Work is supposed to be boring, isn’t it?

The main goals of this ESL lesson plan are to:

• – Learn workplace vocabulary including “enticing,” “grueling,” and job collocations while discussing boring versus exciting careers in this business English lesson plan.
• – Practice passive voice with reporting verbs using structures like “It is said that” and “He is believed to” through sentence rephrasing exercises for adult English lessons.
• – Share opinions about careers by watching videos about job satisfaction, reading about challenging professions, and discussing personal work preferences using these English teaching materials.

In this Business English lesson, students will listen to an argument about why a boring job is preferable to an exciting job. They will learn common vocabulary used in relation to the world of work, and they will learn to formally distance themselves from ideas by reporting them in the passive voice. 

Warm-up

The lesson starts with an opening discussion about boring and exciting jobs.

Video: Here’s why you want a really boring job

Prior to watching a video, the student gets familiar with new vocabulary (enticing, guru, grueling, aspirational, etc.) in a matching exercise, which they then use to fill in the gaps.

Next, they watch the video Here’s why you want a really boring job and answer video comprehension questions.

Then, they match the words to create collocations mentioned in the video (creative liberties, open-plan office, a big ask, etc.)

This section ends with a discussion based on the video.

Reading: Worst jobs in the world

Some of the worst jobs in the world are introduced in the reading part for the student to match them with the right descriptions (gravedigger, miner, firefighter, sewer worker, pest controller). Then, they discuss the pay rates and working conditions of these jobs.

Grammar: Passive voice – reporting verbs

The student learns the passive structures in which we use reporting verbs (It is said that, He is believed to, etc.). Then, they practice what they learned by correcting mistakes and rephrasing sentences in active voice using passive voice.

Wrap-up discussion

The lesson ends with a discussion about the student’s preferences when it comes to career and pay.