Monday 28 April 2014

May, 1st - Workers Day




International Workers' Day is celebrated on  May 1st in many countries and is a national holiday in more than 80 nations. But, while in some countries this day is officially Labor Day,  in others it marks the traditional Spring festival known as May Day. Other countries, as the United States, celebrate Labour Day on another date.

Below you can briefly see what happens on this day in Italy and in Uk but I would like to take the opportunity to talk about jobs. You can work on this topic whatever your English level is. You can just learn the different jobs in English or you can practice writing a CV and talking about yourself for a job interview.

May, 1st in Italy

In Italy the first May Day celebration took place in 1890. It  celebrated workers' achievements in their struggle for their rights and for better economic and social conditions.Nowadays  the 1st May's Concert, organized by Italian Labour Unions in Rome in Piazza San Giovanni, is very popular. It is attended by more than 500,000 people every year and involves participation of many famous singers and bands. 

To learn more about May, 1st traditions in Italy

May, 1st in the United Kingdom

On this day people celebrate the coming of summer. Many May Day activities have now been moved to the new May Day holiday on the first Monday of the month,  a bank holiday. 
To learn more about May Day traditions in the UK:

May, 1st is the occasion to talk about jobs.

Surf the following sites.



Here it is a list of different professions and an explanation of what each person does in that profession:

Here you can find useful vocabulary, expressions related to jobs, typical interview questions and answers:

How to write a successful CV:

CVs and covering letters:

And now watch the following videos:

What's the difference between work, job and business?


How to find your dream job if you are not sure what you want to do


Tell us about yourself. Interview questions and answers


NOW IT'S UP TO YOU!



ROLE PLAY
Now, you can choose to be an 
employer or an employee

In the first case, write a simple vacancy announcement, a profile of your ideal candidate and some questions you would like to ask during the interviews.





In the second case decide which kind of  job you want to apply for, write a brief CV and prepare a presentation of yourself, of your qualities and abilities.








In a second moment, we can simulate some job interviews in our classroom!