The Reading / Listening - Level 5

Graduates who want to be investment bankers in London could be disappointed if they wear brown shoes at a job interview. A report highlights how the investment banking industry follows old, unwritten rules about how bankers should behave. The study was undertaken by Britain's Social Mobility Commission. It looked at how people in job interviews were selected. Researchers found that the industry followed "relatively opaque" codes of conduct. They wrote: "For men, the wearing of brown shoes with a business suit is generally considered unacceptable…within investment banking."

The report suggested that working class people had to change their behaviour to fit in with bankers from middle and upper classes. One new banker said: "I felt like my accent was a bit out of place, so I changed it." The study said the industry discriminated against those who did not go to elite universities. It said: "Bright, working-class kids are being systematically locked out of top jobs in investment banking because they did not attend a small handful of elite universities….It is shocking…that some…still judge candidates on whether they wear brown shoes…rather than on their skills."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 4 or  Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/01/wearing-brown-shoes-could-lose-you-a-banking-job-in-uk.html
  • http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/01/candidates-miss-out-on-financial-jobs-because-they-wear-brown-sh/
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-37244180


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Graduates who want to
  2. could be
  3. wear brown shoes
  4. the investment banking
  5. follows old, unwritten
  6. how people in job interviews
  7. codes of
  8. a business suit is generally
  1. industry
  2. at a job interview
  3. were selected
  4. considered unacceptable
  5. be investment bankers
  6. conduct
  7. disappointed
  8. rules

Paragraph 2

  1. working class
  2. change their behaviour
  3. bankers from middle and
  4. my accent was a bit out
  5. the industry discriminated
  6. go to elite
  7. locked out of top
  8. rather than
  1. against those
  2. of place
  3. jobs
  4. to fit in
  5. universities
  6. people
  7. on their skills
  8. upper classes

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Graduates (1) ___________________ investment bankers in London could be disappointed (2) ___________________ brown shoes at a job interview. A report highlights how the investment banking (3) ___________________, unwritten rules about how bankers should behave. The study was undertaken by Britain's Social Mobility Commission. It looked at how people in job interviews (4) ___________________. Researchers found that the industry followed "relatively opaque" (5) ___________________. They wrote: "For men, the wearing of brown shoes with a business suit is generally (6) ___________________ …within investment banking."

The report suggested that working class people (7) ___________________ their behaviour to fit in with bankers from (8) ___________________ classes. One new banker said: "I felt like (9) ___________________ a bit out of place, so I changed it." The study said the industry discriminated against those who did (10) ___________________ universities. It said: "Bright, working-class kids are being systematically (11) ___________________ top jobs in investment banking because they did not attend a small handful of elite universities….It is shocking…that (12) ___________________ candidates on whether they wear brown shoes…rather than on their skills."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

GraduateswhowanttobeinvestmentbankersinLondoncouldbedisapp
ointediftheywearbrownshoesatajobinterview.Areporthighlightshow
theinvestmentbankingindustryfollowsold,unwrittenrulesabouthowb
ankersshouldbehave.ThestudywasundertakenbyBritain'sSocialMob
ilityCommission.Itlookedathowpeopleinjobinterviewswereselected.
Researchersfoundthattheindustryfollowed"relativelyopaque"codes
ofconduct.Theywrote:"Formen,thewearingofbrownshoeswithabusi
nesssuitisgenerallyconsideredunacceptable…withininvestmentban
king."Thereportsuggestedthatworkingclasspeoplehadtochangethei
rbehaviourtofitinwithbankersfrommiddleandupperclasses.Onenew
bankersaid:"Ifeltlikemyaccentwasabitoutofplace,soIchangedit."Th
estudysaidtheindustrydiscriminatedagainstthosewhodidnotgotoelit
euniversities.Itsaid:"Bright,working-classkidsarebeingsystema
ticallylockedoutoftopjobsininvestmentbankingbecausetheydidnotat
tendasmallhandfulofeliteuniversities….Itisshocking…thatsome…still
judgecandidatesonwhethertheywearbrownshoes…ratherthanonthe
irskills."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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_____________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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