What the work and jobs lessons cover
The lessons follow a working life in order, so you can build a short course or pick the one situation your student faces this week. These ESL workplace lesson plans fall into five groups:
| Topic | Lessons to start with | Levels |
| Getting a job | The Art of Interview, Job Interview, Job-Winning CV, Follow-up Email | A1 to C1 |
| First days | Your First Day at Work, First-day Nerves, Welcome Aboard | A2 to B2 |
| Everyday work | Daily Stand-Up, 1-to-1 Meetings, Phrasal Verbs for Work, Feedback requests | B1 to B2 |
| When work goes wrong | Swamped With Work, Missed Deadlines, Defensive Colleague, Handling A Toxic Boss | B1 to C1 |
| Career moves | Getting a raise, Downshifting, Great Unretirement | A2 to C1 |
A first day at work ESL lesson is a good example of how the page works. Your First Day at Work gives B1-B2 students the phrases for meeting colleagues and asking where things are, while First-day Nerves lets A2-B1 students talk about the feeling itself. Three lessons, Networking, 1-to-1 Meetings and You Are Breaking Up A Bit, are episodes of the same esl.laboratory podcast, so students follow one team through networking, one-to-one meetings and a bad video call. For managers, Motivating Remote Teams covers remote work, and every lesson adds workplace vocabulary students can use the next morning.
Many of these lessons also suit Business English classes. If your students need meetings, presentations and negotiations above all, the Business English lessons collect that side of the library in one place.
Jobs ESL lesson plans by level
For adult beginners, a jobs ESL lesson plan beginner students can handle starts with names of jobs and what people do all day. The worksheet Jobs and Occupations Vocabulary teaches 13 jobs, from nurse to accountant, and What Do You Do? turns them into a first conversation. What Can You Do? adds can and can't for skills, and Time Management brings in schedules.
| Level | Where to start | What students can do after |
| A1-A2 | What Do You Do?, What Can You Do?, The Art of Interview | Say what they do and answer simple questions about work |
| A2-B1 | Life As A Googler, Kaffeeform, First-day Nerves | Describe a schedule, a company and how they felt at a new job |
| B1-B2 | Your First Day at Work, Swamped With Work, Phrasal Verbs for Work | Handle meetings, small problems and polite emails |
| B2-C1 | Missed Deadlines, Getting a raise, Downshifting Your Career | Negotiate, push back and argue about careers |
Looking for a jobs ESL lesson plan, intermediate level? From B1 up the choice gets wide, and a lesson can follow almost any situation at work, from a stand-up meeting to a pay review. Not sure of a new student's level? The placement test gives you a band in a few minutes.
Job interview lessons from first answers to a winning CV
A job interview ESL lesson plan works best as a short series rather than a single class. Start with The Art of Interview, where A1-A2 students ask and answer the quick-fire questions from WIRED autocomplete interviews. At B1-B2, Job Interview follows a product manager interviewing a candidate, so students hear the questions in context and practice their own answers.
B2-C1 students can go on to Job-Winning CV for the vocabulary of a strong CV and to Follow-up Email for the message after the interview. Finish with a role-play: one student is the interviewer with a real job ad, the other answers, then they swap.
Give students five minutes before the role-play to write their three strongest answers, then ask the interviewer to add one question they did not expect. The surprise question is where the real practice happens, because students have to think in English instead of reciting.
Burnout, stress and work-life balance
These are the lessons adults discuss longest, because almost everyone has an opinion. Burnout teaches the signs and how to respond with empathy. Beat The Impostor Syndrome gives students words for self-doubt at work, and Swamped With Work covers the day-to-day pressure of a full schedule.
For a work life balance ESL lesson plan at higher levels, Downshifting Your Career asks whether earning less for a calmer life is worth it. More lessons about stress, boundaries and well-being are on the emotions and mental health page.
These topics also suit mixed groups, because students who are happy at work still have opinions about Handling A Toxic Boss or about retirees going back to work in Great Unretirement.
Conversation questions about work
Need a warm-up before the lesson or a filler at the end? These ESL conversation questions about work go from easy to B2:
- What do you do, and how long have you done it?
- What does a normal working day look like for you?
- What was your first job?
- What do you like most about your job, and what would you change?
- Do you prefer working from home or in an office? Why?
- What makes a good boss?
- How do you feel on Sunday evenings?
- What job would you never do, even for a lot of money?
- Would you take a lower salary for a four-day week?
- Should companies be allowed to contact staff after working hours?
For 30 more, see our work conversation questions for adult learners.
Work and jobs lessons FAQ
Are these lessons useful for students who don't work yet?
Yes. University students and job seekers use the interview, CV and first-day lessons most, and topics such as Downshifting or Great Unretirement work as discussions for any adult.
Are any of the lessons free?
Yes. Bargaining and Phrasal Verbs for Work are free to try. The rest of the library comes with a subscription.
How long is one lesson?
Most lessons are planned for about 60 minutes. Worksheets take less and also work as homework, so a jobs ESL lesson plan and its worksheet together fill a 90-minute class.
How is this page different from the Business English lessons?
This page is about work as part of life: finding a job, starting one, coping with stress and changing careers. The Business English lessons focus on workplace skills such as meetings, presentations and negotiations.
Every lesson on this page comes with a teacher subscription, together with the rest of the library.