Last night, my class was about jobs and related vocabulary. After a sincerely difficult yet ultimately successful search for “baker,” we started to discuss the concept of a rewarding job. I defined rewarding as a job that perhaps doesn’t pay much but still makes you happy and satisfied. Usually, people consider teaching a rewarding job, but the first suggestion a student pulled off the page was sales rep. Blinking with confusion, I turned to the other two students and asked “What else?” They suggested firefighter and police officer, but when I tendered teacher, they weren’t having it. They thought teachers were too well paid!
Perhaps my explanation was off, or maybe it’s just a cultural thing. Would you explain rewarding a different way? I’m always looking for the clearest and simplest way to put things…
Oh, one last thing: the one studying to be a baker will eventually head a factory of some sort. How do you explain that one?! I eventually came up with “baking engineer!”
Taiwandering 