
Incorporate real-world themes and topics, such as jobs and careers, into your lessons to make them relevant and engaging for your adult learners. Jobs and careers can be a particularly useful and relevant theme. Most adults can relate to and have experience with it, and it also provides numerous opportunities for speaking practice and vocabulary development. Let’s look at some ideas for using the theme of jobs and careers in your adult ESL speaking classes.
Role-Plays and Simulation Activities
Role-plays and simulation activities are a great way to allow your students to practice their speaking skills in a real-world context while learning about different jobs and careers. These activities can be particularly effective for intermediate and advanced-level students, as they require a higher level of language proficiency and understanding of the topic. Here are some ideas for jobs and careers role-plays and simulation activities organized by intermediate and advanced levels:
Intermediate-Level Role Plays for Jobs and Careers
Role-play a job interview
To set up the role-play job interview activity, you can first introduce the concept of a job interview and the purpose of this type of conversation. You may want to provide students with some background information on common job interview questions and strategies and discuss any cultural differences or expectations that may be relevant to your students’ specific context.

Next, you can assign students to pairs or small groups and have them take turns playing the role of the interviewer and the job candidate. You can provide students with a list of common job interview questions to use as a guide, or you can have them create their own questions based on a specific job or industry that they are interested in. You may also want to provide students with a job description or some other information about the job to help them prepare for the role-play.
During the role-play, students can practice their speaking skills by asking and answering questions and engaging in conversations about their experience, skills, and goals. As the teacher, you can circulate the room and offer feedback and guidance as needed. You may want to provide students with some specific language or vocabulary that they can use to describe their experience or qualifications or to ask questions about the job or the company.
After the role-play, you can debrief with students and discuss their experiences and any challenges or insights that they had during the activity. You can also provide additional feedback or coaching on specific language or communication skills students may want to work on. This activity allows your intermediate-level students to practice their speaking skills and learn about the job interview process in a supportive and engaging way, but if you need something with more structure, take a look at my jobs and careers role-plays resource on TpT.
Career Interview Swap
Your students will get a kick out of this jobs and careers activity! It’s a fun and interactive way to practice speaking and listening skills and learn about different occupations and industries in a supportive and engaging way.
Here’s how you can play career interview swap in an adult ESL class:

- Preparation: Before the activity, prepare a list of different careers that your students may be interested in. You can also ask your students to suggest careers that they would like to learn more about. Prepare a set of questions related to each career that you can ask the students during the activity.
- Divide the class into pairs: Pair up your students and ask them to sit facing each other.
- Start the activity: Explain the rules of the activity to your students. Each pair will have a few minutes to talk about a specific career. One student will be the interviewer, and the other will be the interviewee. The interviewer will ask questions about the career, and the interviewee will answer.
- Switch roles: After a few minutes, ask the students to switch roles. The interviewee will become the interviewer and vice versa.
- Rotate pairs: After each round, ask the students to rotate and find a new partner.
- Repeat: Continue the activity until each student has had a chance to talk about several careers.
- Debrief: After the activity, ask your students to share what they learned about different careers and if they found any careers particularly interesting. Encourage them to reflect on their career goals and interests and consider how the information they learned from their partners may be relevant or helpful to them.
This activity is a fun way to build class community and encourage collaboration, whether your topic is jobs and careers or something else.
Role-play a customer service scenario

To set up the customer service scenario role-play activity, you can first introduce the concept of customer service and the role of customer service representatives in various settings. Consider providing students with some background information on common customer service scenarios, such as handling complaints or providing information, and discuss any cultural differences or expectations that may be relevant to your students’ specific context.
Next, you can assign students to pairs or small groups and have them take turns playing the role of the store employee and the customer. You can provide students with a scenario or problem to address, or you can have them create their own scenario based on a specific product or service. Consider providing students with some specific language or vocabulary that they can use to address the customer’s needs or concerns or to provide information or assistance.
During the role-play, students can practice speaking skills by conversing with their partners. They can take turns playing the role of the store employee and the customer, using the language and vocabulary provided to address the customer’s needs or concerns. As the teacher, you can circulate the room and offer feedback and guidance as needed.
Advanced-Level Role Plays for Jobs and Careers
Role-play a job negotiation
To set up the job negotiation role-play activity, you can first introduce the concept of negotiation and the role of negotiation in various settings, such as job interviews, salary negotiations, or contract negotiations. Consider providing students with background information on typical negotiation strategies. These could include stating one’s interests or needs, making compromises, or using persuasive language. Also, discuss cultural differences or expectations that may be relevant to your students’ context.

Next, you can assign students to pairs or small groups and have them take turns playing the role of the employee and the employer. You can provide students with a scenario or issue to negotiate, or you can have them create their own scenario based on a specific job or industry. You may want to provide students with some specific language or vocabulary that they can use to express their interests or needs or to negotiate a resolution or agreement.
During the role-play, students can practice speaking skills by conversing with their partners. They can take turns playing the role of the employee and the employer and can use the language and vocabulary provided to negotiate a resolution or agreement. As the teacher, you can circulate the room and offer feedback and guidance as needed.
After any role-play, you can debrief with students and discuss their experiences and any challenges or insights that they had during the activity. You can also provide additional feedback or coaching on specific language or communication skills that students may want to work on. Use this activity to allow your intermediate-level students to practice their speaking skills in a real-world context and to learn about negotiation skills in a supportive and engaging way.
Role-play a business meeting

To set up the business meeting role-play activity, you can first introduce the concept of business meetings and the role of meetings in various settings, such as corporate or team meetings, conference calls, or video meetings. You can provide students with some background information on common meeting protocols, such as setting agendas, taking minutes, or making decisions. Discuss any cultural differences or expectations relevant to your students’ specific context.
Next, you can assign students to small groups and have them take turns playing the role of different participants in a business meeting, such as the chairperson, the presenter, or the attendees. You can provide students with a scenario or issue to discuss and make decisions about, or you can have them create their own scenario based on a specific industry or context. I suggest providing students with some specific language or vocabulary that they can use to express their ideas, ask questions, or make decisions.
During the role-play, students can practice speaking skills by conversing with their group members. They can use the language and vocabulary provided to discuss and make decisions about the scenario or issue and can take turns playing the different roles as needed. As the teacher, you can circulate the room and offer feedback and guidance as needed.
Role-play a job presentation
To set up the job presentation role-play activity, you can first introduce the concept of sales and marketing and the role of presentations in various settings, such as business meetings, trade shows, or online webinars. You may want to provide students with some background information on common presentation strategies, such as using visual aids, storytelling, or persuasive techniques. Discuss any cultural differences or expectations relevant to your students’ specific context.

Next, you can assign students to pairs or small groups and have them take turns playing the role of the presenter and the potential client. You can provide students with a product or service to present, or you can have them create their own product or service based on a specific industry or context. You can provide students with some specific language or vocabulary that they can use to describe the product or service, address any objections or concerns, or persuade the potential client to take action.
During the role-play, students can practice speaking skills by conversing with their partners. They can use the language and vocabulary provided to present the product or service to the potential client and can take turns playing the different roles as needed. You can circulate the room and offer feedback and guidance as the teacher.
After any role-play, you can debrief with students and discuss their experiences and any challenges or insights that they had during the activity. You can also provide additional feedback or coaching on specific language or communication skills students may want to work on. This activity can be an excellent way to allow your advanced-level students to practice their speaking skills in a real-world context and to learn about business communication skills in a supportive and engaging way.
Group Discussions and Debates about Jobs and Careers
Group discussions and debates are a great way to get your students to speak and think critically about the theme of jobs and careers. These activities can be particularly effective for intermediate and advanced-level students, as they require a higher level of language proficiency and understanding of the topic.
Here are some ideas for jobs and careers group discussions and debates organized by intermediate and advanced levels:
Intermediate-Level Discussions about Jobs and Careers
- Discuss personal experiences with finding and applying for jobs: Ask your intermediate-level students to talk about their experiences with finding and applying for jobs. Encourage them to share the challenges they faced and strategies they used to overcome them. You can also encourage them to use more advanced vocabulary related to the job search process.

- Debate a controversial topic related to the job market: You could present your intermediate-level students with a controversial issue related to the job market, such as whether unpaid internships should be allowed. Encourage your students to listen to each other’s perspectives and respectfully express their opinions. Use this activity to get your students thinking critically about the theme of jobs and careers and to encourage them to express their opinions in English.
- Discuss the pros and cons of different career paths: Ask your intermediate-level students to discuss the pros and cons of different career paths, such as a career in business versus a career in the arts. Encourage them to listen to each other’s perspectives and express their opinions respectfully. This activity gets your students thinking critically about the theme of jobs and careers and encourages them to express their opinions in English.
Advanced-Level Discussions about Jobs and Careers
- Debate a current event related to the job market: You could present your advanced-level students with a current event related to the job market, such as a recent policy change or trend in the job market. Encourage them to research the issue and debate the pros and cons of the event. Use this activity to get your students thinking critically about the theme of jobs and careers and to encourage them to express their opinions in English.
- Discuss the impact of technology on the job market: You could ask your advanced-level students to discuss the impact of technology and AI on the job market, including both the positive and negative effects. Encourage them to listen to each other’s perspectives and express their opinions respectfully. This type of activity encourages your students to think critically about the theme of jobs and careers and express their opinions in English.
By incorporating group discussions and debates into your lessons, you can help your students develop their speaking skills and learn about different occupations in a meaningful and relevant way. If you want to have 104 topics related to jobs and careers already set up as discussion cards right at your fingertips, check out my jobs and careers discussion topics resource available in my TpT store.
Jobs and Careers Vocabulary Building
Incorporating the theme of jobs and careers into your lessons is a great opportunity to expand your students’ vocabulary and help them learn new words related to different occupations.

Here are some ideas for incorporating vocabulary-building activities into your lessons, organized by beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels:
Beginner-Level Vocabulary for Jobs and Careers
- Introduce common job-related vocabulary: You can start by introducing common job-related vocabulary to your beginner-level students, such as resume, cover letter, appointment, references, and interview. You can provide definitions and examples of these words in context and encourage your students to practice using them in their own sentences. Use this activity to introduce new vocabulary to your students and as a review for students who are familiar with these terms.
Intermediate-Level Vocabulary for Jobs and Careers
- Focus on specific industries or job titles: You could focus on specific industries or job titles and teach the vocabulary specific to those fields. For example, if you are discussing the healthcare industry, you could teach vocabulary related to medical procedures and equipment. Use this activity to introduce new vocabulary to your intermediate-level students. It can also be a good review for students who are familiar with these terms.
- Play vocabulary-building games: You can play many games to help your intermediate-level students build their vocabulary related to different occupations. For example, you could play a word association game where students have to come up with a word related to a job or career (e.g., if you say “doctor,” they might say “hospital”). You could also play a matching game where students have to match job titles to their descriptions.
Advanced-Level Vocabulary for Jobs and Careers
- Research and present a job or career: For this activity, you can have your advanced-level students research a specific job or career that interests them. They can then present their findings to the class, including information about the responsibilities and duties of the position, the education and training required, and the job outlook and potential for advancement. Use this activity to allow your students to practice their speaking skills and learn about different jobs and careers in depth while also building their vocabulary related to those occupations.
- Create a glossary: You could ask your advanced-level students to create a glossary of job-related vocabulary, including definitions and examples of each word in context. Use this activity to allow your students to practice their writing skills and learn about different occupations in-depth while also building their vocabulary related to those occupations.
Overall, there are many ways you can incorporate vocabulary-building activities into your lessons on the theme of jobs and careers. These activities can be particularly practical for intermediate and advanced-level students, as they require a higher level of language proficiency and understanding of the topic. By incorporating vocabulary-building activities into your lessons, you can help your students develop their vocabulary related to different occupations and learn about other careers in a meaningful and relevant way.
Conclusion
Incorporating the theme of jobs and careers into your adult ESL speaking classes can be a rewarding and effective way to engage your students and help them improve their speaking skills. Whether through role-plays and simulations, group discussions and debates, or vocabulary building, there are numerous ways to use this theme to create meaningful and relevant lessons for your students.
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