I. Warming up

Watch the movie clip and discuss the questions:

1. What do you think of the father in the film?

Bossy, high-handed.

2. What determines your choice of a profession?

Interest?   Money? …

II. Background

Author/Theme:

This is an article by an Education Correspond, 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 were reducing their workforce. After their final exams, some students rested in the summer before looking jobs and then they found that it was difficult to find employment in their field or at the level they wanted.

The passage addresses the problems of such new graduates who might be stuck at home and advises their parents to be there for their children. The passage recommends finding work in a bar or supermarket rather than sitting unemployed at home since this is more likely to lead better employment later. The style is partly of a report, but also of a humorous comment for light entertainment.

Style:

Point of view

One way of highlighting different aspects of a problem - such as the one described in the passage –is by examining it from different people’s viewpoints. The writer does this in different ways: by presenting the scene from the parents’ point of view, by quoting a student at length, by summarizing the point of view of a psychologist, and by adding his own comments.

III.Text analysis

1. Text organization

One:

Two:

Three:

2. Detailed Analysis

Discussion:

1. Who describes Generation Y as "rebels without a cause"? Is it a fair description?

This is the writer’s description to indicate that this generation is rebelling against parents or society, but they have nothing particular to rebel against. This doesn’t seem very fair because the students are trying to find work – it is just that they don’t like their parents nagging them. So they are a bit rebellious against their parents, but no more than that.

2. How is Lindenfield’s point of view affected by her own personal experience?
  Her personal experience was that she worked in a bar before finding her first proper job as an aerial photographic assistant. So she says such work is a great networking opportunity. If new graduates are good at such work and bright, cheerful and polite, they are more likely to get opportunities for better jobs. Her personal experience thus reflects – or perhaps has created – her point of view.

Paraphrases：

1. Those memories of forking out thousands of pounds a year so that he could eat well and go to the odd party, began to fade. Until now. (Para.1)

The parents paid a lot of money for their son’s university fees and living expenses and for occasional social events – at graduation these memories of money were mostly forgotten because the parents were proud. But now the parents are thinking of money again because the son doesn’t have a job and doesn’t seem to be actively seeking one.

2. This former scion of Generation Y has morphed overnight into a member of Generation Grunt. (Para.2)
The distinguished son of Generation X (the parents’ generation who worked hard, got jobs, and had good careers and expected their son to do the same) has changed into a member of Generation Grunt – he doesn’t seem to communicate much, lies around and doesn’t get a job, or can only do a low-status routine job.

3. I passed the exams, but at the interviews they accused me of being 'too detached' and talking in language that was ‘too technocratic’, which I didn’t think possible, but obviously it is. (Para.5)

Jack passed the entrance exams for a government post, but he was criticized in the selection interviews. They said he was not personally involved and used the language of a technical expert or high authority. As a new graduate he probably wanted to show his expertise so he can’t understand this criticism.

4. For the rest it is 9-to-5 "chilling" before heading to the pub. (Para.6)

The others who do not have a routine low-status job (like stacking goods on a supermarket shelf) chill out all day (they spend their time casually relaxing -they don’t look for work) and go to pub for a drink in the evening.

5. I went to a comprehensive and I worked my backside off to go to a good university … (Para.6)

Jack went to a school for students of all abilities (not to a special school for academic students), so he had to work very hard to enter a good university. To work your backside off is informal and means you work very hard indeed.

6. …but having worked full-time since leaving school herself, she and her husband find it tricky to advise him on how to proceed. (Para.11)

The mother has always had a full-time job (presumably the father is also working full-time), so they do not have relevant personal experience. It is difficult for them to give their son advice about how to get a job.

7. Carry on life as normal and don't allow them to abuse your bank account or sap your reserves of emotional energy. (Para.7)

The advice from Gael Lindenfield here is that parents should live as usual. They should neither let their children spend their money unnecessarily, nor let the problem take away or use up all their energy and emotions.

8. After that the son or daughter needs to be nudged firmly back into the saddle. (Para.12)

Then the parents should push their children firmly so that they get back into control of their lives.

Summary:

Listen to the passage and fill in the blanks with the words you hear.

This text is a newspaper article with individual examples of job searching and problems after graduation.  The problems are examined from __________ people’s viewpoints: parents’ attitudes towards their jobless children, students’ quote about looking for jobs, psychologists’ __________ of the viewpoints of parents and advice for dealing with the problems, and the author’s own ___________. In the end the author concludes that if the graduates cannot find an _______ job, they can take a temporary one.

Keys: different; summary; comments; ideal

IV. Reinforcement:

Discussion

(1) Do you think the Goodwins are good parents? Why / Why not?

• Yes, if they take a hard line with Jack, it will just make him angry. He has already tried to find work and he needs rest and sympathy now. His parents are letting him go to South America for a holiday. But after that he will have to make a more serious effort and even contribute to the household budget, which means he must find work then. I think their soft approach is best.

• No, their soft line is not good enough. They should insist that Jack make more effort and they should actively help him to find a job, even a temporary one. Their soft approach just encourages him to delay and by the time he comes back from his holiday all the likely jobs will have been taken. So they are not really helping at all. How can they let him take a three-week holiday abroad when he hasn't got a job to come back to?

(2) Do you think the passage is a fair overview of the problem of graduate unemployment?

• No, because there is no mention of those who persistently apply for many jobs but don't get interviews or offers of employment. The passage seems to suggest that new graduates sit around at home, but I know many people who really search hard for jobs. Some find it, some don't. It's easy to say that this is a matter of luck, but I think it is a matter of having a positive attitude and being flexible about the first job – you can always change your field of work later.

• Yes, because those who are really active in their search for jobs and who start looking early will get jobs. Those who take long holidays and watch TV for weeks do not really show the qualities that most employers will be looking for, so it is not surprising if they find the jobs they wanted are already taken.