IELTS Speaking Lesson about Family Business
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Would you work wit members of your family? This topic of family businesses is a common one in IELTS Speaking. Here are some great ideas and useful vocabulary, phrases and idioms you can use to talk confidently on this topic.
Examples of Family Businesses
The following are generally considered as family businesses;
1. Samsung
Apparently in South Korea this is known as chaebol, a kind of conglomerate run by one large family.
2. Wal-Mart
An American store, now a multinational, originally started by Sam Walton. The family still own a large proportion of the store, but not all of it.
3. Ford
The car company started by Henry Ford. Whilst no longer a real family business, apparently the family have special shares that still give them voting control.
We often call a small family business run by a husband and wife, a Mom and Pop store.
Typical these may be
- Restaurants
- Supermarkets
- Convenience stores
- Bookshops
Working with Family Members: Discussion
Advantages of working with a family member
- You can trust them
- They are more trustworthy
- They have a vested interest in the company
- They probably have the same values and mission
- Greater job security
- Your job is more secure
- Strong sense of loyalty
Disadvantages of working with a family member
- People may think you are using nepotism (=favouritism)
- It’s hard to point out their flaws (=mistake)
- You take your work home with you
- Workers won’t speak freely about a member of your family
- It’s hard to vent your frustrations (=release your anger) with them
IELTS Speaking Idioms about Family Business
1) To have the edge over someone = to have an advantage (over someone)
Family businesses have the edge over large companies because they can offer a personalised service.
2) To be fraught with danger = to be full of danger
Hiring a family member can be fraught with danger, for example, it’s near impossible to fire them if they underperform.
3) To be on the same page = to agree, have the same idea
I don’t usually agree with my wife’s choice of restaurant but luckily this time, we were on the same page.
Other related idioms
- To be on the same wavelength = to have the same idea
- To be in the same boat = to be in the same situation
- To be like two peas in a pod = to be very similar (2 people).
IELTS Vocabulary: Family Business
Talking about working together
- To work with someone
- To work alongside someone (=next to)
- To work hand in hand with someone (=work very closely with…)
Describing family members
- My siblings (brothers and sisters)
- My in-laws (my spouse’s family. E.g. brother-in law, sister-in-law, mother-in-laws)
- My aunts, uncles and cousins
- My relatives
I would like to go into business with my ___
I would like to start a business with my ___
I’d love to work with my ____ because he/ she is ____
I’d love to work with my ____ because they are ____
- Ambitious
- Knowledgeable
- Reliable
- Trustworthy
- Approachable = easy to get on with
I’d love to work with my ____ because we____
- We have complementary skills sets (different skills that go well together)
- He’s a big picture person and I’m a detail person
- I’m a numbers person, he is a people person.
- We are like chalk and cheese (we are opposites)
IELTS Speaking Part 2: Model Answer
Describe a family member who you want to work with in the future.
Actually if the truth be told, I would rather not work with somebody from my family. I think it’s fraught with danger and can lead to (=cause or produce) lots of problems.
However if I had to choose somebody, I think I would like to work alongside my brother-in-law, actually. I think in many ways we’re similar, but we have different skill sets, so I think we would complement each other very very well.
That said, because we have a similar personality, I think when it comes to our core values and our mission, we would be on the same page and it would make things a lot smoother – I think.
So when it comes to the kind of business we would run, I would love to set up (=begin) a restaurant with him. He’s a seasoned chef (=experienced), so he knows his way around (knows it very well) kitchens and he can take care of the cooking side of the business and managing the staff and because my background is in marketing, I can look after the marketing of the restaurant.
I can develop our market locally, I can do online digital marketing and help promote the business together. I’ve never worked with him before, but we have a fairly sturdy relationship (a strong relationship).
You know, we we get on well together and now and again we bounce ideas off each other (= share an idea with someone and get feedback).
So on the one hand, although I’m hesitant to (reluctant to) work with a member of my family. I think it could pay off (it’s beneficial to do – sometimes financially) and we could build a really good business together.
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