On Screen C1 p 48. Listening

 Do Ex 3

Script

3d – Exercise 3 (p. 48)
Interviewer: My guest today is Jessica Fraser, a young professional who is currently taking part in a job exchange.
Jessica, it was very brave of you to come all this way to another country and take on someone else’s job. What was your reason for doing it? Were you unhappy with your job at home?
Jessica: Not at all. I’m a marketing executive and I love it. I work closely with the sales and advertising departments to analyse the market and devise and present ideas to promote our products. It’s very interesting, but I’ve always been attracted by the idea of living abroad ever since I left university. I just never got the chance until now. I’d actually put the idea of living overseas completely out of my mind until the opportunity to swap jobs for a year with a colleague in the marketing department of our London office arose. That’s when I realised that I still felt excited by the prospect of experiencing living in a different culture!
Interviewer: So, has the experience been everything you’d hoped for?
Jessica: Oh yes, and more! Of course, at first I had to sort out a few issues relating to working in a new country like getting paperwork, such as tax documents, an insurance number and a bank account, but the company helped me with those. I also had to adjust to a different working environment and working practices, for example, how reports were laid out and how the hierarchy worked in my new office. But it was nothing I couldn’t handle and I was given a lot of guidance. Everyone in the office was so helpful and gave me plenty of time to adjust. In fact, I was stunned by how accommodating they all were. I wasn’t expecting that my colleagues would just accept me so easily. I guess I’m lucky that I joined a great team.
Interviewer: So, what new skills do you feel you’ll be returning home with?
Jessica: Well ... before this year, I’ve never managed an event, but one of the first tasks I was given was to coordinate a big promotional event to coincide with the company’s launch of a brand new health product. I had to interact with people from many different departments, which really helped me to understand how much my work was likely to impact the success or failure of the new product. I was really snowed under, stuck in the office evenings and weekends over a couple of months, working a lot of overtime, but it was incredibly fulfilling to see all our hard work pay off when the event was declared a success.
Interviewer: Did you find it hard to make friends when you first arrived?
Jessica: Actually, no. I was very lucky because the girl who took over my job and I also did a ‘home swap’ for the year. She lived with three other young professionals in a big shared house and I soon made friends with them all, so I never had the chance to feel lonely. And I think that was a great help to me. Even if I hadn’t done the home swap, it would have been a good idea for me to have found a place to share. I don’t think I would’ve settled in as well had I been living on my own. And it was great not only from a social point of view – there have been plenty of dinner parties and weekend outings in the area so plenty of chances to wind down– but it has also given me a fantastic insight into the British culture. I especially like that my housemates are all in very different fields of work, so when I go home I can totally switch off from what is going on at the office.
Interviewer: So, if you had to choose one thing that you feel most satisfied with from the year so far, what would it be?
Jessica: Ooh, that’s a difficult one! Let me think ... I was looking forward to experiencing a sense of total independence that I’ve never had before, and this has been great, but what I’ve really appreciated is finding out that I can lead people, and organise something well ... even get on with and work alongside people I’ve never met before ... and doing it all in a foreign language, too! It was a real psychological boost for me.
Interviewer: Finally, what advice would you give to other young people considering doing a similar exchange, Jessica?
Jessica: Well, first of all, go for it! You might never get the chance again. And, like I said earlier, try to find accommodation in a shared house. You could also try joining some clubs when you arrive. I think loneliness would have had a negative impact on my experience. But most of all, appreciate every moment while you’re there, put your heart and soul into it and learn everything you can. You don’t have to be the best at something, you just have to try hard. I’ve loved the experience so much that I’ve just accepted an invitation to give a talk at the school where my sister teaches back home, about believing in yourself and living your dreams. It’s such a shame that so many people don’t seize the day when new adventures come their way, simply because they’re afraid of taking the risk and failing!
Interviewer: Well, thank you so much for coming on the show and being such an encouragement to our young listeners.
Jessica: Thanks for having me.