WELCOME TO OUR CLASS

UNIT 9: CHOOSING A
Lesson
3:
CAREER
Advice for secondary
school leavers
Reading

- Guess what the students in the pictures may do
after they leave school.

She may go straight to university/
continue studying
They may work as apprentices/
join the workforce.

He may take a gap year
and go travelling.

TASK 1
Read some career advice for secondary school leavers.
Choose the appropriate heading for each paragraph.

Task 1. Read some career advice for secondary school
leavers. Choose the appropriate heading for each paragraph.

A. For those going to university
B. For those who have no plans
C. For those going to be apprentices
D. For those about to start a job

Skim a text to get the general ideas
* Step 1: Read the headings
* Step 2: Skim the text, underline the key words to
find the main idea of each paragraph.
* Step 3: Match

a.
b.
c.
d.

For those going to university
For those who have no plans
For those going to be apprentices
For those about to start a job

d. For those about to start a job
1. ____________________________________
If students are about to start a job, career advisers have
useful information that may help them make the transition
into the working world smoother. They should get used to
taking responsibility if something goes wrong in their job.
By taking responsibility, they will have the opportunity to
learn how to put things right and they can avoid making the
same mistakes in the future.

WORK INDIVIDUALLY TO CHOOSE THE APPROPRIATE HEADING
a. For those going to university
In the UK, there are some websites
that provide school students with
practical advice about leaving
school and taking the next step in
their careers. The following are
some examples:
1. _______________________________
d. For those about to start a job
If students are about to start a job,
career advisers have useful
information that may help them
make the transition into the
working world smoother. They
should get used to taking
responsibility if something goes
wrong in their job. By taking
responsibility, they will have the
opportunity to learn how to put
things right and they can avoid
making the same mistakes in the
future.
2. ________________________________
In general, apprentices are assigned

b. For those who have no plans
to a senior member of staff to spend
some time shadowing them and
getting to grips with the basics of
the job. If apprentices are given the
opportunity to get involved early on,
they should take it, as this will help
them learn faster and improve their
confidence. The best thing for
apprentices is that they have the
opportunity to earn while they
learn, and most apprentices are
required to attend college for part of
the time.
3. _______________________________
Moving straight to tertiary
education from secondary school is
considered a big jump. However,
many students take to university life
like a duck to water. Normally, the
first week at university is a bit
confusing,

c. For those going to be apprentices
even a little stressful, but it does not
take long to get used to university
life. During the first week, students
have their timetables and other
paperwork sorted. After that they
can relax and take in the campus
atmosphere.
4. _______________________________
When students do not know what
they want to do after leaving school,
they could consider some other
options, which the advisers can
offer. They can find a temporary job,
or take a gap year and go travelling;
they may work somewhere abroad,
or speak to career advisers who can
help them come up with a plan. If
none of these options are successful,
students should go back to school.
They can still be accepted on to A
level courses if they have GCSEs.
 

TASK 2
Find the words/phrases/expressions in the
reading text which are closest in meaning to
the following. Write them in the correct
space.

(adj)

smooth(er)
apprentice

(n)

shadow(ing)
them

(v)

get to grips with

(v)

take to (something)
like a duck to water

(v)
(n)

paperwork

TASK 3
Read the text again and answer the
questions

1. What kind of websites are available for school
leavers in the UK?
2. What advice is offered to school leavers who
want to start a job?
3. What is the best thing for apprentices?
4. What do students do in the first week at
university?
5. What can students do if they have no plans
after leaving school?

1. What kind of websites are available for
school leavers in the UK?
2. What advice is offered to school leavers
who want to start a job?
3. What is the best thing for apprentices?
4. What do students do in the first week at
university?
5. What can students do if they have no plans
after leaving school?

1. What kind of websites are available for school
leavers in the UK?
- Some websites that provide school leavers with
practical advice about leaving school and taking
the next step in their careers. (paragraph 1)

In the UK, there are some websites that provide school
students with practical advice about leaving school and
taking the next step in their careers. The following are some
examples:

Task 3:
Read the text again and answer the questions
2. What advice is offered to school leavers who
want to start a job?
3. What is the best thing for apprentices?
4. What do students do in the first week at
university?
5. What can students do if they have no plans
after leaving school?

Task 3. Read the text again and answer the questions

2. What advice is offered to school leavers who
want to start a job?
- They should learn to take responsibility when
things go wrong. (paragraph 2)
If students are about to start a job, career advisers have useful
information that may help them make the transition into the working
world smoother. They should get used to taking responsibility if
something goes wrong in their job. By taking responsibility, they will
have the opportunity to learn how to put things right and they can avoid
making the same mistakes in the future.

Task 3. Read the text again and answer the questions

3. What is the best thing for apprentices?
- The best thing for apprentices is that they have the
opportunity to earn while they learn. (paragraph 3)

In general, apprentices are assigned to a senior member of staff to spend
some time shadowing them and getting to grips with the basics of the job. If
apprentices are given the opportunity to get involved early on, they should
take it, as this will help them learn faster and improve their confidence.
The best thing for apprentices is that they have the opportunity to earn
while they learn, and most apprentices are required to attend college for
part of the time.

Task 3. Read the text again and answer the questions

4. What do students do in the first week at university?
- They have their timetables and other paperwork
sorted in the first week at university. (paragraph 4)

Moving straight to tertiary education from secondary school is
considered a big jump. However, many students take to university life
like a duck to water. Normally, the first week at university is a bit
confusing, even a little stressful, but it does not take long to get used to
university life. During the first week, students have their timetables and
other paperwork sorted. After that they can relax and take in the campus
atmosphere.

Task 3. Read the text again and answer the questions
5. What can students do if they have no plans after
leaving school?
- They can find a temporary job; they can take a year out
and go traveling; they may work somewhere abroad; they
can speak to career advisers to help them come up with a
plan; they can go back to school. (paragraph 5)
When students do not know what they want to do after leaving school,
they could consider some other options, which the advisers can offer.
They can find a temporary job, or take a gap year and go travelling; they
may work somewhere abroad, or speak to career advisers who can help
them come up with a plan. If none of these options are successful,
students should go back to school. They can still be accepted on to A level
courses if they have GCSEs.

2. What advice is offered to school leavers who want to start a job?
- They should learn to take responsibility when things go wrong. (line
6-paragraph 2)

3. What is the best thing for apprentices?
- The best thing for apprentices is that they have the opportunity to ear
while they learn. ( line 11-paragraph 3)
4. What do students do in the first week at university?
- They have their timetables and other paperwork sorted in the first
week at university. (line 10-paragraph 4)
5. What can students do if they have no plans after leaving school?
- They can find a temporary job; they can take a year out and go
traveling; they may work somewhere abroad; they can speak to career
advisers to help them come up with a plan; they can go back to school.
(line 6- paragraph 5)

TASK 4
Discuss with a partner

If you were the administrator of these websites, what
advice could you give for each following situation?

I like studying abroad in Japan
very much. I intend to go there at
the end of this year.
Please give me some advice.
What should I do before going
there ?

NAM

My dream job is becoming a
doctor, I want to enroll for Thai
Nguyen medical college but my
parents don't agree with my
choice because they think it is
dangerous and a hard-working
job, what should I do?

MAI

HOMEWORK
- Learn by heart the new words.
- Redo all the tasks in the notebook.
- Prepare for the next lesson: WRITING

Listen to the following song and try to remember the jobs.

Answers
1. Tailor
2. Doctor
3. Farmer
4. Babysitter
5. Teacher
6. Plumber
7. Dentist
8. Fireman

What jobs do you want to do in the future?

Do you need some advice when choosing
your future job?

senior (adj) - /'si:niə[r]/ 
= older or more experienced.

- Note: senior (adj) > < junior (adj)
E.g: The more senior students are given some extra
responsibilities.

tertiary education -/'tɜ:∫əri /,edjʊ'kei∫n/
education at college or university level

E.g: More than 50% of Vietnamese high school graduates
start some forms of tertiary education.

campus (n) - /'kæmpəs/

the grounds and buildings of a university or college.

Vocabulary
1. senior (adj) - /'si:niə[r]/ 
2. tertiary education -/'tɜ:∫əri /,edjʊ'kei∫n/
3. campus (adj) - /'kæmpəs/