Handouts and Key to book4 unit1-4
Unit 1
Active reading (1)
Looking for a job after university? First, get off the sofa
Background information
About the passage: This is an article by an Education Correspondent, Alexandra Blair, published in
September 2008 in The Times, a long-established British quality newspaper. In Europe generally, and in
Britain in particular, for a number of years there has been a rising number of students who go to university
and therefore more new graduates seeking employment. However, for many graduates finding a job became
harder in 2008–2009 because the economic downturn – then a recession – meant that many employers werereducing their workforce. After their final exams, some students rested in the summer before looking for jobs and then they found that it was difficult to find employment in their field or at the level they wanted. The
article addresses the problems of such new graduates who might be stuck at home and advises their parents
to be there for their children (ie to be available if their children want to talk about the problem or if they
need help). The article recommends finding work in a bar or supermarket rather than sitting unemployed
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at home since this is more likely to lead to better employment later. The style is partly of a report, but also
of a humorous comment for light entertainment (seen in the jokey language and problem-solving advice to
parents).
Why finding a job in 2008 is so difficult for university graduates? Universities in Europe, particularly in Britain, have expanded greatly in the last fifteen years (over 45% of
young adults now go on to higher education), so there are more graduates looking for jobs. This competitive
situation became a lot worse in 2008 onwards with the credit crunch and economic depression, which meant
that there were fewer jobs available and a rise in unemployment. Thus new graduates have to be active
to seek a job, they need to fill in many application forms and try to get job interviews: they won’t find