Essential qualifications and experience  

  1. IT and digital skills, including Outlook and Word;
  2. Strong interpersonal and customer focus skills;
  3. Ability to work in a team;
  4. Initiative and the ability to organise and prioritise own workload;
  5. Creativity and ability to come up with new, innovative ideas;
  6. Adaptability under pressure;
  7. Good communications skills (written and oral);
  8. Ability to grasp complex issues quickly and communicate them simply and effectively;
  9. Fluent written and spoken English;

Desirable qualifications and experience  

  1. Experience in communications, including communications campaigns;
  2. Experience and/or interest in International Relations;
  3. IT and digital skills in social media;
  4. Programme management.

Why do governments invest so little in education and training?

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The most recent records that I can find on the Internet allege that Spain spends 4.21% of its GDP on Education, in comparison to the UK which spends 5.73%, and Norway which spends 7.37%.

OK, obviously, we need to understand exactly what these Education budgets include, but, the next time a politician says: ‘‘Education is the key to economic prosperity and better living’‘, we need to challenge them, and ask them what they mean by education, and better living for whom.

Finally, if you are curious as to which country invests the most of its GDP on education, then check it out here. And, if you don´t believe that these statistics are true, who can you ask to get the right information?

Why journalists have an obligation to challenge power

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”You can kick Jorge Ramos out of your press conference (as Donald Trump infamously did in 2015), but you can never silence him.

A reporter for more than 30 years, Ramos believes that a journalist’s responsibility is to question and challenge those in power. In this compelling talk — which earned him a standing ovation midway through — Ramos explains why, in certain circumstances, he believes journalists must take sides.” (In Spanish with English subtitles)

To understand autism, don´t look the other way.

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”Carina Morillo knew almost nothing about autism when her son Ivan was diagnosed — only that he didn’t speak or respond to words, and that she had to find other ways to connect with him. She shares how she learned to help her son thrive by being curious along with him.”(In Spanish with English subtitles)

Be inspired: Why women stay silent after sexual assault

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Be inspired, be curious, be open-minded.  It´s easy to feel inspired when you surround yourself with inspirational people.  Listen to Ted Talks presentations to improve your English vocabulary, open your mind to different points of view, and to strengthen your ability to listen, think, analyse and debate.

Inés Hercovich talks about why so many women don´t report sexual assault. Spanish with English subtitles.