Jobs in Healthcare and Education
| English | Meaning / Example |
|---|---|
| doctor | A medical professional who diagnoses and treats illness. She wants to be a doctor. |
| nurse | A healthcare worker who cares for patients. He's a nurse at the local hospital. |
| dentist | A doctor who specialises in teeth. I have an appointment with the dentist. |
| vet / veterinarian | An animal doctor. The vet checked the dog's leg. |
| teacher | Someone who educates students. She's a maths teacher. |
| professor | A senior teacher at university. He's a professor of history. |
Professional and Technical Jobs
| English | Meaning / Example |
|---|---|
| engineer | Someone who designs or builds things. She's a civil engineer. |
| architect | Someone who designs buildings. He's an architect in London. |
| lawyer / solicitor | Someone who works in law. She needs a lawyer. |
| accountant | Someone who manages financial accounts. He works as an accountant. |
| programmer / developer | Someone who writes computer code. She's a software developer. |
| scientist | Someone who conducts scientific research. A scientist made the discovery. |
| journalist | Someone who reports news. She's a journalist for a national paper. |
| manager | Someone who runs a team or business. He became the store manager. |
| pilot | Someone who flies aircraft. She trained to become a pilot. |
Tip In English, use "a" before jobs starting with a consonant sound, and "an" before jobs starting with a vowel sound: a doctor, a teacher, a nurse BUT an engineer, an accountant, an artist, an actor. The key is the sound, not the spelling — so it's a university lecturer (starts with "you" sound) but an honest person (the 'h' is silent).
Creative and Service Jobs
| English | Meaning / Example |
|---|---|
| artist | Someone who creates art. She's a talented artist. |
| chef / cook | Someone who prepares food professionally. He's the head chef. |
| musician | Someone who plays music professionally. She's a classical musician. |
| actor / actress | Someone who performs in films or theatre. He's an actor. |
| firefighter | Someone who fights fires and rescues people. A firefighter saved the family. |
| police officer | Someone who enforces the law. A police officer stopped the car. |
| driver | Someone who drives professionally. He works as a bus driver. |
| farmer | Someone who works the land or raises animals. She's a sheep farmer. |
Talking About Jobs
| English | Meaning / Example |
|---|---|
| What do you do? | Asking about someone's job. |
| I'm a/an [job]. | Saying what job you do. I'm a teacher. |
| I work as a/an [job]. | Alternative way. I work as an engineer. |
| I work for [company]. | Saying your employer. I work for Google. |
| I work in [field]. | Saying your field. I work in medicine. |
| to be self-employed | To work for yourself. She's self-employed. |
| to retire | To stop working at the end of a career. He retired at 65. |
Real world: Talking about jobs
"What do you do?" — "I'm an engineer. I work for a construction company. What about you?" — "I'm a teacher. I work in a secondary school."
"She studied hard for years and finally became a doctor. She now works in a hospital and loves her job."
"Remember: 'I'm an actor' — you need 'an' because 'actor' starts with a vowel sound. 'I'm a chef' — 'a' because 'chef' starts with a consonant sound."
Practice Problems
Which article goes before 'engineer': 'a' or 'an'?
Show answer
an (an engineer — starts with vowel sound)
How do you ask someone what their job is in English?
Show answer
What do you do?
What is the job of a vet?
Show answer
A vet treats animals (an animal doctor).
Fill in: 'I ___ a nurse at the city hospital.'
Show answer
I'm / I am (I'm a nurse)