May to August 2019 IELTS Speaking Topic #31 Describe one of your grandparents’ job

Describe one of your grandparents’ job. You should say:
what it was;
how long has he/she been in the job;
what kind of skills are needed for the job;
and explain why he/she liked the job.

Both of my grandparents were professors in the university, which is one of the most respected occupations in china. They had worked for over 40 years. However, because of some political factors, they were forced to resign at one point.

Being a university professor requires several important qualities. First of all, you should have rich knowledge and get higher qualifications in some particular fields. Besides, it requires you to be responsible and careful. A sense of responsibility is a common trait in all good teachers.
My grandparents told me the development of the domestic society at that time were restricted due to its backwardness in education. Therefore, they took teaching as their duties. And it made them feel fulfilled to share knowledge with others and help students achieve personal goals. During turbulent years, they could not get a salary sometimes, but they did not mind on the basis of their devotion to education.

Part 3

How do young people choose their career in your country?
Young people usually take career goals and personal preferences into consideration when making an optimal choice for themselves. Besides, some young people who are more ambitious, hard-working and mature tend to launch their own business.

Do they usually make their choice based on money or is their choice usually based on what they are interested in doing?
I think most young people may focus on money more. Take me as an example, I really would like to find a well-paid job after graduation. When I say well-paid, I mean in Shanghai, I need to earn at least 10 thousand RMB on a monthly basis. With this amount of money, I can be financially-independent.

What sorts of work (or, what careers) are most popular with young people in your country?
In recent years, big data and artificial intelligent have been quite hot in my country. Hence, the IT-related jobs, such as the programmer, data analyst and application modeler, are most popular with young people.

Where do young people get advice about choosing a career?
They can ask their parents, friends and the career center in their universities or communities for advice when making the vocation plan and decision.

Why do some people like their job while others don’t like their job?
Some people choose their jobs just for money instead of interest and passion, others find the jobs are different than they ever imagined, and still others have quite heavy workload and get exhausted.

Why do people sometimes lose interest in (or, come to dislike) their job?
Well, I think it changes over time. For example, you liked your job at first, but now you have lost interest in it. Perhaps you found the particular field did not interest you on more than an academic level or you get tired. And sometimes you just could not find out a reason for it.