GOOD ENGLISH ≠ EASY ENGLISH AT WORK
2 new series coming soon

WHAT IF YOUR ENGLISH IS GOOD… BUT WORKING IN ENGLISH STILL FEELS HARD?

Knowing English is one thing.

Using it when you’re under pressure, disagreeing with someone, making a mistake or trying to make yourself understood at work is another.

That’s why two new series are coming to the blog:

THINGS NOBODY TEACHES YOU ABOUT WORKING IN ENGLISH

Real situations. Useful language. No textbook answers.

ENGLISH FOR THE WORKPLACE YOU’RE ACTUALLY GOING INTO

The skills, situations and English you need for today’s changing workplace.

Less “perfect English”.

More English that actually helps.

Coming soon.

Follow along. You might need one of these posts sooner than you think.

JOB INTERVIEW ENGLISH: “WHY DO YOU WANT THIS JOB?”

This is not the time to say:

“Because I’m interested in the position.”

It’s not wrong. It’s just too general.

The interviewer wants to know why this particular job makes sense for you.

You don't need a complicated answer. Try to connect three things:

WHAT YOU CAN DO + WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN + WHY THIS JOB

You could start with:

“I’m interested in this role because it would allow me to…”

“What attracted me to this position was…”

“I think this role would be a good fit for me because…”

Then make it personal:

“I already have experience in…, and I’d like to develop that further.”

“I’m particularly interested in the opportunity to…”

“I’d like to move into a role where I can…”

For example:

“I’m interested in this role because I already have experience working with customers, and I’d like to develop those skills in an international company. I was also interested in the opportunity to work as part of a larger team.”

Notice that the answer isn't:

“Why do I want any job?”

It's:

“Why does THIS job make sense for me?”

Before the interview, find two specific things about the role that genuinely interest you.

That will make your answer much easier — and much more convincing.

JOB INTERVIEW ENGLISH: “DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US?”

The interview is almost over.

Then they ask:

“Do you have any questions for us?”

And you say:

“No, I think everything is clear.”

If you genuinely have no questions, that's fine. But having one or two good questions can help you finish the interview on a stronger note.

You don't need complicated questions.

Try asking about the job itself:

“What would a typical day in this role look like?”

“What would be the main priorities in the first few months?”

“What would you expect the person in this role to achieve in the first three months?”

Or about the team and the way of working:

“Could you tell me a little more about the team I’d be working with?”

“How does the team usually work together?”

“What do you enjoy most about working here?”

And if you want to understand what happens next:

“Could you tell me a little about the next steps in the process?”

Avoid questions you could easily answer yourself.

For example, if the salary and working hours are clearly explained in the job advertisement, there's probably no need to ask about them again.

And don't ask questions just to impress the interviewer.

Ask something you genuinely want to know.

One good question is better than three questions you don't really care about.

And remember:

An interview is not only about them deciding whether you're right for the job.

It's also your chance to decide whether the job is right for you.

Our thoughts are with everyone at International School, Nepal, especially Professor Anirudra. We stand in solidarity with you and sincerely hope that you and all those close to you can find strength and comfort to overcome this devastating time.
The months I spent sharing books, exchanging letters and having the most delightful conversations with the school’s outstanding children will forever hold a very special place in my heart.

 

 

Coming next — Job Interview Series

. Tell me about yourself
How to start naturally and choose what is relevant.

. Talk about a mistake
How to answer without making yourself look bad — and show what you learned.

. Why do you want this job?
How to give a genuine answer instead of the usual “Because I’m interested in the position.”

. Questions to ask at the end
Probably the most useful one to finish the series: what to ask, what not to ask, and how to sound interested without sounding rehearsed.

JOB INTERVIEW ENGLISH: “TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF”

It sounds simple. It isn’t.

When an interviewer asks this, you don’t need to tell them everything about yourself. Give them a quick picture of who you are professionally.

A simple way to build your answer:

WHERE YOU ARE NOW → RELEVANT EXPERIENCE → WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR

You can start naturally with:

“Well, I’m currently working as…”

“At the moment, I mainly…”

“I’ve been working in this field for…”

Then connect it to your experience:

“Before that, I…”

“I also had the opportunity to…”

“One thing I’ve learned from that experience is…”

And finish by connecting yourself to the job:

“What I’m looking for now is…”

“I’d like to develop my experience in…”

“That’s one of the reasons this position caught my attention.”

Don’t try to tell your whole story.

Choose 2 or 3 things that make the interviewer want to ask you more.

A good answer should open the conversation — not finish it.

JOB INTERVIEW ENGLISH: “TELL ME ABOUT A MISTAKE YOU MADE”

This question can make you nervous.

But the interviewer isn’t necessarily looking for a perfect person.

They want to know what you do when something goes wrong.

You can keep your answer simple:

THE SITUATION → WHAT YOU DID → WHAT YOU LEARNED

Useful ways to start:

“There was a time when I…”

“I remember one situation where…”

“Earlier in my career, I made the mistake of…”

Then explain what happened:

“The problem was that…”

“I realised that I should have…”

“What I did was…”

And most importantly, show what changed afterwards:

“Since then, I’ve…”

“It taught me to…”

“Now, I always make sure that…”

For example:

“Earlier in my career, I sometimes left tasks until the last minute. One week, I underestimated how long a project would take and I missed a deadline. Since then, I’ve started breaking larger tasks into smaller steps and setting earlier deadlines for myself.”

Notice the important part?

You don’t spend the whole answer talking about the mistake.

You spend more time showing what you did about it.

A mistake can become a good interview answer when it shows that you learn and improve.

¿Te imaginás aprender inglés… viviendo Londres?

En julio de 2027, nuestros estudiantes podrán disfrutar de una experiencia inolvidable en una de las ciudades más fascinantes del mundo: Londres.

Muy pronto compartiremos todos los detalles sobre este viaje: propuesta, actividades, alojamiento, acompañamiento y mucho más.

¿Querés saber más? Te invitamos a nuestra charla informativa online.

Una oportunidad para conocer el proyecto, hacer preguntas y empezar a imaginar esta experiencia.

¿Te gustaría participar? Dejanos un mensaje y te contamos cómo sumarte a la charla.

London is waiting for you.

English We Learn vs. English We Actually Hear

One of the interesting things about learning English is discovering that the expressions we learn in class are not always the only expressions we hear in real-life conversations.

This doesn't mean that what we learn is wrong. Quite the opposite: expressions such as “Be careful”, “Come here” or “Calm down” are perfectly correct.

But everyday English gives us other options, and learning them can help us understand conversations more easily and sound more natural ourselves.

Be careful! → Watch out!

Both expressions can warn someone about danger.

“Be careful!”
“Watch out! There’s a car!”

Watch out! is particularly common when the danger is immediate and you want someone to react quickly.

Come here. → Come over.

These expressions are not exactly interchangeable.

Come here simply means “come to this place.”

Come over is often used when someone comes to where you are, especially when you are inviting them to your home or another place where you are staying.

“Come here for a minute.”
“Why don't you come over for dinner?”

Context makes the difference.

Calm down. → Take it easy.

Both can be used when someone is worried, angry or stressed, but the tone can be very different.

“Calm down. Everything is fine.”
“Take it easy. Everything is going to be fine.”

Calm down can sound quite direct, and depending on the situation and the speaker's tone, it can even make someone more annoyed.

Take it easy can sound softer and more reassuring.

Wait a minute. → Hold on! / Hang on!

When we want someone to wait for a moment, we have several possibilities.

“Wait a minute.”
“Hold on, I'll check.”
“Hang on, I'm almost ready.”

Hold on and hang on are especially common in informal spoken English.

Hurry up! → Come on!

Hurry up! is very direct.

In everyday conversation, Come on! can also express impatience or urgency.

“Hurry up! We're going to be late!”
“Come on! We're going to be late!”

But come on has many other meanings too. Tone and context are essential.

So, should we stop saying “Be careful” or “Wait a minute”?

Absolutely not.

The goal isn't to replace the English we learn with “more natural” English.

The goal is to expand our repertoire.

As learners, we often know one way of saying something. As our English develops, we start recognizing different expressions and understanding why a speaker chooses one rather than another.

That's an important part of becoming a more confident English speaker:

not just knowing what something means, but knowing how people actually use it.

And that's where context, tone and register become so important.

Real-life English isn't always about learning more words. Sometimes it's about discovering different ways to use the words you already know. 

What to say when you don’t have much experience

One of the most difficult moments in a job interview is being asked about experience you simply don’t have.

Maybe you’re just starting your career. Maybe you’re changing careers. Or maybe you have experience, but not in this particular field.

Your first instinct might be:

I don’t have any experience.

But don’t stop there.

You may not have experience in that specific job, but you probably have some of the skills it requires.

Think about what you have done

Have you:

• worked with customers?
• organised information?
• solved problems?
• worked as part of a team?
• learnt something quickly?
• dealt with people?

These experiences can be more useful than you think.

Instead of this:

Interviewer: Do you have experience of working with clients?
You: No, I don’t.

Try this:

You: I haven’t worked with clients in this particular field, but I have experience of dealing with customers and understanding their needs.

(Maybe you worked as an assistant in an estate agency, sold clothes in a shop, or worked as a secretary.)

You are not pretending to have experience you don’t have.

You are showing the interviewer what you can do with the experience you already have.

A useful structure

I haven’t… yet, but I have…

I haven’t worked in this area yet, but I have experience of…

I don’t have much experience in this field, but I’ve worked with…

I’m new to this area, but in my previous job I learnt how to…

You don’t need to have done exactly the same job before.

Think about your experience. Then think about the skills that could be useful in this new role.

How to make short answers a little more interesting

You don’t need perfect English to give a good answer in a job interview.

And you definitely don’t need long, complicated sentences.

But try not to stop too soon.

Do you enjoy working in a team?

You could say:

Yes, I do.

There’s nothing wrong with that.

But try adding one more thing:

Yes, I do. I like sharing ideas and working with other people.

Or:

Yes, I do. In my previous job, I often worked as part of a small team.

Answer + one more thing

Are you good at solving problems?

Yes, I think so. I usually try to stay calm and find a practical solution.

Do you like learning new things?

Yes, I do. I enjoy learning new things, especially when I can use them in my work.

Have you ever worked under pressure?

Yes, I have. In my previous role, there were times when we had to finish things quickly.

You can add:

• a reason
• an example
• a detail
• something you learnt

You don’t need advanced vocabulary.

Just answer the question, then add one more thing.

It’s a small change, but it can make the conversation more natural — and give the interviewer a better idea of who you are.