Exercise 1
Choose the correct word to complete each sentence about jobs and occupations.
Example: A _____ works in a hospital and helps sick people. (doctor / farmer / driver)
Answer: A doctor works in a hospital and helps sick people.
Jobs and Occupations in English
Do you know the names of different jobs in English? Talking about jobs and occupations is one of the most important things you can do as a beginner. When you meet someone new, one of the first questions in English is often: "What do you do?" or "What is your job?"
Read this short situation and notice the job words:
Maria is at a party. She meets Tom. Tom says: "Hello! I'm Tom. I'm a doctor." Maria says: "Nice to meet you! I'm Maria. I'm a teacher." Then they meet Sam. Sam says: "Hi! I'm a chef. I cook food in a restaurant!" Everyone is happy to share their jobs.
In this lesson, you will learn common jobs and occupations in English, how to use them in sentences, and how to talk about what people do at work.
Key Vocabulary & Meaning Breakdown
1. Jobs in Health and Education
These are people who help others learn or stay healthy. You see these people in hospitals, clinics, and schools.
| Word / Phrase | Part of Speech & Meaning | Example Sentence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| doctor | noun — a person who helps sick people and gives medical care | The doctor gives medicine to the patient. | Works in a hospital or clinic |
| nurse | noun — a person who cares for sick or injured people in a hospital | The nurse checks the patient every hour. | Works with doctors in a hospital |
| dentist | noun — a person who looks after people's teeth | I go to the dentist twice a year. | Works in a dental clinic |
| teacher | noun — a person who helps students learn at school | My teacher explains new words every day. | Works in a school or college |
| student | noun — a person who goes to school or university to learn | She is a student at the local school. | Not a job, but a very common occupation word |
2. Jobs in Food, Service, and Shops
These people work in restaurants, shops, and places where they help customers every day.
| Word / Phrase | Part of Speech & Meaning | Example Sentence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| chef | noun — a professional cook who works in a restaurant or hotel | The chef cooks delicious food in the restaurant. | A chef is a trained, professional cook |
| waiter / waitress | noun — a person who brings food and drinks to customers in a restaurant | The waiter brings the menu to the table. | Waiter = male, waitress = female (though waiter is now often used for all) |
| shop assistant | noun — a person who helps customers in a shop | The shop assistant helps me find my size. | Works in a supermarket, clothes shop, etc. |
| baker | noun — a person who makes and sells bread, cakes, and pastries | The baker makes fresh bread every morning. | Works in a bakery |
| cashier | noun — a person who takes money from customers in a shop or bank | The cashier gives me my change. | You can find a cashier at a supermarket checkout |
3. Jobs in Safety, Transport, and Public Life
These are important people in our communities. They keep us safe, help us travel, and build things around us.
| Word / Phrase | Part of Speech & Meaning | Example Sentence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| police officer | noun — a person whose job is to keep people safe and enforce the law | The police officer helps lost children. | Works for the police force |
| firefighter | noun — a person who puts out fires and saves people in danger | The firefighter saves people from the burning building. | Old word: fireman — but firefighter is now more common |
| driver | noun — a person who drives a vehicle such as a car, bus, or lorry | The bus driver takes people to the city centre. | Can be a taxi driver, bus driver, lorry driver |
| builder | noun — a person who constructs or repairs buildings and houses | The builder is making a new house on our street. | Works outside on construction sites |
| farmer | noun — a person who grows food or keeps animals on a farm | The farmer has many cows and sheep. | Works on a farm in the countryside |
| pilot | noun — a person who flies an aeroplane | The pilot flies the plane to London. | Works for an airline |
Collocations & Useful Expressions
At A1 level, it is important to learn short phrases and questions that go with job vocabulary. Here are some very useful ones:
be + a/an + job
She is a nurse. He is a doctor. I am a student.
Use a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound.
work + as + a/an + job
He works as a chef in a hotel.
She works as a teacher at a primary school.
work + in + a place
A doctor works in a hospital.
A baker works in a bakery.
A teacher works in a school.
What do you do?
This is a very common question. It means: "What is your job?"
Answer: "I am a teacher." or "I work as a nurse."
What does he/she do?
What does she do? — She is a police officer.
What does he do? — He is a builder.
Where do you work?
I work in a hospital. / I work in a school. / I work on a farm.
Important Differences & Confusing Words
Job vs Work vs Career
These three words all relate to jobs and occupations, but they are used differently.
Job — a specific position or occupation (a countable noun)
She has a new job at the hospital.
I want a job as a teacher.
Work — activities you do to earn money, or the place where you do them (an uncountable noun — NO "a" or "s")
I go to work every day at 8 o'clock.
He is at work right now.
❌ Do not say: "I go to a work."
Career — the whole of your working life, or a long-term professional path
She has a long career as a nurse.
(This word is more common at A2/B1 level, but good to know.)
Cook vs Chef
Cook — a general word for a person who prepares food (at home or at work)
My mum is a great cook.
Chef — a professional, trained cook who works in a restaurant or hotel
The chef at the restaurant studied cooking for five years.
All chefs are cooks, but not all cooks are chefs!
Waiter vs Server
Waiter / Waitress — the traditional British English words for a person who serves food in a restaurant
The waiter brings our food to the table.
Server — more common in American English, used for both male and female
The server takes our order.
In British English, waiter and waitress are the most common words.
Common Mistakes
❌ She is teacher.
✅ She is a teacher. — Always use a or an before a job: I am a doctor. He is an engineer.
❌ He is an police officer.
✅ He is a police officer. — Use an before vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u), not before consonant sounds. "Police" starts with a /p/ sound.
❌ What is your work?
✅ What do you do? or What is your job? — We do not say "What is your work?" in natural English.
❌ She works in hospital.
✅ She works in a hospital. — Remember to use the article a or an before the place of work.
❌ I am student.
✅ I am a student. — Do not forget the article a before your occupation.
❌ My father is a farmer. He works at a farm.
✅ My father is a farmer. He works on a farm. — We say work on a farm, not at a farm.
Jobs and Occupations: Quick Summary & Review
Here is a quick summary of what you have learned about jobs and occupations in English:
- Use a or an before every job: a teacher, a doctor, an engineer.
- To say what your job is, use: I am a ___. or I work as a ___.
- To say where you work, use: I work in a ___. or I work on a ___. (e.g. on a farm)
- To ask about someone's job, say: "What do you do?"
- Remember: job needs an article (a job), but work does not (I go to work).
- A chef is a professional cook who works in a restaurant. A cook can be anyone who prepares food.
- Common jobs at A1 level: doctor, nurse, teacher, chef, waiter, police officer, firefighter, driver, farmer, builder, pilot, dentist, baker, cashier, shop assistant.
Now practise jobs and occupations vocabulary in the exercises below.
📄 Download the Jobs and Occupations PDF
Download this Jobs and Occupations grammar lesson as a free printable PDF.
It includes grammar rules, examples, and explanations so you can study offline anytime.