First Job
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Lois
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Todd
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Todd: Lois, what was your first job?
Lois: The first job I had was a sales assistant in a shoe shop.
Todd: Oh, shoes
Lois: Shoe shop, yeah! When I was fifteen, I got my first job and I used to work every Saturday for maybe 8 hours a day and I used to earn, 1 pound 77 pence per hour.
Todd: It doesn't sound like very much
Lois: No, so in England now, the minimum I think is maybe 5 pounds.
Todd: Oh, wow!
Lois: So by the time I'd got the bus to Bournemouth,the town, and bought my breakfast at Mcdonald's, and then gone out for lunch and then got the bus home, I had no money left, but at the time cause I got paid at the end of the month , I always thought I had money, because suddenly all this money would appear in my bank account, but then I would have already spent it all, within the day of work.
Todd: Wow. So how long did you last at this job?
Lois: I worked all together I think in three different shoe shops, so the first one I worked in for a year and then that one closed down, so then they moved me to another one, the same company, and then from that one I moved to another one , but then I had to leave my job when I had to do my exams at school cause I needed to study.
sales assistant / shoe shop
The first job I had was a sales assistant in a shoe shop.
A 'sales assistant' is a person that works in retail store and tries to sell things to customers. A 'shoe shop' is a place that sells shoes. Notice the following:
- I need to find a sales assistant to get me the right size.
- If I had a job in a shoe shop, I would spend all of my money on shoes.
gone out for lunch
By the time I'd gone out for lunch and taken the bus home, I had no money left.
When you 'go out for' breakfast, lunch or dinner you go to a restaurant to eat. Notice the following:
- Where do you want to go out for lunch.
- I went out for lunch with her last week.
end of the month
I always got paid at the end of the month.
The 'end of the month' is around the 29th, 30th or 31st of each month. She says that she received her money on one of these final days of the month. We can use the phrase 'end of the _____' with any set length of time like day, year, week, etc. Notice the following:
- He is finished working here at the end of the month
- She will be gone until the end of the month.
last
How long did you last at this job?
Used like this, 'last' has a similar meaning to survive or stay. Notice the following:
- She wouldn't last a day doing your job.
- I only lasted about 10 minutes running today.
closed down
The first company I worked for closed down.
If a company 'closes down' they no longer continue to sell things or provide services. Companies close down many times because they are not making enough money to pay for everything. Notice the following:
- They had to close down after the health inspectors came.
- That restaurant actually closed down a few years ago.
Vocabulary Quiz
end of the • last • closed down
