Gerunds and infinitives for discussing career goals and preferences

1. What makes a great career?

Discuss these questions with a partner:

What are three qualities of a "dream job" for you?
What do you enjoy doing most at work or in your studies?
What is one new skill you would like to learn in the next year? Why?

2. Career development vocabulary

Drag the terms from the word bank to match them with their correct definitions.

To innovate

To collaborate

To advance your career

To acquire skills

To specialize in

To mentor someone

To create new ideas, methods, or products.

To work together with others on a project.

To get a higher-level position at work.

To learn new abilities to stay current in your job.

To focus on a particular area of your field.

To guide and advise a less experienced person.

3. Listening: A creative professional's goals

Listen to the audio and fill in the gaps with the words from the transcript.

I've always dreamed of working in a creative field. I find new products incredibly satisfying. Initially, I struggled between art and technology however, I soon realized I could combine them. My goal is and shape the future. I enjoy new software and with engineers. I definitely plan my skills in this area.

4. Grammar focus: Gerunds vs. Infinitives

Use a gerund (verb + -ing) after verbs like enjoy, finish, avoid, consider, and after prepositions (in, at, of, for).

Example: I enjoy working in a team.

Use an infinitive (to + verb) after verbs like plan, hope, want, decide, need, agree, and to express a purpose.

Example: I plan to advance my career. I'm taking this course to improve my skills.

Choose the correct form of the verb:

1. She is considering _____ for a management position.

applying

to apply

2. He hopes _____ a senior engineer within two years.

becoming

to become

3. I'm responsible for _____ the project budget.

managing

to manage

4. They decided _____ a new assistant for now.

not hiring

not to hire

5. Would you mind _____ me with this report?

helping

to help

6. I need _____ this presentation by Friday.

finishing

to finish

7. He avoids _____ in large meetings because he is shy.

speaking

to speak

8. My main goal is _____ certified as a project manager.

getting

to get

5. Useful phrases for career discussions

Study these phrases to talk about your professional goals and preferences.

Expressing preferences and enjoyment:

"I really enjoy working with clients."
"I'm passionate about solving complex problems."
"I prefer to work independently."
"I'm not very keen on doing repetitive tasks."

Stating goals and intentions:

"I plan to get a promotion in the next year."
"My main goal is to become a specialist in my field."
"I hope to manage my own team one day."
"I've decided to focus on improving my technical skills."

Discussing skills and development:

"I'm good at communicating with colleagues."
"I'm interested in learning more about digital marketing."
"I need to improve my public speaking abilities."
"I'm considering taking an online course."

6. Speaking practice: The career development meeting

Scenario: Work with a partner. Role-play a meeting between an employee and a career coach. Use the grammar and vocabulary from this lesson to discuss career goals.

Student A (The Employee): You are meeting with your career coach to discuss your 5-year plan. Talk about:

What you enjoy doing in your current role.
What you hope to achieve in the future.
What skills you plan to develop.

Student B (The Career Coach): Your goal is to understand your client's aspirations and help them create a plan. Ask questions to encourage them to use gerunds and infinitives, for example:

"What aspects of your job do you enjoy doing the most?"
"What do you plan to do to reach your goals?"
"What are you considering learning next?"