By this stage in the course, the students will likely know the meaning of the vocabulary here but this is a good opportunity to refresh the meanings with them by asking them to explain the meanings and to give examples. Use concept check questions to really check if the meanings have been understood e.g. “If you have a fixed-term contract, do you know when you will finish this job?” (yes). Don’t ask “do you understand?” because it doesn’t test comprehension effectively.
Give each student the handout. Emphasise that this is a speaking activity and that they must not simply use a translator to translate the words. Depending on the level of the class, they may need 20 minutes. Encourage wider discussion about how these phrases/conditions are applied in practice. At the end, go through the phrases to ensure the terms are all understood. Nominate students to explain the meanings/give examples.
FYI, according to ACAS (accessed 2/11/24) (link on ‘helpful resources slide): By law, employees are entitled to 5.6 weeks' statutory paid holiday a year. Bank holidays might be included in this paid holiday. When someone is off sick, they can 'self-certify' for 7 calendar days, including weekends. This means they can tell their employer they're not well enough to work. They do not need to provide medical evidence.
If they're off sick for more than 7 days, an employee will need to get a fit note from a registered healthcare professional. Redundancy is usually a type of dismissal when a role is no longer needed. If you're dismissed for another reason, for example because of your performance or conduct, it's not redundancy.
Information from https://www.gov.uk/employment-contracts-and-conditions/written-statement-of-employment-particulars accessed 02/11/24.
Have the students check their answers in pairs before doing group feedback.
At this stage, check they have understood the meanings of the words and highlight the fixed/semi-fixed expressions they can apply in their own emails e.g. “I am delighted to accept your offer of the post of…”.
