miércoles, 2 de enero de 2013

In the dole queue

Reading the News apart from learning about the crude reality of present Spanish unemployment situation, gives you a source of useful vocabulary related to work and the lack of it. An example of this is the article below.

A quarter of Spain in the dole queue

Spain´s statistical institute warmed today that one in every four workers is now  officially out of work as the economic crisis tightens its grip on the country.
The National Statistic Institute said that 85,000 more people had joined the ranks of the unemployed between July ans September, raising the total to 5.78 million.
The figures brought the county´s unemployment rate up by around 0,4 per cent in the third quarter to 25.02 per cent.

For those under 25 years of age, the unemployment rate edged down marginally to 52 per cent from 53 per cent in the previous quarter.
The institute said 800,000 people had lost their jobs over the past 12 months.

The country has already been granted a €00 billion (£80bn) bailout facility for its troubled banks.
Labour reforms introduced by conservative PM Mariano Rajoy making it easier to dismiss workers have led to many strikes and protests and have had no positive effect on the economy, rather the reverse.
The Spanish Red Cross and the Catholic Church charity organization, Caritas, say unemployment and austerity measures are leaving tents of thousands of people in need of food and financial help.

On Thursday, Caritas said a foundation will donate €20 million (£16m) to help buy food, medicines and school material.

The statistic institute said Spain now has 1.8 million households in which no-one has work.

(Source: Morning Star.Online.co.uk. October 2012)

In spite of the unemployment situation, don´t lose hope, be ready to find a job!
Tasks:

1. Reread the article  paying attention to the words in bold.

2. Listen to what happens in the UK: Rachel talks with Todd about "the Dole" in the UK and how people feel about it.
Then test your vocabulary and comprehension skills with the quizzes.

3. Have a job hunting! Here you can learn vocabulary related to getting a job, since jobsearching (where to look), compiling a CV, to Interviews by doing the activities given.

4. Play Beat the Keeper: Get that job, game about some of the language connected with applying for jobs.

5. Learn this additional vocabulary related to Leaving or losing your job
There are many different ways to express leaving or losing a job:
To Leave Your Job:
= to give up a job or position by telling your employer that you are leaving:

To resign
To quit 
To leave your job
To retire= to leave your job or stop working because of old age or ill health
To Lose Your Job:
= to be asked to leave a job, usually because you have done something wrong or badly, or
sometimes as a way of saving the cost of employing you.

To be dismissed
To be fired
To get fired
To be sacked
To get the sack
To get the chop
To get your P45
To lose your job
To be made redundant = to lose your job because your employer no longer needs you