You will hear five different people talking about their work on a cruise ship. For questions 19- 23, choose from the list (A-F) what each speaker says about their work. Use the letters only once. There is one extra letter which you do net need to use.
A One aspect of my job is less interesting than others.
B My job involves planning for the unexpected.
C You have to be sociable to do my job.
D I don’t like routine in my working life.
E There’s not much work to do during the day.
F I provide passengers with a souvenir of their trip. Man: I deal with anything to do with entertainment on board, and that covers guest lecturers, cabaret artists, the show company and any special nights. I have to plan each cruise with all the performers and then introduce them at the beginning of the show. There’s never a dull moment and if I want time to myself, I have to escape to my cabin because a huge part of my job is to mix with people. There are often parties to attend ... and then, sometimes, dance nights to organize. So, if I’m not in the shows, I’ll be out there dancing with the passengers, because that’s part of my job too.
Woman: I’m in charge of reception at the Health and Fitness Centre, so I greet passengers and organize their individual fitness programmers and beauty treatments. I wouldn’t say it was glamorous because it’s very hard work, but the rewards for me are meeting really interesting people, and the system of working, We do eight-month contracts, and once you’ve finished, it’s up to you how much time you have off. Then you renew your contract when you’re ready. I like working on a contract basis; I don’t like to feel as if I’m stuck somewhere. At home, everyone follows the same nine-to-five pattern. Here, time just has a different meaning.
Man: I’m responsible for the safety of the passengers. That means that, apart from keeping an eye on things on a day-to-day basis, I have to make sure that passengers can be safely evacuated if there’s an emergency. So, 1 do a lot of staff training, to make sure each member of staff knows exactly what to do if there’s a problem ... and, of course, we do emergency drills with the passengers. In theory, I’m on call for twenty-four hours a day, but, in fact, I’m generally on duty for about fifteen so I do get the chance to socialise a bit too. When we’re in port, though, I get the whole time off.
Woman: There are six photographers here, and we take photos of passengers in various locations on the ship. My main role, though, is to develop and print all the passenger film so I’m less in evidence socially. We don’t have set hours because every cruise programmed is different and, because I print the photos, I frequently carry on working until six in the morning -- getting them ready for the next day. It’s quite exciting. People like having their pictures taken with the captain, and we also do quite a few shots in the restaurant and on party nights, but -- generally -- people come to us with their own requests.
Man: I’m in charge of all the restaurants on board. So, menus, castings and the quality of food, plus any staff issues --it’s all down to me, 1 love all that even if the paperwork and accounts can be a bit dull sometimes. But I’ve worked for this company for nearly 24 years, and I haven’t regretted it for one minute. Even though we can’t choose where we go, we can put in requests for certain cruises. So, normally, I do four months away and then two months’ leave. Where else could you get a job like that and get paid for it? You miss your friends and family, but you don’t get time to think about it.
