Jobs in English and saying what you do

The shortest way to say your job in English is “I'm a teacher.” or “I'm an engineer.”; don't forget “a” or “an” before the job. To say where you work, use “I work in a hospital.” or “I work at a bank.”

Common jobs

teacher, doctor, nurse, engineer, chef or cook, waiter, driver, farmer, police officer, shop assistant, accountant, hairdresser, student.

Patterns for describing your work

“I work as a nurse.”, “I work for a small company.”, “I work from home.”, “I'm looking for a job.”, “I'm retired.” Describing what you do with a verb opens up the conversation: “I help patients.”, “I cook Italian food.”

Asking and answering

The most natural way to ask about someone's job is “What do you do?”; “What is your job?” is also correct but sounds more formal. Adding one more sentence keeps the conversation going: “I'm a teacher. I teach English to children.”

Common mistakes

Not “I am teacher” but “I am a teacher”. Both “I work in a bank” and “I work at a bank” are used; “in” points to the building, “at” to the organisation. In the plural the article disappears: “They are doctors.”

A short exercise

Write the jobs of three family members with “My mother is a…” and add a second sentence for each about what they do. Then prepare a two-sentence answer of your own to “What do you do?”.

To keep going, see Introducing yourself in English: greetings, age, and answers to “How are you?” and Present simple or present continuous? The difference.

Frequently asked questions

Why do I need “a” before a job? Singular countable nouns don't stand alone in English: “I'm a nurse.” Turkish has no article, so it is often forgotten.

What can I say if I'm not working? Depending on your situation: “I'm a student.”, “I'm retired.”, or “I'm looking for a job.”