English · Bac pro · B1 to B2

Session 7: Commuting and my future job

Recap
  1. Say aloud: £171.70 and 27.2 %.
  2. Complete: The annual Travelcard is (cheap) ... twelve monthly Travelcards.
  3. Which is the most expensive pass in document B of session 6?
Answer key
  1. a hundred and seventy-one pounds seventy; twenty-seven point two per cent.
  2. cheaper than
  3. The annual Travelcard (£1,788).
Key question: How will I get to my work placement, and when will I work?
What you need to say

In this session, you need to talk about working hours, plan your journey to your work placement (PFMP) and call or write to a company to ask practical questions.

To talk about rules, we use have to, don't have to, mustn't. To talk about plans, we use going to: I'm going to take the 7.10 bus. For times, we need at, on, in, from... to..., until.

Document A · Shift work: Ewelina, Elizabeth line driver

Watch the first two minutes again.

Watch: A Day in the Life of an Elizabeth line Driver (6 minutes 46 seconds), Transport for London channel

“I would say it's the shift work because we work all over the clock. You can start very early in the morning, or you can finish very late at night.”Ewelina, Elizabeth line driver, Transport for London, 2026
Document B · Working hours for young workers in France

For employees aged 16 or 17 (Service Public):

Source: Service Public, durée du travail d'un jeune de moins de 18 ans. Students on a work placement have their own agreement (the convention de stage): your teacher checks your hours with you.

Building your vocabulary

WordMeaningExample
a work placement / an internshipa period of training in a company (PFMP)My work placement starts in January.
a tutor / a supervisorthe person who helps you in the companyMy tutor is the workshop manager.
working hoursthe time when you workMy working hours are from 8 am to 4 pm.
a shifta period of work, often early or lateShe works the early shift.
to start / to finishto begin / to end workI start at eight and finish at four.
a breaka short time of restWe have a break at ten.
a day offa day without workWednesday is my day off.
to be on time / to be lateat the right time / after the right timeAlways be on time on the first day.
an industrial estatean area with factories and companiesThe garage is on an industrial estate.
a routethe way you travel from A to BI checked my route on the bus app.
to plan a journeyto decide how and when you travelPlan your journey the day before.
a dress code / safety shoesrules about clothes / protective shoesYou have to wear safety shoes.
Point prof · obligations, plans and time
have to / must: it is necessary
I have to start at 7.30. You must wear safety shoes.
don't have to: it isn't necessary
I don't have to work on Saturday. (no obligation)
mustn't: it is forbidden
You mustn't work at night if you are 17.
going to: a plan you have decided
I'm going to take the 7.10 bus. I'm going to leave home at 6.45.
will: a decision now, or a prediction
It's raining: I'll take the bus. It will take about forty minutes.
Time prepositions
at 8 o'clock, at night · on Monday, on 5 January · in the morning, in January · from 8 to 4 · until 5 pm

Quick check. mustn't or don't have to? You ... work more than 35 hours a week at 16. / You ... wear a suit in a garage.

Answer keyYou mustn't work more than 35 hours a week at 16 (forbidden). You don't have to wear a suit in a garage (not necessary).

Exercises

1. Listening: true or false?Entrylistening

Watch: A Day in the Life of an Elizabeth line Driver (6 minutes 46 seconds), Transport for London channel

  1. Ewelina reads her notices when she starts her shift.
  2. She never works late at night.
  3. The hardest part of her job is shift work.
  4. She likes it when passengers wave at her.
  5. On a typical shift, she stops at fewer than fifty stations.
Answer key
  1. True.
  2. False: she can start very early or finish very late.
  3. True.
  4. True.
  5. False: she stops at over 100 stations.

2. Read the rulesEntryreading

Use document B. Complete with numbers.

  1. A 16-year-old employee can work ... hours a day maximum.
  2. ... hours a week maximum.
  3. No work between ... pm and ... am.
  4. At least ... hours of rest every day.
  5. A break of ... minutes after 4 hours 30.
Answer key
  1. 8
  2. 35
  3. 10 pm and 6 am
  4. 12
  5. 30

3. have to, don't have to or mustn't?Coreguided

  1. In a kitchen, you ... wash your hands often.
  2. You ... use your phone on a building site when you work at height.
  3. On my work placement, I ... work on Sundays: the shop is closed.
  4. At 17, you ... work after 10 pm, except in rare cases.
  5. You ... arrive on time on the first day.
  6. I ... wear a uniform: my tutor said jeans are OK.
Answer key
  1. have to
  2. mustn't
  3. don't have to
  4. mustn't
  5. have to
  6. don't have to

4. at, on, in, from... to, untilEntryguided

  1. I start ... 8 o'clock.
  2. My placement begins ... Monday 4 January.
  3. I don't work ... the evening.
  4. I work ... 8 am ... 4 pm.
  5. The shop is open ... 7 pm.
  6. We have a break ... the morning.
Answer key
  1. at
  2. on
  3. in
  4. from... to
  5. until
  6. in

5. Plan your journeyCoreguided

Your work placement is in a garage on an industrial estate, 12 km from your home. You start at 8.00. Write your plan with going to: what time you leave, how you travel, how long it takes, what you do if there is a problem.

Answer key

Model: I'm going to leave home at 6.50. I'm going to walk to the bus stop and take the 7.05 bus to the town centre. Then I'm going to change and take the bus to the industrial estate. It will take about fifty minutes. If the bus is late, I will call my tutor.

6. Phone call to the companyCoreinteraction

Role-play. A is a student, B is the tutor. A calls before the placement and asks: start time, finish time, what to wear, the nearest bus stop, who to ask for on the first day. B answers.

Answer key

Model: A: Good morning, this is Yanis, the student from the lycée. I'm starting my work placement on Monday. Could you tell me what time I have to arrive? B: At 8.30. A: And what time do we finish? B: At 4.30. A: Do I have to wear special clothes? B: Yes, safety shoes. A: Is there a bus stop near the company? B: Yes, the stop is called Zone Industrielle, two minutes away. A: Thank you very much. Who do I ask for? B: Ask for me, Mrs Martin, at the reception.

7. My working weekCoreyour own production

Write 80 words about the job you want to do: your working hours, shifts or regular hours, how you will get to work and how long it will take.

Answer key

Model: I want to be an electrician. I will probably start early, at about 7.30, and finish at 4.30. I won't work at night, but sometimes I will have to work on Saturdays. I will go to the building sites by van with my colleagues, so I will have to be at the company at 7.00. It will take me twenty minutes by scooter to get there.

Stretch · B2

Some jobs need early or late shifts: drivers, nurses, bakers, cooks, security staff. Write a paragraph of 120 words: Would you accept shift work? What are the advantages and drawbacks, and how would you get to work at 5 am? Use would, have to, if.

Model

I would accept shift work at the beginning of my career, because early or late shifts are sometimes better paid and I would have time for sport or appointments during the day. However, there are drawbacks. If I start at 5 am, I will have to get up at 4 am, and there are not many buses at that time. I would have to buy a scooter or share a car with a colleague. Moreover, shift work can be tiring, so I would have to sleep well. In my opinion, shift work is a good experience when you are young, but not for your whole life.

Homework
  1. Learn the difference between don't have to and mustn't.
  2. Find the address of a company where you could do your work placement and write your journey plan in five sentences with going to.