Shadowing Practice: Talking About Your First Job in English | Easy English Podcast for Beginners - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Everyday English Academy, where we make English simple and enjoyable.
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Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Everyday English Academy, where we make English simple and enjoyable.
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I'm Sarah.
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And I'm Mike.
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Hello to all of our wonderful listeners, wherever you are in the world right now.
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Mike, you look different today.
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Are you okay?
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I am emotionally damaged.
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What?
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What happened?
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I was cleaning my room last night, and I found an old photo of me from my first job.
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Oh, no.
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How bad is it?
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I was 17.
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I was wearing a uniform two sizes too big, and there was a giant coffee stain right here on my chest.
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Please tell me you still have that photo.
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I do.
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And I almost cried looking at it, not because I was sad, because I looked so ridiculous.
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That is amazing.
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You have to show me after this.
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Never.
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That photo is staying in the box forever.
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Oh, come on.
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I'm sure you looked professional.
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Professional?
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Sarah, the uniform was brown, dark brown.
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I looked like a sad potato.
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But honestly, looking at that photo made me think about my first job a lot.
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The good parts, the terrible parts, everything.
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You know what?
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Same thing happened to me last month.
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I was talking to my sister, and she asked me, do you remember your first job?
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And suddenly, all these memories came back.
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Good memories?
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Some good, some not so good.
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But all of them are funny now.
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That is so true.
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First jobs are terrible when you reliving them, but they become amazing stories later.
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And I think everyone has a first job story.
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Listeners, what was your first job?
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Tell us in the comments.
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Even one sentence is great practice.
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Yes, we want to hear your stories.
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And while we share ours today, you will also learn some really useful English for talking about work, jobs, and early career life.
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Easy, natural English.
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Nothing complicated, just words and phrases you can actually use in real conversations.
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All right.
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Sarah, tell me, what was your first job?
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Okay, my first job was in a small bakery near my house.
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A bakery?
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That sounds nice.
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It sounds nice.
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The reality was different.
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Oh, no.
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What happened?
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Well, first of all, I had to apply for the job.
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To apply for a job means you officially ask for a job.
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You fill out a form, maybe send some information about yourself, and then you wait.
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And hope they say yes.
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Exactly.
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And I was so nervous.
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I was 16.
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I walked into the bakery, my hands were shaking, and I said, Hi, I want to work here, please?
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Very smooth, Sarah.
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Thank you.
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Somehow, the owner liked me and gave me the job.
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It was a part-time job, so I only worked a few hours a day, not the full day.
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Part-time is perfect when you are young.
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You work fewer hours than a full-time job, maybe three or four hours after school.
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Yes.
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I worked every Saturday and two afternoons during the week.
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and my job was simple.
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Stand behind the counter, smile at customers, and sell bread.
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That does not sound too bad.
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It wasn't until my first day.
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I was so nervous that I dropped an entire tray of cupcakes on the floor.
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No.
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Yes.
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Twelve cupcakes.
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On the floor.
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In front of three customers.
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On my first day.
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Oh, no.
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What did you do?
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I just stood there, frozen, like a statue.
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And my boss looked at me and said well pick them up not even angry she was angry inside I'm sure but she was nice about it I think she could see I was about to cry that is such a classic first job moment you want to make a good impression which means you want people to think positively about you and And then everything goes wrong.
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Yes.
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Making a good impression is so important at a new job.
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And I made the worst impression possible.
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Okay, my turn.
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My first job was at a fast food restaurant.
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Oh, classic first job.
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Very classic.
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I was 17 and I needed money for...
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for honestly i don't even remember probably video games at least you are honest so i applied i got the job and they told me my first shift started monday at 6 a.m six in the morning that is early and a shift that is the set period of time you work right exactly a shift can be morning afternoon or night.
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Some people work the morning shift.
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Some work the evening shift.
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My shift was 6 a.m.
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to 2 p.m.
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That is a long day for a 17-year-old.
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It was.
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And on my first morning, I arrived and the manager gave me my uniform, the brown uniform.
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The sad potato uniform.
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Yes, and then she said, okay, you are on fries today.
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And I thought, great.
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How hard can fries be?
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Oh, no, I can feel the disaster coming.
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I burned the first three batches.
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Three.
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The kitchen smelled like a fire.
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My colleague, that's someone you work with, my colleague looked at me and said, have you ever used a kitchen before?
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Ouch!
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That is harsh.
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It was harsh.
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But honestly, she was right.
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I had no idea what I was doing.
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I was completely in over my head.
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Oh, in over your head.
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What does that mean?
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It means you're in a situation that is too difficult for you.
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Like the water is above your head and you cannot touch the ground.
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Everything feels too much.
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That is a great expression.
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On my first day, I was totally in over my head.
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That was exactly how I felt.
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But here's the thing.
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After one week, I was the fastest fry person in the restaurant.
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Really?
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Yes, because I was doing it every single day.
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And that's what we call hands-on experience.
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Oh, I like that.
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Hands-on experience is when you learn by doing something, not from a book or a copy.
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classroom.
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Right.
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Nobody taught me a theory of french fries.
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I just did it again and again until I got good.
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And that's honestly how you learn most things at a first job.
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You just do it.
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You make mistakes and you get better.
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Okay, Sarah.
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Let's talk about the hard parts.
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Because first jobs are not just funny stories.
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Some parts are really tough.
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Oh, yes.
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Let's be honest about that.
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for me the hardest part was the pay the pay i was making minimum wage and minimum wage is the lowest amount of money a company can pay you per hour it is the legal minimum minimum wage is not a lot it is not i remember getting my first paycheck that is the money you receive for your work and thinking, wait, that's it?
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I worked all those hours for this?
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Oh, I remember that feeling.
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You work so hard, your feet hurt, your back hurts, and then you see the number and you want to cry.
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I actually did cry a little.
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In my car, while eating one of the bakery's broken cookies.
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That is so sad and so real.
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But you know what?
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That first paycheck taught me something.
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It taught me the value of money.
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Like, oh, this is how hard it is to earn $20.
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That is so true.
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Before my first job, I thought money was easy.
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After my first paycheck, I understood.
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And listeners, what about you?
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Do you remember your first paycheck?
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Was it more or less than you expected?
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Tell us in the comments.
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Now, another hard part of first jobs is bosses.
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Oh, bosses, yes.
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Some are wonderful.
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Some are not My first boss was actually okay.
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She was strict, but fair But I had a colleague Remember a colleague is a person you work with I had a colleague who complained about the boss every single day every day Every single day the boss is mean the boss is unfair the boss doesn't like me Was it true a A little bit, maybe.
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But also, my colleague was always late, so… Maybe the boss had a reason?
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Maybe.
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What about your boss, Sarah?
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My boss at the bakery was actually very kind.
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She taught me so many things.
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But she had one rule.
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Never sit down during your shift.
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Never?
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Never.
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Eight hours standing.
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My feet were dying.
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that is painful but honestly I think standing all day is a very common first job experience it is whether you work in a shop a restaurant a cafe you are standing all day long and nobody warns you about it before you start okay but let's talk about something important even though first jobs can be hard they They teach you so much.
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Yes, and usually you don't realize it until much later.
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For example, my bakery job taught me how to talk to strangers.
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Before that job, I was shy.
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Can you believe that?
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You shy?
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No way.
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Yes!
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I was quiet and nervous around people I didn't know.
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But when you work in a bakery, you have to talk to customers.
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Every day.
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All day.
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So the job pushed you to be more social.
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Exactly.
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And after a few months, it felt natural.
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That is hands-on experience at work.
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I learned by doing, not by reading a book about communication.
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For me, my first job taught me about time.
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Before that job, I was always late for everything.
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School, friends, family dinners.
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And your boss fixed that?
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Oh yes, because if you were late for your shift, she looked at you with this face.
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This cold, silent, disappointed face.
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And that was worse than yelling.
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The disappointed face is always worse.
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Always.
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So after being late twice, I was never late again.
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See?
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Your first job taught you a life skill.
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It really did, and I think that is true for most people.
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Your first job teaches you things like responsibility, patience, and how to deal with difficult situations.
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And how to deal with difficult people.
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Oh, definitely.
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That might be the most important lesson.
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because in every job you will ever have, there will be at least one difficult person.
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At least one.
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You know what, Mike?
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I think a lot of first jobs feel like dead-end jobs at the time.
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Ooh, yes, a dead-end job.
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What does that mean for our listeners?
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A dead-end job is a job with no chance to grow, No promotion, no new skills, no future.
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It feels like you are going nowhere.
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Like a road that just stops.
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Exactly.
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And when you are young and working at a bakery or a fast food restaurant, it can feel like a dead-end job.
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Like, is this my life now?
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But here's what I think.
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A first job is almost never actually a dead-end, Even if it feels like one why do you say that?
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Because you are learning.
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You might not see it.
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You might think, I'm just making fries.
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But you're learning how to work with people, how to be on time, how to follow instructions, how to solve problems quickly.
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That is actually so true.
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The skills are invisible, but they are real.
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Yes.
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And later, when you get your second job or your third job, you realize, oh, I actually learned all of that at my first terrible job.
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I love that.
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So even a dead-end job can teach you something useful.
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Always, if you pay attention.
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Listeners, did your first job feel like a dead-end, or did you actually enjoy it?
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And what is one thing your first job taught you?
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We really want to know.
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All right, Mike.
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If we could go back in time and talk to our younger selves on day one of our first job, what would we say?
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Oh, I love this question.
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Okay, I would say relax.
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You will drop things, you will make mistakes.
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It is fine.
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Nobody expects you to be perfect on day one.
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That is great advice.
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I would say ask questions.
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Do not pretend you understand when you don't.
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Your colleagues will respect you more for asking, not less.
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Oh, that is so true.
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I was always afraid to ask questions.
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I thought people would think I was stupid.
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Same.
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But actually, the people who ask questions learn the fastest.
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What else?
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I would also say, this job is not forever, but learn everything you can while you're here, because it will help you in ways you cannot imagine.
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And I would add, be nice to your colleagues.
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The people you work with can make a hard job much easier or much worse.
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That is perfect.
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A good colleague can save your day.
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A bad colleague can ruin it.
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I had both.
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My favorite colleague at the bakery always saved extra cookies for me.
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She made those long shifts so much better.
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See?
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Good colleagues are everything.
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All right, everyone.
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Let's quickly go through the words we used today.
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First, apply for a job.
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To officially ask for a job by sending your information.
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I applied for a job at the cafe near my house.
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Part-time.
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Working fewer hours than a full job.
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My first job was part-time, just weekends.
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shift a set period of time you work my shift was from 6 a.m.
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to 2 p.m.
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colleague a person you work with my colleague helped me a lot on my first day minimum wage the lowest pay allowed by law most first jobs pay minimum wage paycheck the money you receive for your work my first paycheck check was smaller than I expected.
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Make a good impression, to make people think positively about you.
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I wanted to make a good impression on my boss.
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In over your head, when a situation is too difficult for you.
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I was completely in over my head on day one.
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Hands-on experience, learning by doing, not from books.
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First jobs give you real hands-on experience.
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And dead-end job, a job with no chance to grow.
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It felt like a dead-end job, but I still learned a lot.
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Great words.
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Try using one or two of these when you write about your first job in the comments.
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All right, everyone.
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We hope you enjoyed today's conversation.
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And we hope it brought back some memories of your first job.
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The good, the bad, and the embarrassing.
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If you liked this episode, please subscribe to Everyday English Academy and give us a like.
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It really helps us make more episodes for you.
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And share this with a friend who is learning English.
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Maybe someone who also has a funny first job story.
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Thank you so much for being here with us today.
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Keep practicing, keep learning, and remember, every job teaches you something, even the ones with bad uniforms.
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Especially the ones with bad uniforms.
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Stay wonderful, everyone.
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We will see you in the next episode.
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Bye, everyone.
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Goodbye.

Why practice speaking with this video?

This video, "Talking About Your First Job in English," is an excellent resource for English learners looking to enhance their speaking skills. Conversations about first jobs are relatable and can evoke shared memories, making the content engaging. By practicing with this video, you immerse yourself in real-life scenarios where vocabulary related to work and early career experiences is used. This can significantly help improve your conversational abilities in English. Additionally, discussing your first job or asking others about their experiences provides a wonderful opportunity to practice speaking in a stress-free environment, allowing you to learn English with YouTube effectively.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Several useful expressions and grammatical structures appear in the transcript that can help you articulate your own experiences. Consider these:

  • "I was so nervous." - A common way to express feelings; pay attention to how emotions are conveyed.
  • "I had to apply for the job." - The structure is straightforward and useful in any job-related conversation.
  • "I was in over my head." - This idiomatic phrase effectively describes feeling overwhelmed; it's a great way to express struggles in a new environment.
  • "Making a good impression." - This expression is vital for professional contexts, highlighting the importance of first impressions.
  • "Hands-on experience." - A crucial term indicating practical experience that is valuable in any learning endeavor.

Use these phrases in your conversations to add depth and clarity, enhancing your speaking skills with natural and effective English.

Common Pronunciation Traps

When practicing the shadowing technique with this video, pay attention to a few common pronunciation challenges:

  • "Colleague" - This word may be mispronounced; ensure you stress the second syllable correctly.
  • "Shift" - The short 'i' sound can often be tricky. Make sure to pronounce it distinctly.
  • "Minimum wage" - The term can be a mouthful; practice the flow to sound natural.
  • "Experience" - Ensure you articulate the 'x' sound clearly for clarity.

Improving your English pronunciation is essential, and by listening closely to the speakers in this video, you can develop your skills further. Remember to practice these tricky words to gain confidence in your speaking.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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